hardware

Jason Koebler in »Condensation Death Is Breaking $550 AirPods Max and Driving Users Nuts« for 404media.co: Apple’s $550 flagship headphones have a problem: They can malfunction, or suddenly stop working entirely, because of users’ sweat, or because of the condensation that can build up when people exercise in them or wear them for long periods of time. I’ve now had to buy new ear cushions for the AirPods because they’ve started to smell of sweat. I still hope the AirPods Max will last a long time. ...

Motherboard berichtet reported on a box capable of cracking an iPhone’s PIN. The GrayKey itself is a small, 4×4 inches box with two lightning cables for connecting iPhones, according to photographs published by cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes. The device comes in two versions: a $15,000 one which requires online connectivity and allows 300 unlocks (or $50 per phone), and an offline, $30,000 version which can crack as many iPhones as the customer wants. Marketing material seen by Forbes says GrayKey can unlock devices running iterations of Apple’s latest mobile operating system iOS 11, including on the iPhone X, Apple’s most recent phone. ...

Ghost Minitaur ‘Ghost Minitaur’ is a 4-legged robot that can traverse tough terrain, jump, climb stairs, open doors, and even climb fences. The company hopes it could be used as a platform for “developing commercial unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), advanced gait and locomotion research, and machine learning and training applications.” It’s crazy how far robotics has come, and the thing is apparently powered by a Raspberry Pi (see 0:45). ...

The iPhone 7 is the first iPhone without a headphone jack. In the first few months, there was a lot of complaining and joking in the media and on social networks. Now there is a huge selection of wireless headphones, so the lack of connectivity should no longer be a problem. Scotty Allen, an American engineer, has managed to bring back the jack. He documented the development in the following video. I really enjoyed watching him do it. ...

I want a new black MacBook → We already know Apple is fine with giving its smartphone the anodized color treatment, so why not the MacBook? In fact, I’d be happy if Apple even just offered a single additional color option for the most portable of the MacBook family, the MacBook Air. I want a black MacBook Air. I’d also like a black MacBook Air. I’ve always thought the black plastic MacBooks looked nicer than the more popular white ones. ...