Consumer Tech
SwitchBot Put Face ID on Your Front Door and Mostly Earned It
SwitchBot's new Lock Vision smart lock scans your face, juggles backup batteries, and almost makes biometric front doors feel normal. Almost.
Launch
Samsung Put Bixby in a Washer and Called It Laundry Freedom
Samsung’s 2026 Bespoke AI Laundry Combo promises conversational chores and faster full cycles. It is extravagantly overqualified and kind of compelling.
AI
Google Turns Android Widgets Into Tiny Staffers With Boundary Issues
Create My Widget might be the first consumer AI feature that talks less and helps more. Your home screen is now applying for management.
Review
SCUF Built a PS5 Controller for People With Extra Fingers
Scuf's new Omega packs 28 inputs and real competitive appeal into a $220 PS5 controller that feels both absurdly niche and annoyingly convincing.
Launch
JBL Put a Tiny Touchscreen on Earbuds and I Kind of Love It
JBL’s Live 4 earbuds add better ANC and a smarter screen case. It’s a mildly ridiculous idea that keeps becoming annoyingly practical.
Boston Tech
Lumia Turns Earrings Into a Blood-Flow Dashboard for Your Head
Lumia 2 hides blood-flow tracking inside an earring back and somehow makes brain-fog telemetry look like jewelry.
Gaming
Valve Turned Steam Controller Reservations Into a Gamer Citizenship Test
Valve's new Steam Controller looks legitimately smart. Its reservation queue also asks whether you've earned the right to buy one.
Launch
Google Turned Fitbit Air Into a Wellness Band for People Who Hate Wrist Drama
Google's $99 Fitbit Air ditches the screen, keeps the surveillance, and somehow makes AI health coaching feel more practical than performative.
Launch
Huawei’s Watch Fit 5 Pro Shrinks the Adventure Watch for Normal Wrists
Huawei crammed ECG, golf maps, diving chops, and week-long battery life into a slim square watch. It is overqualified, Apple-coded, and more convincing than it should be.
Review
SteelSeries Built a $400 Headset to Replace Your Entire Desk Drawer
The Arctis Nova Pro Omni is brilliant, excessive, and oddly practical: one pricey headset for your PC, console, phone, and your inability to pick a lane.
Review
Bose Revived Lifestyle to Make Sonos Sweat Through Its Fabric Grille
Bose is back in whole-home audio with a pretty $299 speaker, a $1,099 soundbar, and just enough restraint to make the flex feel earned.
Launch
Motorola Wrapped a $1,499 Flip Phone in Alcantara and Confidence
Motorola's new Razr Ultra is expensive, plush, and aggressively self-assured. Somehow the luxury flip-phone bit is starting to work on me.