It’s clearly time: all the news about the transparent tech renaissance

What a difference two years makes. 

Back in 2021, Nothing, the consumer tech startup led by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, had only publicly existed for a few short months before launching the Ear 1 true wireless earbuds. They were feature rich for their $99 price point but, at launch, suffered from plenty of bugs and so-so noise-canceling performance.

JSAUX might sound like just another alphabet soup electronics brand, but it’s quickly developed a reputation as the foremost accessory vendor for the Steam Deck — and today, it’s announced what (I’m fairly sure!) is the very first transparent shell for the system.

And you know how we love our transparent gadgets here at The Verge.

With new gadgets, you sometimes hear about the “early adopter tax.” The idea is that a company’s first swing at an idea might not be perfect; it might be buggy, badly designed, or otherwise miss the mark in some way. Nothing’s debut Ear 1 true wireless earbuds are a case in point. When we reviewed them last year, we found they suffered from a lack of polish at launch, including some software bugs and a lack of software features. 

In contrast, the Ear Stick feel like a pair of earbuds from a company that’s learning its lessons. The user experience is far better this time around, with far fewer connectivity and charging issues, and Nothing has updated its app to offer more control over their sound and shortcut controls. They also come in a redesigned cylindrical case, which is quirky and fun to use. 

Nothing claims its new Phone 1 can “Bring us back. To us” with “deeper interactions” and “brave simplicity.” It’s not the life-changing phone that Nothing makes it out to be; it’s just a good midrange device with flashing lights on the back.

The Phone 1’s unique light-up notification “glyphs” are somewhat useful, but more than anything, they’re a fashion flourish. Given that it’s backed up by solid performance and fair price, there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

Apple device collector Giulio Zompetti has photographed a prototype 29W Apple charging brick, and it may be one of the rare instances where the product-in-progress may look better than the final version. What makes it special is that you can literally see Apple’s design process because of the clear plastic shell, unlike the retail version where the internals are hidden by opaque white plastic.

Zompetti also tweeted another clear prototype, a pair of AirPods that live up to the “Air” name. The retro-futuristic look of the densely packed electronics makes me wish Apple would actually sell see-through gadgets again.