Accessory

Xiaomi has announced the new Mijia Projector 2 Pro device, which is priced at 4,599 yuan (US$658). The projector is able to cast a screen of up to a maximum of 200 inches, and it features a brightness level of up to 1,300 ANSI Lumens. HDR10+ support is onboard and the Xiaomi Mijia Projector 2 Pro also implements ToF technology.

Samsung Health is an app perhaps mostly associated with this OEM's phones and wearables, but in fact also works across more of its hardware ecosystem. Some of its users have seen a notification that its latest update will remove its Food (or Calorie), Weight and Caffeine Tracking sections. Therefore, their widgets will stop functioning after this OTA is implemented.

Xiaomi has announced the new Redmi AirDots 2 earphones, which will be officially launched on July 22. The TWS earphones are currently priced at 79 yuan (US$11) during the crowdfunding stage. The budget earphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, virtual assistant functionality, and they weigh in at just 4.1 g per earbud.

Chinese security researchers discovered that the firmware of fast chargers can be corrupted to deliver higher charging parameters, thus damaging the devices connected to them. A charger affected by a BadPower attack can melt or even set on fire the handset/external battery it is supposed to charge.

A new patent filed by Apple details a stylus, likely an Apple Pencil, that contains an embedded color sensor. Located in either the back end or tip of the Pencil, the color sensor would be able to scan and copy the color from real-world objects. While the patent looks interesting, it is not yet known whether or not Apple will actually use it in future products.

Google is currently believed to have a new generation of its Nest-branded smart home speakers in the works. A device that looks like the same from a prior leak has been certified by the Taiwanese electronics regulator NCC. It may confirm the new device's model number, as well as its dual-band Wi-Fi.

The new Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 fitness tracker is now available on Amazon US and at a reasonable price, too. US shoppers can pick up the Mi Smart Band 5 from US$49.98, which is similar to the price of the wearable in Europe. However, buyers should be aware that this is the non-NFC variant of the smart band.

The PS5 hype train has shown no signs of slowing down as the console and its accessories have taken up seven spots out of the top 15 for the Amazon Most Wished For chart (UK site). Incredibly for Sony, four more places are occupied by PS4 games. PlayStation 5 price predictions appear to be settling at US$499/£449/€499 for the Blu-ray edition.

OnePlus is currently busily hyping its upcoming take on the mid-range 5G phone, the Nord. Its latest teaser indicates that it comes with certain communication-related Google apps out of the box. This, apparently, is done to keep its software experience the "smoothest" it can be.

Multi-functional USB hubs have become a solid trend on crowdfunding websites, particularly those that bake additional functions into these ultrabook accessories. The Fophie is one such hub that adds wireless charging and phone-holding options to its ingredients list. It has now attracted just over 2000% of its original Kickstarter goal.

The URSA Mini Pro packs what is often regarded as best-in-class digital film recording into a body measuring just 9.2 inches across. Its OEM, Blackmagic Design, claims to have stuffed its latest generation with all-new internals that allows it to output in up to 12K natively. It also has new accessories that allow it to work with a Thunderbolt 3-enabled PC.

A PlayStation executive has explicitly stated that “we’ll let you know” in regard to PS5 pre-order information. The recent DualSense hands-on video has led to speculation that an optional back buttons adapter will appear down the line. A new fan-made PlayStation 5 UI concept offers AI suggestions and a dark mode theme.

Acer has announced some new affordable curved gaming monitors to its lineup in the form of the Nitro XZ2 Series models. Gamers can choose from three different panel sizes and enjoy FreeSync technology, quick response times, decent refresh rates, and best of all, price tags that won’t break the bank.

Mobvoi is a wearables brand that is teasing its next upcoming products, the Earbuds Gesture, via Indiegogo. They can be controlled through either head movements (in line with their name) or touch-sensitive panels. The OEM also claims they have a whopping 50 hours of battery life.

Samsung promoted the Galaxy Watch Active 2 as a health-focused wearable that would rival the Apple Watch series thanks to its in-built medical-grade electrocardiography (ECG). However, the function was disabled at its launch. This is not the case anymore; however, German and Austrian users are reportedly still waiting for their access to this feature.

For its latest keyboard, Razer has dispensed with 40% of the keys found in the regular Huntsman. In turn, the new Huntsman Mini is more compact and should give desks a cleaner look. The Huntsman Mini is available in two colours and two switch types.

A press release has revealed that Philips (TP Vision) and Bowers & Wilkins have decided to extend their partnership and continue to offer their respective expertise in future Philips OLED and LCD TVs. The duo previously collaborated on the well-received 65OLED+984 and OLED+934 models, and new televisions are expected to be released soon.

The Redmi X50 smart TV has finally gone on sale and has been priced at just 1,899 yuan (US$272). The TV, which is framed in metal and features a 4K display, offers users the chance to enjoy MEMC picture-smoothing technology on a device with a 97% screen-to-body ratio. The Redmi X50 is the smallest member of the new Redmi Smart TV X Series.
The Redmi X50 has been reduced to 1,799 yuan (US$257).

A recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval has confirmed that the upcoming Samsung SM-R220 is a wearable of the fitness-tracker variety. Now, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has set its wireless connectivity spec in stone. This new device may launch alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series on August 5, 2020.

Introduced today and already available to order from QNAP's partners worldwide, the QSW-1105-5T is the company's first 2.5 GbE network switch. Its highlights include five 2.5 GbE NBASE-T RJ45 ports, plug-and-play setup, auto-negotiation, as well as automatic loop detection and blocking.

An Amazfit Band 6 device has been spotted getting its FCC certification, which is something of a surprise considering the Amazfit Band 5 from Huami only recently went by the same agency too. It could be possible that "Amazfit Band 6" might be the US market name for the widely rumored Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 Pro wearable.

Some consumers might be forgiven for mistaking the TheoryBoard as a particularly extensive gaming keyboard. However, it has been designed by its OEM, the start-up Irijule, as a new technology that helps the user reproduce whatever tunes they imagine, and from scratch too if necessary. It is also a MIDI controller that works with both PC and mobile devices.

Xiaomi has unveiled its first TV dongle, the Mi TV Stick. The device retails for €39.99 and comes bundled with a smart remote. The Mi TV Stick is one of several devices that Xiaomi has launched today.

The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic is Xiaomi's latest pair of budget TWS earbuds. Featuring 14.2 mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and up to 20 hours of battery life, the Earphones 2 Basic retails for €39.99 in the EU and £39.99 in the UK. The earbuds also include touch controls, dual microphones and IR sensors for in-ear detection.

Mobvoi has debuted the TicKasa headphones. Although this is only the first product in this category from the band, they have progressed directly to active noise cancelling (ANC) and wireless features. They are Bluetooth 5, have 40 millimeter drivers and have button controls.

Cooler Master has torn through the funding target of its new Raspberry Pi case, the Pi Case 40. Apparently offering better cooling performance than "any other passively cooled Pi case on the market", the Pi Case 40 retails for just €23 (~US$27).

A Chinese blog claims to have laid hands on a new kind of charging cable developed at Apple for its upcoming 2020 iPhones. It is an upgrade on the current standard accessory in that it is braided, which is often perceived as higher-end and more durable. In addition, its Lightning-end contacts are rumored to be upgraded with new materials.

Announced earlier today, the Audeze Penrose and Penrose X will start shipping in early September, but those interested can place their orders already. The introductory price is US$249 — US$50 less than the MSRP of this wireless planar magnetic headset for Xbox One, Xbox Series X (Penrose X), PlayStation 4/5 and Mac (Penrose), and PC (both).

Oppo has launched the world’s fastest smartphone wired and wireless charging systems. Its new wired technology will deliver a 125 W charge while its new wireless charging tech will deliver a 65 W charge. Joining the announcement are a pair of ultra-compact fast charging Super VOOC adapters.

Mobvoi may be best known as a wearables brand; however, it is also breaking into the market for smart-home gadgets. The latest of these is the LifeSmart outdoor camera. It supports footage at HD or FHD resolutions, has an IR night-vision mode and a 110-degree field of view.

Belkin has debuted BoostCharge wireless charging accessories that support the iPhone, Apple Watch or AirPods, or, in some cases, all three at once. One of these can also become a power bank at need. They start at US$49.95 on the OEM's website at present.

(Update: It's the Huntsman Mini) Razer is set to launch its first keyboard without any NumPad or arrow keys on July 14 at 8 AM PST. Gamers who may have been turned off by Razer's catalog of full-size keyboards may finally get what they're looking for.

The first review of sorts for the Mi Smart Band 5 is up and it confirms a heap of information about Xiaomi's upcoming fitness tracker. As feared, the device will not support Amazon Alexa integration, NFC or a SpO2 sensor. Xiaomi has teased that it will be launching a pair of TWS earbuds, the Mi TV Stick and a new Mi Scooter at tomorrow' Ecosystem Product Launch event on July 15 too.

Mobvoi has announced that today (July 14, 2020) is the anniversary of its birth as a wearables and smart-things brand. Accordingly, it is holding a sales event for the next 11 or so hours. It includes 10% off a new TicWatch C2+, or a third off the 4G/LTE version of this series' Pro variant.

The Xiaomi Vertical Wireless Charging Socket will soon be appearing on the Chinese OEM’s crowdfunding site at an introductory price of just 109 yuan (US$16). The charging accessory can offer 10 W wireless charging and comes with three USB ports. The Vertical Wireless Charging Socket is only available in white though.

Belkin's latest screen protector for Apple ultrabooks also confers a property that HP devices with SureView have by default. It occludes the content on these screens for viewing angles not those of the user, thus reducing the risk of intrusion or some immediate forms of data-theft. It is available for 13-, 15- and 16-inch MacBooks Air and Pro.

"OnePlus Buds" has just been acknowledged as a real product name by their OEM. The company has also announced that they will launch on the same day as its upcoming first-gen Nord smartphone. The former are expected to be TWS earphones that look much like Apple AirPods.

PS5 watchers have been comparing the device’s weight with other consoles, with Sony’s next-gen hardware being the heavyweight contender. Close-up photos of some of the accessories have been revealing subtle design touches and gamers can get the PlayStation 5 in almost any color they want thanks to skins and wraps.

Foxconn has reportedly begun to test out the fabrication of lenses for Apple's rumored first-gen smart glasses. Apparently, these components are to be semi-transparent, and to be capable of displaying projected images to the user. They would be superimposed on "real-world" objects in this wearer's field of view.

The Lumos Ultra smart helmet has been in the news thanks to its highly successful Kickstarter project, which still has a week left to run on it. The smart bike helmet has attracted over US$2.2 million from backers. The Lumos Ultra has integrated LEDs for turn signaling and can be operated via an Apple Watch or the included wireless handlebar remote.

Leica has posted a new YouTube link to go live later in July 2020. It will broadcast the launch of the next addition to the M10 series of cameras. According to recent leaks, it will be called the M10-R, and will be capable of ~40MP stills. It is also touted to come in black or silver colorways and have a 3-inch TFT rear screen.

LG has designed its new GX soundbar as a matching accessory for the 65-inch 'Gallery' OLED TV. Beside this, it features eARC in its HDMI ports; Bluetooth for wireless functions such as streaming directly from a mobile device, and Dolby Atmos. It will become available to US customers later in July 2020.

GoPro has addressed an increasingly prevalent issue for many users who have shifted their work, learning or hobbies online in a new update under development at this action-cam OEM. It confers a new function on its HERO8 Black model that allows owners who also use Macs to use the device as an FHD, wide-angle upgrade on their default webcams.

A new Samsung fitness tracker has been certified by the FCC. Possibly a replacement to the discontinued Galaxy Fit, the budget device may launch at Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event on August 5.

The design of Samsung's next Galaxy Buds has leaked again, this time courtesy of Evan Blass. The FCC has also certified the earbuds, which are rumoured to be called the Galaxy Buds Live or Galaxy Buds X. The earbuds, which are associated with the model number SM-R180, may well launch on August 5 at Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event.

Xiaomi has been celebrating again, this time in regard to its wearables division. The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 (Mi Band 4) has been crowned the best-selling wearable band in the world. The Mi Band 5 has been selling out constantly as well, although stories of success for the Mi Band range are nothing new.

Sony has revealed the PS5 games box art with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales being the first title to be shown off. Box art designs for both Horizon Forbidden West and GTA 5 have also been shared. A supposed real-life image of the DualSense controller has appeared online…and it looks huge!

Canon has finally unveiled the long-awaited 2020 EOS R series of mirrorless cameras. The OEM has confirmed the former has a 45MP sensor, whereas the latter is 20MP. They also have DIGIC X image processor and 5-Axis image stabilization. 4 new RF lenses have also been launched alongside the new units.

The latest truly wireless (TWS) earbuds from UGREEN upgrade to a USB type C port for charging and to an IPX5 rating for ingress protection. They also have a Qualcomm chipset which confers some up-to-date audio specs on these new HiTune accessories. They include Bluetooth 5.0, cVc v8.0 for noise cancellation and aptX.