Gadgets

Olympians unboxing folding phones is my new favorite video genre. Watch members of New Zealand’s swimming team unbox their new Galaxy Z Flip 6 phones — in gold, naturally — which were supplied by Olympic sponsor Samsung. Not only is it delightful when they discover the screen is on “both sides,” the guys and I agree that it’s time for a foldable iPhone, too.

With burners that pack 10kw of peak power, this induction stove from Impulse Labs can boil a liter of water in 40 seconds. (That’s 100 degrees Celsius for most of the world).

Developed by former Google Glass and Oculus engineer Sam D’Amico, the stove has a built-in battery and works with a standard 120v outlet. It launches later this year for $6,000.

Four months after releasing its first sub-$400 smartphone, Nothing is teasing a new addition to its A-series lineup.

On Monday the company posted just a single plus sign on X, and today added an event page to its website revealing a July 31st at 5AM ET announcement for the new Phone 2A Plus. Expect more teases from Nothing over the next two weeks.

Why pay for tools you don’t need when repairing or modding a console? iFixit has released four new kits for the Switch, Xbox, Steam Deck, and PlayStation featuring only device-specific tools.

The $12.95 kits include a screwdriver with a small selection of bits, tweezers, a brush, picks, a spudger for prying open housings, and an anti-static wrist strap so you don’t accidentally fry your hardware.

The Eve Weather — a battery-powered E ink display that can measure temperature, humidity, and your weather trend — is now available in a Matter version. Existing devices can be upgraded to the new smart home standard.

Matter brings compatibility with Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and Amazon Alexa, along with Apple Home. The device costs $79.95 and works with Thread. Eve has committed to upgrading all of its Thread devices to Matter.

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HMD has announced the Skyline, a $499 Android phone with an emphasis on repairability and creator-friendly features like a 50-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus. It’s also one of the first phones to support the MagSafe-like Qi2 charging standard — or will be when it ships in August. Bet we’ll see a few more new Qi2 phones around that time, too.

Bailey Hikawa is best known for her handmade smartphone cases, but this unique creation — just two exist — features much older tech.

It’s a bespoke toilet seat embedded with a myriad of iconic 2G and 3G cellphones including the original Motorola Razr, Samsung sliders, and an assortment of BlackBerrys. One person’s e-waste is another person’s treasure.

The new $130 Diva smart dimmer for ELV+ lighting brings higher-tech lighting control to the Caseta smart lighting line's new look.

Designed for low-voltage fixtures like under-cabinet, track, accent, and tape lighting, it costs twice as much as the standard dimmer but offers phase-selectable dimming.

Lutron also launched its Caseta Pico paddle remote in five new colors.

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Instead of risking your life to reach the world’s tallest peak, just full screen this captivating footage captured by a DJI Mavic 3 Pro traveling from Everest base camp at 17,598 feet, to its summit at 29,032 feet.

The drone’s flight follows the same route used by hikers, and soars over several of Everest’s recognizable landmarks.

While iPhone owners are getting access to new homescreen personalization options today, Nothing wants to help you customize your actual phone. The company published specs for CMF’s Phone 1 so users can make or 3D print their own accessories for its modular back panel. That’s rad, and honestly anything that takes us closer to bringing Moto Mods back is a step in the right direction.

Amazon’s brand-specific reordering buttons only lasted from 2015 through 2019, but in that time, they made enough of an impact to earn an eventual featured spot as a Button of the Month.

Some people did try to keep using them — let us know if your hacks are still working.

Pre-orders are available for the Hyperkin DuchesS, which re-imagines Microsoft’s Xbox Controller S (the one that replaced the console's original “The Duke” gamepad) for Xbox One and Series X / S consoles, and PC.

The wired controller is available in White or Black variants, both priced at $49.99. Hyperkin says pre-orders will ship on August 21st.

The company is rolling out new firmware (V3.5.3) that will address a common complaint with its E Ink devices. The update includes a redesigned user interface with cleaner icons plus navigation elements and toolbars that are more intuitive.

The new firmware also introduces a new system-wide annotation tool, screen mirroring to any device with a browser, and a Dark Mode that boosts contrast by inverting text.