Gadgets

The $15 SoundSlide solves a problem that few would consider an actual problem. It replaces a computer’s volume buttons with a customizable touch-sensitive slider that can be operated using finger swipes. For those who miss volume wheels, it might be worth the upgrade. For everyone else, sacrificing a USB-C port for the SoundSlide might be too big an of an ask.

Oppo has launched the Find X8 series globally, including the X8 Pro with dual telephoto lenses. The standard X8 comes with just one zoom lens, and it looks an awful lot like the OnePlus 13 — also expected to launch globally sooner than later. Both brands sure are leaning into the big circular camera bump look, but there’s an essential piece of hardware still present: the alert slider.

Borrowing the design of Bose’s open-style earbuds, the JVC Nearphones attach to the side of your ear and position a 10mm driver inside so you can hear your music plus everything else around you. They’re smaller and lighter than the $299 Bose Ultra Open, and at $99.95 they’re a more affordable solution if you find regular earbuds uncomfortable.

The Register points out an advisory from D-Link for a series of business routers asking owners to “Please Retire and Replace” these models: DSR-150 / DSR-150N / DSR-250 / DSR-250N.

The problem? A “stack buffer overflow vulnerability, which allows unauthenticated users to execute remote code execution,” published after their EOL, so D-Link isn’t fixing it and will instead offer owners a discounted upgrade.

DJI will potentially reveal its Mic Mini during a “Carry Less, Capture More” event teased on its website for November 26th. But leaker @Quadro_News has shared unboxing and hands on videos comparing the new DJI Mic Mini hardware to the DJI Mic 2 so you can see how much smaller the microphone transmitters, wireless receiver, and charging case really are.

Casetify has a new collection of cases and accessories inspired by Salvador Dali’s artwork. The standouts include a $100 melting clock iPhone case and a $55 Apple Watch case based on The Persistence of Memory, plus a $65 AirPods Pro case that wraps the earbuds in a pair of red lips from Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as a Surrealist Apartment.

An update to the company’s Flic Hub LR Controller allows users to program custom commands for Matter devices, including those connected to Flic’s Button and Twist controllers.

Matter support in FlicScript — a JavaScript-based scripting API — will let you “subscribe and send commands to and from any Matter device” (up to 1.2) and create custom solutions for your smart home.

Flic launched the first independent Matter Controller earlier this year.

That’s the concept behind Hippos Exoskeleton, a startup created by former basketball hopeful Kylin Shaw after he heard “a sickening pop from my knee while landing from a dunk,” according to TechCrunch.

The expanding “knee sleeve” uses predictive AI to detect risky movements and inflates in 30 milliseconds. The idea is to help prevent ACL tears and other injuries in athletes, construction workers, and older adults.

Tesla’s Optimus robot is now available through the company’s online store, but in a version that’s even less capable than the ones at its recent Cybercab reveal. The $40, 1:10-scale Tesla Bot Action Figure stands 7.16 inches tall and is assembled from over 40 parts offering 20 points of articulation. It includes a tiny matching charging stand and a CyberHammer.

Owners of the smart glasses in France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain will get Meta AI features starting today, the company announced.

For now, Meta AI can answer general questions, but it won’t get multimodal features like using the Ray-Bans’ camera to tell you about things you see — the company has called the EU regulatory environment too “unpredictable” to do that right now.

Apple’s wireless tracker’s rumored follow-up next year will have improved range, a better wireless chip, and a harder-to-remove speaker, according to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg.

Would-be stalkers often remove AirTag speakers to prevent victims from finding the device by playing sound on it when they’re alerted that it’s traveling with them, Gurman writes — hence that last change.

We’ve got portable CD players on the brain this week, but did you know Sony once made a wearable DVD player that let you watch movies while out for a stroll? YouTube’s Techmoan recently tested Sony’s D-VM1 from 2001 which looked like a chonky CD player, but had an inline remote with a lightweight 3.5-inch screen for watching DVDs away from home.

The company recently partnered with Kith for its Ultra Open Earbuds, but this time Ronnie Fieg is helping to redesign Bose’s 901 speakers which originally debuted in 1968, but were discontinued in 2016.

We don’t know pricing or availability details, but Fieg, who’s working with furniture designer Mark Jupiter, shared images on Instagram of the limited edition and wonderfully retro redesign.

As promised, the smart lock that doesn't look like a smart lock now supports the new smart home standard, bringing better connectivity options without needing Level’s bridge.

The new Level Lock Plus (Matter) costs $329, and existing Level Plus owners can upgrade to Matter for free through January 14, 2025. But while they could support Thread, the Level Bolt, Lock, and Lock Touch aren’t eligible for this upgrade.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.

Following its 11-port USB-C dock launched at CES 2024, Razer has announced a new 14-port upgrade.

It features a similar aluminum housing, but the new dock now has 100W of power delivery to a laptop, transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s, and supports two 4K displays — one at 120Hz and a second at 60. It’s available now for $229.99, but still doesn’t glow.

Although the robot dog can see the world in 3D, it can’t always understand it, so a recent software update now allows Spot to recognize and avoid hazards like wires, ladders, and rolling carts using AI foundation models.

Also, didn’t anyone else notice those two dino-headed robots in the background of this new Spot video? What else is Boston Dynamics secretly working on there?

Reliable leaker @JasperEllens has shared more images and details of DJI’s next compact wireless mic system. The DJI Mic Mini on its own, which connects directly to devices over Bluetooth, will start at €59 (around $63) but will also be available with a wireless receiver for €89 (around $94). A bundle featuring two mics, the receiver, and a charging case will be €169 (around $178).

The company recently updated its Send to Kindle for Mac app with support for transferring books and other documents to Kindles with a USB cable. The feature is limited to the Kindle Scribe and “2024-released Kindle devices” but is compatible with Macs running Intel or Apple processors. Previously, Kindle users had to rely on third-party apps like Calibre or Android File Transfer.