Hardware

There's been a standing question surrounding how seriously we should ultimately take Astro. The product was launched exactly one year ago, in limited quantities as a Day One offering for $999 a pop. My interaction with the robot was (at the time) limited to a few pre-launch demos. I came away f

During Amazon’s hardware event this morning, the company announced new Alexa-powered Echo devices, including new Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock models. One of the more notable upgrades is Eero Built-in for Echo Dot, which allows Echo Dot devices to serve as Wi-Fi extenders for existing Eero

Alongside news of new Alexa devices, Amazon today unveiled a refresh of its Ring lineup including new cameras, alarms and more. The flagship addition for consumers is a new “pro-tier” security camera joining Ring’s radar-powered lineup, the Spotlight Cam Pro. However, the more int

Amazon today announced a new feature for U.S. drivers who may need assistance while on the road — like if they get a flat tire or run out of gas, for instance. At its annual hardware event, the company introduced a service called Amazon Roadside Assistance, accessible from the Alexa app, or v

In 2020, Amazon announced its entry into the fitness tracking space, with the launch of the Halo View. The wearable was certainly priced right at $80, with a design that appeared to take cues from some Fitbit offerings. Ultimately, however, the product received the wrong kind of press, over the mat

There's been plenty of excitement on the robotic exoskeleton front in recent years. For the most part, these devices slot into two categories: 1) workplace assistance and 2) mobility assistance. The first is designed specifically for workers who have to stand for long periods and hold heavy equ

If you're reading this, you almost certainly have a complicated relationship with screens. Every year that passes, they become larger and increasingly present in our lives. Meanwhile, we continue to embrace the technology all while complaining about the hold it has on our lives. Astrohaus'

For years when someone asked me what e-reader to buy, I’d say unless they care about Amazon stuff, the Kobo Clara HD. That recommendation has wavered as I’ve tested the compact Poke 3 and ergonomic Libra 2, but the new version of the Clara puts it back in the running for easiest to endo

Apple has started assembling the iPhone 14 models in India, it said Monday, locally producing the current lineup for the first time in the same calendar year in the world's second largest smartphone market as analysts predict a greater shift in the American giant's future manufacturing. The

Battery life has long been the Apple Watch’s biggest drawback. The issue only became more pronounced when the company went all-in on sleep-tracking with watchOS 7 in 2020. Rather than increasing the mAh on the hardware, Apple presented a workaround: an alert that pops up if the user dips belo

When Nothing was unveiled early last year, founder Carl Pei promised that the hardware startup had a full road map. Early stories about the London-based firm alluded to a pitch deck full of Pokémon characters, each representing a different product in the pipeline. Roughly a year and a half later,

With the Ultra, Apple has taken a page from its now-familiar playbook for how to broaden the appeal of its mobile devices and applied it to its watch lineup: Step 1: Introduce a solid but still not fully realized version 1.0. Step 2: Refine, refine, refine. Step 3: Make a “pro” version. The U

Let's talk humanoids for a minute, shall we? Why do so many roboticists insist on creating robots that look like us? Get ready to see plenty more humanoid robots. The subject is top of mind for a few reasons. First — and most prominently — is the fact that Tesla plans to unveil a version of

This year is proving to be momentous for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. During a global chip shortage and record inflation, U.S. President Biden signed into effect the CHIPS and Science Act, the greatest boon to U.S. semiconductor manufacturing in history, with $52 billion in subsidies for chip