Tag: Gadgets

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Pax unveils a vape that increases transparency around cannabis consumption

The new Pax Era Pro vaporizer packs a host of improvements and brings increased transparency to the user. Pop in a pod, and the smartphone companion app displays a wealth of information generally unavailable to the average user. The idea is to provide more peace of mind about what’s in each pod and this system is launching at exactly the right time.

The Era Pro uses proprietary cartridges embedded with an NFC tag. Pax calls this affair PodID, and the tags are unique to each cartridge. Once the pod is inserted into the vape, using the Pax smartphone app, users can access detailed information including oil content, strain information and potency, flavor profiles, producer information, and state-regulated test results.

What’s more, because of the PodID, the brand partner who created the pod can set a recommended temperature setting, eliminating a lot of user guesswork. If a user overrides the setting, the new setting is saved to the pod.

Pax rolled out these pods a few months ago. Different packaging and a red ring around the cartridge lets users tell them apart from the original pods. Pax tells TechCrunch they have signed up 60 so-called brand partners — the companies which produce and fill the pods with the sticky goodness.

PodID is hitting the market at the ideal time as regulators are seeking ways to increase consumer safety and clear, tangible data answers that call. I dug into the info on my test unit and it’s full information presented in an easy to read, accessible format.

But there’s a catch. Apple instituted a blanket ban on vape apps in November. Right now, the information available through PodID is only accessible on Android phones. Pax tells me they’re working on a solution to bring the information to iPhones without the need for a dedicated app. This should be available in the coming weeks.

Pax unveiled the Era vape in 2016. It’s small and similar in design and function to a Juul vape. The Era Pro, launching today, brings improvements across the board.

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The Era Pro features on-demand draw and closed-loop temperature control along with longer battery life and 50% better Bluetooth range than the original Era. The Era Pro recharges through USB-C and has a more pocketable design with edges rounded off.

The new design looks more durable than the original. The chambered edges and plastic base gives it a more rugged, modern feel. The pods snap in with a click. Draws are quicker (which is impressive as the original was fast, too). To me, as someone who uses a Pax Era nearly daily, the Era Pro is a satisfying update and worth the upgrade.

PodID works as advertised though I had to borrow an Android phone to test it. As an iPhone user, it’s disappointing that this feature is unavailable to me.

At $60, the Pax Era Pro is twice the price of the original Era. And that doesn’t include the pods, which I’ve found range from $40 to $65. It’s a big step up for what’s mostly a vape battery. Pax would likely say the transparency is worth the extra cash, and I agree. As a Pax user, I’m happy to pay extra for the added peace of mind gained from PodID. I wish it worked with my iPhone.

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Ring revamps lighting lineup with solar panels and indoor lightbulb

Ring is slowly expanding to Philips Hue’s territory by releasing its first traditional connected lightbulb that works both indoor and outdoor. The Amazon-owned company is also revamping outdoor lights with new models that have a solar panel so that you don’t have to recharge the battery.

While Ring is mostly known for its security cameras, the company has been building a portfolio of devices to make your home smarter — or at least more automated.

This year, Ring’s new products focus heavily on lighting products. The company is already selling connected pathlights, steplights, spotlights and floodlights to illuminate your garden like it’s daytime.

But many of those devices are receiving an upgrade today. The Solar Floodlight, Solar Steplight and Solar Pathlight are solar variants of the existing devices. Instead of having to recharge batteries, they all feature a tiny solar panel on top so that you don’t have to babysit their batteries. You can also pair them with motion sensors.

The big new addition is a standard A19 smart lightbulb as well as a PAR38 smart lightbulb. You can use those lightbulbs outside, but they could work particularly well indoor as well. You can group them, control them with Alexa, remotely turn them on and off and adjust the brightness.

All the new lights will be available on April 1. Ring isn’t talking about prices just yet.

Ring is also launching a new device called the Ring Access Controller Pro — it is available today for $300. It works with electronically-controlled gates so that you can open and close gates directly from the Ring app. This way, you can put a Ring doorbell in front of your gate, pushing your visitors further away from your front door…

Ring says it could be particularly convenient for Amazon deliveries as the Ring Access Controller Pro works with Key by Amazon, the feature that lets you authorize home access to delivery persons.

Some privacy news

And then, there’s the elephant in the room — security and privacy. As Motherboard reported, Ring isn’t doing enough when it comes to securing access to user accounts — two-factor authentication isn’t mandatory for instance. And yet, you don’t want a random person to connect to a live video feed of your living room — or worse, your bedroom.

Ring is going to add a new section in its mobile app called Control Center. Users will be able to see and manage mobile, desktop and tablet devices that have recently accessed your account. For instance, you’ll be able to disconnect devices from your account.

The new menu will also show you third-party services that can access your Ring account, pretty much like third-party apps on Facebook or Twitter.

Finally, local police can request videos in some areas using the Neighbors app. That feature has attracted a ton of controversy. Users will be able to opt out of video requests from local police — it’s a baby step, but maybe it’s time to rethink the feature altogether.

Those new features feel a bit rushed as they aren’t available just yet. Ring says that the update should roll out later this month.

CES 2020 coverage - TechCrunch

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Netatmo enters the smart door lock space with programmable NFC keys

Netatmo, the French startup that got acquired by Legrand, is announcing a new device at CES, the Netatmo Smart Door Lock. You can install it as a replacement to any cylinder door lock, which are more common in Europe than U.S.-style deadbolts.

Compared to many smart door locks, Netatmo isn’t as heavy-handed as other solutions as you can use both your phone and a physical key to open your home. You don’t have to switch to a code-based system or rely entirely on your phone.

But the key isn’t a traditional key. It’s an NFC badge shaped like a key, which means that you can program the lock to authorize the key or not. For instance, if you lose your key, you can deactivate it in the Netatmo mobile app. You can also use the same key for multiple doors — your front door, your back door, your office door, etc.

When it comes to digital keys, you can invite as many people to your home as you want so that they can unlock the door with a digital key. Home owners can also send invites to guests. This way, you don’t have to make sure that the first person to get home has the key.

And of course, digital keys are a great solution for Airbnb guests. You can grant access to a guest for a couple of days and disable the digital key when your guests are gone.

Netatmo has received three certifications that assess that its door lock can resist physical and electronic attacks — A2P*, BZ+ and SKG***. In particular, Netatmo uses Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi. This way, the lock isn’t connected to the internet directly and key data is stored on the door lock storage.

The physical keys are tamper-proof in order to make it harder to duplicate them (but you should still disable keys if you lose them of course). Finally, Netatmo has put an accelerometer in the device to detect break-in attempts.

Battery is supposed to last two years, there’s no subscription fee and the device works with HomeKit. Netatmo hasn’t shared any information when it comes to pricing and availability.

CES 2020 coverage - TechCrunch

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Nvidia’s new 360Hz G-Sync displays are tailor-made for esports

Nvidia has developed new technology that enables 360Hz refresh rates on PC displays, achieving unprecedented responsiveness that’s perfectly suited to esports, where any advances in terms of refresh speeds can translate to improved performance during play.

Nvidia’s new G-sync tech that delivers the 360Hz refresh speeds will be coming to market first through a partnership with Asus, via the Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor that’s debuting at this week’s annual CES show in Las Vegas. It works in combination with Nvidia’s RTX line of GPUs, and will provide refresh rates that translate to less than 3 milliseconds of input latency, all available on a 24.5-inch, fully 1080p HD gaming panel.

Nvidia’s G-Sync tech debuted in 2013, and works by introducing Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) that syncs up the refresh rate of the display (provided it’s G-sync certified) with the GPU’s frame rate, so that you get optimized performance. Since its debut, Nvidia has been especially focused on optimizing G-Sync and its features for use by esports players and professionals, to ensure best possible reaction times in genres like shooters where every millisecond counts when it comes to aiming at and actually hitting your target.

The Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor will be coming out sometime “later this year,” and pricing isn’t yet available but you can bet it’ll be more than your average gaming monitor, given its advanced performance features and esports target market.

CES 2020 coverage - TechCrunch

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Arlo adds a big passive-aggressive floodlight to its camera so that you can scare your neighbors

Arlo, the security camera makers that spun out of Netgear, has announced a new device at CES in Las Vegas. The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight, as the name suggests, looks a lot like the existing Arlo Pro 3. But instead of the tiny integrated spotlight, it features a gigantic LED-enabled floodlight.

The new device features a 2K HDR camera with a 160-degree field of view. It also has a color night vision as well as a more traditional black-and-white night mode. You can both listen to what’s happening and talk to the person waiting in front of your door thanks to two-way audio. It also has a built-in siren to scare your entire neighborhood like there’s a big fire going on.

The floodlight can be enabled manually or activated by motion. Motion activation could be particularly useful for people who want to replace the light above their garage door for an all-in-one security-and-light solution.

While you can wire it directly to your home, the device also features a rechargeable battery in case you don’t want to drill holes.

The camera has an ambient light sensor so that the light only works at night. You can configure a specific threshold to save battery and customize the pattern of the light. There are three modes — constant, flashing and pulsating. Let’s hope it doesn’t lead to epileptic seizures.

Like other Arlo devices, it is compatible with the Arlo Smart subscription. You can expect cloud recording, object detection and intelligent alerts for $3 to $15 per month.

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight will be available at some point during Spring 2020 for $250.

CES 2020 coverage - TechCrunch

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This new wireless charger from Zens nearly fulfills the promise of Apple’s AirPower

Apple’s cancellation of its AirPower wireless charging mat was one of the company’s few big public flubs, but the concept behind the cancelled product remains attractive: A wireless charging pad that supports multiple devices, and that isn’t picky about how you set down your device in order to make a connection. Wireless charging accessory maker Zens has actually created such a device with the Liberty Wireless Charger, and while it doesn’t offer everything that AirPower claimed to be able to do, it’s a big step up from current wireless chargers and a a great companion for iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch.

Coils, coils coils

The Zens Liberty is special because of how it uses the wireless charging coils that are responsible for the charging ability of any wireless chargers – wound circular loops of copper cable that provide the induction power received by devices like the latest iPhones and AirPods charging case. Zens has stacked 16 such coils in an overlapping array – which, conveniently, you can see in pretty much full detail in the transparent glass edition charger that’s available today alongside the fabric-covered version.

These overlapping coils are the key to the unique abilities of the Zens Liberty: Specifically, their arrangement means you can place your devices down in basically any orientation and they’ll begin charging right away. Most charging pads, by comparison, have one, two or sometimes three coils placed in specific locations, meaning you have to make sure your device is properly situated above one to actually get it to start charging. If you’ve been using wireless chargers for any length of time, you’ve probably had the unfortunate opportunity to get this orientation match-up wrong, resulting in a phone that didn’t charge at all when you wake up the next morning.

Zens’ Liberty does indeed solve this annoyance, and I found I was able to put devices down basically however I wanted them and have them charge up.

Flexible seating for two

Up to two Qi-compatible devices can be charged at once, and they’ll each work with up to 15w of power, which is at the top end of what any current devices support. I tested it out with Android phones, iPhones and AirPods (plus AirPods Pro) and found that all worked without issue and basically however I wanted to lay them across the surface. The caveats here are that you should think of the areas around the edges of the charger as basically non-active, so stay around an inch in from the outer surface and you should be fine.

This flexibility may not seem like much (why not just pay attention when you’re putting your devices on a more traditional charger?) but it actually is a very nice convenience. Just that small assurance that you can easily put your device down on the Liberty’s generous surface and not worry too much about checking whether a connection was actually made is a big relief, when you charge a device as much as you do your iPhone or your AirPods.

Apple Watch, too

The Zens Liberty can’t charge the Apple Watch on the pad, the way that Apple had advertised the cancelled AirPower would’ve been able to. But with an accessory, the pad can become a truly all-in one charging station for your mobile Apple kit, Watch included. An officially supported Apple Watch charger with a USB A connector on one end is an add-on option that Zens offers, and it conveniently slots right into a USB port present on the Zens Liberty (and protected/hidden by a rubber flap when not in use).

This port actually supports any kind of USB powered device, so you can also use it with a cable to charge another gadget, like an iPad for instance. But it’s perfectly designed for the new Zens Apple Watch charger accessory, which comes with a little plastic shelf that snaps in to support your Watch when it’s charging. It provides just the right angle for Apple Watch’s Nightstand mode, and is a necessary addition for anyone looking for an all-in one solution.

Bottom line

The Zens Liberty is the best all-around charging option available currently, based on my testing so far. It’s also powered by an included 60w USB-C charger, which comes with two international plug adapters that makes it a great travel brick for other devices, too. That means you can also use standard USB-C power bricks with it, too, rather than requiring some kind of proprietary power adapter.

There are some downsides to keep in mind, however: You should realize that this is a big charger, for instance. That’s good in that it supports multiple devices easily, but it’s also going to take up more space than your average wireless charger. It’s also thick, which allows for the stacked coils and cooling system (this is the only wireless charger I’ve used that has clear and obvious vents, for instance).

That said, the Zens Liberty makes good on the true promise of wireless charging, which is convenience and flexibility. And it’s well-designed and aesthetically attractive, in both the fabric-covered and striking transparent glass designs. Zens is now accepting pre-orders for these, with shipping starting sometime this month, and the standard fabric version retails for €139.99 ($155 USD) while the glass edition is €179.99 ($199 USD), and the Apple Watch USB stick sells for €39.99 ($44.50 USD).

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Samsung shipped more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G smartphones in 2019

Samsung Electronics announced today that it shipped more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G smartphones in 2019, surpassing expectations set by the company earlier.

In September, Samsung Electronics vice president JuneHee Lee suggested that more than two million Samsung 5G smartphones had already been sold during remarks at IFA, and that the company expected to double that number by the end of the year.

The company also said today that its devices made up 53.9% of the global 5G smartphone market, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. It will release its next 5G device, the Galaxy Tab S6 5G, in South Korea during the first quarter of 2020.

Let’s talk Samsung Galaxy S11

The company is expected to launch Galaxy S11 models with 5G in February. While no iPhones currently have 5G support, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecast in July that all three versions of the device expected to be unveiled by Apple this year will support 5G. The release of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 and 765 means more manufacturers will be able to offer mid- and high-tier smartphones with 5G support this year, and that may help revive sluggish sales.

What we know about Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 865 and 765 chips