TCL Unveils Note A1 NXTPAPER: CES 2026

TCL, a global leader in consumer electronics and display technology, announced the launch of the TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER, an intelligent E-Note designed to transform digital reading, writing, and creativity. Featuring TCL’s breakthrough NXTPAPER Pure Display and AI-driven productivity tools, the device combines the tactile feel of paper with the flexibility of modern technology. 

“TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER lets you think, write, and create as naturally as on paper, but with the intelligence and freedom of modern technology,” said Daniel Sun, chief technology officer at TCL Industries. “It’s a powerful tool for clarity, creativity, and connection, with AI enhancements for professionals, freelancers, students, and scholars.” 

Paper-Like Display Technology 

Building on TCL’s NXTPAPER technology introduced in 2021, the Note A1 NXTPAPER uses NXTPAPER Pure, a display innovation tailored for E-Notes. The 120Hz screen offers flicker-free visuals, TÜV-certified eye comfort, SGS-certified harmful blue light as low as 2.44%, and reflection-free clarity. With a 16.7-million-color range and adaptive brightness, users experience lifelike depth and reduced eye strain in any lighting condition. 

Precision Writing Experience 

The T-Pen Pro stylus delivers 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, dual-tip functionality, and ultra-low latency under 5 milliseconds. Certified for “Pencil-Like Writing,” it replicates the resistance and texture of real paper, offering a natural experience for notetaking and sketching. 

AI-Powered Productivity 

Integrated AI tools streamline workflows with features such as real-time transcription, translation, and automated meeting summaries. Writing-focused tools like AI Rewrite and Writing Assist enhance clarity and efficiency, while the Inspiration Space organizes ideas and content for effortless creativity. 

Performance and Design 

The Note A1 NXTPAPER features an 8,000mAh battery for extended use, a 5.5mm aluminum unibody weighing 500 grams, and 256GB of storage. Optional accessories, including a flip case and keyboard case, turn the device into a portable workstation. Connectivity options include LAN, Bluetooth, cloud, and email sharing. 

Availability 

The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is available now, with early adopter discounts offered through Kickstarter. For more information, visit www.notea1.tcl.com

Feature Grid 

Feature  Details 
Display  NXTPAPER Pure, 120Hz, TÜV-certified eye comfort, SGS-certified HEV Blue light content: 2.44%, paper-like clarity 
Stylus  T-Pen Pro: Dual-tip, eraser, 8,192 pressure levels, <5ms latency 
AI Tools  Handwriting-to-text conversion, real-time transcription, translation, summarization, handwriting beautification, writing assist, handwriting one-stroke formation, handwritten formula recognition, Inspiration AI 
Battery  8,000mAh, for days of power 
Design  5.5mm ultra-slim aluminum body, 500g weight 
Storage  256GB with cross-device transfer and cloud sharing via the most popular platforms 
Audio  Eight-microphone array, intelligent noise reduction and directional pick-up 
Accessories  Flip case, keyboard cover for workstation setup 

 

 

WHOOP Unveils WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG: Powerful New Devices with Breakthrough Health and Longevity Features

WHOOP, the human performance company, today introduces WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG — two next-generation wearables designed to unlock a new approach to personal health and longevity. Paired with a redesigned WHOOP experience, the devices offer 14-day battery life in a sleeker, seven percent smaller form – and introduce category-defining features, including Healthspan with WHOOP Age, Heart Screener with on-demand ECG, Blood Pressure Insights, and more.

These innovations arrive at a pivotal moment when ailing health systems cost more and deliver less. WHOOP is advancing a new solution and a better way – one that empowers people to connect their daily decisions to performance and health outcomes that can be measured and felt. While others track surface-level trends, WHOOP delivers longevity through depth — translating the body’s most vital signals into guidance that extends healthspan, not just lifespan.

“This isn’t just a product launch. It’s a new chapter for WHOOP and for our members,” said Will Ahmed, WHOOP Founder & CEO. “We’ve taken everything we’ve learned over the past decade and built a platform to help our members perform and live at their peak for longer. We’ve held nothing back.”

NEW HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE IN-APP FEATURES:

 

  • Healthspan with WHOOP Age: Get insights and guidance on how your daily habits impact your long-term health with Healthspan – a powerful new way to quantify your physiological age and slow your Pace of Aging. Developed in partnership with Dr. Eric Verdin, CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Healthspan uses nine different metrics linked to long-term health to calculate your WHOOP Age and Pace of Aging.

 

  • Heart Screener with ECG: Your heart, in your hands. WHOOP now includes an FDA-cleared ECG feature that allows a reading to be taken anytime, from your wrist — and shared directly with a healthcare provider. The Heart Screener detects signs of Atrial Fibrillation (Afib), a leading cause of stroke, and provides Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications (IHRN) for greater peace of mind.
  • Blood Pressure Insights: A patent-pending technology that delivers daily blood pressure insights, right from your wrist. Get estimated systolic and diastolic readings, and learn about how blood pressure affects wellbeing and performance.
  • Women’s Hormonal Insights: WHOOP goes beyond cycle tracking to deliver science-backed education and personalized insights on how hormonal shifts influence recovery, sleep, stress and performance. Whether you’re navigating menstruation, pregnancy, or perimenopause — WHOOP adapts with you.
  • Sleep Performance Update: Unlock better nights and better days. The reimagined Sleep Score delivers a more accurate reflection of sleep quality, helping members recover more effectively and show up stronger each day.
  • WHOOP Advanced Labs: Join the waitlist for the next evolution in personalized health. Coming soon, WHOOP Advanced Labs will allow members to schedule blood tests and receive clinician reports that are integrated directly into the WHOOP app, creating a more comprehensive picture of your health — and giving you actionable steps to improve it.
  • Comprehensive Fitness Tracking: From daily steps and VO₂ Max to Muscular Strain during strength training and 145+ supported activities, members can now optimize fitness for both performance and long-term health outcomes.

HARDWARE, REIMAGINED FOR PERFORMANCE AND PRECISION: 

  • Precision Sensors. Smaller Design. Greater Power: WHOOP 5.0 and MG pack more technology into a seven percent smaller form factor. Enhanced sensors capture data 26 times per second, while a redesigned processor delivers 10x more power efficiency — enabling richer insights without sacrificing battery life or comfort.
  • 14+ Day Battery Life. New Wireless PowerPack: 14+ days per charge across WHOOP 5.0 and MG hardware. Now, members with their device alongside the new Wireless Powerpack have access to a full month of battery life.
  • Elevated Accessories: Complete the experience with a new line of WHOOP accessories — including the new LeatherLuxe, crafted from genuine Italian leather for our most premium look and feel yet.
  • 24/7 Wearability: WHOOP remains the only wearable that’s truly wearable — designed for 24/7 use across multiple locations on the body. Powered by WHOOP Body and AnyWear™ technology, our technical garments seamlessly integrate with your device to capture data with unmatched precision — no matter your sport, lifestyle or movement.
  • Medical-Grade ECG: Available exclusively on WHOOP MG, maintain peace of mind with medical-grade ECG readings you can do from the comfort of home. Simply place your thumb and index finger on the ECG-conductive clasp, and get a medical-grade reading in seconds.

CHOOSE YOUR EXPERIENCE:

To make these innovations even more accessible, WHOOP is also introducing three new membership tiers. These tiers empower WHOOP members to choose the hardware device, features and pricing that make the most sense for them:

  • WHOOP One: Professional-grade fitness insights at our best price at €199 per year
  • WHOOP Peak: Advanced health, fitness and longevity insights designed to help you perform at your peak, longer. Priced at €264 per year
  • WHOOP Life: The most powerful WHOOP ever, delivering medical-grade health and performance insights. Priced at €399 per year

“WHOOP is a great tool. It’s like a doctor on my wrist,” said Cristiano Ronaldo, Professional Soccer Player and WHOOP Global Ambassador and Investor. “It allows me to monitor my behavior easily, and shows me that being consistent and prioritizing your health is worth it. I’m happy to be part of this company, and the launch of the WHOOP 5.0 and MG.”

WHOOP 5.0 and MG are available to purchase now on WHOOP.com.

Chipolo launches limited edition item trackers for a colourful Summer

Chipolo has launched limited edition item trackers for a colourful Summer if you are familiar with the popular trackers these might just be an ideal piece of kit for you if you are travelling this Summer.

The fruit edition trackers are colorful with Lemon Kiwi Watermelon and dragon fruit inspired and will stand out no matter where they are placed and work with Android and iOS and comes with free features.

  • Design. The Chipolo Fruit Limited Edition set comprises four brightly coloured gadgets: watermelon, lemon, kiwi and dragon fruit-inspired trackers.

  • Compatibility. They function with both iOS & Android through the Chipolo companion app, which doesn’t require a subscription fee and includes Out of Range alerts to notify you on your phone when you get out of range of your Chipolos.

  • Free premium features. The models work as a wireless camera button to take the best selfies – learn how here. You can also choose your favourite ringtone on the Chipolo app.

  • Price. Chipolo ONE Fruit 4-pack (plus a free gift pouch): $100/£88/€100.

See our latest reviews from Chipolo with their ONE point tracker and their Card point

 

Tech Review – BACKBONE One Gen 2 mobile gaming controller

Gaming phones are rising in popularity but remains a niche market for many even though they are powerful phones they often come with caveats being targeted at gamers and generally expensive and you will not see many in retail here in Ireland anyway as in your typical mobile shop but you can find some sim free in other retail outlets, The BACKBONE Gen 2 mobile gaming controller brings gaming to mobile phones and makes it a better experience and costs much less than buying gaming phones and this is their latest on offer and there is some key differences between this and their last model.

The BACKBONE Gen 2 offers more new features and are as follows.

    • Both USB-C generations support iPhone 15 and USB-C (OTG) Android phones, enabling immersive game experiences.
      • There are a few key differences:
        • The 2nd generation controller supports a wider range of phones and compatible phone cases via swappable magnetic adapters and increased bridge extension
        • The 2nd generation controller D-pad and face buttons have been updated to ensure even more precise and responsive input

The product is well presented as seen below in the unboxing video and in partnership with Red Bull and the product itself is solid with nice tactile buttons and controls across the front of it with two buttons on each side up top namely called shoulder buttons.

They key difference here now you can use your iPhone with the Gen 2 model so for iPhone users it is most welcome as I use both Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 pro means it is a hand gaming accessory for me to use. Also tested on my Pixel 8 pro this is a great accessory to use given I have not much time for gaming in the first place but plan to change this it is a simple to set up device and you are good to go in a few minutes and you also need to download the app to get full use of the product.

Now we can play games on our phones without the likes of this but I have never been a fan of on screen controls and this changes the game here if you have never used such a product as it gives you the full hand controller experince you would find on your Xbox or PS5 for example and you can play the console and PC games you have with Backbone’s support for PS Remote Play, Xbox Remote Play, and Steam Link mobile apps.

 

BACKBONE One mobile gaming controller rear view Gen 2 – techbuzzireland

Overall if you are into mobile gaming and cant afford to splash out on a gaming phone that can be expensive this is an ideal bit of kit to have that works with many devices and now iPhones which are powerful phones and can handle games better than before.

Features 

  • PLAY ANY CONTROLLER-SUPPORTED GAMES: Responsive analog triggers, tactile buttons, and clickable thumbsticks for the ultimate mobile gaming experience.
  • LOWEST LATENCY, PASS-THROUGH CHARGING & 3.5MM HEADSET JACK: Connects to your phone’s USB-C port for ultra-responsive gameplay. Charge and use your favorite headset while you play.
  • WORKS WITH MOST ANDROID PHONES AND IPHONE 15 SERIES: Compatible with most Android devices 10.0 and up as well as the new iPhone 15 series. For iPhone 14 Series and older, please see our Lightning version.
  • EARLY ACCESS TO THE BACKBONE APP – The Backbone app is your gaming destination–the feature-rich home for gaming on mobile devices complete with 20+ unique features. Record and share gameplay, party up with friends, and launch your favorite games all from one place
  • PLAY YOUR XBOX, PLAYSTATION OR PC FROM ANYWHERE: Play the console and PC games you have with Backbone’s support for PS Remote Play, Xbox Remote Play, and Steam Link mobile apps

BUY

Video Review