Nicole Lee
Articles by Nicole Lee
Could you live with this budget Android for four years?
Five years ago, Sharad Mittal had a dilemma. He and his wife had just watched Noah, a movie starring Russell Crowe with a heavy environmental message underneath its retelling of the classic Biblical tale. The movie moved him deeply, giving him a new perspective of the world that he says literally changed his life. "I became a hardcore environmentalist that day," he told Engadget.
Sony and Facebook withdraw from GDC due to coronavirus concerns
Mobile World Congress 2020 isn't the only trade show affected by COVID-19, otherwise known as the new coronavirus disease. Facebook has just announced that it will withdraw its presence from the annual Game Developer's Conference this year. In doing so, it will pull both Facebook Gaming and Oculus booths and have advised all employees to not attend the show. A Facebook spokesperson sent in this statement: "Out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, our dev partners, and the GDC community, Facebook will not be attending this year's Game Developer Conference due to the evolving public health risks related to COVID-19. We still plan to share the exciting announcements we had planned for the show through videos, online Q&As, and more, and will plan to host GDC partner meetings remotely in the coming weeks." COVID-19 has had a big effect on the tech industry so far. Due to coronavirus concerns, MWC 2020 was cancelled, Apple has warned of iPhone supply shortages and Sony has pulled out of PAX East. Update 4:15pm ET: Sony has announced that it too will be pulling out from GDC. Here's the company's statement: We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus). We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.
If you bought Flywheel's home bike, you can trade it in for a free Peloton
One of Peloton's biggest competitors, Flywheel Sports, announced today that it is shutting down its online classes. The company sent an email informing its users that it would stop its Flywheel At Home service effective March 27th 2020. The bikes can still be used of course, but without the live and on-demand coaching, which makes them not much better than ordinary stationary bikes. Peloton, however, is offering a deal where Flywheel customers can turn in their bikes in exchange for a "like-new" Peloton bike at no cost to them, though they'd still have to pay Peloton's monthly subscription fee.
The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid works as promised, but only for small batches
The Instant Pot has garnered a huge fan base in recent years, and for good reason. Yes, it replaces your slow cooker and you can make yogurt in it (in some models anyway) but its real claim to fame is as an electric pressure cooker that can significantly shorten cooking time. Imagine braised short ribs in under an hour, or homemade pho in 30 minutes. The best part is that you can just set the timer and walk away, without having to tend to it like you would a stovetop version. It's been over two years since I purchased my Instant Pot Ultra, and it remains one of my favorite kitchen appliances. That said, I found myself lusting after yet another trendy kitchen appliance: the air fryer. The idea behind it is that it can "fry" foods with just hot air and without the oily mess that deep-frying entails. However, as publications like Wirecutter and Cook's Illustrated point out, air fryers are nothing more than re-packaged convection ovens. If you do want crispy "air-fried" foods, Wirecutter recommends getting a countertop convection oven instead, which obviously has a lot more features than just air frying.
Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Flip in an Oscars ad
After weeks of leaks of Samsung's upcoming foldable phone, it looks like the company has decided to scoop itself. Just a couple of days before the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 11th, Samsung rolled out an ad for the Galaxy Z Flip during tonight's Oscars ceremony.
Amazon has 150 million Prime members now
Amazon's latest earnings release is one for the books, with one major win. It now has 150 million Prime members around the world, which is a huge step up from the 100 million it announced back in 2018. This is despite the increase in Prime membership fee from $99 to $119 a couple of years ago.
How to watch the Super Bowl in 2020
Super Bowl LIV will occur this Sunday, and it'll be a match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. NFL's biggest event of the year is a television phenomenon that goes beyond just sports, whether it's the million-dollar commercials, the half-time concert or just an excuse to hang out with your buddies and chow down on chicken wings. It used to be that the only way to watch it was to either have a cable or satellite subscription, or venture out to your local sports bar. Fortunately, that's not the case anymore. You have plenty of streaming choices too -- some of them even offer 4K resolutions.
Can Byte recreate the magic of Vine?
When Twitter shuttered Vine in 2018, it was the end of not just another video service but also the death of a wonderfully quirky part of the internet. Vine's six-second videos somehow gave birth to a treasure trove of time-lapsed punchlines, zingy one-liners and bizarre but surprisingly entertaining fare. Unfortunately, most of the creators behind these short films took their talents to more profitable platforms like YouTube. Last Friday, however, Vine successor Byte finally arrived, signaling a grand and much-awaited comeback. Sort of.
I am my own spy: A personal surveillance story
One of the first webcams I purchased was a Dropcam several years ago. We'd had a couple of package thefts, and I wanted to see if I could catch the perpetrator in the act. I positioned the camera at our front window, with the lens pointed at the steps leading up to the front door. Alas, I never did catch anyone because we never had any more package thefts. Maybe they were scared off by the presence of a camera, or maybe they realized their folly when one of the packages they'd stolen was simply a bag of cat litter.
Vote for the Best of CES 2020 People's Choice Awards!
We've announced our Best of CES finalists, so now it's time for you to cast your vote for your favorite gadget at CES 2020! Just head over here (or below) to pick your three favorite items from our pool of finalists. You have until 6 PM ET tomorrow, January 9th, to get your votes in.
Cuzen uses magnets to brew you a fresh matcha in seconds
Brewing matcha the traditional way can be a bit of a pain. Not only must you get the water temperature just right, you also have to spend some time whisking the matcha powder to get everything blended properly. Even then, it's all dependent on the quality of the matcha, as lesser quality brands can have an off or bitter taste. Cuzen Matcha, however, has come up with an alternative solution. It's a matcha machine that doesn't just "whisk" the matcha for you with a magnetic spinner, but it also has a built-in mill that grinds whole tea leaves directly into the cup. The result is a surprisingly clean and refreshing matcha, with none of the bitterness.
Citizen's Alexa smart speaker is like a Sonos One with an analog clock
Following Citizen's release of the Alexa-powered clock last year, the company is releasing yet more timepieces with a technology bent. At CES 2020, Citizen showed off not just a multipurpose olfactory alarm clock, but a new Alexa-powered smart speaker as well.
Teracube's smartphone combats e-waste with a 4-year warranty
If you've ever broken your phone's screen or dropped it in the toilet, you know the pain of coughing up the cash to either repair it, or replace it altogether. A company called Teracube, however, hopes to change that with a whole new concept: A phone with a four-year premium care warranty. For around $300, you can get a phone that comes with accident coverage insurance included in the price. Teracube claims that it's the "world's most reliable smartphone," but that's not telling the whole story.
This massive 8K VR headset was built for NASA
For years now, VRgineers has been making VR headsets for the professional and enterprise market, including for government institutions like NASA. This week at CES, however, the company has unveiled its latest model. It's still called the XTAL, but this time it comes with a whopping 8K resolution, which provides it with a "best-in-class" crystal-clear VR image. It boasts other features too, such as foveated rendering capabilities, an AR mixed reality module and improved lenses, which give it a very immersive 180-degree field of view. I tried it on in a demo at a CES evening event, and I was blown away by how crisp and clear the images were. A VRgineer spokesperson told me that I was trying out a very basic version of a VR simulation designed for NASA astronauts. The controls in front of me were so sharp that I could actually see the tiny letters on the keyboard. I didn't have a chance to try the controls, but it also has eye tracking, the ability to interact with virtual worlds with your gaze and voice commands, plus gesture controls. The gesture controls in particular are thanks to the two Leap Motion sensors embedded underneath the headset. Starting at around $8,000, the XTAL headset isn't meant for you and me. As mentioned, it's intended for enterprise applications such as employee safety training. Older versions of the XTAL are already in use at the Department of Defense, the US Navy and NASA. Eight-thousand dollars is certainly a lot of money for consumers, but when it comes to training future soldiers and astronauts, that might not be such a bad deal.
Impossible Foods' faux pork is just as convincing as its fake beef
Last year, Impossible Foods made headlines at CES when it introduced a new formulation of its Impossible Burger. It tasted so close to the real deal that we even gave it a Best of CES award. Now, Impossible Foods is back again at the annual tech event to introduce its latest product: Impossible Pork.
Impossible Sausage will be in Burger King’s breakfast croissants
In addition to its faux pork announcement today, Impossible Foods also officially launched its Impossible Sausage product, which it announced last year. Not only that, but you might be able to try it very soon. Starting in late January, Impossible Sausage will be available exclusively at 139 Burger King restaurants in five test regions: Savannah, Georgia; Lansing, Michigan; Springfield, Illinois; Albuquerque, New Mexico and Montgomery, Alabama.
Lenovo's Smart Frame puts your digital photos on a 21.9-inch canvas
Like many of us, you probably have hundreds and thousands of photos on your phone or the cloud, never to be seen again. Sure, you could print and hang them, but if you ever want to change photos, that can be a pain. A smart display can double as a digital photo frame, but you can't exactly mount it on a wall. Lenovo has come up with a potential solution to that with the Lenovo Smart Frame. It's not cheap at $400, and it is insanely large, but it is by far one of the most elegantly designed digital photo frames I've seen.
The Poseidon smart mirror can be customized to your needs
Smart mirrors aren't exactly new these days, with companies like Panasonic and HiMirror making their own high-tech reflective surfaces that can analyze your skin or provide makeup tutorials. But CareOS, a company out of Europe, has taken a unique spin on it by developing a smart mirror ecosystem that plugs into other aspects of your life. Last year, the company showed off Artemis, which offered all sorts of goodies like an augmented reality mode to try out different hair styles or an AR teeth-brushing game for kids. This year, however, CareOS revealed something a little different called the Poseidon Smart Mirror. Instead of just one type of mirror, the Poseidon is customizable, so you can create the smart mirror you want.
CES 2020: What to expect
We're only a few days into 2020, but we're already busy getting ready for the Consumer Electronics Show. The annual event for all things tech kicks off in Las Vegas next week, and we'll be there to check it all out. Here's a sneak peek at what to expect.
Tech that defined the decade
2020 is just around the corner, and another decade will soon come to an end. A lot has happened over the past ten years, and not all of it was pleasant: 3D television came and went, the headphone jack slowly died and the intersection of tech and politics frequently became front-page news. But amidst the downers, there was still plenty of groundbreaking tech that came about between 2010 and now that have made an impact in our lives. Here's a not-at-all-comprehensive list of a few of them.