TechEBlog -

Visual Instruments’ Phantom Transparent Monitor Might Help You See Through the Hype

By Jackson Chung November 9, 2025

Visual Instruments has just unveiled the Phantom, a 24-inch monitor that allows you to see beyond it while you’re working. You can connect it to any computer, console, or phone via a USB-C connector or an HDMI cable, and the content seems to float on a sheet of glass, with no bulky bezels blocking the view behind it. This is the first entirely transparent computer display, according to the founders, although it is aimed at those who work at a desk rather than those who want to show it off in a shop.

Why the Standard AirPods 4 Deliver Everything Most People Need

By Bill Smith November 9, 2025

Apple offers AirPods 4 in two versions. The low-end one has come down to $89 (from $129), and gives up on active noise cancellation. The more expensive one is $179 and includes that feature. Lots of reviewers make a strong case for the pricier model. They point to noise blocking and wireless charging as the key things you can’t live without – fair enough if you’re stuck in a noisy city or always on the move. But after living with both models for a while now, the base model is still the smarter choice for everyday life.

Circus CA-1 May Become the Robot That Cooks Your Lunch and Sends the Staff Home

By Jackson Chung November 9, 2025

Circus SE out of Munich built a robot called the CA-1 that sits inside a glass box no bigger than a small bathroom. Two arms swing round at the command of a touchscreen, plucking ingredients from refrigerated bins, spooning them into a pot, cooking the whole thing on a induction burner and sliding out the finished plate to a take-out window. No human has to flip the food, wipe down the counters, or yell for the next order. This whole kitchen just runs by itself.

How the RTX 5090 Turns Assassin’s Creed Valhalla into a Visual Masterpiece at 8K

By Bill Smith November 9, 2025

Five years on and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla still is a Viking epic across misty fjords and rugged cliffs. But on a standard setup, distant mountains fade into soft haze and torchlight casts flat shadows on wooden longhouses. Drop in an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, crank the resolution to 8K, add a few mods – and suddenly everything is clear, or clearer.

Gamer Brings WipEout Out of the Screen and Into the Real World

By Bill Smith November 9, 2025

Gamer Joseph Hallam spent years fixated on a single all-consuming goal: bringing the rush of WipEout’s anti-gravity racing to life in a way he could get his hands on. Those computerized ships flying through neon-lit tracks had a hold on him unlike just about any game he’d ever played. As a long-time slot car enthusiast, he’d always loved Scalextric and the vintage Carrera models, but the stiff tracks just didn’t capture the same sense of wild unpredictability he got from the original Wipeout. But all that changed when the Carrera Hybrid came on the scene.

China’s CR450 Bullet Train Rewrites the Rules of High-Speed Rail Travel by Hitting 281MPH During Testing

By Jackson Chung November 9, 2025

Last month, on the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway line, something amazing happened…a silver bullet train zoomed by at 281 mph. That single run on October 21 means that the CR450 is now the fastest conventional wheeled train ever tested. Engineers measured one prototype at 453 km/h, as well as two trains passing each other at 896 km/h.

Honda EV Outlier Concept Takes a Bold Leap Into Electric Motorcycle Design

By Bill Smith November 8, 2025

Honda unveiled the EV Outlier Concept at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, a motorcycle that goes beyond just swapping gas engines for batteries. Designers wanted to build something unconstrained by conventional rules, using ideas from Honda’s global teams. The project leader, Yuya Tsutsumi, said they wanted to deliver surprises through characteristics only electrification allows.

iPhone Air 2 Leak Reveals Apple’s Purported Quiet Fix for a Phone That Missed the Mark

By Jackson Chung November 8, 2025

Almost two months have passed since the iPhone Air debuted on store shelves, and the rumour mill is already buzzing with speculation about what’s next. Those who were among the first to pay nearly a $1,000 for the thin flagship had one significant complaint: they thought they were getting a rather basic camera system on a phone that was intended to be a premium product. Apple appears to have finally listened. According to insiders, the iPhone Air 2 will include a second rear camera, a tweak that has the ability to significantly improve a product that has been extremely polarizing.

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Aims to be the Flagship That Delivers Without Premium Pain

By Jackson Chung November 8, 2025

Flagship smartphones have really gotten out of hand, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max is one of those devices that feels like it’s charging you an arm and a leg for every single feature. But Google comes in with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, a phone that can easily give the iPhone a run for its money – and it costs less to boot. At $899 (was $1,199) for 256GB of storage – though you can usually get it for a bit less with a trade-in depending on the carrier.

GM’s 1969 512 Electric Experimental was the Orange EV That Ate Detroit

By Bill Smith November 8, 2025

Photo credit: GM
Fifty-six years ago, General Motors dared to do something truly different. They parked a tangerine bubble at a trade-show turntable and asked people to take a good hard look. At Transpo ’72, visitors walked right up to the 512 Electric Experimental, noses just inches from its sleek fiberglass skin, wondering whether this thing was a car, a cockpit, or just some kind of wacky dream on wheels. Standing at a mere 86 inches long, the little GM looked for all the world like a Smart Fort Worth that had been sat upon – but as you looked closer, you could see that every curve was deliberate, every inch carefully thought out.