Tech
Opulent, joyous, decadent: the Japanese decoden trend comes to America
Make Steve Jobs roll over in his grave with a custom rabbit strawberry glitter frosting iPhone case. A TikTok viewed nearly 650,000 times opens with green and white frosting being smeared on a plain phone case. A reading of a Creepypasta about a faceless man plays over the sped-up clip as a hand comes in and swirls frosting around the edges. One by one, plastic decorations are added — a butterfly and flowers, glitter powder, tiny pearls around the cutout for the camera lenses. The frosting isn’t edible, and the phone case isn’t simply an exercise in decorating. The TikTok is part of a maximalist design aesthetic that’s beginning to catch on in the US, where clean and minimal phone accessories are abandoned in favor of the busiest-looking cases you’ve ever seen. Every corner of a case...
Apple’s Tim Cook says AR and VR are for ‘connection’ and ‘communication’
Apple/ Tech / In a new GQ profile, Cook also weighs in on privacy, screen time, and why it’s taking so long to ship a headset.
Elon Musk’s Twitter Updates So You Can’t Tell Who Paid for a Blue Check Anymore
Elon Musk has made yet another update to Twitter. After the CEO publicly posted Twitter's "For You" recommendation algorithm, Musk has also updated verified users' descriptions so that they can no longer tell who paid for their blue check mark and who did not.Twitter previously announced that it would start removing the blue check marks from legacy verified users starting April 1. Now, only those who pay Elon Msuk $8 USD or $11 USD per month would have the checkmark badge moving forward. However, on Sunday, Twitter provided a new update, changing the language in the description of verified users so that those on the platform will be unable to tell if they paid for the check or not. Now, the text for both legacy verified accounts and Twitter Blue subscribers now reads, "This account is veri...
Secret Invasion’s latest trailer is a prelude to Marvel’s next big war
/ Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is back in black and ready for war in Secret Invasion’s new trailer. The new Marvel series premieres June 21st on Disney Plus. Nick Fury’s kept himself pretty scarce since the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, but in the newest trailer for Disney Plus’ upcoming Secret Invasion series, the man behind the Avengers Initiative is back and preparing for a war that only he can wage. Though much of Secret Invasion’s new trailer is footage we’ve seen before, a handful of new moments make clear that Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) absence hasn’t gone unnoticed on Earth in the years since the Avengers managed to reverse Thanos’ snap. While Fury’s been off-planet hiding, Skrulls loyal to him back on Earth, like Talos (Ben Mendohlson), have watched as the extremist G...
Elon Musk Publicly Posts Twitter’s “For You” Recommendation Algorithm
Following parts of its source code being leaked online, Twitter has now posted the code for the algorithm it uses to recommend users' tweets on GitHub.“Our initial release of the so-called algorithm is going to be quite embarrassing, and people are going to find a lot of mistakes, but we’re going to fix them very quickly,” CEO Elon Musk said in a Twitter Spaces. “Even if you don’t agree with something, at least you’ll know why it’s there, and that you’re not being secretly manipulated…”Musk went on to note that users will likely be able to locate mistakes in the code, pointing out how often the Twitter “community identifies and fixes those exploits.” As users find mistakes, Musk says, the team at Twitter will step in to make any necessary changes to the code.The code notably only shows how...
Huawei’s latest watch is a jab at the Apple Watch Ultra
/ The Watch Ultimate has a diving and expedition mode, multiband GPS, a new physical button, a backtrack feature, a night mode, and a forthcoming low-power mode. Hmm, where have I seen this before? a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Huawei You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out where Huawei got the inspiration for its newly announced Watch Ultimate. It’s clearly Huawei’s not-so-subtle answer to the Apple Watch Ultra, and now, we know that similarity extends to the price tag, too. Starting tomorrow, the Ultimate will retail in the UK and Europe for €749 / £700 for t...
Hardware Startup Electronic Materials Office Shows Off Debut Product, an Industrial Low-Profile Keyboard
London-based electronics startup Electronic Materials Office has unveiled its debut product, a sustainability-minded computer keyboard. The Altar I is a minimalist, industrial-inspired keyboards constructed out of post-consumer waste-derived plastic.The slim, low-profile keyboard features a rotary encoder knob, USB-C port and an aluminum monobody. It’s available in both U.S. and U.K. layouts and offers Bluetooth connectivity with the power to remember two devices at a time. According to Electronic Materials Office, a novel key type that was designed specifically for the Altar I enables easier touch typing.For those unfamiliar with the buzzy startup, Electronic Materials Office describes itself as a “future oriented consumer hardware corporation” focused on designing and selling long-lastin...
The Home Assistant SkyConnect is a great excuse to demolish your smart home and start from scratch
Smart Home For years, I have been waiting for an excuse to make the transition to Home Assistant. With the Home Assistant’s Zigbee and Thread dongle, I had that excuse. My smart home has been a mess for a while. Before writing this, it was a combination of a Hue hub and HomeKit, the former of which I was not terribly fond of having, and the latter I tolerate. But for a few years now, I have wanted to go convert my whole house to Home Assistant: the self-hosted home automation software. And now, with the SkyConnect Connect, a combination Zigbee and Matter / Thread dongle from Home Assistant, that transition is complete. In the process, however, I broke half of the stuff in my home. Nothing works, and I could not be happier. Home Assistant, for those of you who do not follow the Smart Home n...
Cheaper Xbox expandable storage cards are on the way
/ A new Western Digital Xbox expandable storage card has been spotted at Best Buy, and it’s cheaper than the current Seagate option. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Best Buy Microsoft appears to be readying new Xbox expandable storage options from other manufacturers. A new Western Digital 1TB expansion card for Xbox Series S / X consoles has been spotted early on Best Buy, priced at $179.99. It’s the first time we’ve seen Xbox expandable storage that’s not manufactured by Seagate. Microsoft originally launched Xbox expandable storage cards nearly three years ago with its X...
Framework’s computers aren’t perfect, but they are exciting
Laptops/ Tech / Framework’s approach to laptops has me nostalgic for the first laptop I ever owned — one you’ve likely never heard of. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Framework It’s not often that I get too excited about new laptops these days. Modern laptops are extremely capable devices, with few glaring flaws. They are thin, light, and finely tuned to get the job done. Exciting, they are not. But Framework’s laptops are exciting. Under the banner of repairability and sustainability, Framework is making computers that seem to be exactly what enthusiasts have been asking f...
Super73 launches Adventure Series and first e-bike for danger babies
/ The all-new K1D puts a throttle on a 16mph balance bike for little kids, while Super73’s Z, S, and R e-bikes get a ruggedized makeover. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Super73 California’s Super73 now offers more ruggedized models of its Super73 Z, S, and R series of e-bikes and a new K1D electric balance bike for kids — and parents stoked at the thought of putting their four- to eight-year-old on a vehicle that can go over 16mph. The so-called Adventure Series of e-bikes brings a refreshed design, suspension, gear box, seats, tires, and lights across Super73’s existing Z...
Elon Musk Valued Twitter at $20B USD and Signed a Letter Demanding a Pause on Advanced AI Development in This Week’s Tech Roundup
This week, Elon Musk once again made waves throughout the industry. Over at Twitter, a leaked email reportedly sent from Musk to a company employee assessed the platform’s value at $20 billion USD, less than half of what he paid for it. And in the AI sphere, the CEO was among several high-profile signees asking for a pause on the development of advanced AI, warning the public of the risks AI can pose if ungoverned.On the product side, Leica celebrated 100 years of Disney with a limited-edition version of its Leica Q2 camera, while at Apple, rumors suggest that the AirPods Pro 2 will include a USB-C port.Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.Leica Celebrated Disney's 100th Anniversary With a Limited-Edition Came...
