Time to read: 2 min
The week’s top hardware news.
March 25, 2016
Products
Test Your DNA at Home
London-based Bento takes the expensive technologies used in molecular biology and pushes them to a wider audience with Bento DNA Laboratory. The portable lab is equipped with a centrifuge, a PCR thermocycler, and a gel electrophoresis to extract, copy and visualize DNA.
World’s First Smart Road Bike
Back in October, SpeedX was presenting SpeedForce, a tech combo for the serious biker comprised of a cycling computer, handlebar stem, and headlight. Now they’ve just added an actual carbon fiber aero road bike to that pack: the Speedx Leopard.
Patented Technology for the Quietest Earbuds
You know how passing cars and nearby lawn mowers can intrude on phone conversations? RippleBuds wireless earphones puts a microphone in your ear and promises library-like quiet, with patented technology that also prevents echo and howling despite the speaker driver and microphone being close together.
Industry
25 Percent Layoffs at Pebble
Smartwatch maker Pebble is going through a tough time, after announcing it had to cut 25 percent of its staff this week. Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky suggested the cuts were necessary because of a lack of funds, blaming VCs for their overly cautious outlook on tech.
- if something takes more than three seconds on a smartwatch, they blew it.
The Good Old New iPhone
Is Apple playing games with us? This week they announced specs for the new iPhone SE, which looks… a lot like the iPhone 5S. Described as “the iPhone 6s in the body of the iPhone 5S,” this new phone does come with some pretty good specs, including an A9 processor, 12-megapixel camera, and, of course, support for Apple Pay.
- The Apple robot that rips apart old iPhones
June Oven Pulls In $22.5M Series A
June, an oven designed by former Google, Apple and GoPro employees, has cooked up a Series A round of $22.5 million. The round was led by Eclipse and June plans to use the funds for team expansion + development and manufacturing for a ship date around the holidays.
Breakthrough “Awarables”
Wearable technology maker LifeBeam raised $16 million from investor Squarepeg Capital to develop products that promote the “most personalized and insight-driven workout experience.” LifeBeam’s technology has powered products for Samsung and Under Armour, among others, and includes smart hats, visors, and helmets, as well as high-end gear for aerospace and defense clients.
