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07.01.2025 06:00 At CES 2025 renowned keyboard company Cherry revealed its latest gaming and office keyboards. Cherry keyboards are well-liked by enthusiasts, but the company seems to be aiming some of the new models at more casual users. Let’s start with the gaming keyboards, of which there are two. The more noteworthy one is the XTRFY MX 8.3 TKL, which can reach 8000Hz and 4000Hz polling rates while wired and wireless, respectively. It also has a display that shows battery levels and even your typing speed.The XTRFY MX 10.1 Wireless is a low-profile keyboard with identical polling rates. It’s designed for gamers who prefer something more discreet. The former will set buyers back $300, while the latter retails for $280. Now onto the, Cherry KW 300 MX, which is a hot-swappable keyboard aimed at office use, something we haven’t seen before. It has a 1000Hz polling rate, which is far beyond what normal office keyboards have, at 125Hz. There's a low profile model for this too — the KW 550 MX LP. Those will retail for $110 and $120, respectively. Assuming loud, mechanical clacking isn't desirable for an office setting, users might want to opt for the quieter KC 500 MX LP. Its tenkeyless cousin, the KC 500 MX LP TKL, runs a mere $100.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/cherrys-ces-2025-offerings-arent-all-for-keyboard-nerds-030006885.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 06:00 Sony's CES 2025 press conference was huge on the entertainment front if you're a PlayStation fan. In a series of rapid-fire announcements, the company announced it was making an anime based on Ghost of Tsushima Legends, the cooperative multiplayer mode from the acclaimed game. It then followed that up with news that Columbia Pictures was in the early stages of developing a movie based on the post-apocalyptic PlayStation game Horizon Zero Dawn. Finally, Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog popped out to announce that season two of The Last of Us would hit HBO in April. We already know a fair bit about The Last of Us season two — its based on 2020's The Last of Us Part 2, but it won't take us through all of the events of the second game. It'll take at least two seasons to retell the story of that terrific but complex misery simulator. This season, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Catherine O'Hara and Jeffery Wright join season one veterans Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The other projects remain a mystery for now. A bit over two years ago, we heard that Horizon Zero Dawn was being adapted as a series for Netflix, but the project eventually fell apart. I'm definitely curious to see how they'll streamline the game's sprawling storyline into a tight narrative for a two-hour movie , but hopefully a strong creative team is behind this one. As for Ghost of Tsushima, it's another of the most well-regarded and popular PlayStation Studios titles, with a sequel on the way, so this is just another example of Sony using some of its best gaming titles to expand into the broader entertainment space — making these stories more accessible to people who are less likely to play a 20-to-40-hour game. On a personal note, The Last of Us and Horizon Zero Dawn are two of my favorite games of all time, so this 10-minute blast of good news was most welcome in the middle of a very long day at CES! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-2-arrives-in-april-and-a-horizon-zero-dawn-film-is-in-the-works-020950940.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 06:00 Sony has been discussing its EV ambitions for five years, but now the company is ready to sell you a car. Through Sony Honda Mobility, you can reserve a vehicle now with a $200 fee. 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 a host of convenience updates, including an in-vehicle assistant and updated interior design. There are two models, the Afeela 1 Origin and the Afeela 1 Signature, priced at $89,900 and $109,900 respectively. Initially, reservations will only be available for customers in California, but the first vehicles won't be delivered until mid-2026. Those will be the pricier Signature version, with the Origin trim following in 2027. Both versions will come with a three-year subscription to the requisite services, which include Level 2+ ADAS known as Afeela Intelligent Drive, immersive entertainment, the Afeela Personal Agent and more. Other features include a selection of media apps, 3D maps, spatial sound and 5G connectivity. We're getting a closer look at the near-final Afeela 1 tomorrow, so you can expect detailed impressions of the revised vehicle and its features later this week. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/sony-opens-afeela-1-ev-reservations-at-ces-2025-011826937.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 06:00 Sony The Sony CES 2025 keynote will begin soon and you can watch it, and follow our coverage live, right here. The Afeela electric vehicle dominated Sony's 2023 and 2024 CES press conferences and it appears that trend will continue this year, with an appearance at the Sony event already confirmed. This represents a change for Sony, a CES mainstay company, as it’s better known for its decades in the consumer electronics space with its Walkman portables and Trinitron TVs of old along with next-gen PlayStation consoles and Alpha cameras. What to expect at Sony's CES 2025 press conference The Afeela is the first product from Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between the Japanese electronics and transportation giants. After a surprise rollout at CES 2023, the Sony CES presser teed up additional details on the EV's LiDAR-heavy sensor array and AI-enhanced cabin tech at CES 2024. If the car's previously announced scheduling waypoints — preorders in 2025 ahead of 2026 availability — remain intact, we're hoping to hear which of the Afeela's concept car niceties will actually make the cut once it enters the streets of the real world. Of course, it won't be all Afeela all the time in Vegas. Expect Sony to spend time talking up its imaging, gaming or maybe even its movie studio division. And with any luck, we'll get more info on the company's XR headset, which was shown off at the 2024 show, only to never be seen again. CES 2025 would be the perfect place to show off a meaty update of a possible competitor to the Apple Vision Pro. Watch the Sony CES 2025 livestream You can watch the Sony CES press conference as it happens below. The feed will start Monday, January 6 at 8:00PM ET. The separate Afeela press conference will take place on Tuesday, January 7 at 4:30PM PT, and will be streamed on YouTube as well. Follow real-time CES updates on our liveblog For a recap of the Sony event, check out our main CES 2025 liveblog.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/sony-ces-2025-keynote-watch-sony-unveil-its-latest-gadgets-live-here-212207568.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 06:00 SAM YEH via Getty Images NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang had an absolutely spectacular 2024. Consider that the chip giant's stock price finished last year up 178 percent, and its market cap of more than $3.66 trillion dollars — with a T — is currently second only to Apple. That's thanks to the fact that the ongoing AI revolution is powered largely by NVIDIA processors, which is raking in billions on its hardware even as its customers stay firmly in the red. But that's why his task at CES 2025 in Las Vegas is daunting. He needs to outline a 2025 game plan that can somehow one-up the past 12 months. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang CES 2025 livestream You can watch Jensen Huang's CES keynote as it happens right here, and catch Engadget's real-time live blog commentary as well. Huang will be taking the stage at the Mandalay Bay on Monday, January 8 at 9:30PM ET. NVIDIA news: Follow our CES 2025 liveblog Ahead of Huang's keynote, the Engadget team is also covering the Samsung and Sony CES 2025 press conferences in our liveblog. You can follow along below. For a recap of the NVIDIA event, check out our main CES 2025 liveblog. What to expect at NVIDIA's CES 2025 press conference Rival chip giants Intel, Qualcomm and AMD have already had their bite at the CES apple, and now it's NVIDIA's turn. For 2025, look for the inevitable sequels, with rumors suggesting a blazing fast RTX 5090 for starters. Of course, Wall Street will be more focused on the details Huang will undoubtedly share on the status of NVIDIA's AI hardware. We're likely to hear more news on the company's Blackwell AI chips, which should begin shipping in greater volume this year after first entering the market in late 2024. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/watch-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-deliver-his-ces-2025-keynote-live-here-174947969.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 06:00 Samsung's CES 2025 theme is "AI for all."Samsung The Samsung CES 2025 press conference is starting soon, but the Korean electronics giant has already announced quite a few new products. Among the big items already announced: New Frame TVs, new monitors and even a new surround sound format. Just don't expect any Galaxy phone news: Samsung will soon detail the next Unpacked event, where it will give us all those details in due time. Watch the Samsung CES 2025 livestream You can watch the Samsung CES press conference as it happens here. The feed will start Monday, January 6 at 5:00PM ET. Follow real-time CES 2025 updates on our liveblog We'll be highlighting the key events from the Samsung presentation as they happen. For a recap of the Samsung event, check out our main CES 2025 liveblog. What to expect at the Samsung CES 2025 press conference The CES 2025 theme for Samsung is "AI for All: Everyday, Everywhere." The company has been posting a litany of early CES announcements in its online newsroom, touting AI-enhanced refrigerators and appliances with built-in screens. Whether it's got better AI smarts or not, though, we're hoping to see more of the Ballie robot, a two-time CES veteran — ideally with a real-world release date this time. Otherwise, expect Samsung to deliver more details on its early sneak peeks. Samsung has preannounced new TVs, new soundbars, a 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor and the company is teaming up with Google to deliver Eclipsa, a new 3D audio technology that is apparently aiming to be an alternative to Dolby Atmos and DTS. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/watch-the-samsung-ces-2025-keynote-live-here-ai-updates-and-more-005529956.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 UFC CEO Dana White is joining Meta's board, the company announced today. The addition of the mixed-martial arts impresario jives with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's well-documented UFC fandom, but also the larger strategy Meta appears to be using heading into a second Trump term: tacking right. That's not to say White's seat on the board is typical, however. Most of Meta's current board members work in the tech industry. The two members Meta is adding alongside White, John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst, fit the social media company's usual bill. White might say he's "a huge believer that social media and AI are the future" in Meta's press release, but the company he keeps is likely the more important reason he's joining now. Dana White and President-elect Donald Trump have been friends for years. White supported Trump's campaign for re-election, and UFC as a whole fits his strong-man tastes. Putting White on the board is as much about burnishing Zuckerberg's self-image as it is having access to the incoming Trump Administration. The President-elect might at one point have thought that Zuckerberg should "spend the rest of his life in prison," but Meta's CEO is doing everything in his power to court him. Zuckerberg visited Mar-A-Lago in November 2024 to have dinner with Trump, one of several tech CEOs to do so. Meta's also been adjusting its executive ranks to better work with a conservative government. The company's former President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg announced he was stepping down just last week, to be replaced by Meta's most prominent Republican executive, Joel Kaplan. Among Kaplan's credits is an eight-year stint in the Bush Administration. Zuckerberg has been in UFC mode for a while now, and it seems like for at least the next four years, Meta will be too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-adds-ufc-ceo-and-trump-booster-dana-white-to-its-board-230611306.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 CES 2025 is full swing and Samsung has already made a slew of laptop and TV announcements, but the company already has more news on the horizon. The company is hosting it's first Galaxy Unpacked event on January 22, 2025 at 1 PM ET to show off the latest in Galaxy AI, and presumably new Galaxy devices it runs on. Samsung is hosting its event in San Jose, and like previous years, even if it hasn't shared what its actually announcing, you can reserve the company's new gear in advance for a $50 off and the chance to win a $5,000 Samsung gift card. That's on top of Samsung's typically generous trade-in credit — this year the company says you can get up to an additional $900 credit if you trade-in an old device. Given the timing of Unpacked, Samsung is likely to announce the Galaxy S25 series, and there's a good chance it'll use the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and sport an updated design, at least on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. What might be more interesting are the non-smartphone devices Samsung could show off. The company is rumored to already have a Galaxy Ring 2 in the works, and there's a good chance Samsung's "Project Moohan" Android XR headset could make an appearance at the event. Engadget will have all the details of Samsung's announcements right here, but if you want to watch the event yourself, you'll be able to tune in on Samsung.com, Samsung's Newsroom or the company's YouTube channel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-first-unpacked-event-of-2025-will-be-on-january-22-230035883.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 At its CES 2025 press conference, Samsung just announced that the Ballie home robot it showed off last year will actually be available for sale in the first half of year. This cute yellow rolling device has a built-in projector that allows it to beam images and videos on your walls and floors, so you can interact with it. No further information on pricing and a more specific window of time has been shared, though. When it was first announced, Samsung told The Washington Post that Ballie would actually be available at some point in 2024. Alas, here we are six days into 2025 with no actual date or price yet. We first started seeing early iterations of Ballie in 2020, when the thing was just a tennis ball-sized orb that a Samsung executive tenderly caressed in their hands. Back then, Ballie was touted as a potential "fitness assistant," and Samsung further showed off capabilities like smart home control last year. We also saw last year that you'd be able to talk to Ballie by speaking to or texting it. It also became bowling ball-sized, and the Post said it would have a LiDAR sensor, which should help it detect and avoid obstacles. An onboard infrared sensor is what will help it connect to older home appliances to turn them on or off. Ballie only got the briefest of mentions at Samsung's CES 2025 press conference, which ran for about 45 minutes, and details beyond what I've already described are extremely sparse. For now, we can only guess at a cost. But I wouldn't be surprised if it cost about the same as a Bespoke Samsung fridge.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/the-cute-samsung-ballie-home-robot-will-actually-go-on-sale-this-year-223528677.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 Apple will soon update Apple Intelligence notification summaries to make it clearer that they’re AI-generated. The BBC complained to the company after discovering several bogus summaries that twisted the content of some BBC headlines. On Monday, Apple told Engadget that the update will arrive “in the coming weeks.” “Apple Intelligence is designed to help users get everyday tasks done faster and more easily,” an Apple spokesperson wrote in a statement to Engadget. “This includes optional notification summaries, which provide users who choose to opt in a way to briefly view information from apps and tap into the full details whenever they choose. These are identified by a summarization icon, and the original content is a quick tap away. Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback. A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary.” The BBC flagged several botched AI notification summaries in multiple reports over the last month — accusing the AI blurbs of spreading misinformation. One falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione, the accused murderer of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. Other erroneous summaries said that a darts player had won a world championship before playing in the final , and that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal had come out as gay. Notification summaries are one of the features from the first wave of Apple Intelligence that arrived in iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. A second phase, bringing ChatGPT integration and Image Playground, came in iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-will-more-clearly-label-apple-intelligence-notification-summaries-soon-215159614.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 TiVo is back...sort of. Xperi, the owner of the TiVo brand as of 2019, announced at CES 2025 that TiVo OS will be available in the US for the first time on Sharp TVs. The storied TV brand was last seen stateside as the TiVo Stream 4K, a $50 streaming dongle. This new software push makes TiVo the main interface of participating affordable TVs, and puts it in direct competition with Roku's operating system. "The Sharp Smart TV Powered by TiVo" is a pretty standard TV for 2025, with an "Ultra High Definition and High Dynamic Range 55” QLED screen," according to Xperi, and three HDMI ports for connecting various accessories. It's big differentiator is TiVo OS. The operating system aggregates content from streaming services, linear TV channels, and sports packages, and gives users access to "a vast library of free and paid content," Xperi says. The OS also supports "natural voice navigation" and "advanced search and recommendation capabilities." Nothing too revolutionary when compared to the competition, but TiVo's at least known for making user-friendly ways of navigating TV content. TiVo OS was originally announced in 2022, but TVs using the operating system didn't start shipping until 2023, and only in Europe. Sharp's TV will be the first new TiVo product in the US since the launch of the TiVo dongle. It doesn't exactly feel like a triumphant return, but to a certain kind of home theater aficionado, the TiVo name still means a lot, and Sharp is poised to take advantage of it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/tivo-os-is-coming-to-the-us-on-sharp-tvs-213938244.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 During CES 2025, I had a chance to check out a demo of the way Google is integrating Gemini capabilities into its smart home platform via devices like the Nest Audio, Nest Hub and Nest Cameras. The main takeaway is that the conversations you have with the Google Assistant will feel more natural. Personally, I'd appreciate being able to ask questions as they pop in my head, without having to formulate some Assistant-friendly sentence before speaking — what I saw makes me feel like my wish could come true. To kick things off, you'll still say "Hey Google," but for follow-up questions you can skip the prompt and the Assistant will be able to hold on to the thread of your conversation. During the demonstration, held in a simulated kitchen, the Google representative asked things like what to cook with ingredients he had on hand . On the Nest Audio, the Assistant rattled off a few recipe ideas . On the Nest Hub, the rep was able to play a song he didn't know the name of by asking, "Hey Google, what's the song from Wicked where they're dancing in the library?" The Assistant named the song and played it after a follow up prompt. Possibly the most impressive trick I saw was the case of the missing cookies. The rep asked the Nest Hub the question, "Hey Google, what happened to the cookies on the counter?" Pulling footage from a connected Nest Cam, the Hub displayed a dog walking into a kitchen, swiping a cookie and scampering off. The Assistant meanwhile narrated the context of the video saying, "A dog jumped on the counter and looked at the cookies on December 12th at 1:29PM." Of course, this was a pre-recorded clip, as there was sadly no dog in the demonstration kitchen. The video analysis adds to tech already available with the Nest Cam, like familiar face recognition and builds on features that were launched in beta last year where you could type questions into the Google Home app, asking things like, "Did my FedEx package get delivered?" The update here is that you'll be able to ask these things using your voice and see relevant clips on the Hub. Unfortunately I wasn't able to ask questions of my own as both the speaker and display were keyed to the Google rep's voice. Each question was followed by a one or two second pause as, I assume, the Assistant gathered/synthesized/analyzed the information before answering. Of course, the Assistant can still do all of the basic tasks it always has — set timers and reminders, play music and videos and control smart home routines. The Google reps were sure point out that this isn't a replacement of the Google Assistant, but an enhancement with Gemini. Having used all three of the major smart home assistants fairly extensively, I've found the Google Assistant is best at accessing and delivering general information, but Alexa was better at smart home control and understanding me overall . With this new Gemini integration, the Google Assistant may be in a good position to overtake Alexa in that department. These Gemini-improved improvements will be coming to Nest Aware subscribers in a public preview later this year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/gemini-ai-smarts-are-coming-to-google-home-to-make-the-assistant-a-better-conversationalist-213644481.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 AMD is following up its impressive Ryzen Z1 chip, which powered the original ASUS ROG Ally, with the Ryzen Z2 at CES 2025. You can pretty much guess what it delivers: More power, and potentially more battery life, but if you plan to wait for Valve to release a Z2-powered Steam Deck, don't get your hopes up. Following AMD's announcement, a Valve employee said "there is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck." Leading the charge for the Ryzen Z2 family is the Z2 Extreme, featuring eight cores, a 5GHz max clock speed and 16 RDNA 3 graphics cores. The least powerful model is the Z2 Go with four CPU cores and 12 graphics cores. That could be a useful chip for cheaper handhelds, especially those that tout game streaming capabilities over local play. AMD AMD didn't have any performance metrics to share, but it likely won't be long until we see the Ryzen Z2 in action. It'll arrive in the first quarter of 2025 in revamped versions of the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. While Valve has said it's trying to avoid a horsepower rat race, constant leaks around a potential Steam Deck 2 indicate some sort of upgrade is on the way soon. Update 4:00PM ET: Valve has clarified it's not working on a Z2-powered Steam Deck. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-amd-ryzen-z2-will-power-next-gen-gaming-handhelds-including-a-new-steam-deck-194531373.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 If we buy Microsoft’s recent ad campaign logic that any Game Pass-running device is an Xbox, it’s time to congratulate LG smart TV owners: You’ll soon own an Xbox. Microsoft announced Monday that the Xbox app will arrive on LG’s latest smart TVs later this year, letting Game Pass Ultimate subscribers stream to their sets from Xbox Cloud Gaming. Microsoft and LG said the Xbox app will only be available on “supported” models of LG’s newest smart TVs . Once the app launches, you’ll find it in LG TVs’ new Gaming Portal, which will also include casual webOS games. In addition to Game Pass Ultimate’s streaming library , LG TVs will also support Microsoft’s new feature that lets you stream some of your Xbox games. That only supports around 50 titles right now, but at least some quality ones are in there, like Balatro, Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077 and NBA 2K25. It also only works with digital games you own; no dice for physical copies. Microsoft says more details about the partnership will arrive “in the coming months.” Game Pass Ultimate costs $20 monthly. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-cloud-streaming-is-coming-to-new-lg-smart-tvs-204457962.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 00:40 The makers of the camera-equipped bird feeder, Bird Buddy, introduced two new products at CES 2025 under a new brand called Wonder that let you spy on nature and help pollinators thrive. Petal, a solar-powered camera with changeable lenses and Nature Intelligence , can be mounted with a clip, a flexible arm or a stem, so it can be set up pretty much wherever you want outdoors. It’ll analyze everything it sees to let you know what birds, insects and other critters stopped by. The second product, Wonder Blocks, is a modular system that’s kind of like an apartment building for bugs and birds. It’s all very cute. Wonder The Petal camera comes in soft, bright colors like orange, blue and yellow, so it would look right at home in a flower pot or wrapped around the thin branch of a tree. It can record and livestream footage to your phone, and send commentary about “the sights and sounds of nature, from birds hatching to the flapping of butterfly’s wings, a flower blooming and bees pollinating it,” according to the company. If you also have the Wonder Blocks, you can use Petal to keep an eye on the little community that forms there. There are several options when it comes to the components you can add to the Wonder Blocks; the full system includes a pedestal at the bottom, a bug hotel, a large base for plants, a seed tray, a bee hotel and a butterfly feeder on top. Both Petal and the Wonder Blocks will launch on Kickstarter this spring. Wonder This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/new-bird-buddy-smart-garden-products-let-you-peek-into-the-secret-lives-of-pollinators-201510777.html?src=rss