Gadget

Sennheiser has released the Sport True Wireless earbuds, a pair of premium earbuds that retail for US$130. The earbuds come with multiple ear tips and fins for maximised comfort, plus up to 27 hours of battery life.

A Dutch retailer has provided almost all the technical data for the Mini 3 Pro, DJI's next consumer drone. Also, the retailer has confirmed the upcoming drone's price, plus that it will ship with a regular remote control. An unofficial teaser video has been published too, as has a possible launch date in mid-May.

Oppo has launched the K9x Smart TV in China with 4K resolution. The K9x is a cheaper alternative to the recently released K9 Smart TV. The new gadget has many features, including eye-protecting blue-light reducing technology, an image optimization algorithm and Dolby Atmos.

The Aqara Smart Curtain Companion E1 is available to pre-order in China. The device is compatible with Apple HomeKit, plus it supports Zigbee 3.0. You can use the smart adapter to open or close your curtains remotely, at a specific time or based on the intensity of light that the E1 detects.

The latest wireless headphones from Bang & Olufsen, the Beoplay EX earbuds, will go on sale next month. Each headphone features a large 9.2 mm driver and adaptive active noise-cancelling technology. The gadget has six microphones built into the stick of the earbud for improved call quality.

According to new information from a supply chain source, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 could debut with a lower price tag than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold3. The foldable is expected to launch in August with cameras from the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

ShiftCam has announced SnapGrip, an accessory for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series that turns Apple's recent smartphones into an ergonomic compact camera. SnapGrip works using MagSafe, which also allows it to recharge the iPhone to which it is connected.

Several of the new European TV models from TCL will be compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. This will make them the first Google TVs in the region with these features. As with other devices, AirPlay will enable you to cast content from your iOS or Mac device to your TCL TV. The HomeKit tools will allow you to control your TV using voice commands, such as switching the gadget on or off.

Reputedly, DJI is now unable to release the Mini 3 Pro this month. Pricing for the upcoming drone has leaked though, as have more hands-on images showing it from many angles. The Mini 3 Pro is expected to start at €739 in Europen and will rise to €999 with a new RC remote controller.

The Huawei Smart Door Lock and Smart Door Lock Pro are now available to pre-order in China. The prices for the devices have also been announced, starting at 2,199 yuan (~US$345) during the pre-sale period. The two devices are similar, with the Pro version having additional 3D facial recognition technology that can unlock your door in under two seconds.

While Harman Kardon has not officially released it, the Citation MultiBeam 1100 Soundbar is now available to pre-order in Europe. The device is designed for streaming and is the first in the Citation range to have Dolby Atmos and DTS:X technologies for immersive 3D surround sound.

Ikea has seemingly confirmed that a recently rumored second-generation smart home gateway is coming. The new product, named DIRIGERA, will have similar functionality to the TRADFRI smart home gateway. It is unclear exactly when Ikea could release this device and whether or not Ikea will continue to sell TRADFRI if the new product is launched.

OnePlus will bring the OnePlus Nord Buds to India on April 28. The Nord Buds looks to be a rebadge of the OnePlus Buds N scheduled to debut in China on April 21, and most major details of the TWS earbuds have now been leaked.

Samsung is tipped to equip the Galaxy Z Fold4 with an S-Pen slot accompanied by a new, thinner stylus to fit into the phone's slim chassis. That new S-Pen now looks to have entered production, four months away from the Galaxy Z Fold4's expected debut.

Anker has released the 521 PowerHouse portable charging bank. The device has a 256 W capacity and can charge the equivalent of 20 phones or four laptops via its various ports. The gadget has useful features such as an energy-saving mode, an LED display to indicate the product's charge level, and a built-in LED light.

Images of the DJI Mini 3 Pro and its interactive controller have leaked online, including images showing the drone in action. The Mini 3 Pro is expected to arrive later this month, but it may not be joined by a cheaper Mini 3 after all.

The 2023 Kia Niro has been showcased at the 2022 New York Auto Show. The company confirmed that hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions of the car would go on sale in North America this summer. All of the vehicles have performance improvements based on their 2022 equivalents.

Ikea could be developing new smart home products. A recent update to several smart LED light listings suggests that new or updated devices could be on the way for this range. Plus, FCC and WPC entries indicate that a new smart charging shelf could also be in the works. Ikea has not officially announced any of these gadgets.

Anker has unveiled a new product, the 551 tablet stand and 8-in-1 USB-C hub. The gadget has many ports, including a 4K HDMI port and microSD and SD card slots. The device has pass-through charging and is compatible with many tablets, including recent models of the iPad Pro and the iPad Air 4.

Kia has revealed that a production version of its EV9 SUV concept will be available in the US in the second half of 2023. This means that the electric vehicle will arrive in both the US and Europe in the same year. No further details about the car were revealed, meaning that the pricing remains a mystery.

Xiaomi has launched a crowdfunding campaign in China for a smart front door. The Xiaobai Blade Star has 3D facial recognition technology, plus six alternative ways to unlock the door, including a fingerprint scanner and an NFC reader. Like some smart locks, the door comes with a camera to show you who is calling.

Amazon is currently offering discounts in the US, UK, Netherlands and France for the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 75W Smart LED Bulb. The offers vary in each country, with up to 22% off the retail price in the US. The smart bulb has up to 1,100 lm of brightness and is compatible with several smart home systems, including Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

Samsung has increased the range of compatible cars for its Digital Key functionality. The Digital Key tool, which is currently only available in South Korea, allows you to lock or unlock your vehicle using your smartphone. The list of supported vehicles includes the Kia Niro and the BMW series 1 to 8.

The Pico Neo 3 Link is a mid-range VR headset that can be used with or without a PC. The VR headset offers a 90 Hz refresh rate, up to 4 hours of battery life and can even stream uncompressed video from a PC via DisplayPort.

It seems that DJI is preparing to release the Inspire 3, a follow-up to the ageing Inspire 2. While the Inspire 3 will retain some of its predecessor's features, it could also utilise a more compact chassis, among other changes.

A potential ‘Look and Talk’ feature has been found by 9to5Google in the latest Google app beta APK files. The reported tool would enable the Nest Hub Max to use its camera to determine if you were looking at the screen and trigger the Google Assistant from up to 5 ft (~1.5 m) away.

Xiaomi is crowdfunding a new smart home product, the Mijia Smart DC Variable Frequency Standing Fan. The gadget has a 16 m (~52 ft) range and can blow air at 6.5 m/s (~21 ft/s). The fan has a night mode which reduces the noise to around 32.75 dBA. You can control the gadget using the Mijia app or Xiao AI voice commands.

It seems that Apple is preparing to release a new power adapter with two USB Type-C ports. While its release date remains unknown, its design, peak wattage and pricing have emerged.

Toyota has announced that the 2023 Toyota bZ4X will be available in the US this Spring. The company also revealed that customers who leased or purchased the vehicle would be eligible for twelve months of complimentary charging at EVgo-owned and operated charging points across the country.

A new e-scooter from Honor, the Choice P10, is now available to pre-order in China. The gadget can travel at up to 25 kph (~16 mph) thanks to a 350 W rated motor. The scooter’s 36 V battery lets it travel for up to 35 km (~22 miles) between charges. The device is foldable for portability and weighs 15.7 kg (~35 lbs).

A new portable e-bike has been released by Lectric, the XP Lite. The bicycle weighs 46 lbs (~21 kg) and folds to the compact size of 36 x 16 x 26 in (~91 x 41 x 66 cm). The e-bike is powered by a 300 W motor enabling the bike to reach speeds up to 20 mph (~32 kph), and is currently only available in the US and Canada.

Apple has released three new colours for the Beats Studio Buds, a cheaper alternative to the AirPods Pro. The Beats Studio Buds now come in six colours, including Sunset Pink. Simultaneously, the Beats app for Android has received new features, courtesy of 'Locate My Beats' functionality.

GoPro has unveiled the Hero 10 Black Bones, a 54 g camera designed for FPV drones. Currently, the camera is a US exclusive, where it starts at US$399.99. GoPro has revealed the camera's price in other markets though, such as Germany and the UK.

A new variant of the Lucid Air Grand Touring EV has been announced, the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance. The car has many of the same features as the standard model, but it has greater acceleration with a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.6 s. The Performance car also has a slightly lower range at 446 miles (~718 km).

The next update for Meta Quest devices, v39, has been announced. The update, which will roll out in the next few weeks, includes a new Home environment named Mountain Study. Other improvements include multitasking features which have moved from being experimental to general settings, and the ability for iOS phones to share VR content directly to a headset.

The FCC has published photos of the dLight, a Google work from home (WFH) initiative for its employees. The dLight contains numerous features for sprucing up a home office and is designed for use in video calls. Sadly, Google has no plans to sell the dLight commercially.

The Motion Sensor P1 is a new smart home product from Aqara. The motion detector has up to five years of battery life and can detect movement up to seven meters away. A built-in light sensor enables you to trigger smart home lights with greater precision. You can use the Motion Sensor P1 with Zigbee, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

Samsung has shared an unboxing of the Monitor M8, its 32-inch and much cheaper alternative to the Apple Studio Display. The Monitor M8 contains plenty of smart features and even a Height Adjustable Stand (HAS), plus a removable webcam.

The launch of the next-generation Mac mini appears to be close, if Apple Studio Display is anything to go by. According to developer Steve Throughton-Smith, the firmware mentions the unreleased mini-PC, which is expected to be considerably more powerful than the existing Apple M1 model.

A new Xiaomi smart home product is now available to pre-order in China, the Mijia Water Purifier 1000G. The gadget can filter water at up to 2.65 L (~90 fl. oz) per minute. The device has a six-layer filter to remove impurities such as sediment and chlorine. You can view the water quality on the faucet’s smart screen or via the Mijia app.

TP-Link has released a tri-band mesh Wi-Fi 6E system, the Deco XE75. The two devices can deliver speeds up to 5,400 Mbps, cover an area of 5,500 ft² (~511 m²) and support up to 200 devices. The gadget has three Ethernet LAN ports and comes with the basic TP-Link HomeShield security plan.

The Dreame Bot W10 Pro robot vacuum could soon be coming to Europe, according to Caschy’s Blog. Recently launched in China, the gadget has 4000 Pa of suction and a mop that can be automatically washed and dried at the dock. The device also has an HD camera and AI obstacle avoidance technology.

Xiaomi has released the Xiaomi Air Purifier 4 Series in some European countries, including Germany, Italy and the UK. The devices are designed to help people who suffer from allergies by removing particles from the air such as pollen, dust and pet dander. There are three products in the range, to suit different spaces.

Roborock has launched the S7 MaxV series in the US. The S7 MaxV and the S7 MaxV Plus are now available from several retailers, having been unveiled at CES 2022 and launched in Europe last month. It is unclear when the third vacuum in the series, the S7 MaxV Ultra, will be available. Both Roborock and Walmart are currently offering discounts on the new products.

Alfred is a new robot lawnmower from Marotronics, powered by ArduMower. The gadget has a GPS RTK system, removing the need for a perimeter wire to guide the device. You can adjust the cutting height of the robot and remotely control it with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. The device comes with an enclosed docking station.

YouTuber Clemens Elflein has shared an open-source robot lawnmower project, OpenMower. The smart mower can localize and navigate using GPS rather than a perimeter wire. The gadget uses an off-the-shelf robot lawnmower, replacing the electronics with a Raspberry Pi 4, ArduSimple RTK GPS board and a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller.

Pricing and a potential release date for the Mini 3 series have leaked online. Reportedly, the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro could be with us later this month but for CNY 3,299 (~US$519) and CNY 4,299 (~US$676), respectively.

Decathlon is now selling the Elops R500E cargo e-bike in Europe. The bicycle has up to 90 km (~56 miles) range from a 672 Wh Samsung lithium-ion battery. The cargo bike can bear loads up to 170 kg (~75 lbs) and reach speeds up to 25 kph (~16 mph).

Ikea has added a new smart light to its range, the NYMANE LED pendant lamp. The device's design is based on the KLANG light from the 1960s. Ikea claims that the product lasts up to 20 times longer than an incandescent bulb. You can control the gadget with the Ikea Home smart app and sync it with other smart Ikea products.

Reputedly, Meta has settled on releasing a new Oculus Quest headset this year. While not arriving before the summer, the so-called Quest 2 Pro will include changes like mini-LED displays, among other new features.