All The Tech You Need To Get Through The Winter
To Be Brief
Samsung is going all out on it’s foldable display formats at MWC this year. Perhaps their largest and most head turning concept is the Samsung Briefcase foldable display. You can swan around pretending you have the launch codes when you really just have the world’s largest tablet. I’m not sure what the use case for this display is apart from being a portable monitor, perhaps something like this would work well in camping situations when you need a form factor that can travel in rough conditions without getting dinged up. Either way, very cool.
This Computer Has Human Neurons In It
This one is well above my paygrade to discuss but that’s fine because it’s probably above yours as well. Now let the blind lead the blind in a conversation about biological computing. Cortical Labs showed off a biological computer at MWC running AI models. The organic part of the computer are chips with real human neurons grown into a chip in a lab. The chip relays electric signals to and from neurons. A few years ago they showed 800,000 neurons able to learn to play rudimentary pong after receiving signals about the balls position and receiving white noise every time it missed. The movements are jittery but strangely organic. It outperformed mouse brains at the same task despite this being a cockroach level of neurons.
The potential of this technology is as disturbing as it is incredibly deep. Have simulated neurons to work on means it could become a lot easier to test treating Alzheimer and Parkinson’s
It can run AI models with extremely low overhead. Human brains are adept at operating super efficiently in lower energy environments which is good news for my workspace.
People looking to play with the tech without getting an entire one shipped to them can deploy code to actual biological computers (called CL1’s) via Cortical Labs Cortical Cloud service. The CL1 acts as a simulated environment for the neurons to exist in, and costs upwards of $35,000.
It’s a terrifyingly cool time to be alive.
Holy Gaming
The Samsung Flex Gaming Console is a wild handheld concept that quietly debuted at MWC Barcelona. It takes their infamous flex displays and pairs them with a Nintendo-Switch style layout. The most fascinating aspect is the donut holes rimmed by analogue buttons. When closed the joysticks fit snugly into these holes. It feels overdesigned in this regard, but I guess after the 3DS proved that nobody likes flat joysticks the designers at Samsung were going to do everything to make a head turning piece that doesn’t compromise on controls… Except on the analogue controls, they must be bizarre to press. It sports a 7.2″ screen but no one is getting bogged down in specs. This is just a proof of concept luring other players in to take advantage of Samsungs screens to disrupt the space. Personally after having gamed on flex displays before, the crease is nothing to worry about, and a clamshell portable for modern games is just what the doctor ordered.
Logitech Wave Keys
It’s expected that within the next seven years the need for ergonomic peripherals will rise by 4.6% according to RationalStat. So why not get ahead of the curve, or in this case, wave, with Logitech Wave Keys.
Last issue we had just enough room to mention the new Logitech Vertical Ergonomic Lift Mouse for people wanting to give their wrists a rest as they work. It makes a perfect companion to the Wave Keys which, true to its name, is built with a wave pattern which curves around your natural hand resting positions. Personally I’m a massive fan of the padded wrist rests out the front. These are essential for my day to day usage. I bought the G213 a few years ago for this express feature (although the G213 didn’t have any padding on it.)
The Wave Keys is multi-OS compatible connecting via Bluetooth, or the included Logi BOLT receiver for enhanced security, to up to three devices at once such as Mac, PC and iPad, and easily switches between them at the tap of a button. For smoother days at the desk, users can personalise their experience with the Logi Options+ App to assign productivity shortcuts, such as “Do not disturb” to remain focused in your work, and create Smart Actions that save time and keep work flowing, including a one-touch morning routine to help you easily start your day and a relax time.
The keyboard was carefully crafted with rounds of user testing including at Logitech’s Ergo Lab and has a stamp of approval from US Ergonomics.
Its compact layout fits many home or office desks, with three classic colourways to complement your workspace setup – Graphite, Off-White, and Rose.
The suggested retail price for Wave Keys is $169.95.
Getting to Grips
8Bitdo have yet again lured me into buying another controller and grip for my phone, this time with a Gameboy setup in mind. The grip takes up the bottom half of your screen rather than clipping to the sides in a landscape style setup more commonly found around. This make it perfect for gameboy, GBC and GBA setups in particular although I could see it still being great for 16bit stuff and earlier consoles. For buttons you have your choice of clipping in an 8bitdo Micro or Zero2, the two microcontrollers that 8bitdo offers. Personally I’d recommend picking up the Micro as it improves across the board on everything the Zero2 offers including more buttons and longer battery life.
Magsafe Sounds Good
The Miatone MagBoom Mini takes full advantage of the iPhone Magsafe feature to clip a speaker to the back of your phone to quickly make it a pop up entertainment center. The speaker connects via Bluetooth 5.4 and is just as handy even if you don’t have a MagSafe or Qi2 device. Just stick it to the fridge or a handy bit of your car. Charging is done via USB-C and the speaker is powered by a little 700mAh battery. Nothing about this device is beastly, but it gets the job done in a pinch and is extremely portable, which is all I can really ask of a speaker which doubles as a phone prop.
See Right Through Sony
Sony has done everything it can to deliver all the premium features of earbuds into a cost effective package. The WF-C710N’s that just landed are already being hailed as the budget conscious buds of 2025. They’re an upgraded version of 2023’s WF-C700N. While It hasn’t got a sexy name or anything it does have Active Noise Cancellation and 30 hours of battery life, half that if you actually want to use the ANC. Calls can be made on them crystal clear as Sony has packed in AI tech that can do voice pickup in noisy environments. Sony also uses their own unique 5 mm driver, plus Digital Sound Enhancement Engine.
Other premium enhancements that have made their way in is paused playback when you remove the buds, and physical buttons have been replaced by touch sensors.
They come in four different colours, including 90s style transparent, otherwise known as “Glass Blue”. Pricing starts at $229.95
The Pen-ultimate Multitool
If you’ve ever wanted a pendant on your keychain that glows, has bit storage, a pry bar, an eternal pencil, and a magnetic bit driver… Well first of all, that’s very specific, but also the Wolf Fang 2.0 has you covered. It’s a compact 55mm that packs as much usefulness as it can into as small a space as possible. The pen nib can be unscrewed to reveal a magnetic bit driver, that supports ⅙” bits. Inside is space for more. Slotted into the sides are Tritium rods so you never lose your keys in the dark ever again. It’s an improvement of Wolf Fan 1.0 that sold out, but was missing the lantern components and screw bits. Made out of titanium it’s designed to take a beating. Prices start at about $56.
moto g15
Dropping just before we went to print the new Moto g15 from Motorola came out, refreshing their line of mid-tier phones, packing as much punch as they could within their budget. The g15 comes with a 50MP camera system with an ultrawide lens displayed on a super sharp and bright 6.7” Full HD+ screen. It isn’t water proof, but they’ve developed a durable water-repellent design with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and a premium vegan leather finish. It can take Motorolas TurboPower charging options, which can deliver 13 hours of power in just 7 minutes via a 125W Wall Charger. It comes in two colours, Gravity Grey and Iguana Green.
Recommended retail price for these puppies is $269.
Switched On
We’ll get deeper into it at a later date but The Switch 2 has been announced just in time for American preorders to get completely FUBA’d by tariffs. Here in New Zealand we have far less to worry about, the games appear to be cheaper than our US counterparts but we’re still looking down the barrel of a $799 price tag. Physical game purchasers beware, Bravely Default and Streetfighter are just Game Code Keys, meaning you’ll still need to go online and download the game, the cartridge literally just unlocks the ability to play what you downloaded, nothing more. Just skip that nonsense entirely and buy digitally to begin with.
This time around The Switch 2 is getting even more social, ripping off Discord’s screensharing aesthetic. They’re offering branded webcams, but any cam you have lying around at home should work fine.
There’s plenty of launch titles to pick through but my personal pick goes to RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, another Atlus remake from the guys who brought us Persona 3 Reload and Refantazio. If you’re a JRPG type, check it out.