Gadgets

According to HueBlog.com, Philips Hue is actively working on a hardware-free form of motion sensing that leverages its Zigbee protocol.

Its sister brand Wiz already does this using Wi-Fi-sensing — changes in the signal strength between two or more lights caused by motion can trigger a reaction.

HueBlog, which has a good track record with Hue scoops, says the company has been “working on the function for several years,” and may debut it at CES 2024.

Technology Connections is a phenomenal YouTube channel, and I have no qualms letting Alec’s latest video take the place of our regularly scheduled Button of the Month for December — it’s very good.

I got a tad too busy with daily live courtroom reporting and some gaming handhelds to write or edit this month’s column, but I promise it’ll be back in January! Hint: think blue.

Beyond a December 5th date for its Chinese launch, OnePlus is being coy about releases in other markets. But there’s evidence that the international launch will take place on January 24th, Android Police reports. Terms and conditions for a related giveaway say it’ll run until January 23rd, while a second page notes it’ll run until “the day before OnePlus 12 launch event.”

In case you read my story this morning before we added its accompanying vid, here's how three Frore AirJets affected the sustained performance of a 15-inch MacBook Air.

I kid you not: if I had to pick just one Lego set ever made, this epic transforming castle packed with clever details and play features would be the one. I sold off my airsoft guns to afford the $400 set at launch — now, Lego has it on backorder for $300 alongside the awesome Loop Coaster (also $300) and UCS Razor Crest ($420). I’ve never seen this one on sale before.

Note: If you buy something from these links, we might get affiliate revenue.

Too bad it was “damn near useless,” as Colin from the This Does Not Compute YouTube channel put it in his look back on the P series and some other Weird Sony laptops from the early 2000s.

Well that was quick. Less than 24 hours after Dbrand announced it was suing the company over alleged stolen designs, Casetify has delisted the offending products from its online store. Attempting to access the link to the Inside Out collection now redirects to a list of its best selling phone cases.

But don’t worry, here’s a Wayback Machine archive of the lineup.

A “trap street” is a fake element added to a map to help its maker catch anyone plagiarizing the work. Here’s a fun video about it.

I was reminded of this when reading about Dbrand’s lawsuit against Casetify for allegedly copying its teardown skins and cases. Turns out Dbrand likes to include easter eggs in its designs, which for whatever reason also appear on Casetify’s models.

Reuters is reporting that EU regulators will unconditionally approve the $1.4 billion deal, after previously expressing concerns that it could let Amazon restrict competition in the robot vacuum cleaner market and give the e-commerce giant access to an unfair amount of user data. The deal was approved by the UK’s antitrust regulator in June.

Lenovo’s USB-C Laptop Power Bank (model PBLG2W) just got recalled because it may catch fire. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says the power bank’s “internal screws can come loose, causing a short circuit and overheating of the lithium-ion battery, posing a fire hazard.”

About 2,850 units are affected by the recall. If you have this power bank, you can contact Lenovo to get a free replacement.

Counterpoint Research reports that the 27-month dip might be at an end, after October saw the first YoY growth in sell-through volumes since June 2021 thanks to MEA, China, and India. Reasons for the dip included component shortages, lengthening replacement cycles, and an “uncertain macroeconomic environment.”