The Snappy is another mobile grip accessory attempting to improve the ergonomics of smartphone photography, but it goes one step further by adding a motorized gimbal for stabilization.

The Camera Control on the new iPhone 16 lineup is Apple’s attempt to improve the ergonomics of smartphone photography, but it doesn’t solve the problem of securely holding on to those smooth rectangular slabs while framing a shot. Similar to accessories we’ve seen from companies like Xiaomi, the Snappy adds the grip and buttons of a dedicated camera, plus more device compatibility with its expanding clamp.

Buddiesman, a Chinese maker of tripods and heads, created the Snappy and is attempting to crowdfund the smartphone grip through Kickstarter. Full retail pricing is expected to be $149, but the earliest backers can preorder one for $89.

Although Buddiesman may have experience with designing and manufacturing camera gear, its current offerings don’t appear to offer any electronic features, so this could represent new ground for the company, which can complicate delivery for any crowdfunded effort.

Its beefier grip includes a dedicated shutter button plus a scroll wheel that can control the zoom of a compatible camera app over Bluetooth, such as Blackmagic’s. The grip can even be detached and used farther away from the phone as a wireless remote.

The Snappy’s motorized clamp works alongside an accelerometer to cancel out unwanted movement, but it only offers a single degree of rotational stabilization, so it’s definitely not an alternative to larger gimbals like DJI’s Osmo line. It can also switch the smartphone between portrait and horizontal orientations at the push of a button.

With Bluetooth, a motorized gimbal, an adjustable ring of LED lights, and the relatively compact size of the Snappy, other than delivery, our other question is what its battery life might be like when these become available starting in November.

The Biden administration is addressing the “de minimis” exemption that it says some Chinese e-commerce companies “abuse” to ship products under $800 to US customers without tariffs.

New rules proposed on Friday subject certain shipments from China to closer inspection and tariffs — a move that will affect products sold by ultralow-cost retailers like Shein and Temu.

With the rise of Chinese e-commerce sites like Shein and Temu, the US has seen a surge in shipments claiming the duty-free exemption. These shipments have increased from 140 million per year to more than 1 billion over 10 years, with the “majority” of products using the exemption coming from China. Shein and Temu claim the exemption because they send individual products directly to customers rather than shipping them in bulk to warehouses.

Under the proposed rules, the US will prevent companies from claiming the de minimis exemption if their goods are covered by Section 301, Section 232, and Section 201 tariffs, which apply to products from China, steel, and aluminum, as well as washing machines and solar panels. In addition to slapping these shipments with tariffs, the rule change would subject them to closer inspection by US Customs and Border Protection.

Earlier this week, House Democrats wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, urging the administration to close the de minimis “loophole.” Safety regulators have also called on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate Shein and Temu over concerns they sell dangerous products banned in the US.

The Biden administration said the proposal would help “protect consumers from goods that do not meet regulatory health and safety standards.” Even though Shein is headquartered in Singapore, it’s known for cheap fast fashion that’s mainly manufactured in China. The China-based Temu sells clothes, household items, electronics, and a variety of other goods made in the country as well.

“American workers and businesses can outcompete anyone on a level playing field, but for too long, Chinese e-commerce platforms have skirted tariffs by abusing the de minimis exemption,” US Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement. “With these new actions, the Biden-Harris Administration is standing up for American consumers and cracking down on Chinese companies’ efforts to undercut American workers and businesses.”

U-tec has announced a new smart lock that will allow your door to unlock automatically as you approach using ultra wideband (UWB) technology. While U-tec and other lock makers currently have auto-unlock methods that use a combination of BLE, Wi-Fi, and GPS, these can be unreliable and slow. The Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB Plus NFC is the first smart lock to leverage UWB, which promises a simpler, faster, and more reliable experience.

In addition to UWB, U-tec says the new lock will work over Wi-Fi and Matter and can be unlocked with NFC. At launch, it will be compatible with Android NFC-enabled phones, and U-tec says support for Apple’s Home Key tap-to-open feature will come once it’s available through Matter.

If you don’t want to use any of these newfangled methods of entry, the full deadbolt replacement smart lock also has a keypad for PIN access and uses a traditional key. It’s powered by eight AA batteries, which the company says will get one year of battery life. U-tec says the Bolt Mission will arrive later this year, but no price has been announced.

The same tech used in digital car keys, UWB allows your compatible phone or watch to talk directly to the lock at short distances and establish an instant secure connection. The wireless protocol also allows for precise location tracking using a combination of radar and ranging to know when you’re approaching the door from the correct angle (i.e., from outside the house and not the inside).

U-tec says the Ultraloq Bolt Mission uses both UWB and NFC technology “to determine their exact position relative to the lock, ensuring that only authorized users within a close range can unlock it.” The feature will be accessible through the U-tec app.

Apple recently announced it will support UWB unlocking in smart locks in Apple Home with hands-free Home Key. This is part of the new Aliro smart access standard, but the Bolt Mission is a bit early for this since Aliro hasn’t launched yet.

While the lock won’t work with Apple Home’s hands-free unlocking feature, U-tec says it will support Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings for remote access and smart home control of the lock through Matter.

The company also says the next version of the Bolt Mission, slated for early 2025, will support Aliro and Apple Home’s UWB unlocking.