Accessory

Unexpectedly, SIGMA Corporation has introduced the world's smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera. The SIGMA fp is extremely modular, weatherproof and comes with some very interesting features.

Smart glasses are useful in many contexts, most of them enterprise-related. However, it is also possible to replicate the smartphone experience to some degree using some of these devices, Vuzix-brand ones included. This company claims that a new development will bring peer-to-peer video calling to its Blade devices.

The Belgian news outlet VRT NWS claims to have gained access to audio recordings made as a result of Google Assistant 'listening' to user speech or activity. The recordings were leaked to VRT by a Google subcontractor. This apparent evidence suggests that the search giant allows these workers access to information that would have remained private were it not for the presence of the Assistant.

Sony has launched the world's fastest USB-C hub, the MRW-S3. The device is differentiated from other similar products on the market by being the only one to support USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds up to 1000MB's.

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 is the latest platform for Google-powered wearables. New leaks suggest that a successor for this SoC is already in the works. It is rumored to be called the Snapdragon Wear 2700, and to be a derivative of the 429, another Qualcomm chipset for low-end mobile devices.

The latest market analysis indicates that the volume of eSIM-enabled device shipments reached 384 million last year. The resulting projections suggest that this figure will grow to about 2 billion over the next 6 years. Smartphones will account for the vast majority of the units in question.

The patent application filed by Microsoft back in 2017 has surfaced online now and the document made available by the USPTO clearly shows diagrams of detachable controllers that have been designed to work with smartphones and tablets. Obviously, it might take a while for such products to hit the market and is also possible for Microsoft to drop the idea.

The Nest Hello device is a smart doorbell with an inbuilt camera. A leak concerning a software update for this product has found that it may gain the ability to detect when a package has been delivered. This code may also allow for a follow-up feature in which it can tell when the same has been picked up again.

Mobvoi has unveiled a new, LTE-enabled version of the Ticwatch Pro. This wearable has most of the specs of its original variant, including its innovative battery-saving dual display. On the other hand, the LTE model is enhanced with Corning Gorilla Glass and double the RAM.

After much speculation, Sony has announced a 35 mm f/1.8 lens under its FE series. The lens incorporates 11 elements, one being aspherical to suppress aberrations and maintain image resolution into the corners of a shot. The SEL35F18F weighs just 280 g (9.9 oz) too. The FE 35 mm f/1.8 (SEL35F18F) will be available to order in August for US$750 (£630).

Fitness enthusiasts will likely recognize the name Runtopia from the Runtopia run and walk app, as well as from the smart running shoes Runtopia Reach. Now, the fitness brand is launching its first smartwatch Runtopia S1 as a GPS watch.

Seeedstudio claims that the ICE Tower CPU Cooling Fan can reduce Raspberry Pi 4 core temperatures from 80 °C to 40 °C under load, which should eliminate thermal throttling. The ICE Tower is compatible with all previous RPi boards too and just requires 5 V power via a 40-pin GPIO. The ICE Tower is available to order now from Seeedstudio for US$19.90, which ships worldwide from July 19.

Logitech has released new G PRO X and G PRO gaming headsets for 2019. The new models have been designed with the input of esports gamers while the G PRO X also features a collaboration with Blue microphones on a new Blue VO!CE feature.

A tech blogger has posted a new video citing rumors that Microsoft is working on hardware for its xCloud platform. This console would apparently work with existing Xbox controllers, but also act as a competitor for Google's own starter pack for Stadia. As this putative box could cost as little as US$60, it would also undercut the "Founder's Edition".

Samsung's SmartThings app has been found to contain diagrams of heretofore-unreleased pairs of headphones and wireless earbuds. The latter have AKG branding, whereas the former have these 3 letters as part of their model number. It is now thought that they may be products that could be unveiled at the next Galaxy Unpacked event.

A United States Senator has obtained a response to a letter sent to Amazon HQ concerning user privacy as it relates to the retail giant's Alexa platform. It advised the public representative that, although a given user can delete their own voice data from their accounts at will, the voice assistant's responses to queries are recorded and retained by Amazon for its own purposes.

Although its relationship with the US has improved a lot and last month's troubles seem to be gone, Huawei is working hard on its own operating system. HongMeng OS will replace Android on a wide range of devices and some of its components — LiveFace, Meetime, LinkTime, and Belink — have just been trademarked.

Mobvoi has released a YouTube video offering hints of its next product release. It appears to be a new smartwatch, most likely of the Ticwatch line. The OEM claims that it can "boost your daily efficiency" and has an improved heart rate monitor.

UMIDIGI's latest smartwatch, the Uwatch2, boasts a fully metallic unibody, an IP67 rating and a 1.33-inch 240x240 display. The OEM claims that it offers 25 days' worth of standby time and 7 to 10 days of active use. It is sold at US$33.32, although this comes down to $24 with an upcoming promotion.

With the upcoming TRIO from MobilePixels, laptop users will soon be able to benefit from multi-screen setups, just like desktop users. Besides the obvious advantage offered in games, a dual or triple-screen setup can also improve productivity and multitasking. The TRIO module attaches via magnets on the back of the main laptop screen and only needs USB cables.

The latest report projects that the power bank market will be worth US$29.5 billion in the next 5 years. It indicates that the growth in demand for devices such as smartphones drive this industry. In addition, it is possible that different forms of energy storage (such as hydrogen as opposed to lithium-ion batteries) may influence this market in the near future.

The Cluster HAT v2.3 does what it says on the tin. It allows you to combine a Raspberry Pi A+/B+/2/3 with up to 4 Raspberry Pi Zeros. The latter connect via a Controller Pi GPIO and are configured to use USB Gadget mode, making it easy to simulate or test small-scale cluster computing. The Cluster HAT v2.3 is designed by Pimoroni and is available to order from SB-Components for US$49.22.

YI (or Xiaoyi) is a company known for camera-related product and accessories, including dash-cams. Its newest version of these is the Nightscape, a 1080p, Wi-Fi enabled device with a 140-degree field of view. It also integrates Sony's STARVIS technology for improved low-light imaging.

Wearables are currently projected to influence the way personal electronics are used more and more in the future. This technology now covers both devices that can double as accessories and as clothing. Their market is estimated to be worth up to US$51.6 billion in the next 3 years.

Wireless charging is already appreciably popular today. Its market is thought to be capable of attaining a US$27 billion value over the next 6 years, according to the latest research. Its results show the most prominent application of this technology is in (surprise surprise) smartphones.

Vuzix has filed a new patent with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). It will inform future smart glasses made by this OEM, particularly regarding their use in augmented reality (AR) applications. Vuzix also claims that it will help the company use the latest materials in the spectacle-making industry, as well as the most up-to-date AR sensors.

Sony has unveiled the UBP-X1100ES, its latest 4K/UHD Blu-ray player. This machine supports HDR, Dolby Vision, 4K upscaling and the new BT.2020 color-space standard. Sony also asserts that this new disc player has every kind of connectivity needed to integrate into any system.

The Red Magic 3 is already probably one of 2019's most interesting gaming phones. Its manufacturer, Nubia, has also now made a 12GB RAM variant available on its international retail platform. This phone also has a camo finish that is exclusive to the SKU.

Based on the PiJuice HAT released in 2016, the PiJuice Zero allows the Raspberry Pi Zero to be used on the go away from a power outlet. Pi Supply has developed a software suite to help get you started and has included a low-profile to keep the overall build size small. The PiJuice Zero is available to order on Crowd Supply now for US$45 with orders shipping worldwide on October 31.

Running on a Python library, the Enviro+ can monitor indoor and outdoor atmospheric changes from air quality to temperature, humidity and noise. The board can contribute to big air quality projects like Luftdaten too. Pimoroni has developed the Enviro+ with The University of Sheffield and has included several sensors, along with a 40-pin header and a 0.96-inch colour LCD. The Enviro+ is available to pre-order now for US$47.63 and will ship worldwide from July 5.

Based on a Microchip MGC3130, the 3D Gesture & Tracking Shield brings gesture and motion tracking to the Raspberry Pi at a reasonable price. The Shield supports touch gestures and emits a short-range magnetic field to allow it to recognise gestures performed nearby it too. The 3D Gesture & Tracking Shield communicates with a Raspberry Pi via I2C and is available to purchase worldwide from Seeedstudio for US$12.90.

The FCC has given Ossia the green light to begin installing Cota in industrial and commercials sites. Devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops can be recharged without any AC adapters much like how Wi-Fi has replaced RJ-45 in certain applications.

Starting July 1st, Dell will be rolling out deals for its Inspiron, XPS, Alienware, Vostro, Precision, and G Series of PCs to piggy back on the success of Amazon Prime Day. Many of the price cuts are for older models in order to make room for the new models revealed at Computex 2019.

The Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S is a new product to which any headset with a 3.5mm jack can connect. It also has a USB type A interface to link the same to a PC. This may confer an improvement on the audio coming through the DAC.

The Red Magic 3 is a 2019 gaming phone with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its maker Nubia has just released the Pro Handle, a joystick attachment, as well as a Magic Adapter, especially for this device. These new accessories add off-screen controls and a 3.5mm jack respectively.

CHUWI has announced that it will be adding the option to upgrade to 16GB of RAM as rewards to its Indiegogo campaign for the Minibook. These SKUs will have the same Intel m3-8100Y SoC as the UMPC's current higher-end version. The first 50 of these are to cost US$10 more than their 8GB counterparts.

Last year, OnePlus announced that it was to release its first ever TV. However, not much has been heard about this product since then. Now, a renowned leaker claims that it is "not very far away", but that it is likely to have an LCD panel when it arrives.

At 67 C when gaming, you better make sure the AC adapter is not around anything sensitive. The very small and compact design of Razer's 230 W charger appears to have a noticeable impact on the surface temperature of the adapter as it runs much warmer than what we're used to seeing.

Raspberry Pi Relay HATs are two a penny, but few come with a dedicated mobile app. Meet the PiRelay, a HAT that can manage up to 240 VAC/7 A or 125 VDC/10 A loads across four relays. The PiRelay costs US$17.06 via SB-Components, which ships worldwide.

Canon is attending the 2019 Sensors Expo & Conference in San Jose, California to showcase its new 120MXSI sensor. This CMOS is rated for 120MP imaging, and can operate in visible and near-infra-red (NIR) light spectra at a maximal 9.4 frames per second.

Edge computing is a rapidly emerging industry that may become closely associated with others such as machine learning in the future. Its market is now projected to be worth US$6.9 billion in the next 5 years. This is thought to be driven by its use in 5G and smart-city applications.

Although 45 W fast charging is expected to make its debut with the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Pro, the upcoming Galaxy A90 might become the first Samsung handset to feature this technology. For now, Samsung is stuck at 25 W when it comes to fast charging and some reports claim that the Note 10 lineup will not move forward.

Although the next-gen Galaxy Note phablet is expected to be revealed in early August, Mobile Fun has just done it again and unveiled a bunch of Olixar cases for this upcoming device. These products reveal that Note 10 will also have a Pro version and both feature a middle-mounted selfie shooter and Sound on Display.

Noctua makes some well-known CPU coolers and fans. It has also recently released its new series of inserts and alternate parts, which can change a PC's look without needing to resort to RGB. They include the new NA-HC5 chromax cooler covers and NA-SAVP1 chromax grey anti-vibration pads for fans.

The Huawei Watch GT is the OEM's latest smartwatch, which runs on LiteOS rather than the Wear OS of its predecessors. The company has reported that it has shipped more than 2 million of these devices since their launch in 2018. It also claims to have new data on the performance of its wearable business in general from the first quarter of 2019.

From now until the end of next week, a total of 12 grand prize winners will get an MSI X470 motherboard, Radeon VII graphics card, or 27-inch Optix FreeSync monitor. Users must follow MSI on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to be eligible for the prizes.

The Nucleus Profile Plus is a freshly-approved hearing aid from Cochlear that can connect to an Android phone using Google's new, improved ASHA protocol for this purpose. It allows those with aural impairments to control, stream from and interact with their phone. Unlike others before it with the same, the Profile Plus is an actual implant, and one that can withstand certain MRI scans at that.

After the successful completion of its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, the Chargerito phone charger is now up for sale. Priced at US$25, this accessory only measures 2x0.6x1.8 inches and can deliver a 5 V, 1 A, 5 W output. Available in both micro USB and USB Type-C versions, this accessory can be easily stored thanks to its folding prongs.

Several developers have been working to port Android to the Nintendo Switch since at least February 2019. Now, it appears that this work has paid off and the conversion is nearly fully-functional. The latest build for this console reportedly exhibits working WiFi, important apps, games and audio.