Already known for all sorts of innovative smart lighting, Nanoleaf unveiled its first outdoor string lights at CES 2024 in January. But now you can finally buy them to dress up your yard or patio in time for spring. Nanoleaf Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights come in three lengths.
The new Nanoleaf Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights are designed to illuminate your outdoor spaces with a dash of color and smart functionality.
Nanoleaf, maker of smart-lighting products from modular light panels to smart bulbs, introduced its first dedicated outdoor lighting solution at CES 2024. And now, at last, you can purchase Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights to class up your outdoor spaces in time for warmer weather.
Product design and features
Nanoleaf’s new outdoor string lights look a bit different from many traditional string lights. The geometric form factor adds an aesthetic touch while creating multidimensional lighting effects.
These string lights come with addressable, color-changing LED bulbs. This means each bulb can display a different color, enabling dynamic, flowing color gradients. They are also IP65 water-resistant, making them ideal for outdoor use, rain or shine.
Smart functionality
The new outdoor string lights offer many color choices and control options. Photo: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf’s new outdoor lights work with multiple smart home platforms, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Samsung SmartThings.
That means you can control your lights using voice commands or through the respective smart home ecosystem apps. Additionally, the lights can be controlled via Nanoleaf’s app over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The string lights also come with an easy-access controller for quick adjustments. You can turn your string lights On/Off, adjust brightness or cycle through various colors.
Advanced features
Beyond the core functionalities, the Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights pack several advanced features. Users can create custom color palettes and motions for dynamic multicolor scenes. The lights can also respond to music, creating a synchronized light show.
The lights integrate with the Nanoleaf Orchestrator software, a music visualizer that enables customizable light shows that respond intelligently to music. This software is compatible with all streaming music platforms and audio players.
Availability and pricing
Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights come in two kits — “smarter” and expansion — in three lengths. Smarter kits: 49-foot (15m) is priced at $129.99. The 98-foot (30m) length costs $199.99. And the 148 ft (45m) kit goes for $277.48. Expansion packs (49-foot) are $99.99.
Nanoleaf offers a 10% discount as a launch promotion with the code OSL10.
Google is reportedly working on a new way to help users bring order to their messy Gmail accounts on mobile. Initially discovered by industry expert AssembleDebug, a “Manage Subscriptions” section will be added to the app’s sidebar menu, housing all of the newsletters and promotions you receive. Tapping the option takes you to a “Subscriptions’” page displaying all of the mailing lists you are currently subscribed to. Tech news site PiunikaWeb states the window shows you messages based on criteria you specify.
It’s unknown exactly what that criteria may entail, however AssembleDebug found strings of code for the feature, providing insight into how it could work. There seems to filters that let you highlight certain mailing lists according to how many messages they send out “per quarter.” You can single out groups sending “less than 10,” “between 10 to 20,” or more than 20 emails within a time period. Alongside the entries will be the logo of the mailing list with an unsubscribe button.
So, maybe every three months or so, you’ll be able to check out who mails out the most newsletters. At least, that’s the idea. Without an official word, it’s hard to say for sure although we may not have to wait for long to learn more.
Just around the corner
Several users over on Reddit claim to have run into Manage Subscription on their Gmail accounts on mobile. Multiple people state they encountered a blue window announcing the section, but when they went over to check it out, the page was totally blank. Nothing happened. Another poster said clicking on the message only took them to a screen with an endlessly loading page.
PiunikaWeb theorizes that perhaps Google “accidentally enabled” the feature on their servers, but didn’t properly release the patch. It may be in this weird limbo where people can see the section, though it doesn’t do anything. We didn’t encounter it on our Gmail accounts. So it is possible its sudden appearance on a handful of account really was an accident.
What it does show is the update could be almost ready for a launch. It may just need a bit more time in the oven. Manage Subscription will be a welcome inclusion to all of the other recent Gmail updates like the more prominent unsubscribe button, if and when it does roll out. Speaking from personal experience, it’ll be extremely helpful in organizing the chaos known as the Primary tab.
Dock accessory company iVANKY recently launched its most powerful Thunderbolt dock yet, the FusionDock Max 1, which takes advantage of dual Thunderbolt chips and connections to offer the greatest amount of versatility I’ve seen in a Mac-focused dock. I’ve spent some time testing out the FusionDock Max 1 in my daily workflow, and I think I’ve found my new daily driver.
What sets the FusionDock Max 1 apart from other Thunderbolt docks on the market is the inclusion of dual Thunderbolt 4 chips in the dock, which essentially doubles the capacity of the dock, allowing you to run all sorts of displays and other peripherals at maximum speed. We’ll dig into what that means for connectivity in just a minute, but let’s start with an overview of the design and setup. Note that the FusionDock Max 1 is only compatible with Apple silicon Macs, so it won’t work with older Intel Macs, Windows PCs, or Chromebooks.
The FusionDock Max 1 offers an eye-catching design in something of a midnight-colored aluminum housing. Rather than just featuring a simple brick shape, the FusionDock Max 1 has a unique “floating” design with a thin metal frame on the left side and bottom of the dock and the main body of the dock elevated on small legs. The design might help ensure some airflow around the dock, though I’m not sure just how much it actually assists in that regard. The dock can definitely get fairly warm during use, but I’ve never found it to get so hot that it’s uncomfortable to leave a hand on it.
Similar to the Satechi USB-C Dual Dock Stand that I recently reviewed, the FusionDock Max 1 uses a dual-cable connection to your Mac, but this is Thunderbolt rather than the slower USB, so the greater bandwidth opens up a lot more possibilities for connectivity. The custom cable includes rather bulky housing on each end with a fixed arrangement of the two Thunderbolt connectors to match the port spacing on the dock and Apple’s laptops. This makes it super easy to plug in and unplug the cable in one motion with very little fiddling required to get the connectors lined up properly.
The dock measures in at around 6.7 inches (17 cm) wide, 3.7 inches (9.4 cm) deep, and a little under 2 inches (5 cm) high, and there’s a separate 180-watt power brick. The brick does have a fairly bright green light on it that could be distracting in dark rooms, but most users should be able to tuck it away on the floor or elsewhere where it won’t be bothersome.
The dock itself has smooth surfaces on all sides, and it can tend to slide around on surfaces if it’s bumped or even just under any sort of tension from the attached cables. Fortunately, iVANKY includes some sticky rubber pads you can install for either horizontal or vertical orientation of your dock, and those go a long way toward making sure the dock stays where you want it.
The dock’s 20 ports are clearly labeled, which is great simply because there are so many that it’s tricky to keep track of all of them. Aside from the DC-in barrel plug connection for power, everything is driven through a pair of 40 Gbps Thunderbolt USB-C ports stacked vertically on the rear on panel of the dock. iVANKY provides a custom cable with a vertically arranged dual connector on one end to fit these ports and a horizontally arranged dual connector on the other end to fit the exact spacing of adjacent Thunderbolt ports on your Mac.
Once you’ve hooked the dock up to power and your computer, your Mac will recognize the dock and you’ll need to grant a couple privacy-related permissions, and then you’ll be ready to go. The dock can deliver up to 96 watts of power to a connected computer, so you won’t need a separate power connection for your Mac.
In addition to the DC-in and upstream Thunderbolt ports, the rear of the dock features two additional 40 Gbps USB-C ports that can drive up to 6K displays at 60Hz, and they can each provide up to 15 watts of power. For other types of displays, there are two HDMI ports supporting up to 4K displays at 60Hz, and while the ports officially support HDMI 2.1, iVANKY is only advertising them as supporting HDMI 2.0 due to Apple’s limitations on docking stations connecting over USB-C/Thunderbolt. There are also three 10 Gbps USB-A ports delivering up to 7.5 watts of power each, a 2.5 Gb Ethernet port, a 3.5 mm audio out port, and a Toslink optical audio out port. A Kensington lock slot is also included to help physically secure the dock if desired.
On the front of the dock, you’ll find another pair of 40 Gbps Thunderbolt USB-C ports capable of driving up to 6K displays at 60Hz, a pair of 10 Gbps USB-C ports (one with 20-watt Power Delivery capabilities and one offering 7.5 watts), another pair of 10 Gbps USB-A ports with 7.5 watts of power, plus a 3.5 mm combo headphone/mic audio port and SD and TF/microSD slots supporting the UHS-II standard. There is a white LED on the front to indicate whether the dock has power, but it’s dim enough that it’s not bothersome in a dark room.
With this array of ports, the FusionDock Max 1 can support up to four external displays, but it depends on which Mac you have, as that’s where the graphics horsepower is ultimately coming from. If you’ve got a Mac with the base M1, or M2 chip such as a MacBook Air, Mac mini, or entry-level MacBook Pro, you can only drive a single external display at up to 6K resolution. M3-based machines like the latest MacBook Air and entry-level MacBook Pro models should be able to drive a pair of displays as long as your Mac is in clamshell mode with the display off.
If you’ve got a Mac with an M1 Pro, M2 Pro, or M3 Pro chip such as a higher-end Mac mini or a mid-level MacBook Pro, you’ll be able to drive dual displays at up to 6K via the dock in additional to an internal display for the MacBook Pro, and if you’ve got a Max or Ultra chip from any of those families, you can drive a total of four external displays at up to 6K resolution.
It’s important to keep in mind that only the USB-C ports support 6K resolution, but there are four downstream ones available for display connections, two on the front and two on the back. The HDMI ports on the back can only support a maximum of 4K resolution.
I don’t have any machines in my possession equipped with Max-level chips, so I wasn’t able to push the FusionDock Max 1 to its limit when it comes to displays, but it had no trouble driving a pair of 5K displays from my 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip. I tried several other combinations of displays over Thunderbolt/USB and HDMI, including Alogic’s 32-inch 4K display with touchscreen support, and everything worked without a hitch.
Other peripherals also worked well with the dock, from my USB-A Stream Deck to a fast external SSD that was able to achieve speeds of up to 2,800 MB/s read and 1,950 MB/s write when connected to one of the 40 Gbps USB-C ports. Connecting that drive directly to my MacBook Pro yields read speeds of around 3,000 MB/s and write speeds of around 3,100 MB/s, so there’s only a small penalty to read speeds for going through the dock, while write speeds take a bit bigger hit but remain speedy. Read and write speeds will ultimately depend on what else is connected to the dock and thus what that SSD is sharing its connection with.
SD card speeds came in at around 90 MB/s read and 90–160 MB/s write depending on file size for the reasonably fast card I had available for testing, which is below both the theoretical specs of the card and the up to ~200 MB/s speeds I see in some testing when inserting it directly into my MacBook Pro, but still satisfactory in my opinion.
Wrap-up
I’ve been a loyal CalDigit TS3 Plus user for many years, but the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 is likely to take its place in my permanent desk setup. With a single-cable connection (yes, it has dual connectors, but just one thing to plug and unplug), it’s the most convenient way to quickly and easily convert my MacBook Pro from a large desk setup to a convenient on-the-go machine.
With the FusionDock Max 1’s vast array of ports, everything from my dual 5K displays to external drives, a Stream Deck, and more can all be connected and disconnected with almost no effort, and there’s essentially no compromise in performance or speed.
All of this convenience and technology packed into the FusionDock Max 1 doesn’t come cheap, however, as it carries a normal price of $549.99, so this dock definitely won’t be everyone, but for power users this may be well worth the price tag. Fortunately, iVANKY is currently offering $150 off when you use our exclusive promo code MACRUMOURS on iVANKY’s site, bringing the price to $399.99.
Note: iVANKY provided MacRumors with the FusionDock Max 1 for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with iVANKY and Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
April 15, 1981: Apple CEO Mike Markkula defends the struggling Apple III with a surprisingly straightforward admission. The comment comes even as the company pushes an unorthodox “fix” for the Apple III motherboard, which tends to overheat due to a questionable design.
“It would be dishonest for me to sit here and say that it’s perfect,” he tells The Wall Street Journal, after critics blast the new computer for its overheating motherboard. Apple’s official solution to the problem? Ask users to drop their Apple III from a height of 6 inches, thereby hopefully reseating the chips.
Apple III: Apple’s first flop
Apple introduced the troubled Apple III, which would become Cupertino’s first official flop, in May 1980. On paper, the Apple II’s doomed successor should have been a massive success. For the first time, this wasn’t a computer singlehandedly built on virtually no budget by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Instead, it was the work of a committee of talented engineers working for a well-funded company.
Unfortunately, this meant the computer suffered from a confused identity. Everyone harbored their own ideas about what it should do. The result: “feature creep,” and a project that took longer than it should have. And, of course, that overheating Apple III motherboard.
An Apple computer built for business
From Apple’s perspective, one of the imperatives of the Apple III was that it should be a business computer. Although sales of the Apple II showed no signs of slowing down, and the Macintosh project was just getting started, Apple wanted a computer that would appeal to companies. The IBM PC was already heavily rumored, and Apple wanted to construct a machine that could shoot it down.
The original Apple III boasted a 2 MHz SynerTek 6502A processor, 2KB of ROM, 128KB on-board RAM and four slots for peripherals. It ran twice as fast as the Apple II and was Apple’s first computer to come with a built-in 5.25-inch floppy drive.
The computer could emulate the Apple II, but came with its own Sophisticated Operating System. Cupertino pronounced it “soss” (like “Apple sauce”). Instead, people referred to it as “S.O.S.” when the full scale of the Apple III disaster became apparent.
Big problems from Day 1
The Apple III in all its (relative) glory. The ad doesn’t mention the overheating motherboard, naturally. Photo: Apple
A few big problems accompanied the Apple III rollout. Production delays meant that volume shipments of the computer did not begin until March 1981.
The price, which ranged from $4,340 to $7,800, proved another sticking point. By present standards, a fully kitted-out model cost nearly $27,000, adjusted for inflation.
Apple III’s motherboard overheats
The Apple III’s motherboard problem took the cake, though.
Steve Jobs insisted that the computer not feature a cooling fan. He also dictated the Apple III’s size and shape, without concern for what this would mean for electrical engineers. This resulted in the overheating motherboard, and Apple’s “just drop your computer” workaround.
Apple did do more than this to try and make good, however. It promised to swap out bad Apple III models for new ones, no questions asked. It later launched an upgraded Apple III, which arrived in December 1981.
Sadly, by that point, it was too little, too late. By the end of 1983, months before the Macintosh 128K launched, Apple had sold only 75,000 Apple III computers.
To put that number in context, the Apple II — which the Apple III was designed to replace — sold close to that number every month at the time.
Were you an Apple III owner? Did you experience an Apple III motherboard problem? Let us know in the comments below.
Streaming television was supposed to kill cable and broadcast TV. Ad-free, endless choice, on-demand, and on your schedule meant the no-compromises television experience of our dreams. Except it hasn’t quite turned out that way and now it’s starting to look like the old models, the ones that buoyed cable and broadcast television for decades are rising like phoenixes from the ashes and will soon be coming back to you through, naturally, all of the best streaming platforms.
This week, The Information is reporting that Disney Plus is now considering adding a selection of genre-based channels that, instead of on-demand content, just run through a 24/7 schedule of content that will include commercial breaks.
If this sounds familiar, it only means you were watching cable and broadcast television in the years before the rise of Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and countless other options.
The details on what Disney Plus may or may not do are scant, but they are more than plausible. In recent months, most of the majors have reshaped their streaming platform strategies to offer a more affordable tier that, while still on-demand, includes commercial breaks (Amazon did it to existing Prime customers with little to no notice).
And as I discovered when I cut cable earlier this year, there are ample FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) options to fill the gaps in between your streaming appetite.
A schedule to view by
FAST has more in common with Disney Plus’ possible plans in that networks like Tubi have dozens of channels that are, just like cable, running content on their own schedules. This means that instead of searching for something to watch, you can just turn on Tubi (or FuboTV), open the guide, choose a channel, and start watching whatever’s on, in progress. Right, just like old-school cable.
This change is partly about your habits, in that people still like to have TV on in the background and that means you’re not watching a movie or even a discreet streaming series where if a family member watches it without you they are excommunicated. No, these channels, like the ones Disney Pluys might launch, are about passive viewing while, perhaps, you do the laundry or work from home.
In my house, I like to have Paramount Plus’ CBS broadcast stream running while I work. I pay no mind to The Talk, The Bold and the Beautiful, or The Price is Right, but I like the white noise of these mostly innocuous shows.
Pay their way
For the streamers, though, this is more than just another viewing option, it’s a potential major revenue stream. Disney Plus which remains a premium service whether you pay to remove the ads or pay less to suffer through them, could get paid again by advertisers willing to deliver commercials to this less attentive audience.
In the highly competitive streaming space, Disney (now with Hulu), Paramount, Netflix, and others are in a knife fight for consumer eyeballs and dollars and the only way to hold onto them is with more fresh content, which costs money. Put another way, these companies will never stop looking for new ways to generate revenue from, your views, attentive or otherwise.
The result, though, is a landscape that looks more and more like the broadcast cable world of the early oughts and less like the fast-growing streaming wars of, says 2018.
Eventually, I expect all the streamers to offer 24/7 programming schedules and guides, It’ll be a value-add and could lead to the rise of a lot more entry-level programming. Think game shows, talk shows, and cheap laugh-track-bound series, to fill this pipeline. They won’t have the same kind of quality we’ve come to expect from streaming original programming but they’ll serve their purpose and viewers like me will probably eat it up.
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) will soon begin charging new users “a small fee” for posting content and liking, replying, and bookmarking tweets, according to CEO Elon Musk.
X Daily News, a feed that posts X updates, today noticed that text strings on the website have been updated to mention a small annual fee that new users will need to pay in order to access the social network.
Musk said in response that the fee for new users is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.”
The fee has previously been tested in New Zealand and the Philippines, and Musk says that it is applicable only to those who are new to Twitter. When a new user signs up, the user will need to pay the fee, or wait for three months to be able to engage on the network. The updated language on the Twitter site:
New accounts are required to pay a small annual fee before you’re able to post, like, bookmark, and reply. This is to reduce spam and create a better experience for everyone. You can still follow accounts and browse X for free.
The text does not mention being able to post for free after three months, but Musk confirmed that “write actions” would be free after that time period.
It is unclear how the policy will stop spam accounts and bots, as spammers will be able to pay the fee or simply create multiple accounts and wait to be able to post. Regular users, meanwhile, could be discouraged from using X due to the extra step and the fact that other social networks are free.
The fee appears to be around $1, as it costs $1.75 NZD in New Zealand. The pay-for-access policy has not yet been implemented outside of New Zealand and the Philippines.
Musk said that fake accounts also use up “the available namespace” limiting the “good handles.” X has freed up over a million usernames so far, and will “free up tens of millions in the coming weeks.”
A Dell curved 4K monitor — especially a big 40-incher — can make an excellent external display, if today’s featured MacBook Air and MacBook Pro setup is any indication. The user put the dramatic display together with a 27-inch 4K monitor after trying two other configurations.
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40-inch Dell curved 4K monitor serves M2 and M3 MacBooks
So now he runs two powerful Apple laptops. His personal one is a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. And his work provided him with a 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro with a whopping 95GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.
He uses the two slick laptops with two fine 4K displays. First, his own is a big 40-inch Dell UltraSharp U4025QW curved 4K display he got after trying two other configurations. And second, his work provided him with a 27-inch LG UltraFine 4K monitor.
Then he rounds out his setup with a bunch of other good gear — Logitech C920 webcam, a Keychron Q3 Pro custom mechanical keyboard, a Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse, a Blue Yeti USB microphone and an Elgato Stream Deck.
Work laptop trumps personal laptop, but reverse it true of displays
What MacBook Air owner would object to their work handing them a killer laptop like an M3 Max MacBook Pro packed with memory and a nice 4K display like the LG? But as far as the displays go, it’s Chris’ personal one, the 40-inch Dell U4025QW, that caught our attention, along with commenters on the post.
“How’s the 4025 working out for you?” a commenter asked. “Happy with it?”
“It only arrived on Wednesday and I haven’t spent any long sessions with it yet,” Chris replied. “Text clarity is amazing vs the old Dell 38-inch I had. No complaints.”
Another commenter asked about whether the Dell and LG would be too wide if both were in landscape mode (LG is in portrait). Chris’s reply made the LG display out to be essentially an unnecessary add-on.
“It’s for Slack, Spotify and terminal, really,” he said of the LG display. “I would say its nice to have but not critical. Don’t really notice the difference between 120Hz and 60Hz to be honest. I don’t game. If you can get old u4021qw on a deal, may be worth it.”
Why ditch dual 32-inch displays?
Another person looked to Chris’s previous display configuration with two 32-inch Dell displays.
“Why didn’t you like the 2x 32s from v2? I’m in the same boat and about to do v3 with a 32-inch main work monitor and a vertical as well, so just curious of your rationale,” they asked.
“I did — i used that for close to three years,” Chris replied. “I just didn’t use all of the screens. Had to run DisplayLink adapters to use my MacBook Air. Moving jobs game me new budget to try something new.”
“How Is the Dell 40-inch with a Mac?” a commenter asked. “I’m afraid of the scaling issues.”
“Zero issues with this one,” Chris replied. “The old 38 [-inch Dell] was terrible.”
And if you like the desktop wallpaper showing on the big display, you can find it here.
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If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
Being a cat owner is a joy like no other, but I miss my cat so, so much when I’m away even just for a day. That’s why the Enabot Ebo SE pet robot is a literal must-have in my cat-crazy household. This small and sweet little robot doesn’t have an adorable little ‘face’ like the Enabot Ebo X, but operates similarly, offering features like mobile phone compatibility and the ability to take photos and videos.
It’s also not as stuffed with features as the Enabot Ebo X, which has built-in Alexa smart home functions and a 4K UHD camera, however, if you’re looking for a simple and much cheaper robot, the Enabot Ebo SE robot reigns supreme. This little orb is simple to set up right out of the box and is completely managed through the app.
It’s not quite got the chops to be one of the best home security cameras, but certainly gives peace of mind if you quickly want to check in at home. My testing of the Enabot Ebo SE coincided with my holiday, which was a huge blessing; this would be my first time traveling away for more than a day since I got Miso, and having the Enabot Ebo SE keeping an eye on my baby eased a lot of my anxieties.
I set everything up a few days before my six-day trip, and I was relieved to see that the Enabot Ebo SE returned to its charging station all on its own without any prompting after checking in on my sweet boy, Miso, (don’t worry, pictures soon to come!), which makes things a lot easier when you’re remotely checking in on your furry friends.
(Image credit: Enabot)
It was a complete stroke of luck that I started reviewing this robot when I did because as soon as I landed, I lost contact with friends and family in the UK – I couldn’t get a Facetime, WhatsApp, or even an IMO call to hold for more than two seconds.
Since the Ebo SEhas a two-way audio capability, I was able to keep in touch with Miso through the robot. It was incredibly useful to be able to open the app, turn the microphone on, and check in not just on my cat but on the people at home. It helped me stay connected, and I honestly don’t think I could travel without having this little guy set up and ready to be on guard duty.
In terms of the bot’s mobility, it’s pretty decent, but not groundbreaking. Through the app, you can steer it to go left, right, backward, and forward, and there are designated spin and sprint buttons. These proved to be useful as I had the Ebo SE set up in my bedroom, where there’s an obstacle course made of socks and other various flotsam and jetsam that Miso likes to hoard, which was how I discovered that the Ebo SE struggles to get over smaller objects like the corner of a shirt, and also with sharper turns.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Muskaan Saxena via Future)
Close ups of Miso the cat! Night Mode Miso has a lot to say…
(Image credit: Muskaan Saxena via Future)
(Image credit: Muskaan Saxena via Future)
It would be nice if the Ebo SE had some kind of crash detection feature that would alert me before I smack the robot into a bedpost – or better yet if it could reverse away from the hazard on its own. However, I suppose that level of intelligence would drive the price out from the moderately affordable $247 / £199 / AU$382 to a little on the expensive side.
In addition to its decent 1080p HD camera, the Enabot Ebo SE’s Night Mode was pretty impressive as well, and it was nice to be able to see Miso at any hour of the day or night while he was creating chaos and growing his pile of stolen artifacts. Thankfully, Night Mode is automatically enabled, so whenever you want to drive around your home and check in on your loved ones (both furry and otherwise) in the dark you can open the app and get straight to spying.
It’s worth noting that you need a pretty solid internet connection, as you may end up accidentally driving your robot off a cliff (or, more likely, down the stairs) like I did when I stepped outside of my hotel and lost connection.
(Image credit: Muskaan Saxena via Future)
Enabot Ebo SE pet robot review: price and availability
How much does it cost? $247 / £199 / AU$382
When is it available? Available now
Where can I buy it? Amazon and Enabot official site
The Enabot Ebo SE is relatively cheap and pretty budget-friendly for most people, available for $247 / £199 / AU$382. It’s well worth the splurge if you’ve been saving up for a pet robot, but of course, it’s still a luxury purchase.
It is a lot cheaper than the Enabot Ebo X which starts at just under $1,000. It’s currently available on Amazon as well as through the Enabot website. Of course, you lose out on a fair few advanced features; but I didn’t find myself needing these.
Two best friends taking in the sights (Image credit: Muskaan Saxena via Future)
Should I buy?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Enabot Ebo SE score card
Price:
For the price, you get a pretty good product! The picture quality however could be better for the cost.
4/5
Design:
The Enabot Ebo SE is super cute and super small, which is perfect for accessing the same nooks and crannies your pets do.
4.5/5
App and features:
The app is a little basic, and it is lacking Alexa compatibility which is disappointing. However, it’s easy to get a hang of.
3/5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
(Image credit: Muskaan Saxena via Future)
How I tested the Enabot Ebo SE
I used the Enabot Ebo SE while away from home and abroad for three weeks
I set up all the controls
I took photos and videos with the bot
I tested the microphone speaking both to my cat and to my housemate
I used the Enabot Ebo SE for about three weeks as my only pet and indoor camera. Once out of the box I paired it with my Ebo account and placed it in a secure room to operate in where stairs or other big obstacles wouldn’t impact it. I spent a few days familiarizing myself with the controls before I traveled, practicing the steering and controls, and trialing the app and its features.
I took several photos and videos of my cat at different parts of the day under different levels of internet connectivity, as well as using the microphone and speakers to see how reliable both components are. It is still currently my only pet camera and I use it often when I’m away from home or just want to check up on my cat.
I’ve been researching and reviewing technology for two years, and while Miso hasn’t necessarily developed the same writing skills I have, he’s a pretty good judge of pet toys and products.
Yellow is just one of several fun color choices. Photo: Apple
Amazon budget website Woot! is a terrific resource for great deals on used, refurbished and new Apple gear. This week you can get a choice of deals on M1 iMacs. They’re “new,” as in apparently nobody bought them in the past few years. And they’re going for low prices you won’t see many, if any, other places.
The 24-inch M1 iMac from 2021 is a great all-in-one desktop computer. And it comes in a choice of delightful colors — silver, green, pink and blue. It seems like an ideal computer for college students or young professionals working at home.
But if you want to grab Woot’s low prices, you must do so within a couple of days. The sale ends Wednesday.
Immersive 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with P3 wide color gamut and 500 nits of brightness
Apple M1 chip delivers powerful performance with 8-core CPU and 7core/8-core GPU.
Strikingly thin 11.5 mm design comes in vibrant colors.
1080p FaceTime HD camera with M1 ISP shoots high-quality video.
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The Humane AI Pin is a fascinating little device for gadget fans. If you missed its reveal in November 2023, it’s a tiny wearable computer with a built-in AI assistant, camera, and a little projector that blasts its UI onto your hand. Unfortunately, it’s also pretty terrible, according to the internet’s first reviews, which have landed in the past few days.
It’s rare for tech reviews, from both traditional media and YouTubers, to be so unanimous in their criticism of a much-hyped product. “The worst product I’ve ever reviewed… for now” concluded Marques Brownlee. Ouch. Meanwhile, Engadget branded it “the solution to none of technology’s problems”, while The Verge simply said that the AI Pin was “not even close”.
Naturally, these scathing verdicts create some added fascination about a $699 device that also requires a $ 24-a-month subscription. Yet few of the reviews think the AI Pin is completely without merit. Many praise its hardware design, which is solid aluminum and clips to your chest thanks to a magnetic ‘battery booster’ that goes inside your clothing. On the few occasions that it did work seamlessly, it also gave reviewers a little glimpse of a refreshingly screen-less future.
(Image credit: Humane)
But beyond the specific features – many of which don’t seem to work reliably enough yet – the most interesting thing about these Humane AI Pin reviews is their broad conclusions about AI gadgets. In short, our phones aren’t going anywhere for a long time, and, as Bloomberg’s review concluded, “the AI device revolution isn’t going to kill the smartphone”. We haven’t yet reviewed the Rabbit R1, but that will probably hold true for a while yet.
This doesn’t mean that the Humane AI Pin isn’t a fascinating (if deeply flawed device) today. Here are all of the internet’s thoughts on the boldest tech launch since the Apple Vision Pro…
Humane AI Pin: the key reviews
Marques Brownlee: “The worst product I’ve ever reviewed…for now”
Despite the scathing headline, Marques Brownlee’s report on his time with the AI Pin is typically fair and even-handed. Unfortunately, he simply couldn’t find many positives, aside from the design. “The build of this thing is actually impressive”, he says of the solid, aluminum gadget. Unfortunately, it’s also “bad at almost everything it does”.
That list includes answering your voice queries, where it’s either painfully slow (given most requests go to the cloud) or “just wrong all the time”. The battery life was also strangely inconsistent, and the device was worryingly warm a lot of time. But the fundamental issue, a theme across most of the reviews, is that everything the AI Pin does, a “modern smartphone does better and faster”. Without connecting to your smartphone or offering any apps, the AI Pin is strangely adrift.
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The Good
Solid build quality
Translation feature has promise
Impressive engineering
The Bad
Too slow at giving answers
Poor, inconsistent battery life
Overheating issues
Wrong all the time
No apps
Mrwhosetheboss: “It’s not good”
Tech YouTuber Arun Maini, AKA Mrwhosetheboss, was clearly conflicted in his review between the “small twinges of something magical” he could see in the Humane AI Pin and the unworkable reality of using it. “As of right now, the Human Pin is an incredibly poor proposition” he concluded.
As other reviews noted, it all goes downhill after you see the hardware. The price (which works out at $1,700 over two years, when you factor in the subscription, accessories, and taxes), slow responses to voice requests, lack of integration with existing phone apps, and impractical projector interface were all black marks.
As Maini notes, a more sensible setup would surely be for the AI Pin to connect to your phone – like the best smartwatches – rather than act as a standalone device. All of this led him to conclude that he can’t see “a single angle from which it makes sense”.
The Good
Construction is top-notch
No wake words needed
Vision feature is satisfying
The Bad
Too expensive
Requests take too long
Doesn’t talk to existing apps
Projector not bright enough
CNET: “Futuristic but frustrating”
CNET’s hands-on review of the AI Pin contains a nice nod to the Star Trek Communicator badge that the pin is seemingly inspired by, but that’s one of the few moments of levity in a review that cautions you “definitely not” consider buying it in its current form.
The video is more of a whistlestop tour of the AI Pin’s features – including the built-in camera for taking photos and 15-second videos – than a real deep-dive into living with it. But there are lots of useful real-world examples of using the wearable, including its promising translation feature and uncut takes of how long it often takes to respond.
There are also some familiar conclusions; overheating, the laser display not being bright enough in daylight, underwhelming AI features, and the hand-tracking interface being frustrating and worse than on a VR headset. In short, it’s frustrating and CNET said there are times when the AI Pin has driven it crazy.
The Good
Sleek design
Well-conceived accessories
Decent battery life
The Bad
Overheating issues
Too frustrating for everyday use
Can’t connect to your phone
AI is unreliable
The Verge: “Not even close”
Frequent bouts of hysterical laughter aren’t usually a good sign for a tech review –and sure enough, The Verge found that the AI Pin’s promise is completely undermined by its unreliability and its “single biggest problem – it is so, so slow”.
Cue a 13-second wait for it to mis-identify the Brooklyn Bridge and other unintentionally hilarious gaffes. The Verge actually still came away “sort of impressed” by the AI Pin’s technology, including the fact that it doesn’t need a wake word and promises a world where you can sometimes leave your phone at home.
It also concluded that the Pin “might still be the future, or something like it”, with its camera-based descriptions of real-world objects being “easily the most futuristic thing” about the device. But it’s also a “$700 gamble” and the damning conclusion is that a cell-connected Apple Watch is a much more capable and functional device, while being a lot cheaper.
The Good
Sturdy and nicely made
No wake word needed
The Bad
Many features not yet available
Very slow at responding
Doesn’t always work
Bloomberg: “The design and interface are fatally flawed”
(Image credit: Humane)
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is an Apple reporter who notes that Humane’s co-founders are former Apple staffers who worked on the iPhone and iPad, which gave them a leg-up when it came to investment. But despite its promising backstory, he concludes that the AI Pin’s “fundamental design and interface are fatally flawed”.
Gurman’s conclusion is that the bugs and slow response times aren’t the AI Pin’s main problem. Instead, the voice control and laser projection system make it “a nonstarter for most people”. He notes that smart speaker and voice assistant hype has died down because they’re not a “practical user interface”.
So while Gurman concludes, like most of the early reviews, that Humane deserves credit for creating something new and building a system that “aggregate data from several AI engines”, the concept is ultimately doomed to failure and is “never going to work”.
What next for the Humane AI Pin?
(Image credit: Humane)
Understandably, Humane has defended its new gadget from the wave of scathing reviews. Ken Kocienda, the company’s Head of Product Engineering and the inventor of the iPhone’s autocorrect, posted a lengthy statement on X (formerly Twitter) about why he’s a “happy AI Pin user” and why his “intuition tells me that we are on track”.
Kocienda admits that the AI Pin can be “frustrating sometimes”, but apparently no more than a laptop or smartphone. That isn’t the conclusion from the internet’s first reviews from multiple sources, but the Humane designer also blames the social media landscape for encouraging “hot takes” and encouraging people to “jump on the skepticism bandwagon”.
So what next for the AI Pin? Humane does have a roadmap for new features, with timers, gesture unlock, photo sharing via SMS, and more coming in software version 1.2, which is scheduled for “Summer”. Other features like number sharing, visual shopping, and an SDK for apps are also in the pipeline, but don’t yet have a date.
As it stands, the current consensus for the Humane AI Pin is that it’s simply too ambitious for its form factor and current technology – including the problem that AI tends to ‘hallucinate’ or confidently give incorrect answers. For now, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and Rabbit R1 look like more promising examples of AI gadgets, but we’ll be keeping an eye on AI Pin to see if it can overcome its inauspicious start.
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