Gadgets

By Josh Constine VR could enlighten and heal, not just entertain. Its immersiveness could distract us from pain, help us face our phobias, or give us first-hand training. “We have a belief that VR will disrupt every industry. And it’s global. So we made efforts to find companies in every different industry and that are…

By Darrell Etherington Canon’s announcing a new pro-level DSLR camera next week, according to CanonRumors, and now specs have leaked that reveal what we can expect. The 5DS (and 5DS R, a variant with the low pass filter removed, which should provide greater detail for landscape photographers at the expense of higher moiré) should offer…

By Darrell Etherington A new model Tesla has been caught on camera at the Alameda Airport test track (via Electrek). The car looks pretty similar to a Prius, or perhaps a crossover utility vehicle, and could plausibly be either the Model X SUV Tesla has been working on for years, or, as others are arguing,…

By Darrell Etherington Google’s Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette wasn’t too optimistic about the future of Google Glass on today’s Google earnings call for Q4 2014. The executive took some time to highlight the project as an example of when Google is willing to take a step back and rethink something that isn’t working out,…

By Matt Burns The i8 is BMW’s latest supercar. Able to go 0 to 60 in about 4.4 seconds with its hybrid electric/gas powertrain. The i8 looks like a Hot Wheels car, handles like a supercar and is as expensive as a high-end Porsche. With a starting price of $135,000, this isn’t the car for…

By Darrell Etherington Apple’s newest iPhone customers aren’t just old customers upgrading older devices – in fact, the vast majority are migrating from other platforms. Apple CEO Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that over 85 percent of consumers buying iPhones lately are coming from devices that aren’t iPhones, and that…

By Darrell Etherington Lego is no stranger to building epic sets as tie-ins timed with the release of big movies, but the upcoming SHIELD Helicarrier set (via Wall Street Journal) might take the cake in terms of scale. Lego’s version of the floating command and control vessel used by Marvel’s fictional global super spy and…

By Catherine Shu AutoBot, a Beijing startup that makes diagnostic tools for cars (not the robots in disguise), has raised a $6 million Series A from Gobi Partners and ABC Capital. The company will use the funding for marketing, hiring, and product research and development. Read More …read more Source: TechCrunch Gadgets

By Erez Podoly In 2014, Nike abandoned its FuelBand fitness tracker and Sergey Brin “left his Google Glass in his car.” In 2015, Apple will launch its iWatch and Sony will enter the eyewear space. More kinds of wearables were introduced in CES 2015, just to leave us wondering whether what happens in Vegas stays…

By Darrell Etherington Popular consumer drone-maker DJI is using firmware to fight some potential abuses of its hobbyist hardware, with an update that will prevent its Phantom 2-series drones from being able to fly onto the White House lawn, or carry drugs across country borders. This ones after an unauthorized drone made its way to…

By Josh Constine Uber covers drivers with $1 million of insurance when they’re on the job, but they still have to buy personal car insurance even if they hardly drive off-the-job. But now, Metromile and Uber have developed a seamless personal/commercial per-mile car insurance plan for Uber drivers that uses a cellular gadget that plugs…

By Romain Dillet There is not much to say about Insensi just yet. I met the company’s founder Ilan Abehassera in Paris two weeks ago, and he gave me a few hints about his very secretive startup. First, it’s a hardware startup based in New York. Second, he hired a team of all-star engineers. Third,…

By Darrell Etherington We venture into the glorious Land of Speculation today to ponder what a Nexus 6 with a fingerprint reader would’ve been like, after former Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside revealed one was planned but then scrapped after Apple acquired AuthenTec to provide the basis for Touch ID. We also discuss Android gaming on…

By Jordan Crook Apple sold 5.5 million Macs over the holiday quarter (ending December 28), according to the company’s Q1 2015 earnings report released today. Analysts estimated that Apple would sell 5.68 million Macs this quarter, putting the electronics maker just under estimates but still showing growth YOY. With this past quarter’s 5.5 million units…

By Romain Dillet Apple has just released its fiscal Q1 2015 earnings, reporting $74.6 billion in revenue, $18 billion in net profit representing $3.06 per share. Compared to the year-ago quarter, it corresponds to a growth of 29.5 percent in revenue, and 47.8 percent in EPS (adjusted for the 7-for-1 split). Fortune’s consensus among analysts…