Gadgets

Following trials earlier this year, Japan’s Haneda, Narita, Kumamoto, and Naha airports are starting a full-scale implementation of machines that can compress clothing into much smaller cubes in about a minute so tourists have more room in their suitcases. The machines don’t use vacuum bags and don’t damage clothing, according to SoraNews24.

Spiegel just wrapped us up. I got to try the Specs, check out my story!

Heap is a Specs “visionary” (a celebrity partner), and she’s interacting with digital elements she can see in the Specs to make a song in real-time. It’s all very sci-fi.

Spiegel is trying it out now. He’s been flipping through a virtual book to try out different experiences, and got a letter from a virtual owl that was “sitting” on his arm. He’s also doing a Wingardium Leviosa spell.

The “SPECS First Look” opens at Westfield Century City in LA on October 1st, where you can “experience SPECS in person, meet members of the team, and check out what we’re building,” Snap says. Meta has also used pop-up shops as a way to show off its hardware.

The case, available as part of a bundle for $2,395 (a $200 increase over the Specs on their own), gives you an option to more easily get internet while wearing the Specs. In the US, Snap is working with Verizon to offer data plans and financing options.

After a brief interlude about how Specs can work in enterprise environments, Spiegel is pitching how Specs can help you learn things. Spiegel is down a live demo showing himself practicing drawing. He’s using a real pen to trace a digital alien mascot that’s layered over a real piece of paper.

I usually can’t see his eyes — they’re hidden behind the digital content he’s looking at.

We’ll see how this goes! Right now, he’s showing some menus, including quick access items that he pulled up by looking at his palm.

He’s giving an overview of the Specs AR glasses, which were initially announced in June. He says we’ll get live demos.

Made a friend walking in the door. I should have asked what he’s looking at.

A Reuters report claims SK Hynix is considering leasing part of Intel’s Ohio chip factory or forming a venture with Intel and other companies.

Following an already busy year of releases, Xteink’s new S4, which is launching in China first, is the company’s first pocketable E Ink device to run Android 11 giving it access to both the Kindle and Kobo mobile apps. The S4 also features a 4.3-inch frontlit touchscreen, 32GB of storage, a proper USB-C port, and a generous 1,400mAh battery, according to Good e-Reader.

That’s according to Gal Silver, a technician at GameTraderZero who’s modded and repaired more than 1,000 Switch 2 Joy-Cons over the past year. You can read their findings on NintendoLife but despite using older thumbstick tech, the new Joy-Cons have much improved durability with fewer issues and no instances of “drift issue straight out of the box.”

Alongside the new Palma 3 announced yesterday, Boox’s Picco, a direct competitor to Xteink’s tiny e-readers, is now listed for preorder for $99.99. The Picco has a 3.97-inch, 235ppi, frontlit E Ink touchscreen, physical page turn buttons, and a 920mAh battery. It also uses microSD for storage, and includes a USB-C port for charging.

The Pixel Watch 2 and later are getting Gemini Personalization, allowing the AI assistant to learn from past conversations and connected Google apps. The 3 and on also get new double-pinch gesture controls, while the 4 gets a performance bump to raise-to-talk. A similar September update is rolling out to Pixel phones too.

I saw the upcoming S30 Mini at IFA last week, and my bathroom floors are excited. SwitchBot’s line of mini robot vacuums is great for smaller spaces like apartments, home offices, or bedrooms, but none have full mopping capabilities — until now. The S30 Mini adds a roller mop to the 11-inch-wide vacuum, and it looks like a good solution for small bathrooms. There’s no price or release date yet.

Following the LG StanbyME and Samsung Movingstyle, Hisense is the latest company to debut a TV on a wheeled pedestal. The $1,200 RoamView pairs a 32-inch, 4K, camera-equipped touchscreen with a 10-hour battery, wireless connectivity, Android OS, and an included easel for using the display on a desk.

Prime Big Deal Days is its annual October sale, and this year it’s running from October 6th at 3:01am ET through the 7th at the same time. New deals will arrive three times daily, and we’ll be covering the event closely, highlighting the best discounts on products that Verge readers care about.

They say the best camera is the one you have with you, but that might not apply if you’re fastidious about oral care and only have Dyson’s new camera-equipped toothbrush in your back pocket. As the street photographer behind the allthegearnoskill Instagram account discovered, the CameraJet’s camera’s capabilities are optimized for inside your mouth, not the outside world.

Nearly three months after the MagSafe version of its new 2.6mm thick Low-Pro grip launched, PopSockets is introducing a new version built into a protective case. The $59.99 Low‑Pro Case offers the same functionality including a fold-out, rotating stand, but is only compatible with iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 Pro and Max models.

Not all of KitchenAid’s mixer upgrades focus on functionality. Like the walnut stand mixer that launched in 2024, KitchenAid’s new $699.99 Design Series Luminaire Stand Mixer prioritizes aesthetics with a new blue peppercorn colorway and a fluted glass bowl illuminated from below that casts glowing patterns on kitchen workspaces.

It packs Arm’s new G2-Ultra NX GPU, supports 4K at 240fps slow-motion video, and has two NPUs for more (and more efficient) AI processing. Its joined by a 9600M chip for cheaper models. Oppo has already said its Find X10 Pro Max will use the 9600 Pro, as will Vivo’s X500 Pro.

The first-generation Switch Pro Controller is marked down to $55.99 at a variety of retailers as part of Nintendo’s Customer Appreciation sale. It’s a solid deal despite lacking a few features found in the newer, pricier Switch 2 version. It’s compatible with both Switch consoles, with the caveat that it doesn’t wake the Switch 2 from sleep.