The European Commission has laid out another piece of its Circular Economy Action Plan today — adopting a proposal to set common EU rules which are intended to make it easier for consumers to get faulty products repaired. The “right to repair” measures are aimed at reducing e-waste by preventing repairable products from being prematurely […] Europe tools up for the repairable future by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

After 25 years of extremely detailed reviews of digital cameras and accessories, the irreplaceable DPReview is being shut down by Amazon as the company proceeds with a new round of layoffs. DPReview was founded in 1998 in England, and bought by Amazon in 2010, which relocated the team to Seattle to be closer to its […] Amazon kills DPReview, the best camera review site on the web by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

For many people around the world, braille is their primary language for reading books and articles, and digital braille readers are an important part of that. The newest and fanciest yet is the Monarch, a multipurpose device that uses the startup Dot’s tactile display technology. The Monarch is a collaboration between HumanWare and the American […] The Monarch could be the next big thing in Braille by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

I know at least one TC staffer who is gutted by the inevitable second death of Google Glass. I won’t call them out by name, but will say that I empathize with seeing a tech giant reverse the truck to drive over a beloved piece of technology once again. Is it possible to be ahead […] Goodbye Google Glass, we knew you well by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Ember has been a fascinating company to watch. The Los Angeles-based startup entered the scene with a self-heating mug, only to leverage its temperature tech learnings to enter the cold chain space, where it has developed containers for medical supply shipping. I suppose you could say that the firm has returned to its roots with […] Ember is in the baby bottle business now by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

There’s no shortage of startups attempting to put drones to work. There is, however, a longstanding question around the efficacy of such plans. Drones — especially the smaller variety — are impressive pieces of technology, but their functionality is relatively limited. A small quadcopter probably isn’t going to prune your trees or walk your dog […] Verity raises $32M as IKEA stores deploy its inventory drones by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

The Nest Protect is the single best piece of smart home hardware I’ve ever purchased. Not everything in your home would benefit from being connected, but smoke detectors really do. They go a long way toward providing peace of mind when you’re away from home. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but if you do, it […] Torch is building solar-powered outdoor sensors to spot wildfires early by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Apple is building a mixed reality headset that’s set to ship this year. The company’s MR (AR+VR) hardware ranks among its longest-lasting rumor cycles. Some (Apple Watch) have borne fruit. Others (that pesky Apple TV set) not so much. The category doesn’t feel like a foregone conclusion […] Apple’s AR/VR headset reportedly being pushed out due to ‘huge pressure to ship’ by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple could be working on a new HomePod device that would feature a built-in display for 2024. The rumor seems to be based on third-party supply chain companies, such as Tianma, a Chinese display manufacturer. This new product in the HomePod lineup would look completely different from existing HomePods as […] Apple could reportedly release a HomePod with a display by Romain Dillet originally published on TechCrunch

Drone delivery is one of those ideas that’s been sold as “the next big thing” forever. Regardless of how bullish you happen to be on the technology, there’s undeniably a lot that has to be figured out before we can start having serious conversation about mainstream adoption. Regulator issues are a big box to be […] Wing likens its drone ‘delivery network’ to rideshare by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Ring just launched its first doorbell in two years. The $180 Battery Doorbell Plus brings head-to-toe video and improved resolution to the Amazon brand’s lineup. The smart home accessory features a 150×150-degree view that allows you see a visitor’s entire body. The company says the Doorbell Plus has the highest resolution of any of its models […] Ring launches a higher-res, battery-powered doorbell by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Apple has a tendency to introduce a new iPhone color in Spring. And this time, it’s yellow. The company is adding the color option to both iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Last Spring, the company launched a new green color (Alpine green for the Pro models) for the iPhone 13 series, and in 2021, […] Apple releases new yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

The Sonos One wasn’t broken, but that doesn’t mean the company’s is above fixing it. Over two generations and a few variants, the compact speaker has become one of the company’s most popular. Really, it’s been a big win for a firm whose portfolio can give off a whiff of inaccessibility, compared to other connected […] Sonos replaces the One, adds a spatial audio speaker to lineup by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

The reMarkable 2 is a great tablet for reading long documents on, annotating them, taking notes, sketching… but not for full-on writing. At least, it wasn’t until they put out this great keyboard folio that converts this tablet into a pretty compelling minimalist writing station — if you don’t mind a slightly premium price. The […] reMarkable powers up its e-paper tablet with a keyboard case for distraction-free writing by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

When Microsoft, after a decade-long hiatus, relaunched its now 40-year-old Flight Simulator series in 2020, it reignited interest in a genre that had long been a mainstay of PC gaming. It’s one thing to marvel at the graphics of the new Flight Simulator, though, and another to try to play the game with mouse and […] Honeycomb’s yoke and throttle let you take your flight sim experience to the next level by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

The slowdown was inevitable, of course. Nothing stays hot forever — especially in this industry. By tech standards, smartphones have had a good run, but the last few years have seen device makers searching for the magic bullet to help the sales slide reverse course. The arrival of 5G was a nice reprieve, but next-generation […] Smartphone makers searched for a way forward at MWC 2023 by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Neuralink’s ambition to provide a brain-computer interface orders of magnitude better than what’s out there now has hit headwinds with the FDA, Reuters reports. The agency reportedly rejected the company’s application to begin human testing last year, a somewhat expected obstacle that seems nevertheless to have frustrated backer Elon Musk. The well-sourced report explains that […] Neuralink human testing has reportedly received one FDA rejection already by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

Drone developer Brinc today showed off its newest drone, designed to help cops and others who care about public safety do their jobs from a safe distance. The new quadcopter is called Lemur 2 and is tooled up and ready to go into areas that otherwise would be too dangerous for humans. The new drone […] Brinc’s Lemur 2 straps on blue strobes and is ready for action by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

At a session on the future of 6G during Mobile World Congress, expert speakers from companies such as Samsung, the European Space Agency and Telefonica came together to give their views about how 6G will play out. The first thing to note is that it’s not arriving any time soon. The projections are that the […] The brave new terabyte broadband world of 6G is coming, but not just yet by Mike Butcher originally published on TechCrunch

Nothing’s presence stood in stark contrast to OnePlus at this year’s MWC. Whereas Carl Pei’s old company, OnePlus, put on a flashy launch event for a concept device yesterday, Nothing has largely used the event to meet with vendors and other big names in the industry. We sat down with Pei yesterday, fittingly in a […] Nothing’s Phone (2) will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

The OnePlus that was founded in 2013 was a cautious company, deliberate in its release schedule. The Shenzhen-based firm would announce one to two phones a year, not hung up on being the first to market with new features. It was a cadence that allowed the company to distinguish itself, in part, through pricing, with […] OnePlus’ first foldable will arrive in the second half of the year by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Three years after the debut of its wildly popular Razr phone, Motorola gave the world the Rizr. While beloved by many, the product never managed to capture the same level of cultural cache as its predecessor. The two devices shared some key design languge, with the Rizr distinguishing itself by way of a display that […] Motorola’s Rizr is back as a concept phone with a rollable screen by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Drones are quickly becoming more than a flying selfie cameras. Amid growing geopolitical tensions, drone makers are seeing increased demand and acceptance as drones move farther from consumers’ hands. Skydio today announced a $230 million series E fundraising round and the construction of a new manufacturing facility in America. The company says it’s seen a […] Skydio soars to a $2.2 billion valuation after raising $230m Series E by Matt Burns originally published on TechCrunch

The days of a cautious OnePlus release cycle appear to be behind us. In January, the Oppo-owned mobile brand unveiled its new flagship, the OnePlus 11. Earlier this month, the 11R arrived, focused on the growing Indian smartphone market. These days, the company also offers last year’s 10T and 10 Pro, three budget Nord devices, […] OnePlus’ gaming concept phone has glowing liquid cooling by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

While the chatter around the metaverse has slowed down, both social media companies and phone manufacturers have been experimenting with tech that could lead to commercial AR glasses. At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Xiaomi unveiled its new prototype Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, which weighs 126 grams and has a “retina-level” display. […] Xiaomi unveils lightweight AR glasses with ‘retina-level’ display by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Qualcomm announced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that multiple phone makers including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, Nothing and Honor are bringing satellite communication capabilities to their phones. However, manufacturers didn’t provide details about what devices will first have these features and when the companies would launch them. Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon Satellite tech in […] Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi are bringing satellite communication to their devices through Qualcomm by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

The Xiaomi 13 Pro flagship made a global debut today at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) being held in Barcelona. With this device — which was launched in China in December — the company is banking on a 1-inch main sensor, Leica lenses, and 120W fast charging to make it a Samsung Galaxy series competitor. […] Xiaomi launches its 13 Pro flagship with a 1-inch sensor at MWC by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

The PlayStation VR2 is a simultaneously exciting and disappointing development in the virtual reality space. Well-specced, easy to set up, and reasonably light and comfortable, Sony’s latest still can’t shake the fundamental issues that have prevented VR from going mainstream: a lack of compelling content and despite a brand new 4K OLED display, distracting image […] Review: PlayStation VR2 is a huge leap that still can’t escape its niche by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

In a word: “telecom.” Network and enterprise have long played a key part in Barcelona’s big mobile show, but more than ever, such topics are going to have an outsized role at the event. The consumer element appears to be taking an increasing back seat at the event, which kicks off in earnest next Monday. […] What we expect from MWC 2023 by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Home fitness had a huge moment at the outset of the pandemic — and understandably so. People were stuck at home, gyms closed and suddenly workout options seemed to dramatically decrease. As with the teleconferencing revolution, plenty of startups were waiting in the wings to pounce on the sudden opportunity. As predicted, when the world […] Quell’s gamified home fitness tech drums up $10M by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch