The week’s top hardware news.

February 26th, 2016

Products

The Planet is Your Playground

If the thought of laser tag still gets you excited (we know it does; us, too!), then you’ll probably sense the potential of this $18 gadget that can turn your surroundings into an Augmented Reality first person shooter game. Just think of all the possibilities at work!

father.io: first real life massive multiplayer FPS

Good Gadgets

Like the LittleBits of electrical sockets, YOUMO refines the power strip in a simple, practical and versatile way. You can basically choose the number of outlets and which power functions you want. Options include wireless charging, IoT capabilities, multi-USB ports, and U.S. and E.U. sockets.

Free Write (and Nothing Else)

You know that nagging feeling when all your smart devices’ features are interrupting your creative flow? Here’s a bold bet for today’s market: a single-purpose computer designed just for writing! FreeWrite packs an E-Ink screen and full-size mechanical keyboard, with internal storage for over one million pages of text. Early birds can buy it for $499.

+ btw, tablets are dead – says TechCrunch

Industry

Atlas is Back

Alphabet-backed Boston Dynamics demonstrated its “next generation” Atlas robot this week, and once again, they didn’t fail to impress. The humanoid robot has dropped 150 pounds since its last appearance, works on WiFi, and can get knocked down flat and stand right back up.

+ robotic third arm helps drummers rock out harder

Boston Dynamics’ next-gen Atlas robot

.3D Printing in Midair

A new “levitating” 3D printing technology pioneered by Boeing allows multiple 3D printing heads to deposit material onto an object that floats via magnetic or acoustic waves. Boeing explained that this method removes limitations on the types of features that can be formed, allowing full-body 3D printing of complex parts.

+ Little guy Just3DPrint scraped Thingiverse to sell 3D models for free

Let the Modular Revolution Begin

The G5, LG’s newest flagship smartphone, comes with a couple of friends, like swappable batteries and camera modules, that slot directly into the bottom of the device. This is the first modular phone made commercially available and, while it’s nothing like project ARA, it has already received some passionate love letters from critics.

+ meanwhile, in China, Xiaomi Mi 5

+ Samsung is building 256GB chips for smartphones

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