Know What's Happening in Consumer Tech
Know What's Happening in Consumer Tech
Hisense’s UR9 series brings native DisplayPort to premium TVs
Hisense announced its 2026 UR9 mini‑LED TV line, available in 65‑ to 100‑inch models, featuring a USB‑C port that supports full DisplayPort, up to 180 Hz refresh rates, 5,000 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and AMD FreeSync.
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By the numbers: SBI Mutual Fund buys 4% of Urban Company for $76M
A growing number of smartphones will stop receiving both feature and security updates in 2026, including Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series, Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, and Note 20; Apple’s iPhone SE and several vintage iPhone models; Google’s Pixel 6; numerous mid‑range Samsung, Motorola and LG devices; and OnePlus 9/10. The article notes that while flagship phones now enjoy up to seven years of support, older and budget models are being phased out, leaving users exposed to security risks. It also highlights the limited repair options for obsolete devices. Finally, it suggests upgrading or using custom ROMs like LineageOS to stay protected.
The piece outlines six lightweight, self‑hostable applications that run continuously on a Raspberry Pi, demonstrating how the low‑cost board can serve as a functional home‑lab server. It covers Pi‑hole for network‑wide ad blocking, Joplin for note synchronization, Navidrome for personal music...
The Kuycon G32P is a 32‑inch 6K monitor positioned as a budget‑friendly alternative to Apple’s Pro Display XDR, retailing for under $2,000. It offers 6144 × 3456 resolution, 99% DCI‑P3 coverage and a ΔE of 0.63, delivering professional‑grade color accuracy. Connectivity includes...
HONOR unveiled the Robot Phone at MWC Barcelona, featuring a motorized 3‑axis gimbal that can physically track subjects across a room. The 4DoF system, built around a micro‑motor 70 % smaller than previous generations, is hidden behind a sliding panel and...
Bowers & Wilkins’ Px8 S2 is positioned as the flagship luxury ANC headphone, retailing at $799 and featuring premium Nappa‑leather cushions, carbon‑cone drivers, and versatile USB‑C and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The headphones deliver an airy, detailed soundstage with a warm tuning that...
Apple is preparing retail stores for a major influx of customers in response to this week’s new products. Here’s what I’m expecting and details on the preparation. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-01/apple-touch-screen-macbook-pro-fall-2026-details-cheap-macbook-launch-core-ai-mm7rcg48
Among the new Apple AI announcements coming at WWDC this year: Replacing the Core ML development framework with a new Core AI https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-01/apple-touch-screen-macbook-pro-fall-2026-details-cheap-macbook-launch-core-ai-mm7rcg48
The CHUWI CoreBook Air Plus 16 was tested with Ubuntu 25.10 on an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H platform. Installation succeeded with 25.10 after the Ubuntu 26.04 daily image failed to launch its installer. Benchmarks show a single‑core Geekbench score of 1,917 and a multi‑core score...
PeakDo unveiled the LinkPower 2, a compact battery pack engineered for the Starlink Mini, delivering up to five hours of continuous operation—one hour longer than its predecessor. The device combines a full‑metal heat sink for superior thermal management with dual charging...
Orico’s BookDrive P10Plus is a 512 GB external SSD that adds a magnetic MagSafe‑compatible back and a 100 W Power‑Delivery passthrough port, letting users charge a phone or laptop while transferring data. In synthetic benchmarks it ranks near the middle of 10 Gbps...
More Apple Studio Display 2 details are rumored, with two models apparently on the way https://www.techradar.com/computing/monitors/more-apple-display-studio-2-details-are-rumored-with-two-models-apparently-on-the-way
AppControl is a free Windows utility that upgrades the built‑in Task Manager with performance history, deeper process controls, and privacy alerts. It records three days of CPU, GPU, RAM, and disk usage, letting users scrub back to pinpoint spikes. The...
Lenovo’s 2025 Legion Y9 transforms the Android tablet into a high‑end handheld gaming device, pairing a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and 16 GB of RAM with the detachable G9 controller. Integrated software tools—GameHub and Game Native—consolidate Steam, GOG and Epic libraries and streamline...
Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, a new mystery visual novel from Square Enix, launched on Switch, Switch 2, and PC just weeks after its Nintendo Direct reveal. The game follows Yuza Minakuchi as he investigates his parents’ disappearance on a rural island,...
The Nubia RedMagic 11 Air is a gaming‑focused smartphone built around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and Adreno 830 GPU, offered with up to 16 GB RAM and a 144 Hz AMOLED screen. It packs a massive 7,000 mAh battery and 5G/dual‑SIM connectivity, while reviewers give it an...
Four years after Apple discontinued the iPod, the device is attracting a new generation of listeners who were not even alive when it launched. Young consumers like 25‑year‑old Angeline Richard are purchasing refurbished iPod Nanos for around $40 to own...
XGN Global and X1 Mobile have unveiled the world’s first commercial rugged smartphone capable of receiving 5G Broadcast television signals, targeting first‑responder use cases. The device delivers free, subscription‑free live video, audio and emergency alerts in under half a second,...
A user running Proxmox VE on an HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini reports random hard resets every 1–2 days despite normal temperatures, no kernel panics, and clean NVMe SMART data. The system is equipped with an i7‑8700T, 64 GB RAM, and two...
Mini‑TV USA launched the Vend‑o‑Vision in 1989, a coin‑operated black‑and‑white television that dispensed 10‑20 minutes of viewing per quarter. The device combined a standard Panasonic TV with a timer linked to a coin mechanism, allowing users in laundromats, restaurants, and...
The Pixel Clock is a DIY 7‑segment LED strip clock built on a Wemos D1 Mini and WS2812 LEDs, featuring a CNC‑routed MDF enclosure with a marble finish. It offers a web‑based UI that lets users map LEDs to segments, adjust NTP...
A team wired 56 AA alkaline batteries together, added capacitors, and managed to boot a Windows PC long enough to play Minesweeper for about two minutes and fifteen seconds. The experiment showed that while the batteries could supply the necessary...
Consumer Reports released its 2025 list of the 15 worst‑performing home appliances, covering categories from toaster ovens and ranges to washers, refrigerators, and smart doorbells. The nonprofit’s testing exposed poor cooking, cleaning, energy efficiency, and security flaws in models such...
Apple leverages spam reports from iPhone, Mac, iMessage and FaceTime to strengthen its security ecosystem. Each report feeds server‑side machine‑learning models that learn spam signatures in real time. When enough users flag a sender, Apple can coordinate domain takedowns and...
India’s personal safety market got a boost when Bengaluru entrepreneur Sindhuja Sura’s startup BoomBird launched the country’s first rechargeable personal alarm, delivering a 130‑decibel siren and up to two minutes of continuous sound on a single charge. The device addresses...
Koffan is a self‑hosted grocery‑list web app that runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero W, delivering real‑time updates across family devices without requiring accounts or subscriptions. Built in Go and optionally containerized, it serves a lightweight web page that can be installed as...
Microsoft’s February 2026 Windows 11 update (KB5077241) finally activates colored battery icons and an optional battery‑percentage readout, a feature first previewed in late 2024. The patch also refreshes the Start menu and requires users to opt into priority updates and enable the percentage...
Lorex introduced a Wi‑Fi Smart Light Bulb Pan‑Tilt Camera that looks like a regular bulb but provides 360° video coverage. The device combines adjustable illumination with a 2K camera that can pan 360° and tilt 90°, eliminating typical blind spots....
The Gadgeteer outlines five tactical everyday‑carry (EDC) kits designed for distinct worst‑case scenarios, from grid‑down blackouts to 72‑hour urban survival. Each kit pairs purpose‑built tools—flashlights, multitools, power banks, first‑aid supplies, and lightweight shelters—with price points ranging from under $10 to...
Lenovo has launched the ThinkBook 16+ in China, marking the start of its LPCAMM2 rollout to mainstream laptops. The device is the first consumer model to feature LPCAMM2, offering up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X‑8533 memory alongside an Intel Core Ultra...
Smartphone reliance has spurred a niche market for keychain‑sized chargers that combine portability with emergency power. The article reviews five products ranging from the 2,000 mAh Rolling Square Tau 2 with a magnetic dock to the 5,000 mAh Iniu SnapGo Mini that adds...
MacStories released its February 2026 Monthly Log, highlighting two exclusive club‑only stories: “Vibe Coders Are Just Coders” by John and “The Surprising Longevity of the M1” by Devon. Both pieces are available to members through the platform’s ad‑free newsletter and...
Smartphones now house digital barometric sensors that measure atmospheric pressure. While the primary purpose is to refine GPS altitude calculations, the data can be repurposed for offline weather monitoring. Apps such as Barometer & Altimeter let users view real‑time pressure readings and...
Mobile World Congress 2026 marks a turning point as generative AI moves from a novelty to the core architecture of Android smartphones, with IDC forecasting GenAI‑enabled devices to represent over 37% of shipments and generate $433 billion in revenue. Foldable phones,...
Did You Know Gaming released a video detailing the WonderSwan, Bandai’s 1999 handheld that never left Japan. The console was co‑designed by Nintendo legend Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy. The documentary reveals Nintendo’s internal response and why the device struggled...
AnduinOS is a new Ubuntu‑based Linux distribution that replicates the Windows 11 desktop layout, aiming to ease the transition for Windows users. Built on GNOME 48, it delivers a familiar UI while retaining Linux’s stability and driver support, with out‑of‑box Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth,...
433 MHz radio frequency, long‑standing in consumer RF controls, is resurfacing as a low‑cost smart‑home bridge option. It delivers up to 300 ft range and penetrates walls better than 2.4 GHz Wi‑Fi, but lacks mesh networking, encryption, and high bandwidth. Devices like garage‑door...
Minisforum unveiled the MS‑A2, a 1.78‑liter mini desktop server powered by AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX mobile processor. The compact workstation starts at $799 for the base model and tops out at $1,919 fully configured with 96 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD. It offers...
The author realized that not all USB‑C cables are created equal after a slow external SSD transfer revealed the hidden performance gap. USB‑C refers only to the connector shape, while the USB4 standard—especially USB4 v2—delivers 40 Gbps to 80 Gbps data rates and...
Lenovo is offering its ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 AMD workstation laptop for $1,539, roughly a 50 % discount off the standard price. The machine packs a high‑end AMD processor, 96 GB of DDR5‑5600 RAM and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, targeting power users who...
The Xiaomi Electric Scooter 6 Ultra is the highest tier of Xiaomi’s new scooter series. Featuring a 1200W motor, 12-inch tires and swing arm suspensions plus dual disc brakes, it’s a powerful scooter for getting around the city. I was...
Former Xbox 360 veteran Peter Moore publicly dismissed co‑founder Seamus Blackley’s criticism of new CEO Asha Sharma, calling the “gamer CEO” argument nonsense. Moore praised Sharma’s outsider perspective, urging her to listen, learn, and keep a low profile while navigating...
Roku has slashed the price of its Streambar SE to $70.15, a 30% discount from the original $99.99. The device merges a 4K HDR Roku streaming platform with a compact two‑speaker soundbar and bass port, delivering clearer dialogue and richer...
Motorola unveiled the Moto G Power 2026, a budget Android 16 handset featuring a 6.8‑inch 1080p IPS panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 5,200 mAh battery, and the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor paired with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. Priced around $300,...
Morse Micro’s MM8108 Wi‑Fi chip delivers up to 43 Mbps while extending coverage to several miles, far beyond conventional routers. The chip’s low‑power design enables solar‑ or battery‑powered installations, making it ideal for off‑grid and disaster‑relief scenarios. Global regulatory compliance and...
While I'm monitoring the situation (the war in Iran) I'm playing around with @lovart_ai. Seems like years ago that Nano Banana 2 shipped, doesn't it? Because the news is so distracting, Lovart's new speed and quality, and ease of use due...
The Xiaomi 17 is Xiaomi’s latest compact flagship, featuring a class‑leading 7,000 mAh silicon‑carbon battery and the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. It retains the 6.3‑inch LTPO AMOLED display and premium build while offering up to 16 GB RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. Camera hardware remains...
Leica has entered the Android market with its first smartphone, the Leitzphone, developed in partnership with Xiaomi. The device features a mechanical camera ring that offers DSLR‑style controls and a triple‑camera system, including two 200 MP sensors and a 1‑inch main...
Roku has halted the beta rollout of a revamped home screen that introduced a Quick Access row displaying six to eight frequently used apps surrounded by recommendation tiles. The test, which began in late summer 2025, aimed to blend app‑centric...
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series skips built‑in Qi2 magnets, citing a push for thinner, lighter devices. The phones still support Qi2‑compatible cases, meaning 25 W wireless‑charging speeds depend on magnetic alignment provided by a case. Currently, no 25 W Qi2 charger operates without magnets,...
Owl Labs unveiled the Meeting Owl 5 Pro, a 360‑degree conference camera that consolidates video, audio, and display connectivity into a single USB‑C cable for Mac users. The device adds a 4K Ultra HD sensor, AI‑driven speaker tracking, and an integrated docking...
