Simon Walsh

Leica has released its latest camera today, the M10-D. Following in the footsteps of its recently-released M10-P, the M10-D shares a very similar appearance aside from the immediately obvious omission of a screen. A deliberate move by Leica to help photographers focus on the moment happening in front of them instead of viewing it on a display. Even though Leica’s latest camera ditches some digital features for a nostalgic and analog feel, the company attempts to make up for this by shipping a new companion smartphone app for interacting with it.
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While Rakuten may not be the first retailer that comes to mind for your Black Friday shopping, it has been known to sell electronics, home goods, beauty products and more for some of the best pricing on the web. Considering that Rakuten is an online retailer, opting to shop there means that you do not need to physically stand in line to save money. Even so, learning what to expect ahead of time is a fantastic way to help you catch the best deals offered before they sell out.
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Intellivision Entertainment has announced that it is working on a new console nearly 40 years after its release of the original Intellivision. The new system is called Amico and is heavily focused on being an option that “parents want to buy”. Although the console is in the very early stages of development, the company has provided a plethora of details about features that the new system will offer. Standouts include 8 player connectivity, Qi controller charging, and a promise that all games will go through a strict approval process that prioritizes quality over quantity.
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eBay has announced a new program for listing smartphones that takes away much of the headache typically associated with using its services. Speaking from experience, listing an iPhone on eBay can leave you feeling like you’re on pins and needles. From the anticipation of hoping that your device sells for a high amount to dealing with potentially sketchy buyers, eBay’s new Instant Selling program takes aim at bypassing these hurdles while offering consumers a better value than many competing trade-in services.
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If you’re an avid wood worker or even weekend warrior, you probably know that making precise cuts is easier said than done. You can draw lines and try to follow them, but hitting a knot in a slab of wood can very easily take your saw off-course. With the upcoming release of the Shaper Origin power cutter, there may be a futuristic solution on the horizon. The tool uses augmented reality to “scan a surface and generate a map” of where cuts need to be made. In order for the Origin to identify where the user wants to cut, they simply use what the company refers to as, “Shaper tape.”

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Sam’s Club announced earlier today that it will soon offer grocery delivery at over half of its stores. In its press release, the company touted that the timing of its rollout will be great for consumers this holiday season. While this is clearly a significant undertaking, the company said that it will be able to pull all of this off by the end of October. This is largely due to the fact that it has partnered with Instacart to carry out customer deliveries.

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If you’ve been on the fence about giving your child a smartphone, let alone an additional Apple Watch, Verizon may have a compelling option for you. Following up to its GizmoGadget, the wireless carrier is now offering the GizmoWatch. The new wearable from Verizon is aimed at children between the ages of 3-11 years old, offers LTE connectivity, and packs a faster processor than its predecessor.

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With Nintendo’s launch of NES and SNES classic consoles plus Sony’s original Playstation reboot, companies have been working harder than ever to bring old games back to life. These systems store games directly on the console and let you play them without the need for additional hardware. While this is likely the preferred method for most, it certainly comes with its own set of problems. One of the major ones being that the games you want to play may not be available.

To solve this problem, third-party companies like Analogue are fully embracing the retro experience by offering consoles that accept original game cartridges. Analogue’s latest offering, the Mega Sg, was announced by the company earlier today and will play over 2,000 original cartridges made for Sega Genesis, Mega Drive, and Master System.
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Perhaps one of the things that Nintendo is best-known for is its ability to cash in on nostalgia. If this was not evident before, the company’s NES and SNES classic console releases over the past couple of years have certainly highlighted it. With rumors floating around that Nintendo is working on an N64 classic release, it seems that the level of success that the company has seen may be partially responsible for Playstation making its own classic console. Whatever the case may be, today’s news is that Nintendo will be offering a special edition Diablo III-branded Switch console in a few weeks.
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Earlier today, Amazon announced on its developer blog that it is providing new ways for Echo devices to communicate with smart doorbells and cameras. More specifically, developers now have access to three new APIs called Doorbell Event Source, Motion Sensor, and Alexa.RTCSessionController. It’s a move that is not too surprising considering that Amazon bought Ring, a pillar of the smart doorbell industry, earlier this year for around a billion dollars.

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With blockbuster releases like Fortnite hitting the App Store and Google Play, mobile gaming is bigger than ever. Sometimes it is hard to believe that we live in a world where the powerful smartphones in our pockets are capable of providing the level of immersive experiences that just a decade ago was only possible by large, dedicated pieces of hardware. With Razer Phone 2 pre-orders kicking off at 12:01AM PST morning, it is clear that we can expect the future of gaming on mobile to only get better from here. If that is not enough, Razer announced yesterday that it is releasing its own mobile gaming controller, called Raiju Mobile, that is made to work with flagship Android phones.
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It’s finally happening. Companies that offer traditional TV services are working towards a world where streaming is the de facto method for catching up on the latest movies and shows. In an attempt to migrate in this direction, WarnerMedia CEO, John Stankey announced that the AT&T/Time Warner merger is allowing the company to pursue a “compelling and competitive” streaming product.

While it would be hard for anyone to argue that the migration from conventional TV to streaming has not been a slow, painful process thus far, Stankey’s statement today shows that progress is certainly being made.
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If you recall reading our coverage of Devialet’s Phantom and Phantom Gold releases, you will likely remember that these are not your average speakers. Much like Bang & Olufsen’s Edge, Devialet’s speakers are meant to not only offer a stellar sound experience, but to also make a fashion statement. With Devialet’s announcement of its upcoming Phantom Reactor speakers, it is clear that the company still has this goal in mind.
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Not too long ago the popularity of over- and on-ear headphones began to significantly increase. More and more people began taking notice of the more immersive audio experience that these designs offer. One could argue that Beats’ headphones significantly contributed to this by bringing stylish options to market that consumers have enjoyed showing off. With a plethora of offerings on the market, it can be hard for brands to make a convincing argument why their new pair of headphones is better than the rest. That doesn’t appear to faze Microsoft though, as the company announced a pair of Surface-branded headphones last week and provided a release date for the headset earlier today.
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BuyDig is offering the LG SK10Y 5.1.2-Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar w/ Subwoofer for $479 shipped when code SAVE400 has been applied during checkout. That’s $400+ off the going rate found at retailers like Best Buy and beats the lowest price we have tracked by $1. With Dolby Atmos, 4K Passthrough, Bluetooth, and more, the SK10Y is among the best sound bars that LG offers. Rated 4/5 stars. With the release of tvOS 12, Apple TV now fully supports Dolby Atmos.
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With wireless headphones and earbuds becoming increasingly popular, it can be easy to forget just how much better audio can sound when you have high-end equipment. While many consumers can’t tell the difference between high-end gear and some average solutions like Apple’s AirPods or RHA’s soon-to-be released TrueConnect earbuds, there are quite a few folks out there that know exactly what they are giving up. With the release of Elegia by Focal, it’s clear that there are companies working to make gear that provides better experiences for those of us that may that deem the tradeoff of some conveniences worthwhile.
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Ever since Apple released its AirPods, loads of alternatives from competitors have been pushed out in an attempt to grab marketshare. Companies like Samsung, Bang & Olufsen, Jabra, and even Anker have shipped what they think consumers are looking for. Up to this point, none of the options have seemed to garner the amount of interest that AirPods have experienced. With today’s announcement of the TrueConnect earbuds from RHA, folks who are not in the Apple ecosystem or find the fit of the AirPods to be uncomfortable may finally have a viable alternative to consider.
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There seems to be a growing focus these days on having rich, booming sound with us wherever we go. Lets face it, our smartphones simply do not have enough room left over to pack the internals necessary for stellar audio. For this reason, I typically opt to carry a Bluetooth speaker along with me when I need higher volume or just want better quality. Recently, Marshall announced its new Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker and we’ve been testing it out for a few weeks. Head below for more.
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If you have grown weary of the similar gameplay styles across popular video games, you may find some enjoyment delving into the plethora of indie games that are out there. These types of games can often provide unique game mechanics that the big developers choose not to take a risk on. Let’s face it, the big games are popular for a reason, but it can be delightful to play a game like Sokpop’s Llama Villa where the premise is simply to shower, feed, and build a home for your llamas. Just like its games’ unique experiences, the Sokpop Collective is setting out to shake up how consumers pay for games with an inexpensive subscription that comes with a promise of two new games each month.
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If you are anything like me, you have accumulated quite a few battery packs over the years. With all of the new power sources that have been cranked out over the last decade, varying options like AC, USB-A, USB-C, and Qi have pushed us to always be on the lookout for the best on-the-go power bank. I think that all of us are ready to throw in the towel if we can’t find one power bank that gives us all the ports that we could possibility need so we only have to keep one in our bag. If this is how you feel, then Goal Zero’s new Sherpa 100AC power bank may very well be the best solution out there.
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With Apple’s long-awaited AirPower charging mat potentially being scrapped, other companies are being given a chance to sell similar devices to those of us that are sick of waiting. There are quite a few products already on Amazon that set out to let you charge three devices wirelessly, but most of them have quirky designs, few reviews or are being manufactured by unknown brands. Those factors make placing your $1,000 iPhone on top of them questionable, at best. With the unveiling of Nomad’s Base Station: Hub Edition, we are given an option from a reputable brand that is well-designed, can charge two devices wirelessly, and two more via 7.5W USB-A and 18W USB-C Power Delivery-enabled ports.
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Ever since consumers began cutting the cord, companies have been scrambling to come up with all kinds of devices that make it simple to stream content on your TV. Roku is one of the most popular, offering a range of devices like its Express, Streaming Stick, Ultra, and more recently TVs with Roku built-in. Building TVs with smart technology is something that is not new though, considering that companies like Samsung, Sony, and LG have been doing it for quite some time. These companies typically use their own proprietary software which can quite often lead to a frustrating user experience due to a lack of polish that makes navigation feel far from simple. With Logitech’s upcoming K600 TV Keyboard, the company aims to provide consumers with a better user experience.
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With Jet.com firing shots in Amazon’s direction just last week, Jeff Bezos’ company today introduced a new way to highlight small to medium-sized businesses that are owned and operated in the United States. The new portion of the online retail giant’s site is called Amazon Storefronts and offers over a million products provided by nearly 20,000 businesses from all 50 states. With categories such as Back to School, Pet Supplies, Kitchen, and more, Amazon Storefronts offers products that will appeal to many consumers. 
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While you may not have heard of a keytar before, there is a good chance that you may have seen them in use before. In fact, if you’ve played Rock Band 3 back in the day, you may have jammed using the game’s Wireless Keyboard which is in fact the same kind of instrument. With instruments like the Yamaha SHS-10 having been around since the 1980s, keytars have been used for quite some time but have been called various names like ‘shoulder’ or ‘strap-on’ keyboards. Then there was a shift to adopt the keytar name a few years back when Alesis released its Vortex controller. With the unveiling of AX-Edge Keytar, Roland shows off its beautiful, high-end 49-key guitar/keyboard hybrid.
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Ever since Amazon launched its Prime service back in 2005, it has been wreaking havoc on brick-and-mortar stores. With the ability to quickly find items, check reviews, and have most products delivered in two days or less, it is really not much of a surprise that Prime has surpassed 100 million subscribers. While many stores have tried to compete by launching better websites and offering free shipping on orders that exceed a certain threshold, Amazon is still king when it comes to online shopping. With Walmart’s acquisition of Jet.com back in 2016 and its major site refresh today, the company has shown that it is far from conceding to the online shopping giant.
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If you have any smart cameras in your home, you are probably aware of how wonderful and also how annoying motion alerts can be. While there are quite a few cases that you find yourself wanting alerts, the majority of the time a constant stream of notifications can be more distracting than the feature is worth. With the launch of SmartCam N1 and N2, Wisenet has set out to reduce the amount of notifications delivered to your smartphone by letting users limit notifications to only faces that they have not identified.
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In just the past few weeks LG has announced its upcoming 21:9 UltraGear gaming monitors and Samsung opened pre-orders for its new Thunderbolt 3 UltraWide offering. With new monitor releases coming out left and right, it can be hard to stay up-to-date and be sure that you have found the right fit for your setup. While all of the options can be overwhelming, hefty competition tends to lead to better pricing and typically means that more features tend to come standard. In this fierce climate, AOC has announced four new gaming monitors that pack a punch while also being fairly affordable.
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It is highly likely that when you hear people talk about tracking keys or backpacks your mind instantly thinks of Tile. This is because Tile has been working on its trackers since 2012 and saw huge success when launching its crowdfunding campaign with pre-orders from over 50,000 backers by mid-2013. If you own a Tile tracker, you likely know that it has distance restrictions due the range of Bluetooth. In most cases this is fine when trying to find something nearby, but there would be a lot more use cases if the range could be extended. And that is exactly what Samsung has set out to do with its new SmartThings Tracker.
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From JVC debuting its 8K e-shift home theater projector to Hisense bringing additional laser TVs to its lineup, there have been lots of developments in the projector market. It wasn’t too long ago that 1080p projectors were the best available to consumers. Now not only are 4K projectors easy to find, pricing isn’t too bad either when considering the amount of detail and screen real-estate you can get from them. While Optoma has many projectors in its lineup, the company has shown us today that it will continue to push the envelope in this arena with its announcement of 6 brand new offerings along with an upgrade to its recently released UH51A that we covered earlier this year.
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Considering that the list of smart home accessories keeps growing larger and larger, there always seem to be shiny, new options vying for our attention. Just last week we reported that Philips, a company probably best-known in the smart home world for its Hue light bulbs, has a hybrid switch in the works set to replace or join its current offerings. With options from Lutron, Wemo and others, there are certainly lots of switch products to consider, but with today’s release of Brilliant Control, things just got even more competitive.

Of all the options out there, Brilliant Control seems like it may have the chops to take the crown as being the most daring and innovative. Coming in with four models, Brilliant Control sports a built-in display, camera, controls for at least one light, and the promise that it ‘works with all smart home products’.
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With theater subscription services from MoviePass coming along to get people in theaters, large entities like AMC have been pressured to step up to the plate with competing options. While competition is likely to get the theater on people’s minds, the heat dished by the latest home theater gear works to negate that by giving customers a plethora of ways to have top-notch experiences without the need to leave their house. To make home theater hardware even better, Denon and Marantz have both announced updates for some A/V receivers to provide support for IMAX Enhanced, a technology that was unveiled earlier today.
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Ever since Hisense announced its $10,000 laser TV, the company has been working to expand its lineup to offer additional options to its customers. Just a few months back, Hisense released its $3,000 L5 laser TV, but we have not heard if that model will be making its way to the United States. Today’s announcement of two more laser TVs from the company gives us hope that we will start seeing laser TVs on display at stores and in homes willing to pay a premium to have the latest-and-greatest tech.

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Japan-based company, JVC has announced 3 new projectors to be released in the near future. While two of its new projectors offer native 4K resolution, the one that takes the cake is what the company is calling the “world’s first” 8K e-shift home theater projector. There are a lot of 4K projectors from brands like ViewSonic, Optoma, Epson, and Sony available on Amazon, but you will be a hard-pressed to find similar options from JVC. While JVC is a brand that is fairly well-known by consumers, most of its products are no-where near as popular as the previously-mentioned competitors’ offerings in the US. With the unveiling of its new high-end consumer-focused projectors, the company may be able to pique the interest of folks looking to improve their home theater setup.
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Bang & Olufsen has used IFA Berlin (similar to CES in the United States) as a platform to announce some of its upcoming products. Just yesterday we covered the company’s new $3,500 Beosound Edge speaker that was also unveiled at this event. B&O’s Autumn/Winter 2018 collection brings colors inspired by the old city of Marrakesh to four of its products. The three colors found in the AW2018 collection are referenced by the company as Dark Plum, Terracotta, and Limestone. While the Beoplay E6, H9i, and Earset will be available in select shades of the new colors, the Beosound P6 is the only speaker that made the cut to receive a makeover.
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Bang & Olufsen is well-known for its high-end, tastefully designed products. From its BeoVision Eclipse 4K HDR television to the BeoSound 1 and Beoplay H9i over-ear headphones, it is clear that the company strives to make products that stand out from the crowd. Not only do they typically pack a punch in terms of performance, they also make a statement with finely crafted aesthetics. The company’s latest speaker, the BeoSound Edge, looks to fit right in line with the rest of its products. With features like a 10-inch woofer and a design based on the old English pound coin, this is yet another high-end option from B&O to consider if you are in the market for a standout speaker to add to your home or office.
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Just over a week ago we covered Amazon’s plans to halt its discounted video game pre-order pricing. The now-defunct offering gave gamers 20% off pre-orders, saving them in most cases about $12 per game since the majority of triple-A titles cost $60 at launch. The news is not all-bad though, Amazon will still offer a $10 credit for pre-orders of select titles, but customers will need to wait 35 days to get their money back and even at that point, it is an Amazon promotional credit.
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Financing the latest technology is more popular than ever before. For over a couple of years now, mobile carriers have been pushing customers to pay monthly for smartphones instead of signing contracts. Most of these companies have phased out contracts entirely, forcing consumers to either pay for their phone upfront or pay for it over the course of several years. Today, Microsoft is taking a page out of these companies’ playbooks with the launch of Xbox All Access. Announced as a limited-time offer, this service is an option that bundles a new Xbox One S or X with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for a monthly fee.
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For the folks that love riding their motorcycles, but do not enjoy summer heat, Feher has unveiled its new ACH-1 helmet to keep riders more comfortable in warm weather. With a self-contained air conditioning unit, this helmet distributes cool air along the top of riders’ heads, providing up to a 10-15º Fahrenheit decrease.
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Incase is one of those brands that typically hits the nail right on the head with each of its product releases. While this is likely due to having a great team running the company, it can also be partly attributed to the large amount of new products it cranks out. The ICON Sling Pack is Incase’s latest and it provides a form-factor that comfortably accommodates a MacBook, iPad, and many other accessories.
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Although it was originally announced back in May of this year, details for HP’s new OMEN Mindframe gaming headset didn’t include a release date, pricing and more. It only took HP a couple of months to hammer out this information and it decided that Gamerscom was the right place to share the details needed for gamers to decide if this will be their next headset. It may sound funny when you hear that Mindframe’s standout feature is active cooling to prevent ear sweat, but considering that this is something that a lot of gamers experience, it is likely to be appreciated alongside many of its other high-end features.
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Gamescom, a trade fair for video games, has been held in Cologne, Germany annually since 2009. At this year’s event, ASUS has certainly made a splash with lots of new products including two new TUF Gaming notebooks. With FX505 and FX705, ASUS is offering two size options for gamers that appreciate rugged design. The FX505 has the smaller display of the two, coming in at 15.6-inches, while the larger FX705 packs a 17.3-inch screen.
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Earlier today, Dell announced two new gaming monitors that will soon join its line-up that will be referred to as 2419HGF and 2719DGF. Its new offerings are sized at 24- and 27-inches, providing consumers two sizes to consider for their next display. If you were expecting size to be the only differentiator, you would be wrong. The 27-inch monitor packs a higher resolution in addition to faster refresh rates. Each display packs connectivity options that include HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB, but the number and specifications of ports vary between models.

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Sony has introduced an updated model of its existing XAV-AX200 head unit. The new model name changes slightly to XAV-AX210, and its differentiating feature is iDatalink Maestro support which provides a more seamless experience when interacting with controls that are already built-in to your car. Prior to this unit, steering wheel controls, vehicle settings, and more were not plug-and-play like most customers would have hoped.
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While most people enjoy the plug-and-play conveniences offered by consoles like Playstation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, or Nintendo Switch, many prefer the customization and higher-end graphics options that come with PC gaming. While the more tech-minded gamers typically prefer to build a desktop, many others are looking for something that they can take with them while on-the-go. When choosing the second route, gamers are left looking for a laptop that is both portable and powerful. These are features that ASUS is cramming into its new ROG Zephyrus S, which it claims to be the ‘world’s thinnest’ gaming laptop.
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