Teenage Engineering, Pebble and beyond
Instruction Set, August 18th
Welcome back to Multicore. This is Instruction Set for Monday, August 18th.
There has frankly not been very much worth rounding up in recent weeks. I thought about doing so with the subtext of “sorry, I know this is boring but you can at least now consider yourself an expert on the lack of activity in the tech hardware market this week”, but it still would have been boring to read.
The past week, though, actually had quite a lot of neat things going on. I am also now about to have a full-on mountain of products on my plate to cover — starting with Google’s Pixel 10 series launch later this week — so let’s all catch up as the autumn tech deluge begins.
How could I not lead with the plastic, completely free follow-up to a Teenage Engineering PC case I reviewed a while back?
The Computer-1 remains my primary PC, and I’m really happy with the build. The Computer-2 is a similar small-form-factor proposition, except it’s made of frosted plastic, and Teenage Engineering isn’t charging anything for it.
That last point is currently moot given that the company seems to have immediately sold out of stock. I am not altogether sure how many it’ll ever be able to produce. But still, what a concept.
Speaking from experience, the flat-pack sheet-metal Computer-1 is a pain in the arse to build but is well worth the effort if you’re able to deal with the constraints. It’s a really beautiful, space-efficient case.
The Computer-2 looks to be a similar Mini-ITX design with a striking visual appeal of its own. It’s “constructed from one sheet of plastic with living hinges and snap hooks,” the company says. “Just push-click the motherboard into place — no screws needed.”
It’s not clear what the Computer-2 looks like from the front; images online only show it from behind, as well as the fan-equipped side panel. I’m also not sure how much I’d trust that plastic handle up top. But I love the way the clean, semi-translucent design hints at the chaotic mess of cabling inside. Take it from me, that’s certainly what my Computer-1 looks like under the orange metal.
Anyway, I’ll try to get my hands on one.
Core Devices, the reincarnation of Pebble under original founder Eric Migicovsky, has shown off the final design for its new Pebble Time 2 smartwatch:
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