Not the mark they were hoping to make
Apple’s long awaited HomePod smart speaker is finally landing in homes, and it’s leaving a mark! And… we don’t mean that figuratively. It’s Thursday, February 15, and while the HomePod’s sonic capabilities have come in for rave reviews, the pounding bass response – and the silicon-covered bottom of the speaker designed to keep it from bouncing around – is apparently leaving behind a round mark wherever the speaker sits, especially on some wooden surfaces.
Apple says it is aware of the issue and on their HomePod care page, says that it’s “not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-damping silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces,” and that the rings can be caused by oils diffusing from the silicon padding. But don’t worry, says Apple, the marks typically go away with a simple cleaning, or after a few days if the speaker is removed. And you might want to consider putting it… elsewhere.
Still, it’s a bit of a black – or maybe kinda grey – eye for Apple’s launch of the long-awaited Alexa and Google Home competitor, and due to its limited usability outside of Apple’s walled garden of i-Devices, we actually gave it a fairly middling review. Still, it does sound nice and if you’re an Apple ecosystem dweller with metal tables all around, maybe give it a look.
Is the pen mightier than the laptop?
Apple frenemy Samsung recently added a new notebook PC to their lineup, but this time, it’s designed to work with one of their popular mobile accessories: The clever S-Pen. Called the Notebook 9 Pen, appropriately, the 2-in-1 format laptop is on the spendy side at $1,400 as tested, but it does come with fair bit of horsepower – and that fancy pen. And despite being super thin and super light at just over two pounds, it features a full slate of popular ports.
That includes a full-size HDMI connector for video fun, a legacy USB-A port for all your old gear, a micro-SD slot of memory expansion, and the now-popular USB-C superport for everything new. But it’s not all S-pen perfection, so check out Luke Larson’s full review and see if the new S-Pen PC is ready for computing prime time.
Not your ordinary villain
While it is Thursday, we’re already excited for tomorrow because we’re going to be in line early for this one: Black Panther. The latest addition to the Marvel movieverse is racking up rave reviews and a nearly 100-percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and if you haven’t checked out the Kendrick Lamar-produced soundtrack, that’s a winner as well.
Digital Trends managed to get in an interview Michael B. Jordan, who plays warrior Killmonger in the movie. Jordan is a rising star, with past roles in Creed and Fruitvale Station. He’s currently wrapping up work on the Creed sequel, but his work in Black Panther will likely brighten up his star power by more than a few degrees. Check out our interview with Jordan, and you might want to think about getting those tickets for opening night a bit earlier than usual.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
