Accessory

Android Auto's latest public beta version is the first one to reflect the new updates as promised by Google at 1/0 2022. They include potentially helpful tweaks such as Maps that can skew toward the driver as well as enhanced Assistant integration and improved scaling to various in-car displays. Notification and status-bar control may also be more intuitive and less distracting in this new UI.

Now priced at US$159.99 after a massive 68 percent discount, the 2 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD is not the only one in the lineup to get a price cut. While the 1 TB version has no discount, the 250 GB got 21 percent, and the 500 GB one is down to US$59.99, which translates to a 54 percent discount.

Razer has introduced the Wolverine V2 Pro, a controller that supports the PlayStation 5 and PCs. Equipped with numerous features for competitive gamers, the Wolverine V2 Pro will ship sooner than Sony's DualSense Edge wireless controller, which will not be available until late January 2023.

The $470 USD price point is lucrative and the Jlink even offers a few features not found on other more expensive 34-inch curved gaming monitors like the Alienware AW3420DW.

Huawei's new 2.5K 90Hz touchscreen laptop has started rolling out to European markets. The MateBook 14s 2022 is powered by an Alder Lake platform from Intel, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. Meanwhile, the Watch GT 3's more affordable SE version has started to pop up on European Amazon stores.

Though heat sinks for SSDs have always been optional, they have become a necessity this generation if you want to utilize PCIe4 x4 speeds to the fullest. The Lexar NM800 Pro includes one as an option and it'll fit inside the PS5, too.

Available for almost half a decade, the Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L is still a compact computer case worth taking into account when building a new PC. Now discounted to a mere US$42 on Amazon, this micro-ATX tower case features an open thermal design with a transparent side panel and a magnetic dust filter.

GoPro has announced that it has finally released the new HERO11 Black Mini to its official web-store. The "smaller, lighter" variant of the OEM's 2022 flagship action camera is also now available on sites such as Amazon. It ships without some of its brand's more premium perks in exchange for a reduced starting price.

Xiaomi has prepared a new Imaging Limited Edition gift-box for the 12S Ultra, which presents the super-premium smartphone alongside compatible filters. They can be screwed onto the smartphone thanks to a case with threads for its circular rear camera hump, and, according to the OEM, can get the best out of the device's main 1-inch Leica-branded camera sensor.

The G-Sync-enabled 27-inch Jlink gives the Dell S2721DGF a run for its money in a classic VA vs. IPS option. We've done all the usual measurements to show just exactly what the Jlink can offer and what it's missing.

Philips claims that its new crowdfunding campaign for the Screeneo U5 took just five minutes to achieve its goal. The new successor to the U4 (also launched on Indiegogo) upgrades to a 4K UHD resolution and an image of up to 150 inches. It has an impressively high max brightness rating and has a UI based on Android 11.

A Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the NiKOTA META-2000 portable power station will shortly begin. The gadget has 4G/5G connectivity via a SIM card or network cable. You can use the device to power up to 13 devices simultaneously with a maximum power output of 2,300 W. The power station has a 2,016 Wh capacity and recharges fully in 1.1 hours.

Xiaomi has unveiled the Mijia Outdoor Power Supply 1000 in China. The power station can deliver up to 1,600 W power across 13 ports, including 22.5 W USB-A, 100 W USB-C and 1,600 W AC outputs. The gadget has a 1 kWh battery which can be recharged to 80% in 1.5 hours or fully in 2.5 hours.

The monitor is one of the least expensive QLED monitors available while offering much better colors and black-white response times than most IPS portable monitors. Refresh rate is limited to 60 Hz, but that should be sufficient for most usage scenarios.

The IP68-rated JBL Reflect Aero TWS are sports earbuds from a popular brand that come with very good battery life and overall performance. Capable of diving in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes, the Reflect Aero TWS are now going down price-wise as well thanks to a 33 percent discount.

Amazfit has announced that its latest fitness-tracking Band is on its way to India. The "large HD AMOLED display" wearable has been priced at just under US$45 in its new market; however, it is even less than that with an introductory offer. The OEM notes that it applies on its launch day only, which is just a few days away now in November 2022.

The PowerCombo Pro 40W is the latest release from the brand Baseus. It has debuted as the latest in a line of power accessories that is a combination between a power brick rated for up-to-date gallium nitride (GaN) charging technology and a power strip. To this end, it has full AC outlets in addition to USB type-A and -C ports.

The VAVA Chroma became a crowdfunding darling on its 2021 launch thanks to claims of debuting "cinematic" ALPD technology in an ultra-high-brightness 4K laser projector. Now, it is the star of its brand's pre-Black Friday 2022 event at US$1,000 off its usual price. It is joined by its new Luma 4K sibling, as well as VAVA's line of smart-home gadgets such as its security cameras.

OPPO is a smartphone OEM strongly associated with some of the fastest charging in the industry, thanks to its own SuperVOOC technology. Currently, it goes up to 150W in market-ready devices, with 240W rumored to become the next available upgrade. This potentially blistering form of mobile device power tech is now rumored to debut in a new smartphone in early 2023.

The EdgeBox RPi 200 is an Industrial Edge Controller available in four configurations. Based on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, the EdgeBox RPi 200 has plenty of I/O, several Industrial Protocols and plenty of connectivity options.

With advanced features such as onboard voltage regulation and custom XMP 3.0 profiles, the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 64GB (2x32GB) 5200MHz C40 desktop memory kit is optimized for Intel processors. Now available with a solid 48 percent discount, this piece of hardware sports a compact form factor and a stylish aluminum heat spreader.

EZVIZ has launched the DB1C as a new option for those interested in a teched-out doorbell. It is compatible with 2.4Ghz/5Ghz Wi-Fi, which can stream FHD video to a user's personal device. The new smart home component also has AI that can tell when there is a human in front of it, so as to avoid blowing the same device up with unnecessary or inaccurate alerts.

SanDisk's Extreme line of portable SSDs have USB type-C ports and handy keychain-compatible metallic housings. Many of its variants are also listed with potentially substantial discounts on Amazon right now. They include over US$300 off the original price of a version with a capacity of 2TB and a rated top transfer speed of 1,050 megabytes per second (MB/s).

Gendome will shortly begin an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for its Home 3000 portable battery backup. The device has a 3,072 Wh capacity and up to 6,000 W surge power. You can power multiple devices simultaneously via various ports such as AC, 140 W USB-C and wireless charging pads.

Lenovo has presented a new Gallium Nitride (GaN) USB Type-C. Sold as the Thinkplus Lipstick, the compact charger is powerful enough to recharge laptops, smartphones and tablets at up to 100 W via USB Type-C Power Delivery.

GRN International is currently crowdfunding for the Mjolnir power station on Kickstarter. The company claims it is the world’s first lithium-titanate device of its kind, enabling it to operate at low temperatures. The gadget delivers 3,000 W continuous power or 5,400 W peak power and has a 960 Wh capacity.

The Xiaomi Type-C 5-in-1 docking station will shortly launch in China. You can use the aluminium-bodied gadget to connect to a display with a 4K resolution via HDMI. Other outputs on the device include a 100 W USB-C port and three USB 3.0 ports with a tested 450 Mbps data transfer speed.

Sony has revealed more details about the PlayStation VR 2 headset. Not only has the company announced the headset's price, but it has also confirmed PS VR2's pre-order and release dates. Sony has added another 11 titles to the VR headset's game list too.

EcoFlow has unveiled the RIVER 2 range of portable power stations. Three models are available; the range-topping Pro model has a 768 Wh battery and an 800 W power output. In X-Boost mode, you can double the power to 1,600 W, enabling you to use the gadget with devices like a microwave.

The BenQ LW500 projector, designed for the office, has arrived in the US and Canada. The WXGA projector has up to 2,000 ANSI lumens brightness and a 20,000:1 contrast ratio. The laser light source has up to 30,000 hours of lifetime, thanks to SmartEco mode technology which optimizes the brightness.

Acuce is now crowdfunding for its A10 Pro 14-in-1 portable docking station. The hub supports dual 8K displays at 60 Hz and has a built-in M.2 SSD enclosure with up to 8 TB capacity and read and write speeds of up to 1,048 Mbps. Ports on the gadget include USB 3.2, 100 W PD fast-charging USB-C and an SD card slot.

At just $150, The Mudix S1 is one of the least expensive native 1080p projectors in the market and it even supports Wi-Fi video streaming. Even so, it still suffers from many of the same drawbacks that other inexpensive projectors tend to have in order to keep costs low.

Xiaomi has launched 67 W and 35 W Dual Port Chargers in China. The gadgets come with USB-A and USB-C ports, allowing you to charge a pair of devices simultaneously, with dynamic power distribution. The 67 W model supports fast-charging protocols such as PD and QC, as well as the UFCS.

Numerous screen protectors for next year's Samsung Galaxy S23 series have emerged via Ice Universe. Following on from various CAD-based renders, the images show what the front of the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra will look like, excluding their centre-mounted front-facing cameras.

Gigabyte asserts that its new AORUS TACHYON motherboard, made for Z790-compatible processors such as Intel's Raptor Lake line, has broken records on Cinebench. They apply to an overclocked version of the high-end Core i9-13900K CPU. The OEM now pitches the board as "exclusively for extreme overclocking" on the back of this new achievement.

Sony has announced a new over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade for its Xperia PRO-I smartphone. It adds an option to live-stream directly from the Videography Pro app for the device's camera UI, which might make its use on social media apps easier and more effective. The update also gives the Android flagship a quicker way to re-map a first-party grip/tripod accessory's custom button.

UGREEN's latest multi-port is called a docking station, although it has more of a tower format for easy USB type-C-to-C connection to an ever-growing list of powerful ultrabooks. It supports external monitors of up to 8K/30Hz, albeit when used as a hub for Windows machines only. A triple 4K/60Hz display option is open to MacBooks, however, with some caveats.

Nex Computer is now shipping the NexPad, a device that the company introduced at the start of the year. Equipped with a 12-inch IPS display, the NexPad has multiple ports and can be used as a secondary display with a laptop or even a smartphone.

Carl Pei's tech company Nothing has just introduced the ear (stick) as the second in its line of audio accessories. The product's individual earbuds look a lot like those of the inaugural ear (1); however, the OEM asserts that they come with upgraded drivers, an improved Clear Voice algorithm for calls and a reduced weight. On that note, the ear (stick) gets its name from the radical shift in charging case, also rated to extend the buds' total battery life, compared to its predecessor.

The Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe, exclusively for Apple, has been launched. The gadget allows you to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously and collapses into a compact cube. Apple iPhone 12, 13 and 14 models are compatible with the device, which provides 15 W fast charging.

MelGeek is now releasing the Pixel via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Billed as the first keyboard that can be customised with LEGO bricks, the keyboard also has numerous configuration options, including a choice of five switch types.

OnePlus' Ace Pro (the Chinese-market version of its latest 10T flagship Android smartphone refresh) will be available as a new, official Genshin Impact Limited Edition soon. Its pre-orders are set for the same week in which the brand will hype its upcoming Black Friday sale in the US and Canada with event such as Mystery Box sales.

Ulefone has just introduced a new smartphone as one that a user could throw around a construction site with impunity, yet offer a high-end experience at the same time. To this end, the Armor 17 Pro packs a number of unusually premium specs for its brand, a 120Hz display, a 108MP main rear camera and fast charging with magnetic wireless charging included. On the other hand, it also rocks a 4G/LTE-only MediaTek SoC and runs Android 12.

TCL is an OEM that describes itself as a "first mover" in terms of getting smart TVs based on cutting-edge miniLED technology onto the market. Now, the company claims that its latest, third-quarter sales figures for 2022 (or for 3Q2022) show that its industry leadership in this area has paid off. TCL's miniLED-related sales volumes are up by just over 20% year-on-year (YoY) for said quarter, and have seen "significant" growth over the year as a whole so far.