Google has just combined its Nest and Home divisions, creating Google Nest that encompasses all the company's smart home efforts. It does makes sense that their first new product would be a combination of both Google and Nest. The Google Nest Home Max Smart Display ($229) combines elements of the Google Home Max speaker, Google Home Hub display, and Nest Camera into a single package. It has a 10" HD display, a 6.5-megapixel camera, stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer, and Google Assistant built in. Thus it can act as a controller for other smart devices in the house, a video chat station, a speaker, and if you want, a mini TV. Shipping later this summer 2019. Check out more info on Google.
Content and shared content mostly comes in vertical form which makes it a little more difficult for horizontal screens. Samsung has an T.V. that can solve that problem. Samsung aims to fix this with the Sero ($1,600). This 43-inch QLED display sits on a floor stand that allows it to rotate from horizontal to vertical as needed. NFC makes beaming content from a phone or tablet simple, and built-in 4.1-channel, 60W speakers provide surprisingly robust sound. It launches exclusively in South Korea this May. Would you want one of these T.V.'s?
The Capcom Home Arcade ($290) touts its full-size controller as a selling point. Indeed, the logo-shaped console has competition-class Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT sticks and OBSF buttons built-in for a pleasantly authentic arcade experience. It includes 16 classic arcade titles, including Street Fighter II, Final Fight, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and Mega Man: The Power Battle. It also offers the single-cord convenience of HDMI and has built-in WiFi for connection to a worldwide leaderboard. You can pre-order now and will launch October 25, 2019.
Tycho has just dropped a new single track "Easy" and it's name gives you just that. An easy feeling.
Scott Hansen also known as Tycho had to say: "Easy is about coming to terms with my past and defining a clear vision moving forward. It's a comforting voice that reminds you not to get so lost in the work but to take it easy and enjoy the ride. Easy is the bridge to the future." This is a great way to think when listening to this track. It starts out slow and then hits you with nostalgic feels of Tycho with a chilling vocal, which is a great edition to this track. Looking forward to Tycho's new album, which should be dropping soon. (TBA). In the meantime, enjoy the track and the official video below.
Ikea and Sonos have designed a table lamp and WiFi Speaker in an invisible like design. The Ikea x Sonos Symfonisk Table Lamp ($179) helps eliminate clutter, while offering sound quality similar to that of the Sonos One. In addition, two of them can be paired together as a stereo pair or used as surround speakers with a Sonos Beam, Playbar, or Playbase, creating a near-hidden home theater sound system. It arrives, alongside the bookshelf model, due to come out in August 2019.
Gone are the days of buying a new gaming console every few years. With Google's Stadia platform, the data center is your console. It provides near-instant streaming of games at 60 frames-per-second in up to 4K HDR quality across laptops, desktops, phones, tablets, and TVs with a minimum of 25mbps connections. While it works with existing controllers, a special Stadia controller will offer a direct WiFi connection to the cloud for easier screen-to-screen transitions, a dedicated streaming button. Just one of the many ways the service will tie into YouTube and give a dedicated Google Assistant button with special help options specifically for Stadia games. Arriving later this year, with further details, including pricing, expected this summer.
Dawid Planeta a concept artist and illustrator has created "The Minipeople" series of mini people finding large animals and statues in the wild. This is a great concept and beautifully eerie but mysterious at the same time. Check out the whole series here.
Having a bell on your handlebars is more important than you realize. Made in the good old USA, each Spurcycle Bell ($59) is trimmed and hand brushed using brass and stainless steel with a black DLC (diamond-like coating) finish. It also blends simply with your bike, making it almost invisible until you need it. Once needed, it's super loud, with a convincing tone that rings three times longer than other bells, announcing your presence to motorists or pedestrians on your route and ride safely.
Since it seems that companies are coming out with folded phones lets take a look at this one. The Huawei Mate X, which keeps its screens on the exterior of the phone. The result is a logical design that lets both 6.6-inch "sides" of the screen function when folded, yet serve as an 8-inch tablet when unfurled. It also promises high-speed 5G wireless connectivity, excellent image chops thanks to the Leica-engineered camera, and plenty of battery life thanks to a purpose-designed 4500 mAh cell. The cost, however, is up to $2,600 compared to the Samsung Fold which is $2,000.
