Imagine walking up to your front door and it unlocks — even opens — automatically as you approach. It may sound like the stuff of smart home dreams, but it could soon be a reality, thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB) technology arriving on smart locks. 

With its precise, real-time location capabilities, UWB enables a smart lock to react to the presence of your phone or smartwatch as you approach your door, unlocking it with no intervention on your part. Both the lock and your device need a UWB chip, but this touchless experience means there’s no need to pull out your phone, fiddle with keycodes, fingerprints, or, god forbid, an actual key.

I got to demo the first locks to support the wireless communication protocol at CES last month, and I am ready for my hands-free smart lock future.

Fast, easy, and frictionless, hands-free unlocking is the kind of convenience the smart home needs

I test a lot of smart door locks and haven’t used a house key in a decade. But unlocking my front door still isn’t a frictionless experience: fingerprint readers are fast but can be finicky, Home Key is smooth but limited to Apple devices, keycodes slow me down, and palm readers and facial scan …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Borrowing from Apple’s MagSafe, Qi2 enables faster, more efficient magnetic wireless charging.

As of Sunday in the European Union, the bloc’s regulators can ban the use of AI systems they deem to pose “unacceptable risk” or harm. February 2 is the first compliance deadline for the EU’s AI Act, the comprehensive AI regulatory framework that the European Parliament finally approved last March after years of development. The […]

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will be launching a new events and invites service as part of iCloud. This new service will differ from calendar, and will launch as early as “this coming week.”

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Samsung offers nearly 70% off the Galaxy S25 Ultra during preorder, plus almost free accessories like Galaxy Buds3 Pro.

The very best deals are dropping during the last week of pre-orders on Samsung's brand-new Galaxy S25 family of smartphones.

A dive into probabilities, asteroid impact modeling, and what sort of damage an approximately 180-foot asteroid could cause on Earth.

Hypothetical devices that can quickly and accurately answer questions have become a powerful tool in computational complexity theory.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 69, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, get ready for some web-slingin’, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) 

This week, I’ve been reading about Elon Musk’s gamer habits and spy satellites and how Bluesky works, trying Llamao for some offline AI-ing, organizing my photos with the Proof beta, buying more BonBon candy than I’m proud of, testing the Marginalia search engine, plotting to break into the new Dude Perfect office, and seeing if a $56 Casio can be enough smartwatch for me.

I also have for you a new place to buy and read books, the return of one of my favorite shows, a great book for anyone looking for a better online life, a couple of great Spider-Man things, and lots more. Let’s do it.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into right now that everyone else should be playing / building / reading / watching / learning / writing / hanging from ceilings? Tell me everything: [email protected]. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe her …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Whether you’re looking for moisture, shine, or both, these hair masks can help your locks look their best.

Looking to step up to the TV big leagues? These are the best OLED TVs you can buy.

The bank says a technical issue, which began on Friday and impacted the its app, online banking and payments, has been resolved.

Chinese fast-fashion platform Shein has relaunched in India through a partnership with local conglomerate Reliance’s retail chain, nearly five years after it was banned amid diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. The new Shein India Fast Fashion app, developed and launched by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail, marks the firm’s significant return to one […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Zing had fewer than 9,000 active customers in the month before its announced closure

Government sees opportunity to be ‘global leader’ in production and export of small satellites

The switch from centralised, closed models to open source democratises AI access for everyone

A buggy app cost the sound system group $100mn in revenue last year, pointing up the inherent risk in codes

Glen Powell is going on a joyride, hijacking a truck, and putting the pedal to the metal. In the first teaser for Ram's upcoming Super Bowl 59 ad, the red-hot Hollywood actor sets up a testosterone-charged retelling of The Three Bears fairy tale and dons a flowing blonde wig for the Stellantis brand. He's...Goldilocks? Apparently...

We know Apple Watch saves lives, but did you know Apple Vision Pro is helping surgeons save lives? Harry McCracken reports for Fast Company that Apple’s Vision Pro is gaining traction in healthcare, particularly in surgery and medical training.

Surgeons at UC San Diego Health have used the headset to streamline operating room displays, reducing physical strain and improving workflow. Meanwhile, Sharp HealthCare has launched a Spatial Computing Center of Excellence and is hosting a summit with 300 attendees exploring Vision Pro’s potential in surgery, medical education, and beyond.

Apple’s Susan Prescott shared that even Apple has been surprised by how the medical field has adopted Apple Vision Pro. Perhaps even more surprising is what makes Apple Vision Pro effective in the operating room: its price.

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Canada will set its own tariffs against US goods in retaliation to broad 25 percent tariffs President Donald Trump announced Saturday on Canadian imports. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a 25 percent tariff on a total of $155 billion worth of American goods — $30 billion of that on Tuesday when Trump’s tariffs go into effect, then an additional $125 billion after 21 days. Trudeau also warned that the US tariffs will harm both countries’ economies, particularly the auto industry. “This is a choice that, yes, will harm Canadians, but beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people,” he said in a press conference Saturday.

Trudeau offered a “far-reaching” list of products that would be subject to import taxes, including American alcohol, orange juice, clothing, appliances, lumber, and plastics, along with “much, much more.” Non-tariff moves like reexamining public procurement policies are also on the table. However, he said that actions like limiting energy exports would require more careful consideration because “no one part of the country should be carrying a heavier burden than any other.”

The sweeping US tariffs, which include a lower 10 percent tariff on energy products from Canada, are a major shift in trade policy between the two countries. Trump claims the tariffs — which he also imposed on Mexico, and increased on goods from China — are meant to incentivize these countries to stem the flow of illegal fentanyl into the US.

The US tariffs include a clause seeking to prevent retaliation, outlets including The Wall Street Journal report, which would increase the penalties should the countries impacted impose their own tariffs. Despite this, Trudeau says that Canada’s new tariffs “are strong but appropriate in this case, and we will continue to defend Canada, Canadians, and our future.”