#gadget — Public Fediverse posts

Apple Announces Keynote Date: Sneak Peek of the Foldable iPhone Ultra and Other Upcoming Releases #gadget

Apple reveals keynote date and a sneak peek of the Foldable iPhone Ultra along with updates to iPhone 18, Apple Watch, and iOS 27. Read the full preview of the “Surprise and Shine” event and what to expect on Sept 9 at 10:00 AM PT. https://ift.tt/mAtzVhy

Source: https://ift.tt/mAtzVhy | Image: https://ift.tt/kfSr7aN

Upcoming AirPods Enhancements for Your iPhone in iOS 27 #gadget

Exciting news for AirPods on iOS 27: smarter controls, personalized sound with real-time EQ, gesture commands, improved Find My tracking, and enhanced fitness features for H2-chip models. Learn more in our detailed write-up. https://ift.tt/xhwWPSz

Source: https://ift.tt/xhwWPSz | Image: https://ift.tt/RsKPOIT

Apple substitutes iPhone upgrade plan with Klarna-supported leasing system #gadget

Apple replaces its iPhone Upgrade Program with a Klarna-supported leasing option for iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and iPad. Flexible 12–36 month terms, no security deposit, soft credit check, and three ending options. Read more: https://ift.tt/0CS6NgL

Source: https://ift.tt/0CS6NgL | Image: https://ift.tt/wlV6m0O

Why Chinese Android Phones Charge Significantly Faster Than Their US and European Counterparts #gadget

Exploring why Chinese Android phones charge up to 100W while Western models cap lower. This deep dive breaks down fast-charging tech, safety concerns, and how Oppo and Xiaomi innovate with heat management and dual-cell charging. Read the full story here: https://ift.tt/5JTkNrt

Source: https://ift.tt/5JTkNrt | Image: https://ift.tt/zpU86oQ

Confirmed: The release date for the iPhone 18 Pro is set, and anticipation builds for the first foldable iPhone #gadget

Apple sets the stage for a transformative keynote: the iPhone 18 Pro release date is confirmed, with expectations for a potential foldable iPhone debut and new Apple Watch models. Read the full update and insights here: https://ift.tt/8HPAXBW

Source: https://ift.tt/8HPAXBW | Image: https://ift.tt/wlV6m0O

MSI Utilizes More Affordable DDR4 RAM in Latest Katana 15 Gaming Laptop Amid Rising DRAM Costs #gadget #gaming

MSI leans into affordability with DDR4 in the Katana 15 HX C14, offering DDR4-3200 options alongside DDR5 to curb rising DRAM costs. Read how this hybrid memory strategy, powered by Intel’s 14th-gen CPUs, could reshape entry-level gaming laptops. https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec

Source: https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec | Image: https://ift.tt/hQwag0S

MSI Utilizes More Affordable DDR4 RAM in Latest Katana 15 Gaming Laptop Amid Rising DRAM Costs #gadget #gaming

MSI leans into affordability with DDR4 in the Katana 15 HX C14, offering DDR4-3200 options alongside DDR5 to curb rising DRAM costs. Read how this hybrid memory strategy, powered by Intel’s 14th-gen CPUs, could reshape entry-level gaming laptops. https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec

Source: https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec | Image: https://ift.tt/hQwag0S

MSI Utilizes More Affordable DDR4 RAM in Latest Katana 15 Gaming Laptop Amid Rising DRAM Costs #gadget #gaming

MSI leans into affordability with DDR4 in the Katana 15 HX C14, offering DDR4-3200 options alongside DDR5 to curb rising DRAM costs. Read how this hybrid memory strategy, powered by Intel’s 14th-gen CPUs, could reshape entry-level gaming laptops. https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec

Source: https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec | Image: https://ift.tt/hQwag0S

MSI Utilizes More Affordable DDR4 RAM in Latest Katana 15 Gaming Laptop Amid Rising DRAM Costs #gadget #gaming

MSI leans into affordability with DDR4 in the Katana 15 HX C14, offering DDR4-3200 options alongside DDR5 to curb rising DRAM costs. Read how this hybrid memory strategy, powered by Intel’s 14th-gen CPUs, could reshape entry-level gaming laptops. https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec

Source: https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec | Image: https://ift.tt/hQwag0S

MSI Utilizes More Affordable DDR4 RAM in Latest Katana 15 Gaming Laptop Amid Rising DRAM Costs #gadget #gaming

MSI leans into affordability with DDR4 in the Katana 15 HX C14, offering DDR4-3200 options alongside DDR5 to curb rising DRAM costs. Read how this hybrid memory strategy, powered by Intel’s 14th-gen CPUs, could reshape entry-level gaming laptops. https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec

Source: https://ift.tt/iJHp7ec | Image: https://ift.tt/hQwag0S

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Experience Price Reductions Before the Launch of the iPhone 18 Pro Series at Apple’s 2026 Event #gadget

Apple fans, price drops ahead of the iPhone 18 Pro series arrival. Discover the latest reductions on iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max on Flipkart, with bank offers to maximize savings before Apple’s 2026 event. Read more: https://ift.tt/U3OikeT

Source: https://ift.tt/U3OikeT | Image: https://ift.tt/WNgc3FH

This iOS Function Could Be Crucial When Your iPhone Shuts Down #gadget

Explore how Express Mode could save your ride home even if your iPhone shuts down. Learn how to set up Transit Cards and linked payment passes so your device can still access buses and trains via NFC for up to five hours. Find step-by-step tips to enable Express Mode in Wallet & Apple Pay and practical battery-life tweaks. Read more: https://ift.tt/cwqbMuC

Source: https://ift.tt/cwqbMuC | Image: https://ift.tt/GnUzBeF

Apple set to reveal the iPhone 18 series, possibly a foldable model, on September 9 #gadget

Apple set to reveal the iPhone 18 series on September 9, with a possible foldable model alongside Apple Watch updates and software releases. The event at Apple Park could mark leadership change as John Ternus steps up as CEO. More: https://ift.tt/jZTQdVP

Source: https://ift.tt/jZTQdVP | Image: https://ift.tt/9ocM7I6

Apple’s Initial Foldable iPhone Anticipated to Intensify Rivalry with Samsung #gadget

Apple is set to launch its first foldable iPhone, potentially the iPhone Ultra, intensifying the race with Samsung. Our latest coverage breaks down the expected lineup, pricing, and what this could mean for the market. Read more: https://ift.tt/Ni72n4v

Source: https://ift.tt/Ni72n4v | Image: https://ift.tt/twkWV30

Top 8 Best Air Purifiers of 2026 (Ranked for Performance and Value) #gadget

Discover the Top 8 Best Air Purifiers of 2026, ranked for performance and value. Airdog leads thanks to its washable TPA filtration and no replacement filter costs. Read more: https://ift.tt/kRqDo7F

Source: https://ift.tt/kRqDo7F | Image: https://ift.tt/A5NQBSD

Apple Alerts iPhone Users in 110 Countries About Mercenary Spyware Risks #gadget

Apple alerts iPhone users in 110 countries about mercenary spyware risks — a deep dive into what these high‑confidence threat notices mean, who they target, and how Apple recommends protecting devices. Learn how this surge in alerts shapes policy, accountability, and tech defense. https://ift.tt/NAqwk1p

Source: https://ift.tt/NAqwk1p | Image: https://ift.tt/s6WGZCm

Apple Maps Introduces Search Advertising Ahead of September 9 iPhone Event #gadget

Apple Maps introduces sponsored search results ahead of the September 9 iPhone event, signaling a strategic push to grow Services with privacy-conscious, device-local ads. Learn how this monetization move could impact Apple’s ecosystem, margins, and hardware dynamics. Read more: https://ift.tt/jvRLwPn

Source: https://ift.tt/jvRLwPn | Image: https://ift.tt/odmK6nt

Apple’s Upcoming Foldable iPhone Anticipated to Intensify Rivalry with Samsung #gadget

Apple edges into the foldable arena with an anticipated iPhone Ultra launch, intensifying the rivalry with Samsung. Our latest post breaks down the September reveal, expected pricing, and how Apple’s foldable could reshape the flagship landscape. Read more: https://ift.tt/FIqtgN5

Source: https://ift.tt/FIqtgN5 | Image: https://ift.tt/twkWV30

Screenless Smartwatch? This Innovative Wearable Targets Seniors #gadget

Introducing Luffu Link, a screenless health wearable designed for seniors and family caregivers. Monitor activity, sleep, heart rate, and location without a screen, plus voice notes and GPS LTE for quick check-ins. Pre-orders now open. Shipping early 2027. https://ift.tt/RBx0dTt

Source: https://ift.tt/RBx0dTt | Image: https://ift.tt/odmK6nt

Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Expected at September 9 Event #gadget

Apple reveals its September 9 event with the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and Apple’s first foldable phone, potentially the iPhone Ultra, plus upgrades to Apple Watch and AirPods Pro. Read more about what to expect from the keynote and what it could mean for Apple’s lineup. https://ift.tt/VdqgT98

Source: https://ift.tt/VdqgT98 | Image: https://ift.tt/XS91Gem

Ah, the Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash—a name so revolutionary it makes your toaster blush with inadequacy. 🤖✨ Now you too can bask in the glory of #AI #innovation, because who needs actual content when you have #buzzwords to throw around like confetti at a #tech party? 🎉📢
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/build-with-gemini-omni-1-1-flash/ #Gadget #Enthusiasts #Flash #HackerNews #ngated

Ah, the Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash—a name so revolutionary it makes your toaster blush with inadequacy. 🤖✨ Now you too can bask in the glory of #AI #innovation, because who needs actual content when you have #buzzwords to throw around like confetti at a #tech party? 🎉📢
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/build-with-gemini-omni-1-1-flash/ #Gadget #Enthusiasts #Flash #HackerNews #ngated

Ah, the Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash—a name so revolutionary it makes your toaster blush with inadequacy. 🤖✨ Now you too can bask in the glory of #AI #innovation, because who needs actual content when you have #buzzwords to throw around like confetti at a #tech party? 🎉📢
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/build-with-gemini-omni-1-1-flash/ #Gadget #Enthusiasts #Flash #HackerNews #ngated

Ah, the Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash—a name so revolutionary it makes your toaster blush with inadequacy. 🤖✨ Now you too can bask in the glory of #AI #innovation, because who needs actual content when you have #buzzwords to throw around like confetti at a #tech party? 🎉📢
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/build-with-gemini-omni-1-1-flash/ #Gadget #Enthusiasts #Flash #HackerNews #ngated

Ah, the Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash—a name so revolutionary it makes your toaster blush with inadequacy. 🤖✨ Now you too can bask in the glory of #AI #innovation, because who needs actual content when you have #buzzwords to throw around like confetti at a #tech party? 🎉📢
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/build-with-gemini-omni-1-1-flash/ #Gadget #Enthusiasts #Flash #HackerNews #ngated

Apple’s iPhone Event Slogan Varies by Country #gadget

Apple’s annual iPhone event on Sept 9 is set with the tagline “Surprise and Shine,” but taglines vary by country. Explore how regions reinterpret the phrase and what to expect this fall, including possible iPhone 18 Pro launches. https://ift.tt/UutDms4

Source: https://ift.tt/UutDms4 | Image: https://ift.tt/xNhbK8P

IDC’s Forecast for Annual Shipments of Foldable iPhones by Apple #gadget

Apple’s first foldable iPhone could ship 10M+ units in its debut year, per IDC via Bloomberg, with a potential 21% market growth overall. Explore how this rollout may reshape foldables and lift the category this year and next. https://ift.tt/GZtbI0l

Source: https://ift.tt/GZtbI0l | Image: https://ift.tt/9XRxEUm

🆕 blog! “Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens”
★★★★⯪

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/08/gadget-review-thermal-master-p3-macro-lens/
⸻
#gadget #infrared #review #thermal #usb-c

🆕 blog! “Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens”
★★★★⯪

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/08/gadget-review-thermal-master-p3-macro-lens/
⸻
#gadget #infrared #review #thermal #usb-c

🆕 blog! “Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens”
★★★★⯪

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/08/gadget-review-thermal-master-p3-macro-lens/
⸻
#gadget #infrared #review #thermal #usb-c

🆕 blog! “Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens”
★★★★⯪

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/08/gadget-review-thermal-master-p3-macro-lens/
⸻
#gadget #infrared #review #thermal #usb-c

🆕 blog! “Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens”
★★★★⯪

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/08/gadget-review-thermal-master-p3-macro-lens/
⸻
#gadget #infrared #review #thermal #usb-c

Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically designed for getting close-up and personal with your electronics.

Yup! See just how hot your CPU is getting 🥵

Let's take it for a spin!

Unboxing

As well as the camera (which looks gorgeous with its gold trim) you get a carry-case, USB-C extension cable, and a Lightning converter for older iPhones.

The metal casing of the camera feels delightful and gives it a bit of heft. The focus wheel is reasonably stiff which makes it easier to position just right.

Sample Photos

These are the raw images taken directly from the app. I haven't resized or altered them in any way. What you see is what you get. Here's a hot-spot on a circuit board:

The natural size of the images is 1344x1008. That's obviously upscaled from the sensor, but there's a surprisingly amount of detail in there.

Here's a small circuit board which has just booted up:

Where the P3 shines is when you twist the manual lens all the way down to macro. You can get about 2cm away from a surface and stay in focus.

Obviously don't get that close to something red hot!

Annoyingly, the images are uncompressed JPEG and weigh in around 6MB each. I've losslessly compressed these to WebP, which is about 10% of the size.

Colours

There are a variety of different colour palettes to play with. Some are more useful than others. Here's a mug of hot and delicious matcha rendered in the various colours:

Scrolling through the colours is a little difficult in the app (more on that later) but once you've found one you like, it stays that way for the photography session.

EXIF

Geolocation is taken from the phone - there's no GPS chip in the camera. You can refuse location permission to the app and it will work just fine.

That's just about all you get other than the time and the model name of USB_IR_RS300_P2L - the infrared details aren't recorded separately.

Video

The video doesn't upsample the image, it has a resolution of 504x672 playing at 25fps. Audio is recorded from the phone's microphone and is 64kbps mono. A minute of video is around 22MB. I've recompressed this one for the web.

The App

It is, sadly, an inevitability that good hardware is always accompanied by a substandard app. The Thermal Master Android App is the only way to access the camera. It has a relatively easy to use interface with plenty of options.

As you can see from the word "brightness" the UI is a little janky in places.

There's a decent amount of settings to fiddle with.

You can also change which elements get displayed on the final image.

Unfortunately, it is also a bit crash-happy. Most times I used it, the app would randomly close. It takes a little while to re-open thanks to a mandatory animation. So it gets a bit annoying. Flicking through some of the options can be slow and tedious. It also doesn't respect the phone's orientation, so images may be 90⁰ off what you expect.

The app updated the firmware on the camera, but didn't say what had changed.

It takes photos and videos, allows you to share them, and has a bunch of options to play with - but it does have a habit of crashing just when you're about to take the perfect shot. There is also zoom available, but it is digital only - so you're just making the pixels bigger rather than getting optically closer to the object you're scanning.

Linux Info

I tried plugging it in to a Linux laptop. It shows up as 3474:45a2 Thermal Master Technology Co., Ltd. P3 - but that's about it. There's no way I can find to access the thermal images.

To be fair, this is explicitly sold as an Android and iOS device. I'm hopeful someone will be able to reverse engineer it.

Cost and Final Thoughts

Thermal cameras are expensive. This will run you about £280 on Amazon or about £260 direct. Readers of this blog can get 10% off using code THERMALBF10

If you run a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. The ability to see hot-spots on your circuits is immediately useful. The detail is impressive, allowing you to see exactly what's causing problems.

If you're a hobbyist, this is definitely in the "ask Santa if you've been good" category. You'll find it handy on any small projects you have, or to diagnose faults with electrical equipment.

For non-macro uses, it's also pretty good. You might be better off with a dedicated device if you want to go hunting wildlife or doing home surveys.

The only fly in the ointment is the app. While somewhat customisable, it does repeatedly crash and it isn't the easiest to use or set up. I found that pretty frustrating and have fed back the problem to the developers. I appreciate it saving high quality images - but a PNG or lossless WebP would be easier to work with than massive JPGs.

Ultimately, this is an excellent thermal camera. It looks lush, it is customisable, the images are high quality, and the macro-lens is surprisingly useful.

Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically designed for getting close-up and personal with your electronics.

Yup! See just how hot your CPU is getting 🥵

Let's take it for a spin!

Unboxing

As well as the camera (which looks gorgeous with its gold trim) you get a carry-case, USB-C extension cable, and a Lightning converter for older iPhones.

The metal casing of the camera feels delightful and gives it a bit of heft. The focus wheel is reasonably stiff which makes it easier to position just right.

Sample Photos

These are the raw images taken directly from the app. I haven't resized or altered them in any way. What you see is what you get. Here's a hot-spot on a circuit board:

The natural size of the images is 1344x1008. That's obviously upscaled from the sensor, but there's a surprisingly amount of detail in there.

Here's a small circuit board which has just booted up:

Where the P3 shines is when you twist the manual lens all the way down to macro. You can get about 2cm away from a surface and stay in focus.

Obviously don't get that close to something red hot!

Annoyingly, the images are uncompressed JPEG and weigh in around 6MB each. I've losslessly compressed these to WebP, which is about 10% of the size.

Colours

There are a variety of different colour palettes to play with. Some are more useful than others. Here's a mug of hot and delicious matcha rendered in the various colours:

Scrolling through the colours is a little difficult in the app (more on that later) but once you've found one you like, it stays that way for the photography session.

EXIF

Geolocation is taken from the phone - there's no GPS chip in the camera. You can refuse location permission to the app and it will work just fine.

That's just about all you get other than the time and the model name of USB_IR_RS300_P2L - the infrared details aren't recorded separately.

Video

The video doesn't upsample the image, it has a resolution of 504x672 playing at 25fps. Audio is recorded from the phone's microphone and is 64kbps mono. A minute of video is around 22MB. I've recompressed this one for the web.

The App

It is, sadly, an inevitability that good hardware is always accompanied by a substandard app. The Thermal Master Android App is the only way to access the camera. It has a relatively easy to use interface with plenty of options.

As you can see from the word "brightness" the UI is a little janky in places.

There's a decent amount of settings to fiddle with.

You can also change which elements get displayed on the final image.

Unfortunately, it is also a bit crash-happy. Most times I used it, the app would randomly close. It takes a little while to re-open thanks to a mandatory animation. So it gets a bit annoying. Flicking through some of the options can be slow and tedious. It also doesn't respect the phone's orientation, so images may be 90⁰ off what you expect.

The app updated the firmware on the camera, but didn't say what had changed.

It takes photos and videos, allows you to share them, and has a bunch of options to play with - but it does have a habit of crashing just when you're about to take the perfect shot. There is also zoom available, but it is digital only - so you're just making the pixels bigger rather than getting optically closer to the object you're scanning.

Linux Info

I tried plugging it in to a Linux laptop. It shows up as 3474:45a2 Thermal Master Technology Co., Ltd. P3 - but that's about it. There's no way I can find to access the thermal images.

To be fair, this is explicitly sold as an Android and iOS device. I'm hopeful someone will be able to reverse engineer it.

Cost and Final Thoughts

Thermal cameras are expensive. This will run you about £280 on Amazon or about £260 direct. Readers of this blog can get 10% off using code THERMALBF10

If you run a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. The ability to see hot-spots on your circuits is immediately useful. The detail is impressive, allowing you to see exactly what's causing problems.

If you're a hobbyist, this is definitely in the "ask Santa if you've been good" category. You'll find it handy on any small projects you have, or to diagnose faults with electrical equipment.

For non-macro uses, it's also pretty good. You might be better off with a dedicated device if you want to go hunting wildlife or doing home surveys.

The only fly in the ointment is the app. While somewhat customisable, it does repeatedly crash and it isn't the easiest to use or set up. I found that pretty frustrating and have fed back the problem to the developers. I appreciate it saving high quality images - but a PNG or lossless WebP would be easier to work with than massive JPGs.

Ultimately, this is an excellent thermal camera. It looks lush, it is customisable, the images are high quality, and the macro-lens is surprisingly useful.

Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically designed for getting close-up and personal with your electronics.

Yup! See just how hot your CPU is getting 🥵

Let's take it for a spin!

Unboxing

As well as the camera (which looks gorgeous with its gold trim) you get a carry-case, USB-C extension cable, and a Lightning converter for older iPhones.

The metal casing of the camera feels delightful and gives it a bit of heft. The focus wheel is reasonably stiff which makes it easier to position just right.

Sample Photos

These are the raw images taken directly from the app. I haven't resized or altered them in any way. What you see is what you get. Here's a hot-spot on a circuit board:

The natural size of the images is 1344x1008. That's obviously upscaled from the sensor, but there's a surprisingly amount of detail in there.

Here's a small circuit board which has just booted up:

Where the P3 shines is when you twist the manual lens all the way down to macro. You can get about 2cm away from a surface and stay in focus.

Obviously don't get that close to something red hot!

Annoyingly, the images are uncompressed JPEG and weigh in around 6MB each. I've losslessly compressed these to WebP, which is about 10% of the size.

Colours

There are a variety of different colour palettes to play with. Some are more useful than others. Here's a mug of hot and delicious matcha rendered in the various colours:

Scrolling through the colours is a little difficult in the app (more on that later) but once you've found one you like, it stays that way for the photography session.

EXIF

Geolocation is taken from the phone - there's no GPS chip in the camera. You can refuse location permission to the app and it will work just fine.

That's just about all you get other than the time and the model name of USB_IR_RS300_P2L - the infrared details aren't recorded separately.

Video

The video doesn't upsample the image, it has a resolution of 504x672 playing at 25fps. Audio is recorded from the phone's microphone and is 64kbps mono. A minute of video is around 22MB. I've recompressed this one for the web.

The App

It is, sadly, an inevitability that good hardware is always accompanied by a substandard app. The Thermal Master Android App is the only way to access the camera. It has a relatively easy to use interface with plenty of options.

As you can see from the word "brightness" the UI is a little janky in places.

There's a decent amount of settings to fiddle with.

You can also change which elements get displayed on the final image.

Unfortunately, it is also a bit crash-happy. Most times I used it, the app would randomly close. It takes a little while to re-open thanks to a mandatory animation. So it gets a bit annoying. Flicking through some of the options can be slow and tedious. It also doesn't respect the phone's orientation, so images may be 90⁰ off what you expect.

The app updated the firmware on the camera, but didn't say what had changed.

It takes photos and videos, allows you to share them, and has a bunch of options to play with - but it does have a habit of crashing just when you're about to take the perfect shot. There is also zoom available, but it is digital only - so you're just making the pixels bigger rather than getting optically closer to the object you're scanning.

Linux Info

I tried plugging it in to a Linux laptop. It shows up as 3474:45a2 Thermal Master Technology Co., Ltd. P3 - but that's about it. There's no way I can find to access the thermal images.

To be fair, this is explicitly sold as an Android and iOS device. I'm hopeful someone will be able to reverse engineer it.

Cost and Final Thoughts

Thermal cameras are expensive. This will run you about £280 on Amazon or about £260 direct. Readers of this blog can get 10% off using code THERMALBF10

If you run a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. The ability to see hot-spots on your circuits is immediately useful. The detail is impressive, allowing you to see exactly what's causing problems.

If you're a hobbyist, this is definitely in the "ask Santa if you've been good" category. You'll find it handy on any small projects you have, or to diagnose faults with electrical equipment.

For non-macro uses, it's also pretty good. You might be better off with a dedicated device if you want to go hunting wildlife or doing home surveys.

The only fly in the ointment is the app. While somewhat customisable, it does repeatedly crash and it isn't the easiest to use or set up. I found that pretty frustrating and have fed back the problem to the developers. I appreciate it saving high quality images - but a PNG or lossless WebP would be easier to work with than massive JPGs.

Ultimately, this is an excellent thermal camera. It looks lush, it is customisable, the images are high quality, and the macro-lens is surprisingly useful.

Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically designed for getting close-up and personal with your electronics.

Yup! See just how hot your CPU is getting 🥵

Let's take it for a spin!

Unboxing

As well as the camera (which looks gorgeous with its gold trim) you get a carry-case, USB-C extension cable, and a Lightning converter for older iPhones.

The metal casing of the camera feels delightful and gives it a bit of heft. The focus wheel is reasonably stiff which makes it easier to position just right.

Sample Photos

These are the raw images taken directly from the app. I haven't resized or altered them in any way. What you see is what you get. Here's a hot-spot on a circuit board:

The natural size of the images is 1344x1008. That's obviously upscaled from the sensor, but there's a surprisingly amount of detail in there.

Here's a small circuit board which has just booted up:

Where the P3 shines is when you twist the manual lens all the way down to macro. You can get about 2cm away from a surface and stay in focus.

Obviously don't get that close to something red hot!

Annoyingly, the images are uncompressed JPEG and weigh in around 6MB each. I've losslessly compressed these to WebP, which is about 10% of the size.

Colours

There are a variety of different colour palettes to play with. Some are more useful than others. Here's a mug of hot and delicious matcha rendered in the various colours:

Scrolling through the colours is a little difficult in the app (more on that later) but once you've found one you like, it stays that way for the photography session.

EXIF

Geolocation is taken from the phone - there's no GPS chip in the camera. You can refuse location permission to the app and it will work just fine.

That's just about all you get other than the time and the model name of USB_IR_RS300_P2L - the infrared details aren't recorded separately.

Video

The video doesn't upsample the image, it has a resolution of 504x672 playing at 25fps. Audio is recorded from the phone's microphone and is 64kbps mono. A minute of video is around 22MB. I've recompressed this one for the web.

The App

It is, sadly, an inevitability that good hardware is always accompanied by a substandard app. The Thermal Master Android App is the only way to access the camera. It has a relatively easy to use interface with plenty of options.

As you can see from the word "brightness" the UI is a little janky in places.

There's a decent amount of settings to fiddle with.

You can also change which elements get displayed on the final image.

Unfortunately, it is also a bit crash-happy. Most times I used it, the app would randomly close. It takes a little while to re-open thanks to a mandatory animation. So it gets a bit annoying. Flicking through some of the options can be slow and tedious. It also doesn't respect the phone's orientation, so images may be 90⁰ off what you expect.

The app updated the firmware on the camera, but didn't say what had changed.

It takes photos and videos, allows you to share them, and has a bunch of options to play with - but it does have a habit of crashing just when you're about to take the perfect shot. There is also zoom available, but it is digital only - so you're just making the pixels bigger rather than getting optically closer to the object you're scanning.

Linux Info

I tried plugging it in to a Linux laptop. It shows up as 3474:45a2 Thermal Master Technology Co., Ltd. P3 - but that's about it. There's no way I can find to access the thermal images.

To be fair, this is explicitly sold as an Android and iOS device. I'm hopeful someone will be able to reverse engineer it.

Cost and Final Thoughts

Thermal cameras are expensive. This will run you about £280 on Amazon or about £260 direct. Readers of this blog can get 10% off using code THERMALBF10

If you run a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. The ability to see hot-spots on your circuits is immediately useful. The detail is impressive, allowing you to see exactly what's causing problems.

If you're a hobbyist, this is definitely in the "ask Santa if you've been good" category. You'll find it handy on any small projects you have, or to diagnose faults with electrical equipment.

For non-macro uses, it's also pretty good. You might be better off with a dedicated device if you want to go hunting wildlife or doing home surveys.

The only fly in the ointment is the app. While somewhat customisable, it does repeatedly crash and it isn't the easiest to use or set up. I found that pretty frustrating and have fed back the problem to the developers. I appreciate it saving high quality images - but a PNG or lossless WebP would be easier to work with than massive JPGs.

Ultimately, this is an excellent thermal camera. It looks lush, it is customisable, the images are high quality, and the macro-lens is surprisingly useful.

Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically designed for getting close-up and personal with your electronics.

Yup! See just how hot your CPU is getting 🥵

Let's take it for a spin!

Unboxing

As well as the camera (which looks gorgeous with its gold trim) you get a carry-case, USB-C extension cable, and a Lightning converter for older iPhones.

The metal casing of the camera feels delightful and gives it a bit of heft. The focus wheel is reasonably stiff which makes it easier to position just right.

Sample Photos

These are the raw images taken directly from the app. I haven't resized or altered them in any way. What you see is what you get. Here's a hot-spot on a circuit board:

The natural size of the images is 1344x1008. That's obviously upscaled from the sensor, but there's a surprisingly amount of detail in there.

Here's a small circuit board which has just booted up:

Where the P3 shines is when you twist the manual lens all the way down to macro. You can get about 2cm away from a surface and stay in focus.

Obviously don't get that close to something red hot!

Annoyingly, the images are uncompressed JPEG and weigh in around 6MB each. I've losslessly compressed these to WebP, which is about 10% of the size.

Colours

There are a variety of different colour palettes to play with. Some are more useful than others. Here's a mug of hot and delicious matcha rendered in the various colours:

Scrolling through the colours is a little difficult in the app (more on that later) but once you've found one you like, it stays that way for the photography session.

EXIF

Geolocation is taken from the phone - there's no GPS chip in the camera. You can refuse location permission to the app and it will work just fine.

That's just about all you get other than the time and the model name of USB_IR_RS300_P2L - the infrared details aren't recorded separately.

Video

The video doesn't upsample the image, it has a resolution of 504x672 playing at 25fps. Audio is recorded from the phone's microphone and is 64kbps mono. A minute of video is around 22MB. I've recompressed this one for the web.

The App

It is, sadly, an inevitability that good hardware is always accompanied by a substandard app. The Thermal Master Android App is the only way to access the camera. It has a relatively easy to use interface with plenty of options.

As you can see from the word "brightness" the UI is a little janky in places.

There's a decent amount of settings to fiddle with.

You can also change which elements get displayed on the final image.

Unfortunately, it is also a bit crash-happy. Most times I used it, the app would randomly close. It takes a little while to re-open thanks to a mandatory animation. So it gets a bit annoying. Flicking through some of the options can be slow and tedious. It also doesn't respect the phone's orientation, so images may be 90⁰ off what you expect.

The app updated the firmware on the camera, but didn't say what had changed.

It takes photos and videos, allows you to share them, and has a bunch of options to play with - but it does have a habit of crashing just when you're about to take the perfect shot. There is also zoom available, but it is digital only - so you're just making the pixels bigger rather than getting optically closer to the object you're scanning.

Linux Info

I tried plugging it in to a Linux laptop. It shows up as 3474:45a2 Thermal Master Technology Co., Ltd. P3 - but that's about it. There's no way I can find to access the thermal images.

To be fair, this is explicitly sold as an Android and iOS device. I'm hopeful someone will be able to reverse engineer it.

Cost and Final Thoughts

Thermal cameras are expensive. This will run you about £280 on Amazon or about £260 direct. Readers of this blog can get 10% off using code THERMALBF10

If you run a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. The ability to see hot-spots on your circuits is immediately useful. The detail is impressive, allowing you to see exactly what's causing problems.

If you're a hobbyist, this is definitely in the "ask Santa if you've been good" category. You'll find it handy on any small projects you have, or to diagnose faults with electrical equipment.

For non-macro uses, it's also pretty good. You might be better off with a dedicated device if you want to go hunting wildlife or doing home surveys.

The only fly in the ointment is the app. While somewhat customisable, it does repeatedly crash and it isn't the easiest to use or set up. I found that pretty frustrating and have fed back the problem to the developers. I appreciate it saving high quality images - but a PNG or lossless WebP would be easier to work with than massive JPGs.

Ultimately, this is an excellent thermal camera. It looks lush, it is customisable, the images are high quality, and the macro-lens is surprisingly useful.

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🚨 ALERT: #Apple has launched a revolutionary... *drumroll*... #POLISHING CLOTH! 🎉 Because why not pay $19 for a piece of fabric to rub your overpriced gadgets? 🤑 Next up, a subscription service for polishing instructions—because clearly, doing it yourself is so 2020. 🙄
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/25/apple-releases-new-polishing-cloth/ #Cloth #Gadget #News #Tech #Humor #Consumerism #HackerNews #ngated

🚨 ALERT: #Apple has launched a revolutionary... *drumroll*... #POLISHING CLOTH! 🎉 Because why not pay $19 for a piece of fabric to rub your overpriced gadgets? 🤑 Next up, a subscription service for polishing instructions—because clearly, doing it yourself is so 2020. 🙄
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/25/apple-releases-new-polishing-cloth/ #Cloth #Gadget #News #Tech #Humor #Consumerism #HackerNews #ngated

🚨 ALERT: #Apple has launched a revolutionary... *drumroll*... #POLISHING CLOTH! 🎉 Because why not pay $19 for a piece of fabric to rub your overpriced gadgets? 🤑 Next up, a subscription service for polishing instructions—because clearly, doing it yourself is so 2020. 🙄
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/25/apple-releases-new-polishing-cloth/ #Cloth #Gadget #News #Tech #Humor #Consumerism #HackerNews #ngated

🚨 ALERT: #Apple has launched a revolutionary... *drumroll*... #POLISHING CLOTH! 🎉 Because why not pay $19 for a piece of fabric to rub your overpriced gadgets? 🤑 Next up, a subscription service for polishing instructions—because clearly, doing it yourself is so 2020. 🙄
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/25/apple-releases-new-polishing-cloth/ #Cloth #Gadget #News #Tech #Humor #Consumerism #HackerNews #ngated

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Source: https://ift.tt/zm9tc32 | Image: https://ift.tt/estarKM

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Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone is on the horizon, but will the iPhone 18 Pro overshadow it? Our latest analysis breaks down the foldable design, potential specs, and what to expect from Apple’s keynote this September. Read more: https://ift.tt/zm9tc32

Source: https://ift.tt/zm9tc32 | Image: https://ift.tt/estarKM

Apple’s upcoming foldable smartphone is on the horizon – but will the iPhone 18 Pro overshadow it? #technology #gadget

Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone is on the horizon, but will the iPhone 18 Pro overshadow it? Our latest analysis breaks down the foldable design, potential specs, and what to expect from Apple’s keynote this September. Read more: https://ift.tt/zm9tc32

Source: https://ift.tt/zm9tc32 | Image: https://ift.tt/estarKM

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Source: https://ift.tt/7XxVblS | Image: https://ift.tt/DiLBSQ0

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SwitchBot、記憶したい会話を瞬時に記録しAIによる文字起こしや要約が可能な身につけられるウェアラブルAIアシスタント「SwitchBot AIマインドクリップ」を発売。
https://applech2.com/archives/20260824-switchbot-ai-mindclip.html

#applech2 #Gadget #AI #SwitchBot #マイク #発売

SwitchBot、記憶したい会話を瞬時に記録しAIによる文字起こしや要約が可能な身につけられるウェアラブルAIアシスタント「SwitchBot AIマインドクリップ」を発売。
https://applech2.com/archives/20260824-switchbot-ai-mindclip.html

#applech2 #Gadget #AI #SwitchBot #マイク #発売