I’ve been working at Engadget since August of 2015. Much of my time is spent editing and running our short-form, quick turnaround news coverage, but I still find time for reviews, news analysis and other stories. Here are few of my favorites, and you can see everything I’ve published here.
PlayStation needs Neil Druckmann more than HBO does
The Last of Us is one of my favorite video games of all time, and the first season of HBO’s adaptation was extremely well done. Druckmann served as executive producer, writer, and occasional director in the first two seasons — but after season two aired, he announced he was stepping down. It was surprising, but also the right thing for his main gig: running one of PlayStation’s premier studios. Here, I break down why that’s the case.
Light Phone III review: Minimalism stretched to the point of frustration
I’m getting pretty fed up with how overwhelming smartphones can be. It’s just too much, and devices like the Light Phone III are meant to keep you in touch with essential tools while avoiding “never-ending scroll” apps. It’s a great idea, the execution is done well… but “going light,” as the company puts it, is unfortunately not quite practical for most people. There’s still a big part of me that would like to make this my main phone, though.
The Humane AI Pin debacle is a reminder that AI alone doesn’t make a compelling product
The story of Humane is a cautionary tale for would-be hardware-makers. The Humane AI Pin didn’t have a compelling use case, and it didn’t work well, so it’s no surprise that the company utterly failed. But the Humane Pin is worth reflecting on anyway, because it exemplifies the worst tendencies of the AI era. AI alone was not nearly enough to make up for this product’s many flaws.
A $600 E Ink typewriter got me one step closer to writing a novel
The Freewrite Smart Typewriter, by the small hardware start-up Astrohaus, is expensive and limited. But, that’s kind of the point. I’m easily distracted, and so I’m kind of a sucker for these “distraction-free” sort of devices. The Freewrite gets a lot write: the keyboard is outstanding, it’s easy to sync your work from the device to the cloud, and the battery goes on for days. Of course, a well-designed gadget isn’t going to turn you into a real writer — that novel is still forthcoming. But for getting into a writing flow and banging out drafts, the Freewrite is a luxury that might be worth investing in.
The iPhone changed tech overnight. Almost 20 years later, nothing else has come close
For Engadget’s 20th anniversary in 2024, we took a look back at some of the biggest advances of the last two decades. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone was one — perhaps the one. In my opinion, the iPhone’s impact was so immediate and monumental that the history of consumer technology was instantly split into two eras: Pre iPhone and Post iPhone. And while plenty of good things came out from the iPhone, there are also loads of unintended consequences that have come to light since the iPhone arrived in 2007.