DYSON SUPERSONIC $399
A new hair dryer design by Dyson

James Dyson and his company have unveiled a device that he contends could change the monotony of bathroom routines forever.

"There has been zero innovation in this market for over 60 years," said Dyson, 68, of his company's new hair dryer, the Dyson Supersonic, which resembles a sleek black and pink plastic doughnut on a stick.

The company says the key to the Supersonic is its high-speed 13-blade motor. About the size of a quarter, the motor is small enough to fit in the base of the hair dryer handle, rather than in the conventional motor position at the top of the device, a shift that creates its unorthodox streamlined aesthetic.

Dyson, Britain's best-known living inventor, is the Steve Jobs of domestic appliances. He has built a fortune from making otherwise standard products seem aesthetically desirable, in the process persuading untold numbers of consumers that they really, really want cordless and bagless vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, blade-free fans and even household robots.

His inventions are pricey, and this one is no different. It's set to arrive in the United States at Sepora stores in September.

NEW YORK TIMES

GOOGLE GBOARD FREE
Tool can make searches easier on iPhone

Google has released a new keyboard app, just for the iPhone, called Gboard.

The app has quite a few features that aren't around on the standard iPhone keyboard. The new app lets you search straight from the keyboard, using normal Google search, image search or a search just for GIF animations.

The Web search results can be particularly useful if you are trying to send a link to someone. Just tap on an individual result, and it will paste its URL into your text bar. There is also an emoji search bar.

Gboard also lets you swipe between letters to type, which can really speed up word processing on your phone. Rather than having to peck out each letter, you can just slide from key to key. Gboard won't, however, tap into any existing keyboard shortcuts you may have, so that may slow you down if you have set up your own shorthand for the iPhone keyboard. Gboard will suggest words, but you can't set up your own shortcuts.

WASHINGTON POST