Metaray Single Rows Now Speak Your Language, Roku's New Streaming Wood Sticks, Kia Electric Cars Get Supercharged – Your Gear News of the Week
I've experienced Meta translation before and found it enough to read my kid's books in Spanish; Meta AI even provides some interesting insights. While traveling, my colleague Kate Knibbs found that live translation was a bit awkward when live translation was limited to written words. Real-time translation with other speakers should make it more useful.
The company has also announced new frame styles and colors, such as Chalky Grey's Skyler Cat-Eye style, and more software features. You can now send and receive messages from Instagram on your glasses, ask Meta AI to play music from an extended list of music apps (as long as you ask in English), or ask Meta AI to pass. Meta is also expanding access to META AI in other EU countries and launching glasses in Mexico, India and the United Arab Emirates. – Adrienne
Kia electric cars can now use Tesla's supercharger
Photo: Kia
The company confirmed that Kia electric vehicles have finally become part of Tesla's supercharger club, and now its cars can access Tesla's DC fast chargers in North America.
The move was initially approved in January to expand Kia's charging network by more than 80%, and saw automakers join Ford, Levian, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz to leverage Tesla's resources.
As part of the move, the company announced that its refreshed 2025 EV6 and 2026 EV9 will feature Tesla-compatible NACS connectors, but existing Kia EV owners with CCS1 charging ports can get adapters from their dealers. – Witt Burning
Cuisinart's first espresso bar “Favorites”
Photo: Cuisinart
Is anyone having coffee? This week, Cuisinart announced the touting of its first espresso collection (the first bottomless Portafilter machine for mom, dad and baby bear). The range starts with a vanishing slim profile, with the 15-bar EM-160 espresso bar retailing for $230, with the highest being the $600 “Grind and Brew and Brew” EM-640 model with 16 espresso. The medium-sized $300 machine EM-320 doesn't have a grinder, but adds 5 pressures compared to the Slim.
This is hardly Cuisinart’s first foray into espresso, but it does have a reboot of the U.S. brand reboot. Each device in the Espresso bar collection comes with foam rods, a 52mm stainless steel bottomless Portafilter, and an iced cafe or martini lover's choice for cold cafes. These devices provide a fairly high profile: Cuisinart advertises that each device will provide space for a 20-ounce travel cup. The lowest-priced “Slim” device is probably the most unique of the three machines, with a width of less than 7 inches.
Tuesday was the official launch of the new product line, but retailers like Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel quietly added Cuisinart appliances to their website in mid-April, an increasingly common strategy for the company, which manufacturers hoped the company would announce pre-reviews on the retailer’s website above the company’s PR official announcement. –Matthew Korfhage
The companion put down the first espresso machine
Coffee news doesn't stop there. San Francisco coffee equipment manufacturer researchers announced the first espresso machine. Looks like the retro espresso series 1 comes in black, cherry red or malt chocolate. It provides adaptive pressure on coffee ice pucks, guided brewing and steam rods with thermostats that stop bubbles at specified temperatures.