Gear News of the Week: Withings launches urine scanner, Samsung shows off tri-fold phone

A few weeks Some time ago, bathroom and plumbing company Kohler debuted the Dekoda, a health and wellness sensor that lives in the toilet bowl and records signs of gut health and hydration. Now, Withings has launched the U-Scan. The U-Scan was first shown at CES in 2023 also Sitting inside the toilet bowl. The thermal sensor detects when a new sample is deposited. U-Scan takes a small sample and analyzes it on site using miniature biochemical sensors inside an interchangeable cartridge.

There are two separate U-scans. U-Scan Nutrio analyzes your diet, checking vital indicators such as vital acidity, hydration status, and ketone levels, showing that you are starting to burn body fat instead of sugar. U-Scan Calci also checks for calcium, which is a sign that you may have kidney stones. The results are then transmitted over Wi-Fi to the Withings app.

The cartridges are replaceable, and the sensor comes with a docking station for cleaning and recharging the sensor. Purchasing a U-Scan comes with a free subscription to Withings+, the company’s upgraded app, which also includes a free consultation with a nutritionist.

U-Scan packages start at $380, which comes with one U-Scan, either Nutrio or Calci, one cartridge, and two to four scans per week (each cartridge lasts about 2.5 months). For more intensive monitoring, the Intensive Package includes two cartridges for five to seven weekly measurements. Replacement cartridges cost $100 for one cartridge or $180 for two cartridges, and Withings automatically sends you the cartridge depending on which package you select. U-Scan is now available on Withings.com. We will test it soon. —Adrian Su

Samsung is bringing its browser to Windows, teasing a tri-fold phone

Samsung has long offered its own browser on its smartphones—Samsung Internet—but now the app is finally available on another platform: Windows. Since Samsung makes Windows laptops and Android phones, the move allows people who use the company’s browser to share browsing history and bookmarks between the phone and laptop, and if you’ve saved passwords with Samsung Pass, you can use it to autofill passwords on websites.

The company is taking this opportunity to bring in some Galaxy AI features as well, including browsing assistance, which lets you instantly summarize web pages or translate them into another language. Samsung says its browser also blocks third-party web trackers, and there’s a privacy dashboard that lets you see what’s blocked.

Samsung Internet for PC is only available in beta at the moment, but anyone in the US or South Korea running Windows 11 or Windows 10 (version 1809 and later) can download it now.