Accessories
These cute cubes charge your phone ~and~ back up everything
I found the tech that protects your memories while charging your phone!
I walked into COMPUTEX ready to be wowed by the usual suspects: gaming rigs, new laptops, and AI-powered everything.
Walking along TaiNex 2, I didn’t expect a backup cube to catch my eye. Yet somehow, here I am, raving about little tech blocks that might just save your memories, your data, and your peace of mind.
Let’s talk about Maktar, the tech company quietly turning everyday gadgets like chargers and flash drives into low-key lifesavers. I got a first look at their newest lineup and I think I’m hooked.
Qubii Power: When fast charger meets data backup
Looks like a charger. Works like a personal memory vault.
Qubii Power is that tiny cube you plug into the wall and forget, except this one’s busy auto-backing up your photos, videos, and contacts while juicing up your phone.
No wires, no pop-ups, and no prompts. All you have is seamless, behind-the-scenes backup while you charge. It works with iOS and Android and supports microSD cards up to 2TB. Yes, 2-freakin’-terabytes!
Oh, and it’s fast. Thanks to GaN tech, it can charge your phone from 20% to over 70% while you’re browsing your photos from a trip last year.
If you’re going on a trip abroad, Maktar’s got an adapter set so this tiny cube works in over 200 countries. It’s giving “back up your life, then catch your flight” realness.
Qubii EX & Qubii Duo: The power cubes with brains
If you want more control — say, backing up your Facebook photos, your 4K videos, or even your iCloud files — Qubii EX and Qubii Duo are your upgrade options.
These cubes go deeper than just saving your camera roll.
The Qubii Duo supports both USB-C and USB-A (perfect for bouncing between your phone and older laptops), and has password encryption, Face ID/Touch ID support, and even 2-factor authentication.
I tested it with my iPhone 13 and the OPPO Find X8, and it worked flawlessly on both. Plus, the backup is incremental.
Plug it in again and it picks up right where it left off.
Nukii: The smart flash drive that knows when to lock itself
This one genuinely surprised me.
Nukii looks like your regular flash drive until you unplug it. Then it automatically locks all your files. No one can open it until you tap your phone via NFC.
You don’t even need passwords. It’s like a secure handshake between your drive and your phone.
It even has a read-only mode to protect you from sketchy computers (you know the ones). And if you lose it, you can just do a Remote data wipe. Yes, you can nuke your Nukii from anywhere!
I know flash drives aren’t the sexiest gadget at a tech show, but this? This is brilliant.
Piconizer 4: The easiest way to free up your iPhone’s storage
You know that “Storage Almost Full” notification that haunts iPhone users? Piconizer 4 is the fix. It’s a flash drive that auto-sorts your photos by year, month, or day, lets you back up albums with one tap, and supports both iOS and Android.
It’s light, fast, and even lets you password-protect your albums. At their booth, they showed me how to transfer a gig of 4K video from my phone to the Piconizer in minutes.
I wish I had this during that beach trip when I ran out of storage mid-sunset.
These might be your next must-have travel accessories
I came for the cool displays and crazy concept tech, but Maktar’s accessories were the kind of smart, travel-ready, everyday tools that actually solve problems.
These aren’t just “techie things to buy” as they’re memory-keepers, security guards, and stress relievers for digital life. And honestly? After getting hands-on with them, I kind of want one in every bag I own.
Accessories
England, Wales start banning Meta Glasses
The smart glasses are now banned in courtrooms.
Earlier this year, New York became the first state to issue a blanket ban against smart glasses in courtrooms. The new regulation marks one of the first public spaces to prevent the contentious devices. Now, England and Wales are following suit in their courtrooms by banning Meta glasses inside.
As reported by The Guardian, courtrooms in both countries will confiscate Meta Glasses from those taking them into the building. Owners can retrieve them again upon exit.
Like the decision in New York, the English and Welsh bans are simple enough to follow. As it is everywhere, it’s forbidden to record video inside courtrooms in England and Wales. Because Meta Glasses have cameras (and are primarily used for their video capturing capabilities), they fall under prohibited items.
Notably, smartphones are not included on this list, despite having sizable cameras themselves. Although, to be fair, it’s much more difficult to discreetly record video using a smartphone. Smart glasses pride themselves with the ability to take videos seamlessly.
Meta Glasses are having such a moment today. Though some users, especially creators, are excited for them, a significant chunk of the population is concerned over their ability to take videos without subjects knowing they’re being recorded. Some users have even found ways to disable the built-in LED indicators which should, in theory, warn the public that the glasses are recording. It’s since turned into a privacy nightmare.
Accessories
Peak Design’s new City Line combines minimalism and color
Less padding, more personality
Known for its camera-friendly bags with generous padding to protect photography gear, Peak Design is taking a different approach with the City Line.
The new collection prioritizes lightweight construction and everyday functionality, stripping away unnecessary bulk while still delivering the thoughtful organization the brand is known for.
The new collection includes the City Backpack in 15L and 22L sizes, the 15L City Tote, the City Crescent in 6L and 12L options, and the compact 2L City Sling. While each bag serves a different purpose, they all share the same minimalist aesthetics and intuitive organization.
To achieve that lighter design is Peak Design’s new weather-resistant MonoShell material, along with a seam-reduced construction that cuts down on unnecessary bulk.
It also comes with Peak Design’s built-in BagLev hook, allowing you to hang your bag from a table instead of placing it on the floor.
Beyond the neutral and muted finishes we’ve seen in the past, Peak Design is also introducing brighter options that add more personality to the collection.
The vibrant Lapis blue, in particular, stands out as a fun alternative for anyone looking to move beyond the usual black everyday bag.
The City Line is now available through peakdesign.com and authorized retailers worldwide.
DJI’s smartphone gimbals have always chased one goal: delivering cinema-smooth footage without forcing you to carry a heavy rig.
The Osmo Mobile 8P (OM 8P) makes its priorities clear right out of the box. This is not a simple refresh. DJI rebuilt how you control the gimbal, and that decision shapes the entire shooting experience.
Freedom behind the lens
The biggest change is the FrameTap remote, and it’s the kind of upgrade that fixes a problem you didn’t realize was slowing you down until it’s gone.
On the standard OM 8, adjusting your framing meant reaching for your phone every time, which broke the flow of shooting and pulled you out of the moment.
FrameTap puts that control back in your hand. You can reframe shots and manage the gimbal without touching your phone at all, and for anyone shooting solo, that alone changes how usable the whole setup feels. Tracking has taken a real step forward too.
ActiveTrack 8.0, paired with Module 2, held onto its subject even after they stepped out of frame for a moment, then picked them back up without much fuss.
It also lets you sit off-center in the shot instead of forcing you into the middle every time, which gives you more room to compose something that doesn’t look like every other gimbal video.
None of that would matter much if the gimbal itself wasn’t solid, and it still is. The OM 8P holds onto the same foldable design, magnetic phone clamp, and built-in tripod that made the OM 8 easy to live with.
And it remains one of the better compact options for stabilization, tracking, and portability in one package.
The tripod legs are a touch wider this time, and that extra width does make a noticeable difference on uneven ground.
The trade-offs in touch
The trade-off for all that new remote functionality is a control scheme that takes more getting used to. More of the gimbal’s functions now live on the FrameTap touchscreen, the joystick is smaller, and switching between shooting modes takes a few extra taps compared to the OM 8. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a learning curve you’ll need to budget time for.
DJI also removed the zoom and focus wheel, so if you leaned on that dial for quick adjustments, you’ll feel its absence here. Module 2 no longer lets you plug a DJI wireless mic in directly either.
You’ll need to connect it to your phone instead, which adds a step to a setup that used to be simpler. Phone compatibility is still a limiting factor as well. DJI lists support for phones up to around 300g and 11mm thick, so bigger phones or ones in chunky cases may not clamp in properly.
Finding your ideal workflow
The OM 8P makes the most sense for solo creators who want dependable tracking and the freedom of remote framing without stepping up to a dedicated camera like the DJI Osmo Pocket.
If you’re already shooting on a phone with a solid camera, this fills the gap nicely. It’s a tougher sell if you prefer physical buttons over touchscreen menus, or if your phone runs on the larger and heavier side, since fitting it onto the clamp might be a problem before you even get to shooting.
Price, availability
DJI is offering the OM 8P in three combos, so how much you pay depends on how much of the ecosystem you actually need.
- Standard Combo (PhP 7,499): the gimbal itself, with 8th-gen stabilization and the detachable FrameTap remote included.
- Advanced Tracking Combo (PhP 9,199): adds the Multifunctional Module 2 for the improved subject tracking we tested.
- Creator Combo (PhP 11,099): the full kit, built for creators who want everything DJI bundles in from the start.
Is the DJI Osmo Mobile 8P your GadgetMatch?
The DJI Osmo Mobile 8P asks you to relearn a few habits in exchange for a gimbal that finally lets go of your phone. If hands-free framing and steadier tracking matter more to you than a dedicated zoom dial, this is worth the adjustment.
If you’d rather keep things exactly as they were on the OM 8, that learning curve might be the deciding factor.
Swipe right if you shoot alone often and have been waiting for a gimbal remote that actually works. The FrameTap remote alone justifies the upgrade if reaching for your phone mid-shot has been slowing you down.
Consider this if reliable tracking matters to you, especially if you’ve had a subject wander out of frame and stay lost on older gimbals.
And of course, get this if you already own a capable phone under the weight and thickness limits, and you’d rather invest in a smartphone rig than jump to a dedicated camera like the Osmo Pocket.
Swipe left if you lean on physical dials for zoom and focus, and moving those functions to a touchscreen sounds like a downgrade rather than an upgrade.
This is not for you if you use a DJI wireless mic and want it plugged directly into the module without routing through your phone first. Or, your phone runs heavier or bulkier than DJI’s limits allow, since no amount of enthusiasm fixes a clamp that won’t close.
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