Brian Heater, Author at TechCrunch

10 gifts for frequent travelers in 2023, from backpacks to portable power

Brian Heater — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:10:52 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been traveling a lot this year. In fact, I’ve been back to my 2019 levels of travel, which has been a breath of fresh air after being pandemic-grounded for a couple of years. I like to return to this list every time TechCrunch does a gift guide. It’s […]

The best podcast, streaming gear to gift in 2023

Brian Heater — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 18:00:13 +0000

If you’re among people as you read this, look to your left. Now look to your right. Statistically speaking, those on either side of you probably have their own podcasts. Odds are you have several people in your life that also fit the bill. The good news is that the prevalence of podcasts means better […]

Robotics Q&A with Toyota Research Institute’s Max Bajracharya and Russ Tedrake

Brian Heater — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 15:56:30 +0000

For the next few weeks, TechCrunch’s robotics newsletter Actuator will be running Q&As with some of the top minds in robotics. Subscribe here for future updates. Part 1: CMU’s Matthew Johnson-Roberson This week, we’ve got a two-fer. Toyota Research Institute’s Russ Tedrake and Max Bajracharya split the job. Tedrake is TRI’s vice president of Robotics […]

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earn their name and maybe even their $429 price tag

Brian Heater — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:16:08 +0000

For years, any time someone asked which brand of headphones they should buy for a flight, the answer was a simple one syllable: Bose. The company’s QuietComfort line had long been synonymous with drowning out plane noise on long flights. But over the last several years, the question has become an increasingly difficult one, as […]

Robotics Q&A: CMU’s Matthew Johnson-Roberson

Brian Heater — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 14:15:17 +0000

[A version of this Q&A first appeared in TechCrunch’s weekly robotics newsletter, Actuator. Subscribe here.] Over the next few weeks, TechCrunch will be running a series of Q&As with some of the top minds in robotics. I’ve spoken with Matthew Johnson-Roberson several times since he was named the director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon […]

Humane’s Ai Pin up close

Brian Heater — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:24:26 +0000

A few hours after this morning’s big unveil, Humane opened its doors to a handful of press. Located in a nondescript building in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, the office is home to the startup’s hardware design teams. An office next door houses Humane’s product engineers, while the electrical engineering team operates out of a third […]

Humane’s Ai Pin promises an ‘ambient computing’ future for $699 (plus $24 a month)

Brian Heater — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 17:06:10 +0000

It’s here. After months of hype, leaks and reveals, Humane has officially revealed the Ai Pin. The small device magnetically attaches to its wearer’s lapel, collecting data via an on-board camera. It’s powered by a Qualcomm chip and leverages AI. Humane believes that one day it could replace your smartphone. It will be available to […]

Robotics funding saw another dip in 2023

Brian Heater — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 22:57:02 +0000

In 2021, robotics startups were flying high. Unlike other categories that had buckled under the strains of a global pandemic, interest in automation was at an all-time high, as companies attempted to navigate supply chain issues and ongoing labor shortages. Robotics and automation were insulated from broader investment slowdowns, but eventually, they, too, were impacted. […]

Apple says it’s not planning a 27-inch iMac

Brian Heater — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:00:36 +0000

If you’ve been waiting on a new 27-inch to upgrade your desktop setup, maybe consider the new 24-inch iMac or a Mac Studio instead. Despite reports to the contrary, Apple this morning said it won’t be releasing a larger screen all-in-one desktop. The company is positioning the 24-inch M3 iMac as a compromise between the […]

Apple 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro review: A desktop among laptops

Brian Heater — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:00:15 +0000

This thing is a beast — in pretty much every sense. It’s a big, heavy, powerful system, with a bright display, massive battery life and impressive power under the hood. After opening the box, I immediately ported all the contents over from the 15-inch Air I’ve been using daily for several months now, but still, […]

Apple M3 iMac 24-inch review: More power, same package

Brian Heater — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:00:12 +0000

A fun knock-on effect of this job is having to constantly switch between machines. The best way to test a product is integrating it into your daily routine as much as possible. This time out, that meant replacing the Mac Studio and 27-inch Studio Display with the new 24-inch iMac. It’s been an important reminder […]

Google DeepMind’s robotics head on general-purpose robots, generative AI and office Wi-Fi

Brian Heater — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 11:36:23 +0000

[A version of this piece first appeared in TechCrunch’s robotics newsletter, Actuator. Subscribe here.] Earlier this month, Google’s DeepMind team debuted Open X-Embodiment, a database of robotics functionality created in collaboration with 33 research institutes. The researchers involved compared the system to ImageNet, the landmark database founded in 2009 that is now home to more than […]

Roli returns with the $350 Seaboard M

Brian Heater — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 15:00:55 +0000

Roli wrapped up a rough 2021 by filing for administration. The move saw the musical hardware startup effectively spinning off a new brand in the form of Luminary, led by founder Roland Lamb. The company is, for most intents and purposes, Roli, having snapped up its predecessor’s IP in the process. When it returned in […]

MassRobotics is launching an accelerator

Brian Heater — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 13:00:35 +0000

Sandwiched between rows of warehouses in the South Boston Waterfront, MassRobotics serves as both an incubator and import hub for the city’s vibrant robotics community. Soon, it will add accelerator to that list. This morning the nonprofit announced the forthcoming arrival of its simply named MassRobotics Accelerator. Applications are now open for the 13-week program, […]

Apple’s M3 iMac is up for preorder, starting at $1,299

Brian Heater — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:30:54 +0000

Folks banking on the arrival of the iMac Pro will have to wait a bit longer. If you’ve been looking to upgrade your 24-inch all-in-one, on the other hand, Apple’s got some good news. The company just unveiled a refresh to the 24-inch iMac that skips the M2 altogether, in favor of the M3 chip […]

Apple’s M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max 3-nanometer chips arrive with a big graphics boost

Brian Heater — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:30:46 +0000

We felt fairly confident that we would see at least one piece of next-gen Apple silicon as part of tonight’s Scary Fast event. But how’s this for an early Halloween surprise: We just got three new M3 chip models. It’s a sizable shakeup of the company’s standard release schedule. The news follows months of rumors […]

Apple’s 14- and 16-inch M3 MacBook Pros arrive in ‘Space Black’ color, starting at $1,599

Brian Heater — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:30:22 +0000

Apple just announced a (nearly) complete overhaul of its first-party silicon line, in the form of the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. While the new 24-inch iMac is arriving with the M3, the MacBook Pro line is easily the biggest benefactor of today’s Scary Fast event. The high-end laptop is arriving in 14- and […]

Apple’s Journal app has arrived – here’s what’s good and bad

Brian Heater — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:27:39 +0000

Having used Journal for a few days now, I feel confident saying that Day One is not staring down an existential threat — at least not yet. Keep in mind we’re talking about Apple has a well-known history of Sherlocking new apps with feature updates (it was, after all, the company that gave rise to […]

Apple’s Scary Fast October Mac event: How to watch and what to expect tonight

Brian Heater — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 16:31:22 +0000

Surprise! Apple’s got one more event to go this year. Word is that various supply chain issues kiboshed plans to announce additional hardware at last month’s iPhone 15 event. Whereas in past years the company has opted to do a final round of announcements through press releases, this time out it’s holding a standalone event […]

Amazon’s Tye Brady discusses generative AI, humanoid robots and mobile manipulation

Brian Heater — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 13:04:25 +0000

A version of this post first appeared in TechCrunch’s weekly robotics newsletter, Actuator. Subscribe here. Last week was a busy one for robotics. We had RoboBusiness in the Bay, ROSCon in New Orleans and Amazon’s Delivering the Future event in Seattle. I ended up choosing the latter, as I’d gotten quite a bit out of […]