Gadgets | Latest gadget news, updates & reviews on TechCrunch

Best gifts for frequent travelers

Brian Heater — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

What’s the best gift you can get someone? Why, the gift of travel, of course. The next best is something to enhance the travel experience. As fun and enlightening as seeing new places is, the whole part of getting there can detract from the overall experience, especially for those who find themselves traveling a lot […]

Fitbit’s kids’ smartwatch gets family group chats

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Fitbit’s Ace LTE, the smartwatch designed for ages 7+, is introducing new features to help families stay connected and get active together. On Wednesday, Fitbit announced a slew of new features, including group chats, family quests, a new mini-game, and two new watch faces. There’s also a new direct message feature for siblings to text […]

Apple reportedly shipping a security camera in 2026

Brian Heater — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 18:42:01 +0000

Apple is set to expand its smart home presence, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. The well-sourced analyst reported on Tuesday that the iPhone maker is working on an IP (internet protocol) camera with an expected 2026 shipping date. The analyst notes that Chinese component maker, Goertek, is set to assemble the product, which Apple expects to […]

This USB-C mouthpiece turns your phone into a musical instrument

Lauren Forristal — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Artinoise, the Italian startup behind re.corder — a smart device reimagining the traditional plastic recorder we all played in school — has introduced its latest product: Zefiro. The portable device, shaped like the mouthpiece of a recorder, can be plugged into any smartphone, tablet, or PC with a USB-C port, effectively transforming it into a […]

Apple updates Find My to let you share locations of lost items

Ivan Mehta — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Apple could soon let users share the location of lost items via the Find My app with people who are not in their contacts using a link.

The best gadgets for new homeowners

Brian Heater — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000

In August, I did something I never imagined myself doing: I bought a house. After spending most of my adult life in New York City, I moved a couple hours north to the Hudson Valley. It’s been every bit as major an adjustment as I’d expected. Along with your standard new homeowner surprises — like […]

Boox Palma 2: A great little e-reader with bigger ambitions

Brian Heater — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

The Palma is a strange product. It’s a small e-reader with far bigger gadget ambitions. On its site, Boox describes the product as a “distraction-free device that lets you reclaim your focus in the exact middle between tech and life.” In a lot of ways, the company’s ambitions appear to mirror those of Light Phone’s by […]

Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) review: A powerful desktop replacement

Brian Heater — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:05:51 +0000

On Monday, Bloomberg reported on Apple’s plans to fully overhaul its laptop line. That’s exactly the kind of rumor you don’t want to drop in the week between the announcement and launch of a new MacBook Pro. A deeper dive reveals that the planned revamp is coming at some point in 2026. It’s still very […]

iMac (M4) review: A mini upgrade to Apple’s entry-level all-in-one

Brian Heater — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:04:33 +0000

iMac is the rock of Apple’s desktop line. Over the past decade we’ve seen the iMac Pro come and go, Apple struggling to crack the Mac Pro, and largely forgetting the Mac Mini existed for more than a decade. With two years and two models under its belt, the jury is still out on the […]

Apple Mac Mini (M4) review: More power in a tiny package

Brian Heater — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:03:19 +0000

For years, the Mini was the odd man out in the Mac desktop lineup. Apple has given plenty of love to the iMac over the years. The Mac Pro has had a few false starts, but the company is clearly committed to offering a true professional-grade desktop experience. The Studio is the new kid on […]

Corning, maker of toughened Gorilla Glass for phones, faces EU antitrust probe

Natasha Lomas — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:40:37 +0000

On Wednesday, the European Union opened an investigation of U.S. manufacturer Corning over possible anti-competitive practices. Corning may not be a name that’s super familiar to the average tech consumer, but you are almost certainly within touching distance of its products, as it’s a leading supplier of speciality toughened glass for mobile devices, including Apple’s […]

Amazon acknowledges screen issues on a ‘small number’ of Kindle Colorsoft units

Brian Heater — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:06:05 +0000

After more than a decade of waiting, Amazon’s first color Kindle has stumbled out of the gate. An issue with the new display has left Colorsoft buyers leaving unfavorable reviews. At last count, the e-reader is hovering around 2.7 stars. The company confirmed the display issues that are affecting a “small number” of units in […]

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy hints at an ‘agentic’ Alexa

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 21:59:49 +0000

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on Thursday hinted at an improved, “agentic” version of the company’s Alexa assistant — one that could take actions on a user’s behalf. “I think that the next generation of these assistants and generative AI applications will be better at not just answering questions and summarizing, indexing, and aggregating data, but […]

Oura buys Sparta Science, its third acquisition in 2 years

Brian Heater — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:10:53 +0000

Smart ring maker Oura on Thursday announced that it has acquired Sparta Science, a Bay Area-based health tracking startup. TechCrunch spoke to Sparta back in 2018 at the offices of Playground Global, a key investor. The deal marks Oura’s third acquisition in two years. The company purchased digital identity platform Proxy in May 2023. This […]

Carl Pei says Nothing could build its own operating system

Brian Heater — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 18:20:27 +0000

Two mobile operating systems currently comprise nearly 100% of the global smartphone market. Building one is hard, and for most phone makers, there are better uses of resources, especially when Android is right there for the taking. While it’s a potential differentiator, these companies have largely opted to maintain Google’s mobile OS, customized by skins and […]

Apple announces M4 Max chip, debuting on the MacBook Pro

Brian Heater — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Apple wrapped up a half week of Mac announcements Wednesday by debuting the latest addition to the M-series of chips. A day after announcing the M4 Pro alongside the tiny new Mac mini, the company is showcasing the M4 Max, which is coming to the MacBook Pro line. Like the other members of the M4 […]

Apple upgrades MacBook Pro with M4 chips

Brian Heater — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Apple on Wednesday wrapped up Macweek (well, Mac half week) by introducing an updated MacBook Pro. Apple’s most premium laptop is catching up to is brethren with the addition of M4 chips. The Pro and Mini are the first two Macs getting the new chip. The Pro will also be the first to sport the […]

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft review: A muted approach to color

Brian Heater — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:15:00 +0000

October was an exciting month for reading devices. We got a new iPad mini, a couple of products from Boox, and this strange yet compelling iPhone e-reader adapter from Astropad. The biggest splash of all, however, came from Amazon. It’s unsurprising, as the retail giant commands around 80% of the devoted e-reader market. The past […]

Apple will buy renewable power for its Mac mini users

Tim De Chant — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Apple went to unusual lengths to ensure it accounted for and neutralized all the pollution that the new Mac Mini might produce.

Apple Intelligence is more about convenience with initial iOS 18.1 launch

Ivan Mehta — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:52:49 +0000

After much hype, Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI features, finally shipped to users this week with the iOS 18.1 update. I used these features for months through beta software and realized that the feature set rolling out this week is more about creating convenience for users than letting users plan or brainstorm ideas […]