As technology has advanced around the world, we've seen several instances of governments stepping in to ban certain things. When something is banned, the motivation behind those bans can sometimes be confusing, or the real reason can become obfuscated behind misleading stories. Here's the real reason why certain technologies have been banned in certain areas of the world.
Apple has revealed new "Year of the Tiger" versions of some of its most popular gadgets, including the Beats Studio Buds and AirTags. The new offerings will be made available to purchase in Japan and China, with the exact products appearing to vary slightly depending on which market you're in. According to Apple, these items are designed as a tribute to the Lunar New Year.
We're in the midst of a smart gadget revolution. Anything that can be given wireless connectivity is getting it, from refrigerators and home lighting to smoke detectors and doorbells. While many smart gadgets have broad usage and many more solve specific, niche problems, there are a lot of weird devices out there that leave us scratching our heads. Today we're running down some of the weirdest smart devices that you can buy right this minute, so settle in for some tech oddities.
Have you ever been worried that you may have bad breath, yet too embarrassed to ask someone to alleviate your concerns? That's where a newly detailed gadget comes in, according to the American Chemical Society, which published a study on the tech. Scientists describe their device as around the size of a thumb and capable of detecting the gas responsible for bad breath.
The first time we heard about Razer's Project Hazel N95 respirator was in January of this year, when the pandemic was raging around the world. While some parts of the world are still fighting the pandemic, the pandemic is easing in the US and other countries. Despite that we seem to be on the tail end of the coronavirus pandemic, Razer has announced that it will begin shipping Project Hazel masks in October.
In 2018 a company called Spyra took to crowdfunding sites to get the money to build and bring to market a new take on the classic water gun. The original device was called the Spyra One, and the company is back with a new version called the Spyra Two. The first version of the water gun cost $133, and the company says that it delivered about 11,000 units at that price.
The Kobo Elipsa is a new e-reader with many features that are uncommon in the segment. The Elipsa works with accessories, including the Kobo Stylus combining a digital reading and writing experience in a single device. Designers say they looked beyond the standard E-reader experience to create a reading and writing package bridging the gap between print and e-books and between reading and creating.
The folks at Wyze sent an email to users of Wyze products this week warning of rising prices on products. They suggested that they're seeing "huge cost increases" on "almost every material" they use to manufacture smart products of all sorts. Starting on May 18, 2021, Wyze will be increasing the cost of their products, including (but not limited to) Wyze Cam v3.
A set of new Epson printers revealed this week are included in the company's "Unlimited Ink for Two Years Program." They're both EcoTank printers, which mean they have ink tanks that can be refilled relatively easily. The whole EcoTank system isn't strictly new - this is only the newest set - but now that they've made them for a while, and there's an "Unlimited Ink" program... it might be time to take a closer look.
Blue light filters have been popular for many years; they used to be limited to PC apps and web browser extensions, but have since become standard features on mobile devices. There are multiple purported benefits to using blue light filters, including reduced eye strain and getting better sleep at night. Past research has cast doubt on the latter claim, and a new study backs up those findings.
The Cardlax EarBuds Washer is exactly what its name implies. Because of the way most earbuds are designed, there's a good chance they scoop up earwax and all manner of other sorts of dirt and grime on a daily basis. With the device called "Cardlax EarBuds Washer", the process of keeping earbuds clean becomes a slightly more professional operation than what's otherwise pretty standard, but still not recommended: cleaning said earbuds with a toothpick.
If you were waiting for the Nothing technology company to team up with an interesting partner, wait no more. Today the Nothing company announced that they'd officially added Teenage Engineering to their list of Founding Partners. This is going to get weirder before it heads down the beaten path, of that you can be sure.