Today's Consumer Tech Pulse
Apple integrates distilled Gemini AI into Siri, boosting on-device processing
Apple is embedding a distilled version of Google’s Gemini model into Siri, enabling the iPhone’s Neural Engine and custom silicon to handle simpler queries locally while offloading heavier AI workloads to the cloud. The initiative also brings Nvidia’s Confidential Computing platform to encrypt user data during cloud processing.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Airbnb leads $58M Series C in travel startup WeRoad
Fibocom Targets Smart Pet Collars with MQ771-GL LPWA Module
Fibocom unveiled the MQ771-GL LPWA module at Embedded World 2026, targeting smart pet collars. The module combines Cat‑M and NB‑IoT with a 17.7 × 15.8 mm footprint and power‑saving modes as low as 1 µA, promising battery life extensions from days to months. Fibocom emphasizes global multi‑band support and dual‑mode network switching to simplify roaming. The announcement positions the module as a compact, low‑power solution for OEMs developing connected pet wearables.
The New iPhone 17e Might Look Cute and Compact, but Early Benchmark Tests Suggest that It's a Powerful Gaming Phone
Apple unveiled the iPhone 17e, a $599 mid‑range handset that shares the A19 processor with the flagship iPhone 17. Early Geekbench tests recorded a 9,241 multi‑core score, essentially matching the flagship’s performance, while its four‑core GPU trails the flagship’s five‑core...
Five Hacks Every Fitness Watch User Should Know
Lifehacker outlines five practical hacks that let fitness‑watch owners squeeze more performance out of their devices. It suggests wearing the sensor on the upper arm for cleaner heart‑rate data, swapping the noisy current‑pace readout for lap‑pace averages, and programming hot‑keys...
Tembo Is an Innovative New Instrument Designed to Demystify Electronic Music-Making
Tembo, a new step sequencer from Musical Beings, replaces the typical digital grid with magnetic wooden counters on a board‑game‑style layout. The tactile interface lets users build basslines and beats by moving physical pieces, while built‑in mic, line‑in, MIDI out, effects...
This Saltwater-Resistant Soundcore Speaker Is Nearly 50% Off
Anker’s Soundcore Boom 3i portable speaker is currently discounted to $74.99, nearly 50% off its regular $139.99 price. The device combines an IP68 waterproof rating with salt‑water resistance and a floating design, making it uniquely suited for beach, kayak and...
Framework Raises RAM Prices for the Third Time in Three Months, SSD Costs up — Company Warns that It’s Running...
Framework announced a third consecutive monthly increase in DDR5 RAM prices, now ranging from $13 to $18 per GB, a modest $1‑2 rise compared with earlier hikes. The company also disclosed higher SSD costs after depleting its low‑cost inventory, urging customers...
Galaxy S26 Switching to ‘Hey Perplexity’ Wake Word for Its Third AI Assistant
Samsung's Galaxy S26 series rolled out its first software update, removing the previously announced “Hey Plex” wake word for the Perplexity AI assistant. The change is temporary, as Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas confirmed the wake word will be reintroduced as “Hey Perplexity.”...
Oppo and OnePlus Confirm the Worst – Smartphone Prices Are Set to Soar and You only Have a Few Days...
Oppo announced that, beginning 16 March 2026, select mid‑range models in its A and K series as well as OnePlus devices will see price increases in China due to rising component costs. The hike excludes flagship Find and Reno lines, which remain...
Crimson Desert Xbox Series X|S and ROG Xbox Ally Specs Revealed
Pearl Abyss unveiled Crimson Desert specifications for Xbox Series X, Series S, the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X ahead of its March 19, 2026 launch. The Series X mirrors PS5 performance, offering identical Performance, Balanced and Quality modes, while the Series S provides only Performance or...
10 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard Models Worth Buying For Beginners
The Slashgear guide lists ten wireless mechanical keyboards aimed at beginners, spanning 60% to 96% layouts and covering a range of switch types, hot‑swappable options, and battery capacities. Brands such as Epomaker, Logitech, Royal Kludge, Keychron and Asus are featured,...
Blink's New 2K Outdoor Camera Five-Pack Is Over $100 Off Right Now
Blink’s Outdoor 2K+ five‑camera kit is now $226.99 on Amazon, a $123 discount from its $349.99 launch price, bringing the per‑camera cost to roughly $45. The bundle includes five weather‑rated cameras, a Sync Module Core, and two‑year‑lasting AA lithium batteries....
Shop Our Story: SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2
The article reviews SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2 bone‑conduction headphones, highlighting their open‑ear design, secure wrap‑around fit, and clear audio that lets runners stay aware of surroundings. The author, Aly Ellis, declares them the only headphones she would use while running,...
MacBook Neo $599 Review: Which Users Should Buy?
At the risk of spoiling my entire review, I present to you: Rating the $599 Macbook Neo based on who the customer is: https://youtu.be/iGeXGdYE7UE
Hand‑held 155° Camera Captures Race without Selfie Stick
Occasionally people snark on me for using a selfie stick during a running race... even though I've NEVER used a selfie stick during a running race. It gets tedious. Anyway, here's what my 155° FOV action camera can see when...
Elgato Brings Native Voicemod Effects to Wave Link and Stream Deck
Elgato, a Corsair brand, has deepened its partnership with Voicemod by embedding the voice‑changing software directly into its Wave Link and Stream Deck platforms. Streamers can now apply Voicemod’s professional voice effects as VST plugins in Wave Link without launching...
This Digital Picture Frame Wants to Bring People Closer to a Holographic Future
Looking Glass, a Brooklyn‑based holographic‑screen pioneer, unveiled Musubi, an AI‑driven digital picture frame that projects photos and short videos as 3D holograms. The device extracts key subjects from media, displays them across a 170‑degree view, and stores up to 1,000...
Wahoo KICKR Run Treadmill Review: One of the Most Impressive Indoor Experiences Money Can Buy – if You Have the...
The Wahoo KICKR Run is a premium, non‑folding treadmill priced around $5,250 in the US, offering a gym‑grade running experience for dedicated home users. Its standout RunFree mode automatically matches belt speed to the runner’s pace, while a motorised incline...
I’m a Big Fan of Orico’s USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure for Accessing Old Drives on the Go, and It’s...
TechRadar highlights Orico’s 2.5‑inch USB 3.0 hard drive enclosure, now 15% off during Amazon’s Spring Deal Days, priced at £5.94. The compact ABS case converts spare 2.5‑inch SATA HDDs or SSDs up to 6 TB into portable external storage. It offers up...
Samsung Galaxy S26 Review: Fun AI Tricks for a Steeper Price
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 launches at $900, a $100 premium over the S25, and leans heavily on AI‑driven software rather than major hardware upgrades. The phone ships with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 12 GB RAM, a 4,300 mAh battery and a 6.3‑inch AMOLED display, but retains...
How to Reduce AI Features on Your Pixel Phone
Google’s Pixel phones embed AI across the operating system, with Gemini powering features from the Journal app to the search bar. The article outlines step‑by‑step methods to disable or uninstall AI‑driven apps such as Journal, Screenshots, Google Photos, Messages, and...
Best iPad of 2026: How to Choose, and Should You Wait?
Apple’s 2026 iPad Air, upgraded with the M4 chip, emerges as the best performance‑to‑value tablet in the current lineup, outpacing the older entry‑level iPad and rivaling the premium iPad Pro. The Air’s faster Wi‑Fi, 5G, and graphics capability position it...
The Fort Strength Training Wearable Tracks Your Sets (2026)
Fort, a new wearable from former Tesla engineers, launches with hands‑free weight‑lifting tracking and full strength‑training analytics. Priced at $289 with the first year of an $80 subscription included, it ships later this year after a beta phase. The device...
Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers for 2026
CNET’s 2026 roundup identifies the Netgear Orbi 870 as the top overall mesh Wi‑Fi system, delivering industry‑leading throughput, jitter and packet‑loss scores while supporting the new 6 GHz band. The Orbi 970 earns the fastest‑mesh accolade but carries a seven‑figure‑plus price tag, targeting...
The DJI Drone Everyone’s Been Waiting for Gets a Launch Date
DJI announced the Avata 360, an 8K flagship 360° drone, with a public unveiling scheduled for March 26. The aircraft merges true spherical video capture with high‑speed FPV flight, featuring a dual‑lens system that can record native 8K 360 footage and switch...
Shanghai's
I arrived in Shanghai and can not recognize it - there is an @openclaw craze. All high-end Mac products are sold out and there is a National push for OpenClaw adoption to boost productivity. @steipete is a local hero. I...
Whisker Litter-Robot 5 Pro Review: This $900 Litter Box May Be Almost Too High-Tech for Me
Whisker’s new Litter‑Robot 5 Pro, priced at $899, adds a dual‑camera system, LCD screen, larger waste drawer and the Waste ID feature that separates urine from feces using AI and weight sensors. The AI camera can recognize individual cats and record usage, but...
Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus Review: This Again
Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus flagship phones, positioning them as modest refreshes rather than generational leaps. Both models feature new chipsets, larger batteries and faster wireless charging on the Plus, but lack standout hardware innovations such as magnetic...
Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE Returns: Fastest Mouse Yet
The @Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE wireless gaming mouse is available to order again on the @logitechg website - visit the link in my bio to get yours and get your hands on the fastest gaming mouse on the market,...
Fujifilm Instax Evo Cinema Review: Retro Video Fun
Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo Cinema blends a 1960s cine aesthetic with modern instant‑photo and short‑video functionality. The camera features a 5‑MP sensor, 15‑second video clips, and a Decades dial that applies era‑specific visual effects from the 1930s to the 2020s....
Oppo Find N6 Boasts Near‑invisible Screen Crease
The Oppo Find N6! Can’t talk about specs much yet but it has a screen that has faintest, hard to notice, hard to see crease yet. Full review coming.
Why People Are Abandoning Wireless Headphones
Wired headphones are experiencing a pronounced resurgence, with Circana reporting a 20% revenue increase in the first six weeks of 2026 after years of decline. Consumers cite superior sound quality, plug‑and‑play reliability, and a nostalgic, anti‑tech sentiment as primary motivators....
Apple’s New $599 iPhone 17e Delivers Solid Performance at a Lower Price
Apple introduced the iPhone 17e at a $599 price point, positioning it as the company’s most affordable new model. The device is powered by the fast A19 processor, ships with 256GB of storage as standard, and adds MagSafe compatibility and...
Xiaomi 17 Series Launched in India: Price and Specifications
Xiaomi launched its 17 series in India, comprising the flagship Xiaomi 17 and the premium Xiaomi 17 Ultra. The Ultra is priced at ₹1.29 lakh with an instant ₹10,000 SBI credit‑card discount and a free ₹19,999 photography kit for early...
New Generation Studio Display, Apple’s 5K Monitor Gets Thunderbolt 5 Upgrade
Apple has launched a refreshed 27‑inch Studio Display that retains its 5K Retina panel, 600‑nit brightness, and integrated camera, speakers, and microphones. The key upgrade is the inclusion of Thunderbolt 5, delivering up to 80 Gb/s bandwidth and allowing the monitor to...
Epomaker Reveals Luma100 Low-Profile Mechanical Keyboard With Custom Gateron Switches
Epomaker has unveiled the Luma100, a low‑profile 96% mechanical keyboard that blends full‑size functionality with a compact, aluminium chassis. It features custom Gateron Low‑Profile 2.0 switches, a gasket‑mount design, and ABS DSA keycaps with shine‑through RGB. The keyboard supports USB‑C wired,...
Qualcomm Faces Loss of Apple Business, Rated ‘Underperform’ by Bank of America
Bank of America downgraded Qualcomm to an 'Underperform' rating, citing an imminent $7‑$8 billion revenue loss as Apple phases out Qualcomm’s modem chips by fall 2027. The analyst notes that the smartphone chip market is maturing, with rivals like Samsung and...
Best Buy Wants to Be the Hub for AI-Powered Hardware Like Glasses, Laptops
Best Buy is repositioning itself as the go‑to retailer for AI‑powered hardware, from glasses to AI‑enhanced PCs, as its fiscal‑year revenue held steady at roughly $42 billion. CEO Corie Barry highlighted flat market share but pointed to rapid growth in emerging categories such...
IPhone Was a Small Mac; iOS Mirrors macOS
The funny thing about people saying the MacBook Neo is just an iPad or an iPhone is that under the hood iOS is fundamentally the same thing as macOS, and indeed when Apple launched the iPhone they said explicitly...
Everblog Smart Calendar Review: An Organizers Dream with a Secret
Everblog’s new E1 and E2 smart calendars digitize the traditional kitchen calendar, offering a dedicated Android‑14 interface for chore and schedule management. The 21.5‑inch E1, priced at $349, features a robust build and full‑screen touch, while the 13.4‑inch E2 costs...
Google Starts Rolling Out Gemini in Chrome to Users in Canada, India and New Zealand
Google is extending its Gemini‑powered AI suite in Chrome to users in Canada, India and New Zealand, following an earlier U.S. debut. The rollout adds roughly 50 new features, including the Nano Banana image generator, and expands language support to...
Craving a Thin Flip Phone With
I wish there was a super thin flip phone that just had talk, text, WhatsApp, iTunes or Spotify, email, and a great camera. Basically, I miss my old @motorolaus Razr.
AI Assistant Vellum Answers Calls and Handles Tasks
🚨 I've been using an AI that literally picks up my phone calls for me. Not a chatbot. Not another browser tab. An actual personal assistant that lives on my computer and gets shit done. It's called Vellum. Here's what it did for me...
Infinix NOTE 60 Pro Debuts with Snapdragon Power,6500mAh Battery and Interactive LED Design
Infinix has launched the NOTE 60 Pro in Nigeria, its first device powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 5G processor, delivering over 1.1 million AnTuTu points. The phone introduces an Active Matrix rear LED display that shows calls, notifications and mini‑games without unlocking. It packs...
Exploring the World Through a Tiny 5MP Camera
for the next hour, I plan to "see the world" through the eye of an Fujifilm instax Pal is a tiny, 5-megapixel digital camera.. https://t.co/orYcmkf2zr
Xbox Summit Skips Live Stream; Team Reports Project Helix Updates
today’s Xbox developer summit keynote won’t be streamed live, but my colleagues will be attending and reporting on the latest Project Helix dev news https://t.co/L7l3PljkPw
Xbox Store Drops UWP; PC Games Now Win32 Only
the same UWP no longer accepted in the Xbox Store, and all Xbox PC games are win32 these days 🙃
Shelfy 2 Tested: Does It Really Keep Food Fresher?
We tested the Shelfy 2 for 2 weeks to find out if this fridge purifier actually keeps food fresher—and whether it's worth the $129 price tag. https://t.co/WjlfUJHgar https://t.co/Sr4zAoS0hO
Smart Clothing Could Outthink Its Wearer
Your clothes may become smarter than you by Sydney Barrilleaux Learn more: https://t.co/YzGHVuqPR6 #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology https://t.co/dFTpjCHg6i
IPhone's Keyboard and Voice Dictation Are Unusable
I honestly can barely use my iPhone anymore. The keyboard is so bad, and speech to text even worse.
Apple Likely to Flop with New Product
I think Apple is going to have a hit on their hands with this new product: