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Nov 04, 2024

See-through news: all the latest transparent tech gear - The Verge

Filed under: By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge. Gadgets, much like

Filed under:

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.

Gadgets, much like fashion, can make style comebacks. For tech: we’ve lived through the ’80s beige keyboards, transitioned to the ’90s with gray and black plastic video game systems plus bright colors for Sony’s Walkman and Nintendo’s Game Boy handhelds, and then, at the turn of the millennium, welcomed the amazing see-through iMacs, N64 controllers, and other gadgets with clear casings.

And just like the return of grunge makeup and baggy jeans, transparent tech is back. See-through devices are leapfrogging over the ’00s piano white iPods, ’10s matte black smartphones, and some of today’s colored aluminum and glass finishes to (hopefully) become the next big trend. Now, we’ve got clear smartphones like the Nothing Phone, see-through earbuds like the Beats Studio buds, colorful translucent shell casings for game consoles, and even chargers and USB-C cables that show off some capacitors for your pleasure.

So dust off your Apple Studio Display CRT monitor, Toys R Us-exclusive Extreme Green colored N64 controller, and your other favorite transparent gadgets as you scroll through all of our clear tech news.

Oct 21

Sean Hollister

The Icemag (video below) is almost obsolete. Next month, Sharge will intro an Icemag 2 that doubles the MagSafe / Qi2 wireless charging speed to 15W, adds a folding kickstand, and reportedly improves the cooling!

Speaking of obsolete: In my tests, the recent Shargeek 140 is better than the old Shargeek 130 in my video. No more overheating, better display, same capacity.

Oct 9

Sean Hollister

I’m in a love-hate relationship with these smart shades. This’ll be the second time I’ve returned a pair! I gave them another chance because the see-through model looks fantastic... I’d use them almost every day if I could ditch these dealbreakers.

Oct 9

Andrew Liszewski

Wanting to put its internals on display, YouTube’s Phone Repair Guru stripped an iPhone 16 Pro’s back panel down to the glass using a surprisingly complicated process. Gallium was even used to remove a thin layer of aluminum as the two metals react to create a soft alloy. The results look great, but maybe don’t try this mod at home.

Sep 25

Sean Hollister

They’re on sale now for $429 — an extra $100 more than the other translucent models — and are only available in the “standard” size. The limited-edition frames do come with transition lenses and “an exclusive custom-designed black case.” Meta normally charges a $50 premium for Transitions.

Here’s our story about them and their new features.

Sep 25

Wes Davis

Meta already let you see some of its smart glasses circuitry through its orange and blue frames, but now there’s an even clearer version. We already got a few photos of our own in our story about them today.

Is it... time for me to buy these things?

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Sep 25

Kylie Robison

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are already one of the best cracks at AI hardware to date. Now, Meta is pushing out a series of software updates, along with a new limited-edition translucent Ray-Ban style, that bring the smart glasses closer to actually feeling smart.

The company announced several updates to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at its Connect conference on Wednesday, introducing new features like “Reminders,” which has the glasses take a photo of what you’re looking at and remind you about it later through a notification on your phone. You’ll also be able to scan QR codes and call phone numbers you’re looking at directly from the glasses.

Sep 25

Andrew Liszewski

The clamshell RG35XXSP has become one of the most popular models in Anbernic’s extensive line of handheld emulators. Making it even more enticing are three new color options: transparent green, red and white.

Anbernic isn’t introducing performance improvements or new features with the additional colorways. They still feature a 3.5-inch, 640x480 screen and enough power to play N64 games.

Sep 24

Wes Davis

Microsoft went and made its pricey Xbox Elite 2 controller part of the resurgent transparent tech trend with some fetching new seethrough “Cipher Series” color options in its Xbox Design Lab custom controller shop. In addition, the company announced new chromatic options for the D-pads and paddles. Prices start at $149.99 for a custom design, but you’ll pay extra for some options.

The new translucent faceplate options are white (Ghost Cipher), green (Velocity Cipher), purple (Astral Cipher), blue (Surf Cipher), pink (Candy Cipher), and red (Pulse Cipher) options. Meanwhile, you can choose Energy Chroma and Sunset Chroma for the paddles and D-pad.

Aug 21

Sean Hollister

The SN30 Pro was already one of the best pocketable Bluetooth gamepads you could buy, complete with Switch motion controls — 8BitDo recently added drift-resistant Hall Effect sticks, too.

Now, Genki is adding this gorgeous transparent white version with cool legends and a handy reference to swapping between its three modes. Note: It’s a crowdfunding campaign right now, but it’ll retail for $50, just $5 more than the opaque version.

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Aug 21

Sean Hollister

Competition is a good thing, especially when it’s cute! We’re just not sure why CRKD would call the $20 Atom a “one-of-a-kind keychain controller” when the $25 8BitDo Micro and $20 Zero 2 have been around for years. The Micro even comes with a lanyard...

But I guess the CRKD does come in more colors, including transparent ones!

Aug 13

Andrew Liszewski

If you’re on the hunt for a wireless controller with extensive compatibility and ‘90s design aesthetics, the new 8BitDo Pro 2 Special Edition could mark the end of your search.

It features Hall effect joysticks, support for the Switch, iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, and SteamOS, can store and quickly switch between three customized profiles, and comes in a new transparent green or blue finish.

Jul 31

Tom Warren

I’m fairly confident Microsoft has created more Xbox controllers than I’ve eaten hot dinners at this point, but I’m always happy to see another translucent option. This time, it’s the new “Sky Cipher Special Edition” controller, which includes a translucent blue design that lets you see the inner workings of the Xbox controller.

Microsoft has created white, black, and even pink translucent controllers in the past, but only the top half of those featured the effect. This new blue model is now mostly translucent, apart from the rear, grips, and buttons. It matches the special 20th edition model that was released in 2021. Microsoft has opted for two-tone thumbsticks, a matching D-pad, and blue metallic triggers.

Jul 25

Andrew Liszewski

The officially licensed dock includes an 1,100 mAh rechargeable battery designed to replace a pair of AA batteries inside Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One wireless controllers. It also comes with replacement battery doors adding charging contacts and magnets for easy docking.

The battery takes about three hours to charge, after which the dock’s adjustable LED lighting will switch from amber to white.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.

Jul 16

Antonio G. Di Benedetto

Amazon Prime Day is just beginning, and Elgato is already dropping a sweet deal. Prime subscribers can get the limited-edition atomic purple version of Elgato’s Stream Deck MK. 2 for $124.99 ($35 off) at Amazon.

Normally, the standard Stream Deck MK. 2 comes in black or white and sells for $149.99 (or discounted as low as $109.99 during its biggest sales promos), so there is a bit of a premium on the limited-edition model and its aesthetics. But this is the first (and possibly only) time the atomic purple model has been discounted. Elgato only sells this variant on Amazon, and it claims the individually numbered run will no longer be available once it sells out. So you may want to consider jumping on this if you love the recent resurgence of transparent tech. I know I’m quite tempted myself.

Jun 18

Andrew Liszewski

It will be available starting on June 25th and will update the original Backbone One controller with a translucent green shell (reminiscent of the Jungle Green N64), laser-etched buttons, an aluminum D-pad, and glow-in-the-dark Post Malone branding.

The Backbone One: Post Malone Limited Edition Controller will be limited to just 500 units, and that exclusivity is reflected in its $199.99 price tag.

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Jun 18

Chris Welch

The first under-$100 true wireless earbuds from Beats (and, by extension, Apple) are here. Starting today, you can order the $79.99 Solo Buds online in four different colors — black, purple, red, and gray — and they’ll be in stores on June 20th. The red earbuds come with one advantage over the others: they include a translucent case that’s reminiscent of the one that comes with the Studio Buds Plus. The earbuds themselves are opaque, but it’s still a great look. I’ve been testing the Solo Buds for a few days, and that candy red case really pops. And whatever color you choose, it’s the smallest carrying case for any Beats earbuds yet.

But therein lies one of the tradeoffs that the company made to hit this lower price point. See, unlike basically all competitors on the market, this case doesn’t include a battery for recharging the buds whenever you’ve put them away. Instead, Beats decided to give the earbuds themselves a marathon 18-hour battery life, after which you’ll need to plop them into the case and recharge them over USB-C. In theory, this could help the Solo Buds last longer since they’re likely to go through fewer charge cycles over their lifetime. But it’s an important thing to be aware of.

Jun 11

Sean Hollister

Mini Maker wasn’t on our transparent gadget radar, but I’m fixing that now! The Turbo Mini X looks incredibly svelte for something with a 65W Intel desktop chip inside, and there’s a companion eGPU with direct PCIe connection that’s allegedly faster than Thunderbolt. It’s not just vapor: Tom’s Hardware saw one.

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May 8

Sean Hollister

Anbernic is the biggest name in affordable emu-portables. Many mimic a Game Boy — but the RG35XXSP is first to tackle the beloved folding Game Boy Advance SP.

It’s got dual microSD slots, a headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.2 and “5G WIFI,” plus HDMI output to your TV. Transparent shells, too! No price yet, but Retro Dodo says it’s imminent.

Apr 24

Umar Shakir

This new BattlerGC Pro controller looks like it could be the ultimate GameCube gamepad — one with drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks, hybrid analog / digital triggers, programmable back buttons, a rechargeable battery with a USB-C port, and the ability to use it across different consoles and systems thanks to Bluetooth support. And of course, it’s the latest controller to host the best face button layout ever, and I will fight to the Final Destination defending it!

I do, however, acknowledge the GameCube controller layout is not everyone’s favorite, so it’s no surprise there aren’t a lot of great modern GameCube controller options besides the PowerA-made licensed one that runs on AA batteries, which is my current go-to for docked Switch gaming. Most fans have official GameCube controllers and either use adapters or Bluetooth converters to play Smash Bros. games on Nintendo consoles.

Apr 16

Allison Johnson

HMD really wants us to have more fun. Earlier this year, it announced a collaboration with Mattel on an upcoming Barbie flip phone. Now, it’s teaming up with Heineken and creative firm Bodega on another effort designed to tap into nostalgia: the Boring Phone. There are more details on Heineken’s site — which you’ll need to be at least 21 to view — but basically it’s a translucent flip phone with no apps, just good retro vibes to help you connect with your friends over a cold one.

The Boring Phone is apparently real — I know, I was skeptical, too — but it will only be available through giveaways and isn’t going on sale. It’s a limited edition run and Heineken’s website indicates 5,000 will be made. There’s a 2.8-inch QVGA display on the inside, a 1.77-inch display on the outside, a 0.3-megapixel camera, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It supports calling and texting via 2G, 3G, and 4G, but good luck finding a functioning 3G network anywhere in the US.

Jan 17

Wes Davis

The DJI Mic 2 launched today, with the company known for its drones and cameras producing a second-generation wireless clip-on lav mic that pairs with a transmitter attached to your camera or smartphone. It connects via USB-C, 3.5 analog jack, or Bluetooth.

New features include intelligent noise canceling, a see-through case (you know how we love those), and a slightly larger 1.1-inch touchscreen. It’s out now and will run you $349 for the two-mic kit or $219 for a single.

Jan 12

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

LG’s DukeBox is pitched as a modern-day jukebox, but in person, it’s got much more potential.

A smooth-sounding 3D audio speaker with a 30-inch transparent OLED display that lets you see its retro-style insides and displays album art, the DukeBox is also a TV.

The music controls on the screen are just for show — it’s not a touch screen. But if LG ever ships this concept product it should totally be one. It would make a gorgeous smart display.

Jan 8

Thomas Ricker

Unlike LG’s transparent OLED TV, Sammy’s transparent MicroLED display is still just a prototype, but CES 2024 is the first time Samsung is showing it in public.

As a reminder, MicroLED — first seen in “The Wall” at CES several years ago — has many of the same benefits as OLED (like self-lit pixels) without the organic downsides or chance of burn-in. But MicroLED is still too expensive despite the seamless panels getting smaller and more TV-like in recent years.

Jan 8

Chris Welch

Transparent display prototypes have had a presence on the CES show floor for many years. They’re a guaranteed way to wow people and showcase the unique capabilities of an OLED panel. But LG has seemingly decided that the time has come to ship a real, bona fide transparent TV that people will actually be able to buy this year. At some undisclosed date. For what’s certain to be an exorbitant amount of money.

The company has announced the OLED Signature T (you can guess what the T stands for) here at CES 2024. The product that LG demoed for press in Las Vegas isn’t exactly “final.” The 77-inch display won’t be changing at all, but the company hasn’t decided whether it’ll come bundled with all the side furniture you see in these photos or if it’ll sell those items separately.

Jan 8

Sean Hollister

I’m a sucker for Sharge’s charging gear because it looks like nothing else, and that continues to be true of the new Sharge 170 model and especially the “Internet Hostkey” in my CES hands-on gallery below. Be warned that the Hostkey comes in a wimpy 40Wh capacity model in addition to its reasonable 72Wh one. Here’s my video with a few earlier Sharge products.

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