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Tech News
Philips Hue unveiled two cheaper ways to sync its smart lights with TV content: a scaled-down Sync Box 4K priced at $150, well below the $385 8K version, and a new camera-based Play Screen Sync at $119.99. Both debuted at IFA in Berlin and are available for purchase now.
Anker unveiled the Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 and 4 Pro, successors to last year's A30 sleepbuds aimed at side-sleepers. Both models shrink the contact area for comfort, add Bluetooth 6.0, longer battery life and stronger noise masking, while the Pro version's SleepHub case includes an OLED display and phone-free controls plus an in-ear PPG sensor for tracking heart rate and sleep stress.
Philips Hue is partnering with rival Nanoleaf to bring Hexagon, Triangle, and Mini Triangle wall panels into its smart lighting system via a new $39.99 Wall Light Module, available starting September 3rd. The module contains Hue's full connectivity stack—Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Thread—letting users control the panels through the Hue app or Matter-compatible apps like Apple Home, while also unlocking Hue scenes, automations, and entertainment features.
Anker introduced the Eufy MindBase at IFA Berlin, a local AI hub that runs an on-device LLM to process camera footage without sending it to the cloud. The device acts as a Matter controller supporting over 40 device categories, works with Apple HomeKit Secure Video, Alexa, Google Home, and Home Assistant, and can handle up to 16 wireless cameras, four wired cameras, and 34 sensors. Anker also announced companion products including the TrackLight Cam S1, S4 video doorbell, and a window camera, though pricing and release dates remain unannounced.
Anker's eufyMake brand is developing a new consumer printer that applies designs directly onto fabrics like T-shirts, jeans, bags, and hats. The device supports both direct-to-garment printing and direct-to-film transfers via heat press, and can even add color to single-color embroidered stitching. Pricing and an official product name have not yet been announced.
Anker used IFA 2026 to reveal its first over-the-counter hearing aids, a receiver-in-canal design built on the company's Thus audio chip previously used in its Soundcore earbuds. The devices use four beam-forming microphones to isolate speech from a person facing the wearer, offer up to 12 hours of battery life (36 with the charging case), and can gain two hours of use from a five-minute fast charge. Anker has not yet disclosed specific models, US pricing, or availability, saying more details will come later this year.
At IFA 2026, Soundcore unveiled the Space 2 Pro headphones alongside AeroClip 2, AeroClip 2 Pro, and Liberty Buds 2, all built around its Thus audio processing chip first launched in April. The Space 2 Pro uses a 6-microphone array for voice isolation and eight microphones for adaptive noise cancellation claimed to be 1.5 times stronger than its predecessor, while offering up to 60 hours of battery life and high-res LDAC audio support. The headphones launch September 22 for $200 in the US, EU, and UK, with the AeroClip 2 arriving the same day at $170.
Anker has unveiled SleepLab, a bedside speaker that uses 60GHz millimeter-wave radar to monitor heart rate and breathing without requiring a wearable device. Over roughly a month of use, it learns which combinations of binaural beats and ambient lighting help the user relax and stay asleep, operating standalone without a phone or subscription. The device can be reserved for $1, with the radar-equipped Pro model priced at $269.99 and a non-radar version at $169.99.
Google unveiled Gemini 3.8 Flash, its third Flash-tier model release in six weeks, alongside a new cybersecurity model for government and enterprise clients. The launch coincided with a federal judge rejecting the Justice Department's demand that Google divest its ad exchange, and with Berkshire Hathaway's Greg Abel publicly praising Alphabet's AI standing.
An independent developer continues building a free, browser-playable action-RPG multiplayer game using AI-assisted 'vibecoding' techniques, now in its sixth week of public development. The project requires no downloads and lets players jump straight into a persistent shared realm to level characters and complete dungeon runs alongside other online users.
Venture capital firms are increasingly directing funding toward businesses built around physical, real-world experiences—such as sports, gambling and travel—rather than digital or software-based startups. The strategy reflects investor concern that AI's rapid advancement could quickly disrupt or devalue many traditional tech business models.
Meta told staff this week that performance evaluations will no longer be tied to how much they use AI tools, ending a system that had labeled workers 'AI Native,' 'AI First,' or 'AI Enabled' based on chatbot and agent usage. The change comes even as Meta rolls out a new agentic AI tool called Hatch, and employees report their token consumption keeps climbing anyway. The policy shift follows a lawsuit from about two dozen laid-off employees who alleged the AI-usage grading system unfairly penalized workers on health or family leave.