Month: January 2023

Qi2: How Apple might finally harness MagSafe by giving it away

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Apple’s MagSafe puck, wirelessly charging an iPhone 12 Pro | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge It’s safe to say that Apple’s MagSafe magnetic charging pucks for iPhone have not created the amazing snap-on accessory ecosystem we’d hoped. Instead of freely allowing manufacturers to create gadgets that power and/or communicate with an iPhone, … Read more

Samsung’s recall fix for overheating washers is a software update — and a dongle

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Put it in the museum of unique dongles. | Image: Samsung As companies have announced smart appliance after smart appliance, some people (myself included) have questioned why on earth you’d want to connect something like a washing machine or refrigerator to the internet. Samsung, however, has come up with a very compelling, if admittedly niche, … Read more

Breathe along with the robot pillow

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From the team that brought you the weird and wonderful robot cat pillow comes an equally weird and wonderful breathing pillow. Japanese boutique robotics firm Yukai Engineering returns to CES with Fufuly, which follows in Qoobo’s footsteps, by quite literally breathing some life into a cushion. The hardware startup says the product utilizes “respiratory entrainment,” … Read more

Aromajoin brings videos to life by squirting your face with smells

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There are a lot of YouTube videos out there that we’d rather not smell, but Kyoto-based tech startup Aromajoin today showed off the option to add a multidimensional experience to the mix. Using its ‘Aroma Shooter’ technology and a programmable ‘AromaPlayer,’ a neck-wearable smell dispenser can add six different aromas to your video-watching shenanigans. We … Read more

Bosch is rolling out a security dashcam designed for rideshare drivers

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Bosch is expanding its security footprint in the ride-hailing economy. The global supplier introduced Tuesday evening as CES 2023 kicked off in Las Vegas a new connected smart camera and accompanying 24-hour support line for drivers of ride-hailing apps. Bosch said it’s working with Gridwise, an app for rideshare and delivery drivers, to conduct user … Read more

Withings wants you to pee on its latest device

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The U-Scan is a noninvasive urinalysis test that you stick in your toilet. | Image: Withings Withings is generally known for its sleek smartwatches, but it also shows up at CES each year with ambitious health gadgets. Last year, it was a smart scale that could also take EKGs and segmented body composition readings. This … Read more

Nanoleaf debuts smart lighting for ceilings, TVs and more

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CES isn’t as consumer-focused as it once was, despite the overt branding. (CES stands for “Consumer Electronics Show.”) Indeed, automotive and enterprise vendors have encroached on the Las Vegas show floor in recent years as some major consumer brands pull back. But there’s still consumer tech news to be had, fortunately. Case in point: Nanoleaf, … Read more

The Volkswagen all-electric ID 7 sedan’s most interesting feature isn’t its light-up paint

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The all-electric Volkswagen ID 7 sedan — the next EV in the German automaker’s lineup — was unveiled Tuesday at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. And the most exciting part of the debut wasn’t the vehicle’s multi-layered explosion of yellow, orange, red and blue camouflaged electroluminescent paint that lights up on command. (although it is … Read more

Asus has a 540Hz monitor that lets you move its feet

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It’s been seven months since Asus announced the world’s first 500Hz gaming monitor — long enough that it’s not the world’s first anymore. Alienware will beat it with the 24.5-inch AW2524H, which I wrote about this morning. But the important thing is that Asus will still have a 500Hz monitor, too — technically, a 540Hz … Read more

Twitter says it will allow more political ads as it tries to claw back revenue

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Twitter had banned political advertising, but it’s going to “expand” what’s allowed. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter is going to “expand” the political advertising it allows on the platform in “the coming weeks,” the Twitter Safety account tweeted on Tuesday. Twitter banned all political advertising in late 2019, but the company … Read more