Tech Roundup: Artemis III Crew, Logitech's Folding Mouse, and More

Space Exploration

NASA Names Astronauts for Artemis III – NASA has selected Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas for the Artemis III mission, which will test lunar landers in Earth orbit rather than landing on the Moon. The crew will fly aboard Orion to evaluate SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, a key step toward Artemis IV. [Source]

Wearables & Fitness

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Battery Upgrade – According to SamMobile, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will feature a rated battery capacity of 784 mAh (advertised as 800 mAh), a notable increase over its predecessor. [Source]

Fitbit Air vs. Fitbit Inspire 3 – Google's new $99 Fitbit Air shares many features with the 2022 Inspire 3. Tom's Guide compares the two to help you decide which fitness tracker is right for you. [Source]

Smartphones

OnePlus 15 Gains AirDrop Support via Quick Share – The OnePlus 15 now supports seamless file transfers with Apple devices through Quick Share, bringing AirDrop-like functionality to Android. The rollout may be staged. [Source]

Samsung Galaxy A18 Firmware in Development – Samsung has begun testing firmware for the Galaxy A18 4G (SM-A185F), which may launch with One UI 9 out of the box. [Source]

Honor Introduces Virtual Permissions – Honor's MagicOS now includes Virtual Permissions, allowing users to grant apps fake data (blank call logs, false camera access) instead of real private information. [Source]

Audio & Tech Accessories

Logitech Mobi Fold: Ultra-Compact Travel Mouse – Logitech's new Mobi Fold is a folding Bluetooth mouse that packs a touch panel for scrolling, a 4K DPI sensor, and a rechargeable battery with a month of life. It folds to the size of an earbuds case. Priced at $79.99. [Source]

Tribit StormBox Micro 3 – The Tribit StormBox Micro 3 offers impressive sound and durability for under $70, rivaling JBL's offerings. Tom's Guide calls it a great value. [Source]

Photography & Creativity

Godox LC500R Air and LR150 Air Inflatable Lights – Godox's new inflatable LED lights maximize portability while keeping the light source large, ideal for creative on-location lighting. [Source]

The Pixel Stretch Trend Returns – Gen Z has rediscovered the pixel stretch effect. Digital Camera World explains how to achieve it easily in Photoshop. [Source]

Security & Privacy

Potentially Lethal Knock-Off Chargers Sold on Major Sites – A Which? report warns that dangerous counterfeit phone chargers are being sold on Amazon Haul, B&Q, and eBay, posing risks of electrocution and explosion. [Source]

FCC Proposes Ending Burner Phone Anonymity – The FCC wants to require telecoms to collect government IDs and physical addresses from all new and renewing customers, effectively eliminating prepaid anonymous phones. Privacy advocates strongly oppose the move. [Source]

Firefox Offers Unlimited VPN for Summer – Mozilla is providing free unlimited VPN bandwidth for the entire summer, allowing users to browse safely without data caps. [Source]

Google Docs Live Voice Feature – Google's new "Docs Live" AI feature lets you dictate perfect emails using voice commands within Google Workspace. [Source]

Green Tech

Chemical Bath Restores Old EV Batteries – Cornell University researchers have developed a recycling process that restores spent lithium-ion batteries to 95% of original capacity while cutting recycling costs by 56%. [Source]