Gadgets

Yes, The Verge has been talking about the Trump phone every week, but we’re not surprised that we’re off the Mar-a-Lago VIP list. There’s still a lot more to find out when we finally get our hands on the thing — but for now, here’s basically what NBC has to report from its experience:

The second-gen food recycler is now available from Mill for $874 ($125 off). It’s designed to grind your leftovers — meat, veggies, etc. — into nutrient-rich grounds, which, in turn, you can use to feed your chickens or garden. Sure, it’s still pricey for an automated waste bin, but at least buying it outright lets you skip the subscription.

The $109.99 to $139.99 TV Backlight 3 is priced between Govee’s TV Backlight 3 Pro and older Backlight 3 Lite, but could be a compelling alternative to both. It uses two cameras with new hybrid glass-plastic lenses and increased resolving power to more accurately mirror your TV’s onscreen colors onto surrounding walls using dense LED light strips.

The T1 Phone was supposed to start shipping last week. But our review units haven’t budged, and I’ve so far failed to find anyone online claiming their phone has shipped either. Maybe they’ve had to delay the launch to fix the flag.

The cheaper, performance-focused follow-ups to the Xiaomi 17 series launches on May 28th. We don’t know exactly where yet, but expect an international launch. The T phones usually drop a couple camera specs in exchange for bigger batteries and cheaper prices than the main flagship line.

Back in 2000, people were legitimately wondering if anyone would want to use the internet on their phone. At a time when i-mode phones connected to primitive mobile-specific pages were cutting-edge, and the concept of a smartphone wasn’t really in the public consciousness, the skepticism is understandable.

Ring’s new Battery Doorbell Plus is down to $119.99 ($60 off) at Amazon and Best Buy for the first time. It builds upon its predecessor with a sharper 2K video and improved zoom, while retaining a head-to-toe view. Optional AI features, including text activity summaries and facial recognition, are free for a month, then cost $19.99 monthly.

The Bluetooth range is dependent on what obstacles may lie between you and your grill, but the battery life for KitchenAid’s new $99.99 wireless Smart Thermometer is equally impressive. A full charge gets you 24 hours of use but a five minute quick-charge delivers up to five hours of remotely monitoring meat temps.

The Swap Arcade is a Raspberry Pi 4-powered arcade machine with a 27-inch screen and two sets of controls featuring Sanwa joysticks that transforms into a nondescript wooden cabinet when not being played. It’s available on Kickstarter discounted to $1,197 and expected to ship as early as October.

The ROG Xreal R1 AR glasses are a whopping $849.99 to preorder at Best Buy, and they’ll release on June 1st in the US, according to a press release. The collaboration, first shown off at CES 2026, blends the features of Xreal’s other glasses with a unique design (and a fast 240Hz refresh rate), and includes an HDMI dock with purchase.

It was reported last week that Intel and Apple struck a deal for unknown chips. Now supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports Intel is manufacturing “low-end/legacy” chips for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, the majority for the phones. The scale is small though, with TSMC set to retain 90 percent of Apple’s chip supply.

I’m not saying Dyson should weaponize its next camera-controlled AI air purifier, but the name does suit it.

Honor says it’ll launch in Q3, meaning July-September, though we’re still expecting it to be a China exclusive. The news was announced at the Cannes Film Festival, where Honor celebrated its partnership with professional cinema camera manufacturer Arri. The Robot Phone will be the first to include “core elements of Arri image science.”

Following the Osmo Pocket 4’s debut nearly a month ago, DJI announced a long-rumored dual camera alternative called the Osmo Pocket 4P during the Cannes film festival today. While it can capture footage in the high-dynamic range 10-bit D-Log2 format, details on the 4P’s zoom capabilities, pricing, and US availability weren’t revealed.

A power bank can only revive a dying phone if you actually have it with you. The 2,000mAh battery in Twelve South’s new $39.99 PowerClip can’t fully replenish a dead phone, but it can give you a few more hours of use. And at just 45 grams and about the size of an AirPods case, it’s easy to carry every day.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment for the Nintendo Switch 2 is $49.99 at Best Buy for the physical edition. Though it’s a musou title (all gas, no brakes action), its narrative builds on Tears of the Kingdom and even lets you wield a blade as Princess Zelda. Read our review.

MediaTek shared in a blog post that it will have chips in Google’s upcoming Googlebooks, joining Intel and Qualcomm. Interestingly, it mentions bringing Dimensity smartphone chips, not the Kompanio chips it already had in Chromebooks (and were quite good).

Sony’s trying to show off the AI Camera Assistant on the new Xperia 1 VIII, but I’m not sure a bunch of blown-out photos with weird ideas about highlights and shadows will convince anyone this is worth it. Our own Dominic Preston says he saw better results in his briefing, but this is looking pretty grim. (h/t Manideep!)

The new additions include Space Invaders Virtual Collection, V-Tetris, Jack Bros., Virtual Bowling, and Vertical Force. Of the 22 games released for Nintendo’s first 3D console you can now play 12 of them using the new Virtual Boy accessory for the original Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch 2.