The Wearable Shuffle
Oura isn’t trying to be subtle with the Ring 5. It is smaller. Lighter. And it drags along an AI health coach. Seems like everything needs an AI partner now.
Meanwhile Google is killing screens. The new Fitbit Air costs a hundred bucks, runs on Gemini, and looks like a piece of jewelry you’d forget you were wearing. Maybe it will finally knock Whoop off its pedestal, maybe not. The screenless tracker war just got an extra round.
“Google Health” is the new name for the app formerly known as Fitbit. Or rather, Google Fit is dead, coming to an end this year. Fitbit itself lives on, but now your health data lives in a place called Google Health. Confusing? Sure. Inevitable? Absolutely.
And then there’s Vertu. The luxury phone company that nobody asks for anymore is back with the AlphaFold. It folds, it has decent specs, and it features the Hermes Agent. It is aimed at the wealthy who probably already own ten phones but want another one just because they can. Is this market real? We might never know for sure.
Motorola raised prices on all three of its new Razr flips. Specs didn’t get that much better. Prices went up. Welcome to modern flagship pricing.
Connected Cats and Cozy Living Rooms
People spend less on cats than dogs usually. But the Fi Mini and Tractive smart collars are fighting for the title of best GPS tracker. I pitted them against each other for activity tracking and sleep data. The winner gets your cat’s location history; the loser goes in a drawer.
Speaking of home, Bose is rebranding its speakers as “Lifestyle” again. The Ultra Speaker, Soundbar, and Subwoofer look cozy. They probably sound good too, since Bose usually doesn’t mess with audio quality when it tweaks aesthetics.
Security gets an update. OpenAI rolled out “Advanced Security” mode. This is for accounts that are likely to get phished—probably journalists or high-profile devs. If your ChatGPT account is valuable, this matters. If you just ask for birthday ideas, probably skip it.
Amazon claims a breakthrough in data center networking. They fixed a technical problem, so their cloud infrastructure moves info faster now. That’s the promise, at least. Infrastructure work is boring until your service starts lagging, then it becomes everyone’s favorite topic.
Gear for the Hands
Game on. The best mobile gaming controllers can turn your Android or iPhone into a handheld console. Backbone still holds my vote here. It feels solid in the hand. Why buy a Switch when your pocket phone is more powerful anyway?
Smart locks are still figuring out your front door. Whether it’s a fingerprint scanner or a keypad for a sliding glass door, the goal is the same. No keys. Less friction. Sometimes it just means standing in the rain trying to get your fingerprint recognized.
And because why not, there are deals on Foreo devices. LUNA cleansers, BEAR microcurrent gadgets. Skincare tech isn’t going away. You might not need the new ring, or the foldable phone, or the AI health coach, but you’ll probably pay for the skin tool anyway.
