Brian Heater, Author at TechCrunch

A new startup from Figure’s founder is licensing NASA tech in a bid to curb school shootings

Brian Heater — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:55:00 +0000

Cover says what sets it apart is the underlying technology it employs, which has been exclusively licensed from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Labor shortages are still fueling growth at automation firms like GrayMatter

Brian Heater — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:18:11 +0000

GrayMatter self-reports that its systems currently produce “a 2~4x improvement in production line productivity [and a] 30% or more reduction in consumable waste.”

XReal introduces a $200 device that brings Android apps to its AR glasses

Brian Heater — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The $200 Beam pro looks like an Android phone, but instead it's a mobile device designed specifically for Xreal’s glasses.

Apple kills Pay Later feature ahead of Affirm integration

Brian Heater — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 19:26:12 +0000

Apple announced at last week's WWDC 2024 that users would be able to access loans through third-party app Affirm through Apple Pay.

Generative AI takes robots a step closer to general purpose

Brian Heater — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 18:44:30 +0000

The push to produce a robotic intelligence that can fully leverage the wide breadth of movements opened up by bipedal humanoid design has been a key topic for researchers.

Apple Watch is finally adding a feature I’ve been requesting for years

Brian Heater — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 23:41:17 +0000

The ability to pause your activity rings is a minor feature update for most, but for those of us who obsess about such things to an unhealthy degree, it’s the best Apple Watch update in years.

Why Apple is taking a small-model approach to generative AI

Brian Heater — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 22:51:14 +0000

It’s a very Apple approach in the sense that it prioritizes a frictionless user experience above all.

Apple confirms plans to work with Google’s Gemini ‘in the future’

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 21:50:17 +0000

“We’re looking forward to doing integrations with other models, including Google Gemini, for instance, in the future," Federighi said during WWDC 2024.

Watch the Apple Intelligence reveal, and the rest of WWDC 2024 right here

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 19:45:00 +0000

Apple kicked off its weeklong Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024) event today with the customary keynote at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The presentation focused on the company’s software offerings and the developers that power them, including the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS. But the biggest news came with the […]

Apple Intelligence is the company’s new generative AI offering

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 18:08:05 +0000

The company has been pushing the feature as integral to all of its various operating system offerings, including iOS, macOS and the latest, VisionOS.

Calculator for iPad does the math for you

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 18:04:27 +0000

iOS' perennial tips calculating app is finally coming to the larger screen.

Tap to Cash lets you pay by touching iPhones

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 17:30:47 +0000

Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote was packed, including a number of key new updates for iOS 18. One of the more interesting additions is Tap to Cash, which is more or less what it sounds like, letting users pay for things by tapping together a pair of iPhones. As the name also suggests, the feature is […]

visionOS can now make spatial photos out of 3D images

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 17:19:06 +0000

Apple today kicked off what it promised would be a packed WWDC 2024 with a handful of visionOS announcements. At the top of the list is the ability to turn existing images into spatial photos. The new feature utilizes machine learning to build out additional angles, marking a change from the existing method, which required […]

What to expect from WWDC 2024: iOS 18, macOS 15 and so much AI

Brian Heater — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Apple is hoping to make WWDC 2024 memorable as it finally spells out its generative AI plans.

Apple’s generative AI offering might not work with the standard iPhone 15

Brian Heater — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:09:40 +0000

Apple is set to board the runaway locomotive that is generative AI at next week’s World Wide Developer Conference. Reports thus far have pointed to a partnership with OpenAI that will, among other things, help supercharge Siri. A fresh round of rumors reported by Bloomberg shed more light on the news expected to be unveiled […]

Siri and Google Assistant look to generative AI for a new lease on life

Brian Heater — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:28:00 +0000

Voice assistants in general are having an existential moment, and generative AI is poised to be the logical successor.

Humane urges customers to stop using charging case, citing battery fire concerns

Brian Heater — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 21:32:51 +0000

The warning for the Ai Pin was issued “out of an abundance of caution,” according to Humane.

Sonos Ace review: A high-priced contender

Brian Heater — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 18:18:09 +0000

The Ace are a contender in a crowded market, but they're still in search of that magic bullet to truly let them stand out from the pack.

Inside Apple’s efforts to build a better recycling robot

Brian Heater — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 09:23:00 +0000

Last week, TechCrunch paid a visit to Apple’s Austin, Texas, manufacturing facilities. Since 2013, the company has built its Mac Pro desktop about 20 minutes north of downtown. The 400,000-square-foot facility sits in a maze of industry parks, a quick trip south from the company’s in-progress corporate campus. In recent years, the capital city has […]

Industries may be ready for humanoid robots, but are the robots ready for them?

Brian Heater — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 18:00:00 +0000

How large a role humanoids will play in that ecosystem is, perhaps, the biggest question on everyone’s mind at the moment.