Engadget

07.01.2025 15:00 8Bitdo makes some of our favorite controllers for all manner of consoles and gaming rigs, and now you can pick an Xbox controller of theirs up for only $30. The 8Bitdo Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox is 33 percent off and down to just about a record-low price. Considering first-party Xbox controllers can be around $60, this is an especially good deal. This controller may be more affordable, but it's not a cheap knockoff. It’s licensed by Xbox and compatible with the Xbox Series X, Series S, Xbox One and Windows 10 and above; that means you can switch back and forth and use it with your console and PC. There are two extra buttons on the back that aren’t included with the official controller, which could be useful for mapping To that end, the controller offers custom button mapping and stick/trigger sensitivity for control over vibration. The Hall effect joysticks and impulse triggers should increase both durability and sensitivity, while minimizing drift. There’s also a 3.5mm audio jack on the back to directly connect to headphones. Other features include a classic d-pad and an enhanced grip. So what’s the catch? It’s right there in the name. This is a wired controller, which is both a blessing and a curse. Wired controllers offer reduced latency, making them the preferred choice for pro-level gamers, but keep folks tethered to a cable. It ships with a fairly long cable, at nearly ten feet, but the wireless range of a standard Bluetooth controller comes in at around 20 feet. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/8bitdos-ultimate-wired-controller-for-xbox-drops-to-only-30-173842385.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 In 2023, Shokz strayed from its bone conduction roots with a pair of “air conduction” open-ear wireless earbuds. While the Shokz OpenFit delivered better audio than bone conduction models, that wasn’t saying much. Their sound was still hit-or-miss, and some users had problems with their finicky touch controls. At CES 2025, the company is back with the $180 OpenFit 2, which apparently has solutions for both issues, as well as a new bone-conduction headset for office calls. The Shokz OpenFit 2 has a woofer and tweeter in each earpiece for more dynamic sound. The company also improved its bass algorithm, which “enhances dynamic low-frequency vibrations directly to your ear.” Shokz The open-ear buds’ design hasn’t changed dramatically from the original OpenFit: a hook still wraps around each ear with a bud resting just outside. But Shokz engineered the new model’s ear hook with a softer silicone and a tighter curve . The company says it “molds to the contours of your ear for a personalized, comfortable fit.” Each earpiece weighs 9.4g . You can order it in black or beige. The 2023 model used touch controls, which aren’t always the best input solution for earbuds’ small surfaces. So, the new model has physical multifunction buttons in addition to touch controls, which should help prevent or minimize accidental touches. The OpenFit 2 is rated for up to 11 hours per charge or 48 hours when factoring in the bundled charging case. They also have a better water resistance rating and Bluetooth 5.4. Shokz Shokz also has a new office headset, the OpenMeet, which seems like a redesigned spiritual successor to its OpenComm series. Like other workplace headsets, it looks a bit… goofy, with its long mic stem jutting out toward the mouth area. Similar to the OpenComm, the earpiece sits in front of the ear instead of on, in or around it. But a key difference is that OpenMeet’s band extends over the top of the head, not behind it. The company says OpenMeet is designed to feel weightless, thanks to a five-point design that distributes its 78 g for minimal pressure. Its audio merges bone and air conduction, and the company says its “LeakSlayer 3.0” tech helps minimize sound leakage to help keep your calls private. OpenMeet uses a dual-mic system using Qualcomm’s cVc noise reduction, which Shokz claims reduces background noise by up to 98.6 percent. It has a dedicated mute button, Bluetooth 5.4 and up to 15 hours of battery life. The Shokz OpenFit 2 is available today for $180 on the company website, Amazon and retail partners . Meanwhile, the OpenMeet headset is sold through the company’s business website. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-shokz-openfit-2-promises-better-sound-and-longer-battery-life-130016786.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 Segway, known of course for the Segway, is now offering another motorized form of transportation. The company has announced its first two e-bikes at CES 2025. Pre-orders for the Xyber and Xafari are now available through Segway and select dealers. The Xyber seems to be all about speed and distance. Twisting the throttle in Race Mode makes the bike go from zero to 20 miles per hour in just 2.7 seconds thanks to its direct-drive motor. It can go up to 112 miles on a dual battery or 56 miles on a single battery. Plus, it has 20-inch by three-inch tires and 110mm front and 100mm rear suspension. Meanwhile, the Xafari is more for the everyday user. It goes from zero to 20 miles per hour in 5.2 seconds and can travel up to 88 miles between charges. It weighs 85 pounds, takes six hours to charge and has 26-inch by three-inch tires. Plus, it has a front suspension of 80mm and a rear suspension of 70mm. Segway's Xyber and Xafari e-bikes also share quite a few features, including the company's Intelligent Ride System. This includes tools like AirLock, which automatically engages locks when the owner's device is away from the bike. It also triggers an alarm if someone tries to activate the bike. There's adaptive pedal assist, which adjusts the power output based on slope, terrain and rider effort. A waterproof, high-resolution 2.4-inch smart TFT display that automatically adjusts its brightness and can show navigation, ride metrics, reject calls and control music. Plus, health and fitness data can sync in real-time to Apple and Android health apps or the Segway Mobility app. Alongside its new e-bikes, Segway also announced its next generation of electric kick-scooters and robot mowers. There's the high performance scooters, which includes the GT3 Pro and GT3 SuperScooters, along with Max G3 — which Segway claims offers the smoothest ride. Then there's the updated commuter scooters, the F3, F3 Pro, E3 and E3 Pro. Segway will launch each scooter between March and June of this year. Then there's the Segway Navimow X3 Series, which can mow lawns up to two and a half acres big. It offers an upgraded 300 degree camera and, notably, an edge trimmer expansion. The new Segway Navimow series follows last year's Navimow i105 robot mower. We were a fan of it, as it got rid of about 90 percent of the work we'd normally have to do. However, we found it struggled to trim the lawn's edges. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/segway-is-finally-launching-e-bikes-at-ces-2025-130015667.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 The Pinwheel Watch doesn’t scream “this is a kids’ device.” The new smartwatch, unveiled at Pepcom during CES 2025, doesn’t have a chunky, brightly colored casing or super-thick bezels. It’s actually pretty sleek, with a build like a slightly larger Apple Watch — plus a little camera bump — and swappable straps of different styles. To tech-aware kids who have begun bugging their parents for a smartwatch just like they have, it would easily pass as an analogue for an adult wearable. But it’s also packed with safety features meant to offer only the amount of connectedness that parents feel comfortable with. And an AI chatbot, because, of course. Pinwheel already has a smartphone platform that allows for parent-approved communications, but the watch is a standalone 4G LTE cellular device with its own mobile plan and the ability to make calls, send texts and, down the line, do video chats. Parents can determine the level of intervention they think is appropriate for their kids, and change these settings in the Pinwheel app as they see fit. Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget For a younger kid, they might set it so all contacts need to be approved, while a 14-year-old can be granted the freedom to add whatever friends they want without approval. Parents can remotely monitor text and call history, and turn off certain features — like image sending — individually for contacts. It also offers GPS location tracking so parents can keep tabs on their kids’ whereabouts. Beyond basic communication, there are a bunch of features that are just meant for fun. There are built-in games, like a helicopter game I really enjoyed playing that involves tapping the screen at the right time to collect gems and keep it in the air, and a kid-friendly version of ChatGPT called PinwheelGPT. The company says the chatbot has been tested for all the common workarounds used to trick these things into doing what they shouldn’t, so it won’t produce inappropriate responses when prompted to. And parents can see these chats, including deleted ones. “You can certainly ask it whatever, but it won't answer,” said Pinwheel co-founder Dane Witbeck. “It quickly backs out and says, ‘hey, that's something you should talk to a trusted adult about.’” The abysmal hotel-casino Wi-Fi at the crowded event prevented me from actually putting that to the test, though. The Pinwheel Watch will go on sale later this year for $160 . It’s rated IP67, so it should be pretty durable against spills, dirt and other kid messes. For parents interested in a safer way to let their children start using smart devices to talk to their friends and family, Pinwheel's watch could be a pretty decent option, especially for kids in tween territory that may not want an extremely limited, immature-looking wearable. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-pinwheel-watch-is-a-kid-safe-apple-watch-ultra-lookalike-to-placate-your-tween-123005235.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 Handheld gaming PCs are here to stay, and as the entire category grows and matures, things are getting bigger. Even bigger. Packing detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand, Acer’s Blaze 11 shares several similarities with Lenovo’s Legion Go handheld. However, the Blaze 11 has a huge 11-inch 2,560 x 1,600 IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. The effect of that huge screen is akin to “holding a steering wheel with a tablet-sized screen slammed in the middle,” according to our own Sam Rutherford. It’ll be powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS chip and Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. It makes the Steam Deck look like a GameBoy Micro. — Mat Smith Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest tech stories you missed Dell dumps its PC brands to be more like Apple Samsung’s first Unpacked event of 2025 will be on January 22 The AMD Ryzen Z2 will power next-gen gaming handhelds Alienware’s Area-51 desktop PC is back, baby! Aww, it’s just as expensive as I remember! Engadget As predicted, CES threw up a lot of PC upgrades and accompanying laptops. Alienware, however, is bringing back an old favorite: its Area-51 desktops. The new Area-51 PC has a full-sized 80L tower with headroom for over 600W of dedicated graphics power and 280W for processing. It supports the latest NVIDIA graphics cards and an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. In fact, its launch configuration will cost around $4,500. cheaper entry-level option.) The company says a new airflow system moves 25 percent more air, runs 13 percent cooler and is 45 percent quieter than the two previous Alienware Aurora desktops. That cooling effect, the company says, leads to 50 percent more processing power. Continue reading. The Last of Us season 2 arrives in April, and a Horizon Zero Dawn film is in the works And! A Ghost of Tsushima anime is also in development. Sony’s CES presentation yesterday was heavy on entertainment announcements — especially concerning its PlayStation hits. Columbia Pictures is in the early stages of developing a movie based on the post-apocalyptic PlayStation game Horizon Zero Dawn, while Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog popped out to announce season two of The Last of Us would hit HBO in April. You can also expect an anime based on Ghost of Tsushima Legends, the coop multiplayer game linked to the original. Something to keep wannabe ninjas and samurai entertained till the sequel lands? Continue reading. Sony’s first EV is open for reservations at CES 2025 Two versions of the car will be available starting at $89,900. Through Sony Honda Mobility, you can reserve a vehicle now for $200. The car that was once the Vision-S and Vision-S 02 will actually be a thing you can buy. Now known as Afeela 1, the EV has continued to evolve in the past few years, adding an in-vehicle assistant and updated interior design. More on that later this week! Continue reading. I hate winter; here’s a solar beach umbrella Anker’s parasol doesn’t have a price yet. Anker The Anker Solix Solar Beach Umbrella also appeared at CES 2025, a flexible, freestanding umbrella that can also charge your phone or power the company’s EverFrost 2 cooler — convenient. Like a normal umbrella, the Solix Solar Beach Umbrella is portable and collapsible, but Anker says it’s using perovskite solar cells in its panels to offer “30 percent better performance” than traditional crystalline silicon cells, which translates to a solar-rated power of up to 80W. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-122055121.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 In a sea of smartphone gaming controllers with chunky grips, obtrusive analog sticks and rigid backplates, the MCON by Ohsnap stands out. It’s a gamepad that essentially turns any phone into a supercharged Xperia Play, complete with Hall effect joysticks, silent buttons and handles that can extend out of its base. It also has bumper-style triggers and actual bumpers. When it’s attached to the back of a phone, the MCON creates a slightly chunky but uniform profile that slides into a pocket without fuss. When you’re ready to start playing, the phone pops up from the gamepad with a satisfying flick. The MCON communicates with your smartphone via Bluetooth, no cables or plugging in required. It uses MagSafe to connect to iPhones, and for Androids, there will be a MagSafe adapter included in the box — this is simply a disc 2 millimeters thick that sticks to the back of your phone or case. That covers essentially every smartphone out there, and it’s possible to stack multiple connecting pucks to create space for awkward camera bumps. Ohsnap's goal is to support iOS, Android, Xbox, PC and Mac, with PlayStation as a platform pipe dream. Ohsnap Ohsnap and MCON creator Josh King showed off the gamepad at CES 2025 with a nearly finalized prototype. The final version will have silicone tops on the analogue sticks, a cover for the spring mechanism and more finesse all around. King said he wasn’t quite satisfied with the D-pad yet, either. But even in its current form, the MCON is a sweet little peripheral. It feels nice — lightweight but sturdy enough to support and fling a full-size smartphone — and it folds into a compact rectangle that’s satisfying to hold. Snapping it open involves pressing two buttons on the top of the controller, behind the attached phone, and it requires just the right amount of finger strength and angling. It took a few tries for me to successfully deploy the pop, largely because I have long manicured nails, but I was able to use my actual nail tips to make the magic happen. Ohsnap When King spotted my Samsung Z Flip 6, he immediately started troubleshooting ways to make the foldable work with the MCON. You’d just have to move the attaching puck over slightly, so it could connect to the lower back quadrant of the phone rather than on the central hinge, he explained. He was confident he could make it work, and said he’d already ensured the Galaxy Z Fold was compatible with the MCON. King’s goal is for the MCON to support absolutely every smartphone. The MCON Kickstarter went live on January 2 and, four days later, it’s collected more than $740,000 of a $25,000 goal. King’s concept has enjoyed a bit of viral fame over the years, and he eventually took the idea to Ohsnap, an established MagSafe-focused accessory manufacturer. By their powers combined, the MCON is on track to ship in August at a price of $150. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/i-adore-this-clever-mobile-gamepad-with-hall-effect-sticks-and-a-snap-up-design-110007990.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 Qualcomm has launched a new platform that will put Copilot+ PCs in reach of more people. Snapdragon X, the latest addition the brand's Snapdragon X Series that also include the X Elite and the X Plus, comes with Qualcomm's 8-core Oryon CPU and an integrated Adreno GPU. The company says it can run up to 163 percent faster than its competitors' comparable platforms, that its neural processing unit can run AI tasks on device more efficiently and that it enables a lengthy battery life. There are apparently over 60 computer models powered by the platform in development and in production at various manufacturers already, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo. These companies are expected to launch the first batch of Snapdragon X products early this year, with more than 100 models coming by 2026. The devices will be priced in the $600 range, making them a viable option for a lot of people looking to buy a new computer. They won't be just laptops either — Qualcomm says buyers can expect Snapdragon X-powered mini PCs, as well, and will announce more details soon. The company believes Snapdragon X devices will be a "good solution for students, freelance workers and budget-conscious consumers who need a reliable and powerful laptop."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/qualcomms-snapdragon-x-chip-will-power-more-affordable-copilot-pcs-104029263.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 Smartwatches do more than just track your steps and deliver phone alerts to your wrist. The best smartwatches go even further, giving you the ability to pay for a cup of coffee, take calls and connect to apps like Spotify all without whipping out your smartphone.Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know all of the benefits of a smartwatch. You’re ready to invest, or upgrade from an aging accessory, but we wouldn’t blame you if you if you didn’t know where to start. There are dozens of smartwatches available now, including GPS running watches, fitness trackers that look like smartwatches and multi-purpose devices. Plus, you’ll want to consider factors like durability, battery life and operating system before you spend a lot of money on a new wearable. We’ve tested and reviewed most major smartwatches available today and these are our top picks. Table of contents Best smartwatches Stylish smartwatches: Fossil and more Factors to consider before buying a smartwatch Other smartwatches our experts tested Best smartwatches Stylish smartwatches: Fossil and more Fossil Yes, there are still companies out there trying to make “fashionable” hybrid smartwatches. Back when wearables were novel and generally ugly, brands like Fossil, Michael Kors and Skagen found their niche in stylish smartwatches that took cues from analog timepieces. You also have the option to pick up a “hybrid” smartwatch from companies like Withings and Garmin – these devices look like classic wrist watches but incorporate some limited functionality like activity tracking and heart rate monitoring. They remain good options if you prefer that look, but thankfully, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten much more attractive over the past few years. Ultimately, the only thing you can’t change after you buy a smartwatch is its case design. If you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have round cases that look a little more like a traditional watch. Most wearables are offered in a choice of colors and you can pay extra for premium materials like stainless steel for extra durability. Once you decide on a case, your band options are endless – there are dozens of first- and third-party watch straps available for most major smartwatches, and for both larger and smaller wrists, allowing you to change up your look whenever you please. Factors to consider before buying a smartwatch Compatibility Apple Watches only work with iPhones, while Wear OS devices play nice with both iOS and Android phones. Smartwatches made by Samsung, Garmin, Fitbit and others are also compatible with Android and iOS, but you’ll need to install a companion app on your smartphone. The smartwatch OS will also dictate the type and number of third-party apps you’ll have access to. Many of these aren’t useful, though, making this factor a fairly minor one in the grand scheme of things. Price The best smartwatches generally cost between $300 and $400. Compared to budget smartwatches, which cost between $100 and $250, these pricier devices have advanced operating systems, communications, music and fitness features. They also often include perks like onboard GPS tracking, music storage and NFC, AMOLED displays, and long battery life, things that budget devices generally don’t have. Some companies make specialized fitness watches: Those can easily run north of $500, and we’d only recommend them to serious athletes. Luxury smartwatches from brands like TAG Heuer and Hublot can also reach sky-high prices, but we wouldn’t endorse any of them. These devices can cost more than $1,000, and you’re usually paying for little more than a brand name and some needlessly exotic selection of build materials. Battery life Battery life remains one of our biggest complaints about smartwatches, but there’s hope as of late. You can expect two full days from Apple Watches and most Wear OS devices. Watches using the Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor support extended battery modes that promise up to five days of battery life on a charge — if you’re willing to shut off most features aside from, you know, displaying the time. Other models can last five to seven days, but they usually have fewer features and lower-quality displays. Meanwhile, some fitness watches can last weeks on a single charge. If long battery life is a priority for you, it’s worth checking out the watch’s specs beforehand to see what the manufacturer estimates. Communication Any smartwatch worth considering delivers call, text and app notifications to your wrist. Call and text alerts are self explanatory, but if those mean a lot to you, consider a watch with LTE. They’re more expensive than their WiFi-only counterparts, but cellular connectivity allows the smartwatch to take and receive phone calls, and do the same with text messages, without your device nearby. As far as app alerts go, getting them delivered to your wrist will let you glance down to the watch face and see if you absolutely need to check your phone right now. Fitness tracking Activity tracking is a big reason why people turn to smartwatches. An all-purpose timepiece should function as a fitness tracker, logging your steps, calories and workouts, and most of today’s wearables have a heart rate monitor as well. Many smartwatches' fitness features include a built-in GPS, which is useful for tracking distance for runs and bike rides. Swimmers will want something water resistant, and thankfully most all-purpose devices now can withstand at least a dunk in the pool. Some smartwatches from companies like Garmin are more fitness focused than others and tend to offer more advanced features like heart-rate-variance tracking, recovery time estimation, onboard maps and more. Health tracking on smartwatches has also seen advances over the years. Both Apple and Fitbit devices can estimate blood oxygen levels and measure ECGs. But the more affordable the smartwatch, the less likely it is that it has these kinds of advanced health tracking features; if collecting those kinds of wellness metrics is important to you, you’ll have to pay for the privilege. Music Your watch can not only track your morning runs but also play music while you’re exercising. Many smartwatches let you save your music locally, so you can connect wireless earbuds via Bluetooth and listen to tunes without bringing your phone. Those that don’t have onboard storage for music usually have on-watch music controls, so you can control playback without whipping out your phone. And if your watch has LTE, local saving isn’t required — you’ll be able to stream music directly from the watch to your paired earbuds. Displays Most wearables have touchscreens and we recommend getting one that has a full-color touchscreen. Some flagships like the Apple Watch have LTPO displays, which stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide. These panels have faster response times and are more power efficient, resulting in a smoother experience when one interacts with the touchscreen and, in some cases, longer battery lives. You won’t see significant gains with the latter, though, because the extra battery essentially gets used up when these devices have always-on displays, as most flagship wearables do today. Some smartwatches have this feature on by default while others let you enable it via tweaked settings. This smart feature allows you to glance down at your watch to check the time, health stats or any other information you’ve set it to show on its watchface without lifting your wrist. This will no doubt affect your device’s battery life, but thankfully most always-on modes dim the display’s brightness so it’s not running at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper devices won’t have this feature; instead, their touchscreens will automatically turn off to conserve battery life and you’ll have to intentionally check your watch to turn on the display again. NFC Many new smartwatches have NFC, letting you pay for things without your wallet using contactless payments. After saving your credit or debit card information, you can hold your smartwatch up to an NFC reader to pay for a cup of coffee on your way home from a run. Keep in mind that different watches use different payment systems: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Wear OS devices use Google Pay, Samsung devices use Samsung Pay and so forth. Apple Pay is one of the most popular NFC payment systems, with support for multiple banks and credit cards in 72 different countries, while Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer regions. It’s also important to note that both NFC payment support varies by device as well for both Samsung and Google’s systems. Other smartwatches our experts tested Apple Watch Ultra 2 The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is probably overkill for most people, but it has a ton of extra features like extra waterproofing to track diving, an even more accurate GPS and the biggest battery of any Apple Watch to date. Apple designed it for the most rugged among us, but for your average person, it likely has more features than they'd ever need. If you’re particularly clumsy, however, its high level of durability could be a great reason to consider the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple Watch SE The Apple Watch SE is less feature-rich than the flagship model, but it will probably suffice for most people. We actually regard the Watch SE as the best smartwatch option for first-time buyers, or people on stricter budgets. You’ll get all the core Apple Watch features as well as things like fall and crash detection, noise monitoring and Emergency SOS, but you’ll have to do without more advanced hardware perks like an always-on display, a blood oxygen sensor, an ECG monitor and a skin temperature sensor. Garmin Forerunner 745 Garmin watches in general can be great options for the most active among us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is an excellent GPS running watch for serious athletes or those who prize battery life above all else. When we tested it, we found it to provide accurate distance tracking, a killer 16-hour battery life with GPS turned on and support for onboard music storage and Garmin Pay.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/best-smartwatches-153013118.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 15:00 Even Realities has turned up at CES 2025 in Las Vegas to show off its smart glasses, the G1, which have been out for a few months now. The company also wanted to use its trip to the desert to show off the G1B, which puts the same technology in a different body. And after just ten minutes playing around with them, I'm already a fan of the way they bring digital smarts into the real world. The G1 is a pair of smart glasses that either come in a Philip Johnson-esque round body or, if you opt for the new G1B, in a more rectangular frame. Both are equipped with a 160mAh battery the company promises will last for around one and a half days on a single charge. Inside are a pair of waveguide displays with a 25-degree field of view and a resolution of 640 x 200 displaying basic text and graphics in old-school green. The glasses have their own charging case, itself equipped with a 2,000mAh battery that’ll keep them re-juiced at least two and a half times before you need to find a cable. Photo by Daniel Cooper The company opted not to throw too many features at the G1, focusing instead on where it could make a real impact while respecting the battery. For instance, activate your phone’s navigation and you’ll get turn by turn directions showing up in your field of vision. Similarly, you should be able to use the glasses as a prompter, with the system’s built-in microphone following along as you speak. That microphone can also be used for real time translation in a number of foreign languages, as well as transcribing your dictations. Plus, you’ll get the option to have your smartphone notifications dropping in front of your eyes, sparing you the indignity of looking at your phone or watch. Most pleasingly, there are plenty of customization options, including the ability to set it so the waveguide displays only activate when you tilt your head up. From there, you can set the reading distance of the on-screen text, and you even have some limited control of the height of the text. The features on show all work as advertised, and the real-time directions will even let you switch from turn by turn guidance to a progress map of your route if you look up. The real-time translation and captioning is useful and elegant, as is the teleprompter that'll scroll the words as you say them — even in a noisy Las Vegas ballroom. The company's CSO Nikolaj Schnoor even said some early customers who have hearing loss are now using captioning to aid them in day to day conversations. There are two hardware buttons hidden behind the temple tips, too, letting you set it into dictation mode without having to touch your phone. As smitten as I am with the features, I'm also impressed at how comfortable they are to wear, with the design putting the bulk of the light weight on the hinges and temple tips. You could easily wear these for a whole day, and look and act a lot more like real glasses than gadget-y ones. The company has even said all the right things about repairability, saying the system is modular enough that an optician can replace your lenses should they get damaged or your prescription changes. In addition, you should be able to send the hardware back to the company to replace the batteries when they wear out a few years down the road. Given the high price, that should be expected but it's pleasing to see it's been addressed. The Even Realities G1 and G1B are available to order now, with prices starting at $599, although that figure will climb once you've included your options, including prescription lenses. Depending on where you are in the world, you can also order them through your local optician.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/even-realities-g1-smart-glasses-are-useful-and-elegant-100041452.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 10:41 NVIDIA is launching a native GeForce NOW app on the Steam Deck and browser versions on major mixed reality headsets including the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 and 3S, the company said at CES 2025. That will bring NVIDIA's 2,100-plus titles to those devices, including two AAA Microsoft games arriving later in 2025. Valve's Steam Deck already had limited beta support for GeForce NOW via the Chrome browser and an automated script. The native version should improve performance, with up to 4K 60p resolution with HDR when connected to a TV, powered by cloud-based GeForce RTX gaming rigs. Users will get the same benefits as RTX GPU owners, including DLSS 3 technology to improve frame rates. NVIDIA didn't provide an exact launch date other than "later this year." GeForce NOW is also coming to VR headsets and much sooner. The company will support the Apple Vision Pro and Meta quest 3 and 3S, along with Byte Dance's Pico VR and MR headsets. If you own one of those headsets, you'll just need to open the browser to play.geforcenow.com when the version 2.0.70 app update arrives later this month. On top of the existing GeForce Now game library, owners of those devices will gain access to Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed and DOOM: The Dark Ages from id Software when they're launched on PC later this year. All of that could make GeForce NOW temping for users on the fence, though as a reminder, you have to buy any games you want to play on top of paying up to $20 per month for the service itself.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nvidias-native-geforce-now-app-is-coming-to-the-steam-deck-093030989.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 10:41 As power outages get more frequent, people who'd never much thought about residential home battery backup systems are probably starting to give it some consideration. Plenty of companies are happy to address that need and this week at CES, I got to check out Biolite's solution. Unlike something that needs a pro to install, using the Backup is almost as easy as plugging it in . In person, the battery is remarkably thin and the matte silver finish is about as unobtrusive as you can get. That's all part of the design — BioLite says it's designed to fade into "forgotten places" in your home. Behind the fridge, under a counter top, on the wall beneath a desk. Personally, I'd love one so I'd never have to worry about the pickles going bad in the fridge again when a storm knocks out the the power at my house, as it did recently. The concept will be familiar to anyone who's ever used an uninterruptible power supply — something gamers have been using for years to ensure uninterrupted play. In essence, it's a large battery plus inverter that plugs into your wall. You then plug in any appliance or device you don't want to ever lose power — a fridge is a good example. When the power inevitably goes out, the battery senses the lack and flips the output to feed from the stored charge. When power is restored, the cells refill themselves, ready for next time. It's app-connected so you'll have a log of when and for how long your power goes out, and of course get notifications when things happen. You can also use Backup on-demand when your power is perfectly fine, or even schedule it to come online at certain times, something you may want to do when you're dealing with higher electricity prices for peak usage periods. Amy Skorheim / Engadget Positioned at one edge towards the corner are three ports, one that connects to an outlet and two AC connections. One of those is intended for the included BioLite power strip, which packs three more AC ports and two each of USB-C and Type A connections. A vertical mounting kit is provided, but if you want to mount it horizontally, you'll need to purchase a separate mount from Biolite. It ships in two configurations, Backup Complete, a two-unit set with a 3 kWh total capacity that can deliver 30 to 60 hours of power . The Backup Core holds 1.5 kWh of juice and is probably better suited to something like a home office setup. The larger Complete version is eligible for a 30 percent tax rebate, as it meets federal requirements that stipulate a backup system be at least 3 kWh and be physically installed in the home. Pricing is $3,000 for the Complete model and $2,000 for the core. The Biolite rep pointed out that, should you get the rebate, the larger set works out to just $2,100 so really it's a popcorn at the movie theater situation — just get the large for a little bit more. The Backup by Biolite is available for pre-order now and units are expected to ship in May. Amy Skorheim / Engadget This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/backup-by-biolite-is-a-giant-but-sleek-battery-that-keeps-your-fridge-running-during-outages-090041209.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 10:41 One of the things I love the most about CES is finding all the silly one-offs and concept products that might never see full production. At CES 2025, MSI made something truly joyful when it created a custom CPU cooler that features a built-in turntable. The water block’s official name is the Mag Coreliquid A13 concept, though a name doesn’t really matter because MSI says it doesn’t have plans to turn it into an actual retail device. That’s kind of a bummer since not only does it mean you won’t be able to put a fun little spinning table inside your desktop, it also sucks because the cooler that the A13 is based on — the Mag Coreliquid A15 360 — is a real product that has some neat specs. It features an offset CPU mount that can improve the performance of recent Intel chips that have hotspots in unusual positions. MSI made a concept CPU water block for CES 2025 that has a built-in turntable and it's kind of awesome.Sadly, there are no plans to put it into actual production. Also, the Lucky the dragon figure does not come included.@engadget pic.twitter.com/X70XJeAq8I— Sam Rutherford January 7, 2025 Now I fully admit that the fun of having a spinning table inside your PC might be lost on a lot of people. But then again, just look at Lucky twirling in place while the desktop churns along. And what’s better is that you can raise the clear lid on the water block and put anything you want inside. Think about a fancy watch or maybe a disco ball. Wouldn’t that be a hoot, especially with all those RGB lights nearby? Honestly, the whole setup is kind of mesmerizing. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget But alas, the Mag Coreliquid A13 will never be yours. That is unless people make enough noise and keep bugging MSI until they make it for real. The power is in your hands.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/msi-made-a-cpu-cooler-with-a-tiny-built-in-turntable-and-its-pure-fun-063636564.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 10:41 In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest innovations in robot vacuums, new AI PC hardware from AMD and Intel, and Dell's decision to nuke its PC brands in favor of Apple-esque "Dell Pro" and "Dell Pro Max" branding. Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn LowMusic: Dale North Transcript Devindra: What's up everyone, this is Devindra Hardwar, Senior Editor at Engadget. Cherlynn: I'm Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low. Devindra: We are here what is this, the beginning of night one of CES officially? Cherlynn: I guess, yeah. I Devindra: guess we have already suffered through basically day minus one. Minus Cherlynn: one and today's zero. Devindra: One thing I want our listeners to understand is that we have already seen a lot of things we kind of know where the CES is headed. And, I think this is a cursed show Cherlynn. How do you feel about that? For all of us. For our Cherlynn: team. Yeah, I think I mean, Devindra, I'll let you speak to your situation, but we've had team members who have fallen deathly ill. We have also, like, people who have completely had to miss their flights, international flights. It's been quite Engadget team, but we have a really, really good team of people. Everyone's got great attitudes and, like, our spirits are high. Okay. You want to just get the stuff going. So, yeah, no, and Devindra, you have been struggling a little bit. Devindra: So, yeah, update here is I basically threw my back out the the day before I had to fly. So, I kind of was mentally just preparing how to fly without caring much and just being really easy on my back. But, you know, I survived. And Cherlynn: sitting in a plane for as long as you did couldn't help either, right? Probably didn't help. Devindra: Thankfully I did a smart thing and I bought a Comfort Plus upgrade with my points ahead of time. And I was like, I was going to be chill on the flight and it turned out that was just necessary. Yeah, so CS is officially beginning. We have seen we've just went through CS Unveiled yesterday. A lot of embargoes and news came out today too. You know, some of the biggest news we've seen. Dell's rebrand away from its own PC names. To Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max. There's some new hardware from Intel and AMD. Yay! that they showed off and, you know, just kind of a typical CS stuff. What were the weird things you saw, Cherlynn, at at Unveiled? Because you were there amidst all the weird gadgets. Cherlynn: Yeah, and to be clear, given Devindra's injury, we are, we are having Devindra stay in place where he is, you know, able to recover a little bit. So, Devindra wasn't at Unveiled with me, so I'm going to tell you about all these funny things we saw at Unveiled. Somehow the most intriguing thing so far is the trend of Putting things in your mouth at CES Unveiled. Speaker 3: Okay. Cherlynn: So, we have like, at least two things that are saliva detecting devices. Uh huh, huh. Or like, you put a drop of saliva or you put your like, a stick in your mouth or something. We Devindra: are not going to call this the Hawktwa CES, let's not do that. Dan Cherlynn: Cooper definitely not coming up with a story based around that. But the idea is that using your saliva. Companies can tell how much cortisol or other types like progesterone types of things, hormones are inside your Or in you, right? And so it's a bit to help with burnout a bit to help with like stress and health and then there is It's the salt spoon that everyone was licking at CES on day one. That Devindra: doesn't seem like a good idea at a, at a conference. It Cherlynn: was so, yeah, everyone's felt like it was, initially it seemed a little icky, but the booth was so crowded I went over and it turns out they actually had like individual disposable versions of this spoon, the salt spoon per its name. It's a gadget that will mimic or simulate the, the flavor of umami or salt made by a company called Kirin. Devindra: Okay. Cherlynn: Which I believe makes some kind of condiment. That's the, Devindra: they're a soy sauce company. Exactly. Cherlynn: And so, it's the idea that like, people want to live healthier, eat better, and not have such a high sodium diet. So, but they still crave this taste. We love it. We Devindra: love umami. Exactly. Why don't Cherlynn: we, why don't we use electric on your tongue? Devindra: That is some dystopian, I hope the story about this is how it's made. That is very dystopian. That's very like, you know, Soylent Green or something where we're not really eating food, but we're feeling these sort of like electrical impulses of food. Cherlynn: Triggering your tongue to feel like it's tasting something. Just to feel alive. That's horrible. I know. I, it's, it's, you asked me weird. And I was like, yeah, that is pretty horrifying. But I'm very intrigued. I almost, so I was kind of waiting in line, but it was so crowded always. And I had so much other stuff to check out that, I didn't really get around to it. There were other things, I think, that turned up that, as unveiled, that were very interesting. Our team saw a stringless guitar. There were, like, about a zillion robots that all kind of look very weird. And then, lots of mirrors that you can, like, stand in front of and scan yourself. And, finally, I think, the Stern Pinball Machine of the Year is themed Dungeons Dragons. Okay. Devindra: Really, just really hitting the nerd market perfectly. We did see Roborock's flagship new robot vacuum and that thing looks cool because they just added an arm to it. Like it has an extendable arm that can pick up socks and small things from the floor. And I am really interested in seeing the race between Roomba all these other companies. I think was one of the first to do like, okay, self cleaning. We're going to dump your vacuum into this bigger container than the vacuum can keep going. Now everybody's doing that. Then Roomba and others people started doing like combo mops. And now it's just like, we're getting appendages. We're getting, I think one can climb stairs. I saw news about that. Cherlynn: So Carissa is on the robot vacuum for us, I guess. And she got a chance to check out the, yeah, the Roborock I can't remember the actual. name, how it's pronounced, Safi or Safu Z70 and it we have a video on the article on our website as well as on our Twitter. It's Devindra: the Saros Z70, yeah. Cherlynn: So close, that was so close. And yeah, that video shows the robot's arm kind of coming out of its round disc like body and then picking up a sock that was in front of it. And not only that, I thought it would just pick it up and then like, wipe and then move away and put it back down. No, it took it to a basket nearby, like a laundry basket almost, And placed it in there. So basically Devindra: we're almost there. We're almost there to real robot helpers. Cherlynn: So close. This thing is very close. Who knew Roborock of all companies would do it. I was like, Devindra: it's a, it's really interesting to watch because Roborock, I think, yeah, it's a Chinese company and these folks, like, especially when they're doing robotic stuff, like they're just barreling forward because they can invest more in RD and stuff. I want, I've said this before. I want something that can like unload my dishwasher, Cherlynn: which is the Devindra: process that I think like Cherlynn: my dishwashing unloading therapy. Devindra: You know load it up clean the kitchen just like a real rosy robot situation. That's what I need Cherlynn: I mean the other robot vacuum that you're talking about that can climb upstairs. I believe is the dreamy And yeah, it's interesting to see or I was like why why would we need a robot vacuum that can climb upstairs? But I guess there are actual functional uses for the x50 robot I don't know, man. 1, 700 just for it to, like, climb. Devindra: I think this is a bad idea. This is a bad idea, because Generally, you want your robot to be on one floor. Yeah! Once you have stairs in the equation, then, like, it could fall. There could be all sorts of issues. To me, that's not super useful. I've been room building for a while, and only recently with two floors. You pick it up, and you move it to another floor when you need to. If you're super bougie, you have more than one Roomba. You have a Roomba port per floor. Or you have Cherlynn: the cheap one on the floor that doesn't matter as much as the expensive one in the place that matters. And they're Devindra: cheap Roombas. You could get a refurb Roomba for like 200, 300 bucks. Cherlynn: Yeah. Devindra: Relatively, that's relatively cheap compared to how much they used to cost. Cherlynn: Well, this one, I mean, I guess the, the shtick with this dreamy robot is that it climbs up like a human. So it's not like sort of propelling itself up in some strange way, going up on an incline, getting his rollers. It's like, God, some kind of like climbing mechanic. That's like. Bipedal? Is it bipedal? Is it like Devindra: I have to take a closer look. The Cherlynn: video looks like wild and I'm in such a CES fever dream that like, I have forgotten what it looks like. So much Devindra: stuff. Another thing I want to talk about, the TVs seem like, it seems like wireless TVs are morbid thing right now. Like LG and Samsung are fully doing it. All their flagships have wireless boxes. They say the lag is pretty good for gaming. I would have to, I would have to see that to see how much it works. But I do think that's a good pain point for a lot of people. People hate Wires. Moving behind their TVs. They hate, like, if you're mounting a TV, you have to, like, figure out where all the wires are going to go. So there's that that company Displace, which last year had the suction TV with the battery, which I think I called it vaporware last year. I don't think they actually shipped any. This year they're back. They have a soundbar. They say they're going to actually ship stuff. I don't believe it. But, they're back. They're here. Cherlynn: Is one year enough time to see if the TV that will stick itself to your wall has fallen off yet? You know what I mean? Like, is it time to call it safe if it hasn't fallen off in a year? Or should we give it another year? I don't know. Devindra: It's my whole thing about trusting gadgets and trusting devices, I will not trust it. Multi thousand dollar device that is just hanging by my wall by suction cup. Cherlynn: It's like one thing if it falls off and hurts itself, it's another if it like takes down my wall with it, right? Like, and my bed and my glass table or something. So yeah, there's a lot of stuff to be concerned about, I think. Devindra: Boy AIPC is still a running theme this year. AMD was really big on a whole bunch of new chips. They announced the Ryzen AI Max chip, which they say is going to be in Halo products, Halo Copilot Plus PCs. It's supposed to be really powerful. It has more graphics than their other ones. They also say it does better rendering, like 3D rendering, better than Intel's chips. Because AMD's graphics tend to be better. They have like built in Radeon cores. So, you know, they're kind of killing it. Intel was just like, hey We have AI chips too. They're coming to gaming desktops. They're coming to other things. Speaker 3: Yeah, Devindra: they have core PC, core AI laptop chips that will be coming to gaming laptops as well. So, that's a thing. You know, the good thing about CES is that you can see people and talk to people. So, I had a good chat with Pavan Davaluri, who is like the head of Windows and Surface devices from Microsoft. That was an off the record chat, but I can say it was good to have. That conversation to see what they're thinking about AI PCs. Hopefully we'll have him on for another section of the gadget podcast, but I guess like CS is happening. Like when news is happening, these companies are taking it seriously. We're talking to high level people. So it feels like a CS of your, I'd say, despite being so cursed early on, Speaker 3: I guess, Devindra: yeah, like stuff, it feels legitimate and real in a way that hasn't for the past couple of years. But I mean, for Cherlynn: you, maybe two part of it is the return to the physical. Yes. Right, because it's been a while. And I think that my general sense is that interest in CES might have waned. I think this year too you know, we've, we've had different observations about shows from the recent years and this year feels even more like it is something you could, it's like commoditizing things for the sake of commoditizing things a little bit and more than ever actually. And it's very much like the Radio Shack show a little bit. But you know, I would say, I don't want to give away what we're working on. So I would say like, we're, Come to Engadget. com come to our social media channels where we've got a lot of videos going up We've actually are bringing back our youtube channel for a little bit And the live blog we I am in live blog hell every day for a little bit but it is a fun time because live blogs allow me to be a bit more I think personal with our audience Which is fun like this podcast But I do want to shout out like to your point like amd and intel Both have made their announcements as of the time. We're recording this but We still don't know technically what NVIDIA is going to announce. And Nvidia has one of the, I wanna say the most hyped keynotes or speeches, this CES mm-hmm . What are you thinking that they'll do for CES? Devindra: I mean, for the keynote, they typically hype up their AI projects or robotics projects. And honestly, things that we don't typically report news on because it's kind of pie in the sky stuff that will only exist for a car manufacturers or something. They don't really touch consumers. We will eventually hear, most likely, about the new GeForce RTX GPUs. Maybe not tonight, but I have a good sense like sometime this week, NVIDIA will make that announcement. And that is the thing people are really waiting to see. And I think AMD sensed that a bit too. They briefly teased some information about the RDNA 4 GPUs. Yeah, AMD also teased their RX 9070 GPUs. And that's interesting too, just the name is interesting. Because you know, AMD's used to follow a fully different Radeon naming scheme. Now they're kind of aligning with what NVIDIA's doing. So, this Radeon RX 9070 will be comparable to whatever NVIDIA announces as a 5070 video card. Okay. So, it should make shopping a little easier. So there's that. The RDNA 4 technology is going to have AI upscaling, which is a thing we've knocked AMD against before. Because their fidelity affects a super resolution for stuff. But just couldn't compete with NVIDIA NVIDIA's DLSS, so they're gonna have an answer to that. But again, just like, brief teases the news post I wrote is like the bare minimum we can even write because they didn't have much information. They're just like, yeah, we will have new video cards, we will have new Cherlynn: graphics. Is it claiming a spot, Devindra: right? Like, kinda? Yeah. Basically. Whereas I think NVIDIA's gonna come here and show off new hardware, new actual things, so. We shall see. Cherlynn: Yeah. Devindra: And I want to do maybe one or two more of these episodes, just like recapping where we are Oh, throughout the show? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we are using the DJI mic 2, or mic mini, so we can like sit down and record anywhere. Yep. We're at our breakfast nook right now. In Cherlynn: the hotel. Devindra: Yeah. And maybe you'll hear more ambient noise than normal, but it, this is a really good way to have conversations. Yeah, it's fast. We hope to have some interviews from folks up soon too. With other Cherlynn: members of the team. You'll hear more than just the two of us. I think, I promise you they all sound amazing and lovely. I'm trying to think of like, whether there's anything else that's of note in the news that we've seen so far, because to your point, right, CES is in full swing, really. And we've been Devindra: like, headstabbed. Just like, so much stuff. Sherilyn's been managing so much of the like, practical stuff and the scheduling stuff. Yeah, I've had like a pile of embargoes. All of us, like, all the team Cherlynn: has had piles of embargoes, which is like, it is, like, to your point, kind of a return to form in that sense, but also feels like we've been covering this endlessly every CES. We saw a few I don't know. Lots of AI that doesn't really need to be AI. We saw a lot of pet tech. We saw a lot of smart home. Man, send us your thoughts, really, so far as we are chugging along the show. Podcast at Engadget. com would be a great place to drop them. Oh my gosh LG's got all these weird products that I think we talked about even ahead of coming to CES. Where like, yes it's slapdick 2070 inch screen on a microwave, but then recently we found out what, it was a projector that looks like a stand fan or something? That's actually Devindra: kind of cool. Yeah, we gotta get some video of that stuff. Cherlynn: Yeah, so plenty, plenty to look out Devindra: for. Of the stories we've produced, I do want to shout out the stuff Sam and I did around Dell's rebranding. I wrote about Dell rebranding all of its PCs to sound more like Apple, so check out that post. But Sam had a really good rant called Dell killing the XPS name is an unforced error. And that whole story is wild because Dell's basically obliterating all of its brand names. They're just going to be Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max. And to both of us, that sounds very Apple y. Wait, can I insert Cherlynn: myself a little bit here? Because it's not just Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max. After I read both of your posts, it is the sub tiers that makes no sense. Like if they simplified it truly, it would just be Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max. Fine. But no, it would be Dell, Dell Pro, and then under each, there might be the premium label and the plus label. So it could be the Dell Pro Plus. Yep. But versus the Dell non pro premium. So the Dell premium is still worse than the Dell Pro Plus? Devindra: Yes. Cherlynn: My goodness. What? And then you throw in the numbers. There's numbers. They're coming back. Some of the numbers Devindra: are coming back. The desktops are kind of ridiculous because at the event Sam and I were at, they showed off The Dell Pro Max Micro and the Dell Pro Max Mini, which you have the same name within your name. You are conflicting what this device actually is, and I find that to be completely ridiculous. So, check out Sam and my rant about that thing. I also did a video up on YouTube, and for once, the YouTube commentators seem to be on our side. Yes, they're right. Cherlynn: They are right. We are right, and Dell is not right. And so I am glad you pointed it out. It seemed like a lot of people resonated with that story on our side as well. It's a whole Devindra: thing. And I will say I don't miss like the, I don't miss a lot of the brands like Inspiron and whatever, but it's more like XPS. Getting rid of XPS seems like a mistake. Falling in the footsteps of Apple seems like a really weak move. Cherlynn: Of all the things to do because look, I covered HP's pivot to one brand as well when that happened last year. And HP had a good sense to just, when they say simplify, they mean. Simplify to their own brand. So they did Omnibook, right? Which is not Pro Max. Fine. It's their own name. For Dell to tell you that they're not copying Apple, and I'm not saying they did say that to you, but like, they more or less suggested that these are industry terms. They did say that Speaker 3: to me. But Cherlynn: like, if HP can do so without invoking the terms Pro and Max, why can't you, Dell? Devindra: That's basically what I asked Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell, at this event where Dell. com. He was there to announce this whole thing and they were asking questions from the audience. So yeah, I shot my hand up and I was like, my direct question to him was, what does Dell have to gain by copying Apple? And Michael Dell did not look too pleased. Cherlynn: Of course he did. He Devindra: I mean for him too, it's like, oh, now my names are all Dell, Dell, Dell. So it's like better for him and his ego. Yeah, yeah, his Cherlynn: name, yeah, yeah. And I Devindra: feel like that may be part of it, but I've talked to a lot of people at Dell, like Other people, people working within the PC design stuff and nobody was excited about this change. Of course Speaker 3: not, why? Because Devindra: their babies are all gone. Like the people who work on Inspiron and Precision and everything, the brands they devote their lives to are gone. And now they have to live with these new brands and I don't know if people are going to be as excited. So anyway, that's going to be a long ongoing story. Check out our coverage in all of its many forms. I think that's going to be one of the big takeaways from the CS. Del sort of, just shooting itself in the foot here. And nobody seems to like it except Del, except Michael Del. Cherlynn: Yeah. I want to quickly shout out that the Samsung press conference just wrapped and we learned two things of note. One, that the Bali rolling robot is going to actually retail this year, they say. But they did say that last year too. And then we don't know a price yet. We just know it's going to be the first half of the year is what they said on stage. And then the second thing is they announced the dates of Galaxy Unpacked. It will happen? January 22nd. So thanks a lot, Samsung, because right after CES, some of us will be heading straight into preparation for Samsung Galaxy S8. Let Devindra: Cherlynn take a break. That's the message of this year. Never, Cherlynn: never happening. Alright, we Devindra: will, we'll be back with more updates about CES. Drop us an email, folks, podcastinggadget. com. No live stream this week, because we are here, but you'll get a bunch of episodes from us. And check out our social channels, too. A lot of fun videos are going up. Send us Cherlynn: music recommendations! Oh Devindra: yeah, maybe we should just open up a playlist and have people add songs to it. Anyway, we're out folks, thank you. Cherlynn: Bye! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-weve-survived-two-days-of-ces-2025-052543789.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 10:41 CES 2025 has begun, which means a whole fleet of new gadgets has been unleashed onto the world. As usual, team Engadget has battled jet lag, sleep deprivation and the static shocks of those horrible casino carpets to bring you all the news that’s fit to print. But if you’re too busy to keep your browser locked on the site then here’s a recap. This may not be everything we covered, but it's a rundown of the biggest, most important and generally interesting news for your delectation. There was a strong showing from the biggest names in the PC space, with Intel showing off its latest crop of Arrow Lake chips. These are AI and gaming-friendly slices of silicon that should pop up in PCs and laptops from major manufacturers in the next three months. Speaking of which, Dell turned up to the show to announce it was killing off the bulk of its brands in favor of copying Apple’s naming strategy. Rather than XPS, Inspiron and Latitude, you’ll have Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Max — which in Sam and Devindra’s minds, is a massive unforced error. On AMD’s side of the chip war, it announced the new Ryzen Z2, which will power the next crop of gaming handhelds. The rumor mill was suggesting the Z2 would sit at the heart of Valve’s next Steam Deck, which Valve moved quickly to kibosh. But on the subject of handhelds, Acer wanted to show off its supersized Steam Deck rival, the Nitro Blaze 11. As the name implies, it's packing an 11-inch display, kickstand and detachable controllers, like a Switch that got out of its cage and found your secret stash of human growth hormone. Samsung rocked up at the show to flaunt the Galaxy Book5 Pro with Intel’s new Arrow Lake chips. But its real focus was on its new range of home entertainment gear, including its new soundbars and 8K Neo QLED screens, which is also what you’ll find inside its new Frame Pro TVs. CES isn’t a mobile-friendly show, but Samsung did announce that its first Unpacked keynote of 2025 will drop on January 22. But, psh, whatever: The real Samsung mobile device news we are about is that its ball-shaped robot, Ballie, will go on sale later this year. On the subject of things scuttling around your floors, plenty of companies are trying to find a way to make their robovacs stand out. Dreame’s X50 can avoid getting stuck on tricky door thresholds since it can vault obstacles as tall as… 6cm, via its “ProLeap System.” Given most robovacs can run aground on a threshold between one room and another, it’s a useful feature. Roborock’s Saros Z70, meanwhile, has a little robotic arm in its lid that can pick up and move small objects found in its way. As a parent whose kids have some sort of obsession with leaving their socks in obtuse places, I already want one. Speaking of things I want, despite my longstanding hatred of AI, I’m quite partial to the idea of Halliday’s AI Glasses. They’re designed to help you navigate life, proactively answering your questions, helping you remember key information and generally giving your tired brain a rest. Yukai Engineering is also looking to tend to your tired brain, with its Mirumi robot designed to make you smile. The theory being if you’re feeling low, it’ll stare at you until you have a brief moment of bemused joy that’ll kick you out of your funk. It wouldn’t be CES without an appearance by will.i.am, who LG recently appointed as its new Chief Being will.i.am Officer. The company was showing off its new TVs and soundbars, as well as its new will.i.am-infused xboom speakers with built-in boom, boom and pow. Moving onto the bodily fluids part of our presentation: two different companies turned up to Las Vegas with saliva-testing gadgets asking consumers to spit on that thing to monitor their stress. cortiSense and Hormometer are two products that’ll monitor the cortisol levels in your saliva. Day one rounded out with press conferences from a couple of heavy hitters: Sony and NVIDIA. Sony showed off very little in the way of consumer electronics, instead giving us a price for the car it's making with Honda and then talking about broadcast stuff for an hour. Hey, at least we have a date for The Last of Us season two. As for NVIDIA, CEO Jensen Huang talked about AI for 30 minutes, then announced some new GPUs, then talked for AI for about 30 minutes. Thrilling stuff! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/everything-you-missed-on-day-one-of-ces-2025-050018086.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 06:00 NVIDIA has introduced DLSS 4, the latest version of its real-time image upscaling technology, at CES 2025. It is coming to all RTX GPUs, including the RTX 20 series that was discontinued back in 2020, but the older models aren't getting all its features. In the new GeForce RTX 50 series models, DLSS 4 will enable Multi Frame Generation. The feature generates up to three additional frames for every traditionally rendered one and can help multiply frame rates by up to eight times more than traditional brute-force rendering. NVIDIA says the improvements brought by Multiple Frame Generation on the GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, its new $1,999 flagship GPU arriving this month, will enable 4K 240 FPS fully ray-traced gaming. In addition, DLSS 4 represents what the company is calling the "biggest upgrade to its AI models" since the release of DLSS 2. DLSS Ray Reconstruction, DLSS Super Resolution and DLAA will now be powered by the same advanced architecture powering AI models, such as ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The company says that translates to improved temporal stability, less ghosting and higher detail of objects in motion. A total of 75 games and apps will support DLSS 4 from day zero. When the new RTX 50 cards come out, games like Alan Wake and Cyberpunk 2077 will be updated with the ability to take advantage of the technology's Multi Frame Generation feature. More titles will be updated with support for Multi Frame in the future, including Black Myth: Wukong, while upcoming ones like Doom: The Dark Ages and Dune: Awakening will support the feature at launch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/nvidia-dlss-4-is-coming-to-all-rtx-gpus-044835216.html?src=rss