Articles by Brian Heater
This Is What A $1,200 Smartwatch Looks Like
We get closeish to LG's ridiculously expensive new watch. Impressed? What if we told you it was plated in 23-karat gold and it came in a really nice looking piano gloss lacquered box? You'll want to run to the ATM machine right now, because LG is only producing 500 of these ridiculous things.
Alcetel’s OneTouch Xess Is A 17.3-Inch Tablet That’s Every Bit As Excessive As Its Name Lets On (Hands-On)
We do the hands-on thing with Alcatel OneTouch's exceptionally large new tablet. Not the XL or even the XXL. The Xess. As in excess. As in a 17.
Parrot’s Latest Version Of The Terrific Zik Headphones Are Even Better Than Before (Hands-On)
We try on the latest version of Parrot's terrific headphone line. Between the in-car navigation systems, the drones and the soil-monitoring device, Parrot has one of the oddest product portfolios in all of consumer electronics.
Hands-On With Ricoh’s 360-Degree Theta S Camera
We take a look at Ricoh's incredibly easy to use 360-degree camera. Okay, this is neat. The Theta S is a stick-shaped camera capable of taking full 360-degree still images with the press of a button.
Monster’s Got A Sticky Phone Case For The Selfie-Obsessed
Monster unveils a new phone case designed for taking selfies next to glass. This may be the most unnecessary product that countless people need. On one side, it's a pretty standard rubberized iPhone/Galaxy case.
The Bang And Olufsen BeoPlay A6 Is $1,000 Of Great Sounding, Amorphous Wireless Speaker
We take a look at B&O's pricey new wireless speaker. The BeoPlay A6 looks comfortable — like you'd want to just crawl up into it and fall asleep.
Panasonic Plans A Major Comeback For The Iconic Technics Brand With A New Turntable Due Out Next Year
A look at a new prototype turntable from Technics that is due out in 2016. Add this to the list of unexpected, but pleasant, surprises at this year's IFA: Panasonic, which revived the iconic Technics audio brand last year, is working on a big comeback in 2016.
Finally, Some Sweet Adidas Kicks For Your iPhone
Adidas unveils some familiar shoes for your smartphone. As a great rap duo once said, "My Adidas walk through concert doors and roam all over coliseum floors.
Hands-On With Archos’ New Diamond Smartphone And Tablet
Archos rolls out more high-quality devices with low price tags. I forget about Archos. I know I'm not the only one. However, when it comes time to list the brands that produce high-end smartphones, the French company's name never really comes up.
Withings Aura Is Designed To Lure Users To Sweet Sleep With Colored Lights And Smooth Spotify Playlists
Withings' Aura adds Spotify playlists to its arsenal of sleep and waking tools. Withings' tuba-shaped Aura Sleep System is a strange and somewhat massive alarm clock that's just as concerned with luring users to sleep as it is with waking them up.
Hands-On With Lenovo’s Projector-Packing Yoga Tab 3
We take a look at Lenovo's odd new tablet. Never let it be said that Lenovo doesn't take its share of chances. Really, that's part of the fun of being a giant, multinational electronics company — you can give things a shot.
Hands-On With LG’s G Pad 2 10.1
We play around with LG's latest slate. LG's new tablet is solid, if unexceptional. The G Pad 2 10. 1, which debuted this week at IFA in Berlin didn't go out of its way to set itself apart from a sea of Android tablets.
LG Rolly Keyboard Is A Great Idea With Lackluster Execution (Hands-On)
We go hands-on with LG's new super portable keyboard. I was excited to try out LG's new Rolly Keyboard — and I'm not the sort of gadget blogger who tends to get excited about, you know, trying out keyboards.
LG Made A Bluetooth Speaker Shaped Like A Bottle
We take a look at LG's strange new speaker. If there's one thing a show like IFA teaches you, it's that there's no wrong way to shape a pair of speakers.
Marshall Made A Smartphone That Looks Like An Amp; We Go Hands-On
Marshall's London is a surprisingly good smartphone. As far as Marshall is concerned, one can't possibly have too much of a good thing. The company created one of the most iconic objects with its signature amplifiers and has happily been riding that aesthetic wave for decades.
Epson’s Line of EcoTank Printers Are So Simple, this Pre-Programmed Robotic Arm Can Fill Them
A look at Epson's new ink bottle-based printing system. No one ever said the life of a robotic arm was going to fun or fulfilling. Look at this poor guy, doomed to a life of repetitive task limbo, pretending to fill up the empty ink reservoirs in this Epson EcoTank printer.
Fonesalesman Looks to Give Ikea a Run for Its Money With a Line of Wireless Charging Furniture
A look at the FurniQi wireless charging table. Up to now, Fonesalesman's wireless charging ambitions have been on the smaller side - standalone pucks and stones placed on furniture to charge up mobile devices.
A Silicone Stick Filled With LEDs Designed to Create the Perfect Cocktail For Baffled Bartenders
We take a look at the crowdfunded bartender's aid. We're getting dangerous near the point in IFA where the weird, fun crowdfunded products start monopolizing the news cycle.
Dyson’s New Ultraviolet Humidifier Is Cool, Heavy Duty, And I’m Going To Stand In Front Of It For The Rest Of IFA
We breathe in Dyson's new humidifier. OK, that last bit isn't true, but I may make a few more stops at the Dyson booth before the end of the show to breathe in some of that sweet, sweet air.
A Look At Thalmic’s Cool New Gesture Control Myo Armband
We take a look at the company's wearable controller. Embracing new technology sometimes means looking a bit goofy in the process. Thalmic's Myo armband isn't the sort of thing you'd want to wear around as a wardrobe accessory, but it's a pretty cool wearable nonetheless.
Ears-On With Blue Microphones’ Mo-Fi Headphones
We try on Blue's great new headphones. The undisputed kings of USB podcasting mics have entered the world of headphones with a bang. Blue Microphones' Mo-Fi headphones are big, beautiful and sound fantastic.
Hands-On With SanDisk's Connect Wireless USB Flash Drive
We take a look as SanDisk's clever new USB stick. What better way to get your new flash drive in front of journalists than sticking all of a show's press files on one? SanDisk's latest USB stick has a cool new trick: built-in wireless that makes it possible to swap files between different computers and mobile devices.
Hands-On With Digitsole Smart Foot-Heating Insoles
We touch some hot insoles with our hands and it's weird. I know, I would have probably used "feet-on" in the headline, but the fact of the matter is I used my hands on this one.
Hands-On With The DxO One Smartphone Camera Attachment
We play around with DxO's pricey new smartphone add-on. Smartphone cameras are quite good — and only getting better. That doesn't mean, of course, that there isn't room for improvement.
Wacom’s Bamboo Sparks Brings Paper Back Into The Writing Fold (Hands-on)
We take a look at Wacom's cool new pen and paper tablet. All right, this is cool: Wacom, best known for its high-end professional tablets, is showing off the Bamboo Sparks at IFA this week.
Polaroid Is Back In The Instant Photo Game With The Snap (Hands-On)
Polaroid is poised to get back into the photo taking game. We go hands-on with Polaroid's new camera.
According to Alcatel OneTouch’s Go Emotion-Detecting Smartwatch, I Am Going Crazy
We try on Alcatel's new emotion-detecting smartwatch. Well, we all knew this was bound to happen sooner or later - and now I finally have the smartwatch to prove it.
Wrists-On With The Withings Activité Activity-Tracking Watch
Withings carves out a new niche in the wearable space with a standard watch featuring a built-in activity tracker.
Ears-On With The Jaybird X2 Bluetooth Headphones
We try out Jaybird's new wireless earbuds. The Bluetooth earbud code has proven a pretty tough one to crack. There's just something about the combination of tiny speakers and wireless functionality that make for some extremely questionable design decisions.
Hands-On With Spark, TomTom's Music Playing Fitness Band
We try out TomTom's new activity tracker. Like its GPS brother-in-arms Garmin, TomTom has doubled down on the wearable world as in-car navigation systems continue their decline.
