Accessory

LG has announced that it will launch a new smartphone called Velvet in 2020. It will be powered by a 5G-enabled Snapdragon 7-series processor, and is believed to replace the flagship G-range. Now, there is also some evidence that suggests it will get a V60 ThinQ-esque case that adds a second display.

Apple is keen to build on the sales momentum of its AirPods line. According to the latest in a string of Apple-related leaks from Jon Prosser, a new model is inbound and set to join the line up as soon as May when the next round of Apple product releases is expected.

With the Optix MAG301CR, MSI has created a 21:9 monitor that not only has a 30-inch curved VA panel, but also one that supports up to 200 Hz refresh rates and AMD FreeSync. The Optix MAG301CR operates natively at 2,560 x 1,080 and has 1 ms response times, too.

Prices for the 400-series of motherboards from MSI have been leaked online, with the cheapest board costing €200 (US$217) and the most expensive board costing €960 (~US$1,044). These new components will support the LGA 1200 socket that is required for Intel’s upcoming Comet Lake-S series of desktop processors.

Adequate hand hygiene is one of the everyday measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help combat Covid-19. Accordingly, Samsung has developed the ‘Hand Wash’ app for its watches. It promotes this activity through regular reminders, a tracker and a corresponding watch-face.

Two of the latest phones to join the popular Moto G smartphone series are now available for purchase on Motorola's US website. The G Power and G Stylus have very similar specs (the Snapdragon 665 SoC and 4GB of RAM included), although the latter has an in-built pen, a first for this brand.

A community project posted has turned a humble Raspberry Pi into a working Pipboy. Loosely based on the Pipboy 2000 MK VI, the project features a 3.5-inch display, a powerbank and a rotary encoder.

Huami has confirmed that the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is still on course to launch later this year and that the working relationship between the two companies is as strong as ever. Recent rumors had suggested that Xiaomi was considering taking its considerable investment out of Huami, which could have scuppered plans for the Mi Band 5 wearable.

A new report from Bloomberg confirms that Apple is working on a set of on-ear or over-ear headphones. However, in a very Apple-like twist, the design is said to feature interchangeable parts to emphasize personal customization.

Posted to GitHub, the Mascobot utilises a Raspberry Pi as part of an open-source ventilator. The project uses an Arduino and off the shelf parts, too. Testing is already underway, with human trials planned for the beginning of May.

The Note 20s are YOBYBO's latest go at revolutionizing the TWS earbud form-factor. They have a unique asymmetrical shape that extend out of the wearer's ear while in use, as well as an equally innovative square charging case with a case rated to be up to 50% that those of competitors. They are available via their new Indiegogo campaign.

Billed as an electric grinder, an adjustable ceramic coffee mill, a measuring cup and a travel mug, the Beanque has already raised over US$15,000 on Kickstarter. The 3-in-1 coffee maker is available from US$49 and will ship in July 2020.

Xiaomi has now launched its new TWS earbuds, the Redmi AirDots S. The AirDots S looks to be a refresh of the first-gen Redmi AirDots and offers more of the same, with the addition of a new low latency game mode.

The latest variant of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are hailed as some of the best non-ANC TWS earbuds out there. However, they are also affected by the potential for severe wind-noise during voice calls. Their latest firmware update is touted to fix this problem.

OnePlus has unleashed new versions of its wireless earphones alongside its new 8-series of flagship phones. This new generation has an improved range of color options compared to its predecessors. It also features low-latency connections and a battery that can support up to 20 hours' worth of playback.

In accordance with some leaks and rumors, OnePlus has launched its first ever wireless charger today (April 14, 2020). This device is also compatible with devices besides the new 8 Pro phone, thanks to the Qi standard. It is rated to power its new companion flagship by about 50% in 30 minutes.

Lenovo has launched the A7 in China. It is a considerable departure from your average smartphone, in that the processor here is from Unisoc. Not only that, but it has a swappable 4000mAh battery. It does not have a sale price as yet, but is likely to exhibit an ultra-budget one on its announcement.

Razer has lined up a treat for Pokémon fans with the launch of its new themed Hammerhead variant. Targeted specifically at the Pokémon crazy Chinese market, the new headphones will undoubtedly also attract interest from die-hard fans everywhere.

We have now reached a part of April 2020 increasingly regarded as "iPhone SE 2 Week"; however, this has not stopped the new Apple Watch rumors coming thick and fast. They now point to a new form of authentication for this device, as well as the ability to detect anxiety as well as blood-oxygen levels in the user. There may also be new case-variants in the offing.

Launching tomorrow alongside the OnePlus 8 series, the limited edition cases have been created in collaboration with André Saraiva. Part of the OnePlus x Andre series, the cases will inevitably come in OnePlus and OnePlus 8 Pro versions.

Apple is now rumored to have had a second go at getting the AirPower product ready for launch, following an uncharacteristic failure to do so in 2019. A new leak asserts that this has been done by incorporating the iPhone X's SoC into the device. This apparently disproportional processing power may address what held the fabled power accessory back in the first place.

Not only is Microsoft said to be releasing a Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 this Spring, but it also has new accessories planned. While likely backwards compatible, they point towards Microsoft embracing greater connectivity options. It would appear that the Surface Book 3 will offer considerably more performance than its predecessor, too.

A leaked poster hints at a brand-new member of Huawei's MatePad slate series. This one seems to have an about 10-inch screen with a 2K resolution. It is described as powered by the Kirin 810 processor, and may be intended to appeal to students.

Recently spotted Bluetooth certificates have indicated an upcoming announcement of two new products from the Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi: the Redmi AirDots 2 and the Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones. The first Redmi AirDots have been called a cheap AirPods killer and offered active noise cancellation and Bluetooth 5.0 support.

The Outlier Gold offers impeccable value for money. While many of their competitors stretch into hundreds of dollars, Creative has kept the Outlier Gold below US$100. The company has not compromised on audio quality though, as we shall discuss in our hands-on review.

Based on the NXP i.MX8M processor, the EMB-2237-AI features an Audio DSP, up to 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 8 GB of storage, along with support for PoE or Google Coral M.2 AI modules. Slightly larger than a Raspberry Pi, the EMB-2237-AI should be well-suited for Edge AI applications.

The earbuds promise 12 hours of music playback with a charge time of only 1.5 hours. Unlike most wireless earbuds, the H2 earbuds have a cable and are designed to stay in the ears whilst jogging or exercising.

If successful, we might be seeing laptops with RAM modules from BIWINTech in the future alongside the usual Corsair, SK Hynix, G.Skill, or Samsung.

Google's upcoming Pixel Buds 2 are billed for a spring release. The true wireless earbuds were put on pre-order at a third-party retail store a while ago, but it would appear that all orders have now been canceled, the implications of which are unknown.

The 2020-editions of LG NanoCell TVs range from 49-inches to 86-inches and come in 4K or 8K flavours. With some editions available to purchase now, LG will start offering 8K models from next month. Varying between US$599 and US$4,999, all models support Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit.

For years, some ThinkPad fans are hoping that Lenovo brings back the old IBM ThinkPad keyboard layout with seven rows. A dream which remains unfilled, except for the one-off Lenovo ThinkPad 25. At least, there is a new external keyboard with the classical layout, made by the Taiwanese startup TEX. The new TEX Shinobi keyboard has a ThinkPad TrackPoint as well.

Casio's upcoming addition to the G-SHOCK line has heart-rate tracking functions for the first time. The watch's new sensor is also joined by others to track fitness-related activities while in use. It is also a Bluetooth device, with its own app to display its measurements and manage notifications while training.

The simple project should take all over ten minutes to set-up and turns a Raspberry Pi into your very own ad blocker. There is more to it than just blocking ads though, as it also gives you an oversight of your whole network among other features.

The advent of USB type C-only ultrabooks have led to a slew of portable solutions that purport to offer all other I/O required, many of which debut via crowdfunding campaigns. The Signature Pro from Flujo Technologies is no different in this regard - except that it also incorporates a slot for an NVMe SSD.

Sony unexpectedly announced the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller yesterday, but its design has had some unintended consequences. Not only did it cause its rival to trend on social media, but it has resulted in people making all kinds of unflattering comparisons.

The Redmi Band is now available through an online retailer for the low price of US$19.99. The cheap fitness tracker comes in a choice of four colors and is even waterproof. Unearthed BIS and Bluetooth certifications for the new Redmi Band from Xiaomi have indicated that the wearable will soon be made available in India.

A new study of US households with high-speed internet has found that 44% of them reported having bought speakers, whereas 33% own earphones and 37% own headphones. However, these respondents also reported that smart speakers or smart displays. They are also likely to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine conditions in the near future.

Fancy a cheap pair of Apple AirPods rip-offs? Well, Xiaomi has you covered with the Mi Air 2S. The TWS earbuds offer up to 24 hours battery life, support for the LHDC codec and wireless charging. Likely sold as the Mi AirDots Pro 2s in other regions, the Mi Air 2S indistinguishable from the Mi AirDots Pro 2.

Details about Apple's first set of over-ear headphones have been released, along with information about the "AirPods Pro Lite". Apparently called the AirPods X, they are part of a wider plan to gradually wind up the Beats. 9to5Mac disagrees, though.

A new project has turned the Raspberry Pi into a cheap electric lock. The project uses facial recognition to make it particularly easy to open the door and should also be comparatively easy for beginners to utilize. Also, relatively little material is required.

Air filters might not protect you from viruses, but they can certainly alleviate allergies and help make it easier to breathe. Now might be as good a time as any to invest in an air purifier if you're stuck at home working.

Live images of the upcoming Redmi Band from Xiaomi have made their way online, and the fitness tracker looks surprisingly good considering its ridiculously low price point. The Redmi Band features a 1.08-inch color LCD screen and will initially cost 95 yuan (US$13) before rising to 99 yuan (US$14) upon wider retail release.

The PICO-WHU4 is a compact single-board computer with a very powerful processor. Apart from its high performance, the model also includes ports for connecting external sensors and actuators.

A new project turns the Raspberry Pi into a completely portable PC with a display and a slide-out keyboard. Reminiscent of the HTC Dream, Sony VAIO UX or T-Mobile Sidekick, the MutantC_V2 also incorporates a built-in battery.

The 8 Pro is rumored to become OnePlus' first flagship phone with wireless charging. Now, a prominent leaker asserts that the OEM will sell a power accessory to support this feature. This brand is also now rumored to have Bullets Wireless Z earphones in the works.

Samsung is now rumored to have a completely new type of Galaxy Bud in the works. According to a new leak, they will have a much larger shape that looks somewhat like a pair of beans. Some renders generated based on this idea suggests that they may have an improved range of sensors compared to the Buds+.

The plug-and-play enclosure will set you back just over $100, but it gets the job done with the promise of a two-year warranty and a solid high quality metal chassis. We test the claimed 1000 MB/s transfer rate to see just how close the enclosure can get to this maximum.

Redmi has launched its first wearable: a smart band quite like that of Realme's initial foray into this market. It will be only 99 yuan (~$US14) when it goes on sale in China - or even cheaper during a crowd-funding event to be held beforehand. By contrast, the Mi Band 4 is about $8 more in this country.

A community project has turned the Raspberry Pi into a surprisingly practical mini PC. Called the Piputer, the project integrates a battery, keyboard and display.