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Alexa’s new Logitech Harmony skill adds voice control to your home theater
Controlling your home theater setup with your voice just got a lot easier: Alexa now has an official Logitech Harmony skill, letting you issue simple commands like “Alexa, turn on the TV” or Alexa, turn on Netflix” to start Harmony activities. This is far simpler than existing third-party skills, which can give you Harmony control but involve awkward or complicated… Read More
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Twitter decides to release earnings while most of us are sleeping because reasons
A lot of the industry watchers that follow Twitter are out here on the West Coast, where the company is based. And for good reason! The Twitter diaspora exists in a large force out here and are great to keep in touch with in order to keep context, and it’s important to be in general geographic proximity of the company’s headquarters. Which is part of the reason we’re… Read More
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Here’s what you can do with the crazy new Portrait mode for the iPhone 7 Plus
Apple has just released iOS 10.1 with a Portrait mode for the iPhone 7 Plus. This feature takes advantage of the two lenses to generate background blur and make your photos look more like photos coming from a DSLR camera. While the feature is still in beta even after the release of iOS 10.1, it already works quite well. Our own Yashad Kulkarni (Romain is writing this) has been playing with… Read More
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Apple releases iOS 10.1 with the iPhone 7 Plus’ Portrait mode
Apple has just released the first significant update for iOS 10. As expected, the main focus of iOS 10.1 is that insane Portrait mode for the iPhone 7 Plus. The update is rolling out and is available both over-the-air in the Settings app, and by plugging your device into iTunes for a wired update. If you have an iPhone 7 Plus and can’t wait, navigate to ‘Settings,’ then… Read More
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Ecobee kicks off a new voluntary energy study to help fight climate change
Connected thermostat maker ecobee is launching a new program that lets users of its devices opt-in to sharing their anonymized usage data as part of a large-scale study regarding home energy efficiency. The program will share info like home age, size and occupancy numbers as well as temperature outside the home and within academic, government and non-profit research groups to help them… Read More
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Webcams involved in Dyn DDoS attack recalled
Dyn said last week it identified “10s of millions” of unique IP addresses involved in the massive botnet DDoS attack on its managed DNS services, which knocked out Twitter, Amazon and others sites for many users. At least some of those devices are now subject to a recall, with Chinese electronics company Hangzhou Xiongmai recalling web cameras using its components that were… Read More
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Americans uneasy with IoT devices like those used in Dyn DDoS attack, survey finds
A coordinated botnet attack effectively choked internet access to a large number of popular sites last week, and the attack itself was made possible in large part due to the spread of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Yet a new survey just released by IT security firm ESET and the National Cyber Security Alliance found that a good portion of Americans are not conformable with… Read More
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Six reasons to be hyped for the Nintendo Switch (and four reasons to worry)
Yesterday saw the introduction — after many leaks and rumors — of the Nintendo Switch, the company’s next game console. It isn’t due to arrive until March of next year, which is infinitely frustrating because it looks amazing for several reasons, not all of them obvious. Here’s why I’m more excited about the Switch than for any Nintendo product in a long time. Read More
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This smart sock adds sensations to prosthetic limbs
The future of prosthetics is fast arriving, with 3D-printed construction, advanced materials and embedded sensors replacing the unadorned wood and plastic of yore. But like the rest of the future, it’s not equally distributed. In order to bridge the gap for users who can’t afford or get at these fancy new prostheses, researchers propose smartening up dumb prosthetics with… Read More
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Applications are open now for our Hardware Battlefield at CES 2017
Do you make the hardest of things, hardware? We want you to compete in our Hardware Alley, our premier startup competition at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. You will have the chance to show your amazing products to representatives from major retailers, VCs, and other notables and you’ll climb far above the usual CES noise. Hardware Battlefield is part of TechCrunch’s Startup… Read More
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Researchers sabotage 3D printer files to destroy a drone
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), the University of South Alabama, and Singapore University of Technology and Design have successfully injected malicious code into a computer which, in turn, added invisible commands to a file containing a 3D model of a drone propeller. When they printed the model and attached it to the drone, the propeller broke upon take-off. This… Read More
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Nintendo Switch is the spiritual successor to the Nvidia SHIELD
Nintendo has revealed its new console, the Switch (which was codenamed the NX prior to its public debut). The thing that makes Switch different from any other console out there by a major game maker is its ability to quickly transition from home console to portable, thanks to a tablet format for the primary gaming hardware, and modular a modular ‘Joy-Con’ controller design. Is… Read More
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Swarms of tiny, cute robots will one day bring you your phone, like this
Robots are taking over factories and warehouses, but their next stop might be your desktop or kitchen counter. These tiny “Zooids” work together at high speed to act as tools, display information or move things around like little ants. Read More
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A short list of some games we want to see on the Nintendo Switch
Nintendo showed off its new console, the Nintendo Switch, for the first time, in a video earlier today. It’s basically a tablet to which you connect two controllers when you’re carrying it around, and then you use a regular controller when the tablet is plugged into the TV. In other words, it’s a kind of hybrid console where you can play both while you’re on the move… Read More
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Henrik Fisker teases upcoming EV’s “butterfly” doors
Well, damn. Henrik Fisker just took to Twitter and gave a lesson on teasing upcoming products. According to his tweet, the upcoming reborn Fisker EV will have wild butterfly doors — you know, the type of doors kids will put on their hand-me-down Honda Accords. He says in the tweet the crazy doors are for easier ingress and egress, but really he’s just throwing down with Elon Musk… Read More
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Automatic launches a new lower cost connected car adapter
Automatic went for a more expensive, but more full-featured offering with the 3G-enabled Automatic Pro earlier this year, but the new Automatic Lite delivers a more affordable connected car device with Bluetooth connectivity, at a lower price point than any previous hardware they’ve released. The new Automatic Lite is $79.95, and will sell at Best Buy, Amazon and Automatic’s own site. Read More
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