Accessories

Foxconn acquires Belkin for $866 million

Belkin accessories

Foxconn Interconnect Technology, a Foxconn subsidiary, is acquiring popular accessory maker Belkin for $866 million in cash, the companies jointly announced on Monday. The deal will also include other brands in the Belkin portfolio, including Linksys, Wemo, and Phyn.

How to turn off glowing Siri lights on HomePod

Two HomePod images placed side by side, with one photo showing the glowing Siri lights on top and the other photo showing the black top with no lights

Due to its lack of a screen, HomePod's means of expressing itself are limited to the pulsating, colorful dot on its slick top surface. The design and implementation of the expressive light undoubtedly make for a masterclass in giving an inanimate speaker an air of personality.

While we do have a detailed breakdown of which of HomePod's lights exactly mean what, what we have not done yet is call attention to the fact that the lights can also be shut down - and no, I'm not talking about pulling the plug from the power outlet.

Why would you want your HomePod to become a stale, expressionless object? Well, perhaps you don't want your HomePod to emit as much light in the dark or prefer the look of a sleek black or white speaker sans the play of colors on top! Whatever floats your boat, each to their own, you get the gist. Maybe you just appreciate knowing that there is the option without ever seriously contemplating depriving HomePod of its quirky LED.

Whatever the reason you might decide to neuter your HomePod, there is a simple switch to do (and undo) just that.

The best wallet cases for iPhone X

Even with the success of Apple Pay, wallet cases are still an extremely popular choice for iPhone owners. They protect your handset, as well as hold your drivers license, debit/credit cards in case you can't use Apple Pay, and cash in the event all other payment methods are unavailable.

There are a lot of options out there, so we've decided to put together a roundup of what we believe are the best wallet cases for the iPhone X. We have picks for every budget and design preference, including thinner, minimal plastic wallet cases and larger, more premium leather cases.

My locked Apple Watch Edition eBay adventure

eBay is the Wild West of shopping. There are some rules, but mostly its a wasteland of objects and you can call in the Marshall, to continue my terrible pun, if you need to report someone or get your money back. It is not as bad as Craigslist. I generally stay away from both.

However, my desire for a shiny white Apple Watch Edition and my unwillingness to pay $1,350 for a new one, drove me into the world's largest yard sale, eBay. After purchasing the Apple Watch Edition Series 2, it was a full three weeks before I was able to use it, thanks to the disaster that is Apple Authentication Lock. The saga has me swearing to never order a used Apple device again.