All The Tech You Need To Survive Yet Another Lockdown
Sound at Lightspeed
Last issue we got to play with the Logitech G502 and it’s peerless LIGHTSPEED 2.4ghz connection which helps it rival its wired peers for latency. Now Logitech has thrown that exact same connection into their new wireless version of the Pro X headset, the G PRO X LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset. It’s got 42 feet of range and comes with Blue VO!CE software for increased voice clarity and high-quality communication, a PRO-G 50mm driver for crisp professional audio, and DTS 7.1 surround sound.
Its lightweight design and memory foam padding means you could pretty much wear it for the entire 20 hours of battery life.
Like a Rockstar
Aux cables are dead, long live USB-C and Lightning Connectors. If you find yourself in this particular situation then you probably need a pair of ROCKSTAR headphones available from Belkin. With Water-resistance and noise-isolation, these in-ear headphones deliver solid audio without distraction. The Lightning cable version is compatible with the iPhone XR / XS / XS Max, as well as the iPad pro 10.5″. Three different sized rubber earbuds are also provided so you can customise it to fit perfectly in your head holes.
The Fastest Charge Possible*
Oppo users rejoice, you’re going to be charging your phones 4000mAh battery up to 41% in 5 minutes and fully charge it in 20 minutes at the fastest rate with their new 125W flash charge. You don’t get faster than that! It is compatible with previous SuperVOOC and VOOC flash charge protocols and it also supports mainstream protocols including 65W PD and 125W PPS. It can support a charging scheme of up to 20V 6.25A.
Good luck finding anything quicker on the market.
The Return of the Clones
I’m a sucker for Nintendo’s handhelds. Right before lockdown I racked up one of every single one to complete my collection, but especially the classic original I don’t particularly want to take on my commute with me, especially with the lack of a backlit screen. The Analogue Pocket on the other hand is a sexy, feature rich alternative that can handle all the original cartridges as well as support adapters to handle the Game Gear, Neo Geo, and Atari Lynx. It has a 3.5”, 615 ppi, LCD With 1600×1440 resolution, which is a tad bigger than the original Gameboy’s 160 × 144 pixels, but it can easily switch to an oldschool resolution mode to bring back some of that crunchy pixel accuracy. It has about 10 hours charge and an audio workstation built in, making it a great synth and sequencer for musos. Finally take gameplay to the bigscreen when you dock it Switch styles and pair with a 8BitDo Bluetooth or 2.4g controller.
Preorders are open now but don’t expect your order to come through till 2021, due to Covid.
Portl to the Future
It’s really hard to show how cool holograms look when your medium of communication is a flat one, whether that be the printed page or even video. But PORTL INC’s HOLOPORTL sure is a fun but bulky alternative to Zoom calls. Essentially, it’s a an entirely self contained lightbox with a “Studio quality 4k Image generator”, speakers, and an outward facing camera so the person in the box can see you. Meanwhile on the other end, a person can set up with a 4k camera on a greenscreen (white is also fine) and address people on the other end in real time. It’s not exactly real 3D or anything, just projected onto glass with a great sense of depth, but it’s still a neat trick, and something worth investigating more in this post-going out world. Even if it costs upwards of US$60,000.
Duo The Screens
Microsoft has entered the foldable phones market with two phones strapped together, and it’s dubbed the DUO. To give it increased strength, Microsoft has shied away from foldable screens and is going for an oldschool clamshell design. Admittedly I find it’s Corning Gorilla Glass exterior pretty sexy, but it just doesn’t feel particular inspiring. It’s different forms does give it a lot of utility however, one screen able to act as a little keyboard for the second, for example. Doing duel apps has never been easier. It’s also its own kick stand if you fold it back enough. Twist it right around to have both screens facing outward to use it as a regular phone. It comes in 128gb and 256gb options, pricing starts at US$1,399.99
Nosy
Some people have a bee in their bonnet about facial masks because their freedoms crumple at the first sign of health guidelines. Fortunately there’s a device that can’t protect you at all and only covers a fraction of your face. It’s called Nosy, and will only set you back about £60 not including filter replacements. If you never do anything with your mouth, then it could actually have some minor effects on the air you’re huffing every day!
In fairness to the team that designed it, this concept was being worked on long before rogue Covids roamed the earth, but it’s living in a different time now and it’s hard not to poke fun, especially when it makes its users look like bird people.
Its Activated Carbon and HEPA filters mediums breakdown toxic gases from fossil fuel emissions (such as CO, NO2, SO2) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and protects you from particles that are 0.03 microns and larger. A malleable clip pinches to your nose, and attaches to the nosey itself, coming in a bunch of stylish colours so you can really express yourself through your nosepiece. This thing isn’t good for Covid protection, but it could cut down how much harmful exhaust fumes you suck in every day at work, as long as you’re okay with your street cred taking a hit.
Pushing Portable
I have so many questions and the a-XP | Portable Threadripper Workstation PC only adds more. What are the use cases for having a tower PC with a laptop screen and keyboard stapled to the side and who is the demographic? That demo of people who don’t mind paying a premium for carry on luggage but also not being able to use it at all while on the go? The specs are out of this world if you chuck all the money in the world at it. The starting CPU is the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24 Cores sitting on a ASrock TRX40 motherboard, backed up by 256gb of DDR4 ram. Get any sort of M.2 or SSD you like in there. Start off with an RTX 2060 or just throw your wallet away and chuck in a RTX 8000. If you do that you can also upgrade the 1080p screen to a 4k one.
And boom, now you’re ready to make the next Avatar sequel from managed isolation I guess. Oh it also comes with a roller luggage bag, because the human skeleton wasn’t designed to satchel this much weight, but it is portable after all!
mediaworkstations.net/systems/portable-amd-workstations/a-xp/
CaseCrawler is exactly What it Sounds Like
Has stretching your arm just one more foot to place it on a wireless charger always been too much of a pain? The CaseCrawler developed by the SNU BioRobotics Lab aims to solve your phone’s battery crisis by creating a case that crawls (really looks more like it vibrates) to where it can get its sweet electric nectar. In fairness, this proof of concept will probably be deployed in a more useful context, since it’s essentially a low profile platform that can slip under tight gaps. The CaseCrawler has a body thickness of 16 mm and a total weight of 22.7 g; however, it can carry a load of over 300g. According to the abstract “In the future, if appropriate sensing and control functions are implemented, the robot will be able to collect data or return to the owner when needed.” In terms of a spy device, it’s pretty loud, but as a future useful piece of tech, I can see some potential.
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9143416
