Nov 9, 2025

My next smart lock, a ring you can talk to, reggae sampling, a human/AI-hybrid assistant, and more...

Happy Sunday everyone!

This week I’ve been wishing I had the time and aptitude to build this DIY One-Time-Use Pad Generator, padding my movies-to-watch list with selections from this awesome guide to Kung Fu movies sorted by style and region of Chinese Martial Arts, eyeballing this borderline evil-looking vacuum cleaner, downloading BeeBot to get context-aware insights in my ears as I explore downtown areas, contemplating buying space on a billboard just for fun (and mischief), and trying to get my hands on this Japan-exclusive Tamagotchi-style Pokemon toy hybrid.

Note that some of the links in this issue of the Hiro Report are affiliate links and may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.

On to the good stuff!

🔐 Lockly HomeKit + Biometric Smart Lock** **- I go through smart locks like it’s a part-time job. As the tech advances, I love upgrading to the latest and greatest. This new offering from Lockly might be my next upgrade—it not only integrates with HomeKit smart keys so you can just tap your phone or watch to the lock to unlock it, it also has facial recognition and fingerprint recognition, and a smartly executed touch combination that regularly rotates numbers so you don’t leave consistent fingerprints on the same numbers over and over. Best of all, the biometrics are all stored and processed on device, and never travel out to the cloud, so your private data stays safe and local. I want one.

💍 Stream Ring - I am generally wary of the newish breed of smart devices that are always recording audio around you to capture and transcribe your every spoken word and interaction. I get the appeal for some folks, but the privacy nerd in me has major concerns. This new smart wearable has me intrigued as it’s a ring that only records when you activate a button, in a sort of push-to-talk setup—it can transcribe notes, speak back to you via headphones, and draw insights from your recordings. The price isn’t terrible and it’s up for pre-order right now.

📻 Teenage Engineering Riddim n’ Ting** **- Teenage Engineering’s EP-133 KOII is one of my all-time favorite gadgets—beautiful and fun beatbox, sampler and sequencer rolled into one. The EP-40 Riddim is a new Reggae-inspired variant that features slightly improved specs and during the launch comes with a fun performance microphone with built-in effects and samples. Just like the original EP-133, you can wipe all the samples and install your own if you’re not particularly in love with the included Reggae FX and samples.

📆 Howie Virtual EA - I’ve just started playing with Howie this week and have been pretty impressed. In short, it’s an AI-powered executive assistant that helps with schedule and calendar management. Need to schedule something with someone? Just cc Howie and it will find times on your calendar, coordinate with the other person and send invites according to your preferences/training. The part I like best about it is that it’s backed up by real humans who double-check to make sure the AI doesn’t do something dumb with your calendar.

🖋️ Tactile Turn Switch Pen - Texas-based Tactile Turn manufactures some of my favorite US-made everyday-use pens. I’ve got several of their bolt action and click pens, and now I’m eyeing these new Switch Pens pretty hard—they feature a unique light switch-style flicker on the side of the pen that looks super satisfyingly fidgetable. It’s made out of titanium and comes in two different sizes, allowing you to choose between your favorite type of refill cartridges.

That’s it for this week! May your hot beverages stay warm just a little longer.

🖥️

p.s. Do you like fun newsletters about tech? If you’re enjoying the Hiro Report, you might also enjoy the Hulry Newsletter. It’s a weekly dose of useful tips for making the most of your macOS or iOS software, along with some fun app and reading recommendations. You can subscribe for free.