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Smartphones and cameras are better than ever for night shooting, but there are still a lot of caveats. You have to hold your phone still to get decent photos as multiple exposures are added together, and video is out of the question. However, there’s an emerging category of cameras dedicated to shooting in the dark using sensitive CMOS sensors and even infrared capability.

Some of those models are designed for commercial or military purposes, like SPi Infrared’s incredible X27 color night vision camera, but a few new models are aimed at consumers. One is the DuoVox Mate Pro, featuring a Sony STARVIS 2 CMOS surveillance camera sensor that’s supposedly a thousand times more sensitive than the latest smartphone sensors.

It promises clear colors images in extremely low light, where a smartphone or your eyes would see nothing. It also offers features like face detection, 2K video and more. It just launched on Kickstarter for $599, a fair amount of cash, so how does it work? I was able to get my hands on one to test it out.

Body and features

The camera is small and light but somehow bulky, weighing just 216 grams and measuring 4 inches wide by 2.1 inches tall. However, the lens juts out three inches, so it’s not even remotely pocketable. You wouldn’t want it in your pocket anyway, as it doesn’t come with a lens cap.

Controls are pretty simple, with a power button, shutter release and four directional buttons that activate different menu settings. You also get a microSD slot that supports up to 512GB cards, plus a USB-C port for charging, powering the camera and file transfers. Most control is done using the three-inch fixed touchscreen that’s bright enough to use in sunlight, which is nice but ironic for a night vision camera.

The settings are specific for night-type shooting, so they’re not what you’d find on a typical camera. For example, it has an instant recording video mode that starts the moment the camera is powered up, in case you see a deer and want to shoot quickly. It also uses a wayback mode that records continuously, but only keeps the footage if you hit the record button. Other video settings include a loop mode, timelapse mode and motion detection (for wildlife traps, for instance).

For photos, you get a quick capture mode that takes an image when the camera is powered on and face detection that automatically takes a photo when specific people are detected. You can also set things like screen brightness, quality and more.

The Mate Pro also has some decent wireless features. By setting it as a hotspot, you can connect your smartphone and use the accompanying Roadcam app to transfer images and control the camera remotely. I used it when I attached the camera to the hood of my car so I could trigger video recording remotely.

Image and video quality

The main attraction of this camera is the 1/1.8-inch Sony Starvis 2 CMOS sensor that’s far more sensitive than conventional sensors. It lets you shoot 3,200 x 1,800 images and 2,560 x 1,440 video at 30 fps. It’s not an infrared camera, but it can detect near-infrared light and is sensitive down to .0001 lux, equivalent to a moonless overcast night sky.

Bear in mind that the sensor is designed for security cameras, so image quality likely wasn’t Sony’s first priority. DuoVox does use AI stacking to get the best exposure and keep noise down, but it’s essentially shoehorning an industrial part into a consumer product.

The 7-element lens has a fast f/0.9 aperture and equivalent full-frame focal length of about 70mm. That’s very long, and the minimum focus distance is also very long, somewhere between 10-20 feet – so it’s not at all useful for shooting close objects. If you’re in a very low-light situation, it has a powerful built-in light with three different brightness levels.

I took the DuoVox Mate Pro out at night in a variety of situations to test it out. I had clear skies but no moon, so it was pitch black outside of any towns.

As I quickly discovered, this camera needs some light to work. When I pointed it at some trees, a field and a sky, everything was pitch black except for the sky. It could see stars and clouds, but the image was extremely grainy.

If you’re planning to use it for purposes like wildlife spotting or night photography with no sources of artificial light, as DuoVox touts on its Kickstarter page, you’ll need at least some moonlight to do so.

With a bit more light, it can produce surprisingly bright images with reasonably accurate color fidelity. One shot of a town was bright enough to clearly see the scene, but almost completely black on a smartphone. I mounted it to my car and took a ride, and everything was lit up like daytime.

Even with enough light for a scene, there are some pretty large drawbacks, though. The image is clearly boosted electronically, so the less light you have, the noisier it becomes. The grain clears up with more light, of course, but at that point you could just use your smartphone or a camera.

In addition, the focal length is impractical and the focal distance too long for indoor shooting, unless you have a large room. That issue can also make it difficult to use as a wildlife trap, as any animal approaching it would go out of focus. It’s also prone to strobing with artificial light sources, including its own light. And finally, it has no stabilization of any kind and severe rolling shutter. As such, you can’t shoot video handheld unless you have steadier hands than I do.

Wrap-up

Steve Dent/Engadget

The DuoVox Mate pro costs $600, with the price supposedly doubling to $1,200 once the Kickstarter campaign ends. It appears to be a success so far, with around $175,000 raised. But will buyers get what they expect for their purchase?

From what I’ve seen in the Kickstarter comments and elsewhere, many probably will. And the company does have a track record, having delivered previous night vision products including the Duovox V9, V8 and S1.

However, some backers may be disappointed, because DuoVox has no video that shows the true (noisy) image quality in low light. The company’s campaign really should include more images and video samples in very low light conditions, so backers have a better idea of what to expect.

That said, there are very few devices that deliver bright, full-color images in very dim light. One of those is the $800 Sionyx Aurora, which promises color images using visible and infrared light. It doesn’t offer the same color fidelity with infrared, but that feature appears to give it superior low-light sensitivity.

You could also just use a Sony A7S-series or other low-light camera and crank up the ISO to the max, then boost the signal further in post. It wouldn’t work as well in really dark conditions, but image quality would be far better.

If you’re looking for a night vision camera for travel, security or other purposes, and image quality is secondary, it is worth taking a look. DuoVox expects to start shipping in October, but keep in mind that with Kickstarter, there are no guarantees you’ll receive the product and you may lose all your money.

After they’re done celebrating their academic accomplishments, your grad might already have a new job or internship lined up, or they may be very close to a new opportunity. If so, they’ll want a few essentials that will ease them into the working world, whether they’re dealing with a daily commute or logging on from home. Here are a few gift ideas that they’ll appreciate regardless of where they find themselves doing most of their work.

LARQ Bottle PureVis

LARQ

Carrying a reusable water bottle on your commute is a smart idea, but what’s even smarter is a bottle that cleans itself. The LARQ Bottle PureVis claims to neutralize up to 99.99 percent of odor-causing bacteria using UV-C light, which means there’s less chance of it stinking up between refills. Either press the button at the top to trigger the clean, or simply wait; it automatically cleans itself once every two hours. The PureVis model also has thermal insulation that can keep drinks either cold or hot.

If they don’t mind cleaning their bottle, however, the Contigo Autoseal transit mug is a more affordable alternative. It’s wide enough to fit most cup holders and it has a handy Autoseal button which lets them drink out of the bottle when held down. As a bonus for coffee aficionados, both an Aeropress and a drip filter cone fits nicely over it, so you can brew your cup of joe directly into the mug. — Nicole Lee, Commerce Writer

Everlane Renew Transit 

Everlane

A good backpack is essential for commuting, especially if your grad has to tote their laptop back and forth each day. One of our favorites is the Everlane Renew Transit Backpack thanks to both its exterior 15-inch laptop sleeve and assortment of interior and exterior pockets. It also has two water bottle holders and a pass-through strap that attaches to rolling luggage, so they can use it as their main travel pack during their next trip. And, as a bonus, it’s made from 100 percent recycled polyester, has a water-resistant finish and comes in three neutral colors that will pair well with any outfit. — N.L.

LumeCube Edge Desk Light

LumeCube

Even if your graduate already has an upgraded webcam, bad lighting can prevent them from putting their best face forward when virtually speaking with colleagues. The LumeCube Edge Desk Light can fix that with its multiple brightness and warm-light settings, plus a bendable neck that makes it easy to adjust the light’s position. Since it’s quite flexible, they can use it for other things, too, including note-taking and live streaming. And we know they’ll appreciate its built-in USB-C and USB-A charging ports, which will let them conveniently power up their phone, earbuds and more while getting all of their work done. — N.L.

Logitech MX Anywhere 3

Logitech

Today’s office life is more on-the-go than ever, with workers switching between home, office and maybe the occasional coffee shop in between. But being mobile doesn’t mean having to settle for an unresponsive trackpad. The MX Anywhere 3 is a comfy mouse that can easily slip into a bag, though not as easily as it connects via the included receiver or Bluetooth. And it really does work anywhere — including on glass surfaces. — Kris Naudus, Commerce Writer

27-inch Dell UltraSharp U2720Q monitor

Dell

An external monitor is essential for anyone who works from home most of the time. Not only is it ergonomically better than hunching over a laptop all day, but the additional screen real estate is invaluable, too. We especially like the Dell UltraSharp U2720Q thanks to its 4K screen resolution, adjustable height stand and array of ports that they can use to charge their laptop as well as other accessories. It comes with an HDMI socket, two USB-C connections, a DisplayPort, a 3.5mm headphone jack and two USB-A ports. One more feature that’s especially useful if they plan on coding: the monitor can rotate 90 degrees so it can be used vertically as well as horizontally. — N.L.

Anker PowerCore Slim 10K

Anker

Anyone with a busy schedule can appreciate the convenience of a portable battery pack – you’ll never have to worry about an unexpected dead phone, tablet, pair of earbuds or another essential gadget. One of our favorites is Anker’s PowerCore Slim 10000PD because it has a lightweight design and yet packs a 10,000 mAh battery inside. That’s enough to charge a smartphone up to three times, and it won’t take up too much space in your bag. Plus, we like that it comes with a couple of Anker’s safety features like overcharge protection and temperature control. — N.L.

Logitech C920S Pro HD

Logitech

In the age of Zoom calls and Google Meet video conferences, webcams have become essential. Like many of us, graduates have probably relied on their machine's built-in camera until now, but that just won't cut it if you're video conferencing multiple times a day and also care about looking good. An external webcam can make all the difference — our favorite is the Logitech C920s Pro HD webcam, which has 1080P video quality, autofocus capabilities and decent white balance adjustment. It also has a large 78-degree field of view plus a lens cover that will help protect your privacy when it’s not in use. On top of that, it has a solid pair of built-in microphones, and you can adjust settings like autofocus, brightness and contrast via Logitech’s Camera Settings companion app. — N.L.

Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard

Microsoft

The grad in your life probably wrecked their hands and wrists writing all those term papers on a dinky laptop keyboard, so why not get their working life started off right with something better? The Surface Ergonomic Keyboard is a treat to type on, thanks to its soft but responsive keys and split design that places your hands in a more natural position. The soft Alacantra wrist rest is pretty great too, and it certainly makes this a classy addition to a work area for under $100. — K.N.

Google Nest Audio

Engadget

When setting up a home office, audio isn’t always first and foremost on your mind. But when it comes time for your grad to start work, they’ll wonder how they lived without it. A Nest Audio is great for setting reminders like when it’s time to do laundry or check the mail, turn on lights remotely when it gets dark and, of course, play music or podcasts as they work. If they’re not into the Google ecosystem, an Amazon Echo is also a great gift with the same capabilities. — K.N.

Passwordless sign-ins are already a practical reality, but they're sometimes clunky — and three of the biggest tech companies believe they can reduce the friction. Apple, Google and Microsoft are teaming up to expand support for a password-free sign-in standard from the FIDO Alliance and World Wide Web Consortium. You'll get to use FIDO authentication on a phone or tablet to sign into an app or website on a nearby device, regardless of platform. Likewise, you'll often have automatic access to your FIDO credentials without having to add every account on a given device, even on brand new hardware.

The aim is to allow "end-to-end" passwordless sign-ins for apps and websites, not just at certain stages. You'd only need to use biometric scans (such as your face or finger) or a device PIN to sign in at every step. The effort will hopefully prevent successful phishing attacks that trick you into sharing passwords with hackers and scammers.

Apple, Google and Microsoft all plan to make the enhanced zero-password features available on their platforms throughout the "coming year." You may have to wait for a significant operating system update to see the upgrade. The wait might be endurable, though, if passwords are far less necessary than they are today.

The following contains spoilers for the premiere episode of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.’

Today Strange New Worlds makes its debut on Paramount+, the long-awaited third live action series in the new Kurtzman-era. But, while Discovery carried the burden of being the first Star Trek show in 12 years and Picard saw the return of a beloved character after 17 years, Strange New Worlds is dealing with a more recent problem: It’s been billed by cast and crew alike as an answer to fan complaints about this new era of Trek, specifically as a return to more episodic storytelling. But, with its series premiere the show also felt the need to fire another shot across the bow to fans: a return to “message” Trek.

Star Trek, from the beginning, has always been imbued with Gene Roddenbury’s humanist philosophy. The original series was meant to depict a universe where all the nations and races of Earth had worked out their differences and traveled to the stars to meet other sentient species and overcome their differences with those groups. Many of the Enterprise’s adventures with alien species were often unsubtle allegories for real-world issues. For example (and most memorably), “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” wherein two warring members of the same species hate each other due to the color configuration of their faces — black on the right side, or black on the left side (they looked a lot like a black and white cookie, if you’ve ever eaten one of these New York classics).

Marni Grossman/Paramount+

The followup shows would tackle other issues in their own ways, from The Next Generation handling issues of drug addiction (badly), gender identity (also kind of badly) and basic civil rights (those were actually pretty good). Deep Space Nine can claim one of the best episodes of the entire franchise with “Far Beyond the Stars,” in which Captain Sisko experiences visions that place him in the shoes of a Black science fiction writer trying to tackle the racial injustices of the early 20th century.

That particular episode of Deep Space Nine is not just meaningful in what it has to say about race, but in the role of science fiction as a way to explore social issues and address injustices. There’s a quote from Stargate SG-1 (yeah, the other-other “Star” franchise) that I often go back to: “Science fiction is an existential metaphor that allows us to tell stories about the human condition.” That is, we can take real-world issues and bury them under fanciful elements such that we can portray them without immediately sending up someone’s hackles, then comment on them with the caveat, “this is just a ‘what if,’ after all; it’s not real.” It’s not real, but it makes you think. Science fiction is the storytelling equivalent of hiding your dog’s pills inside a treat.

Marni Grossman/Paramount+

However, Discovery and Picard have largely stayed away from “message” storytelling, choosing largely to focus on long-term character exploration over a long serialized story. If the shows chose to make any broad statements, it was by the mere presence of marginalized groups and integrating them into the universe: Discovery is the first show led by a Black female captain, with many of its main and recurring characters existing on the queer spectrum. Seven and Raffi are a couple on Picard, and Lower Decks even has an asexual character. But the shows for the most part, have shied away from overt messaging, even if wrapped in a science fiction coating.

Strange New Worlds upends that trend in its first episode, where Pike is sent to right a first contact mission gone wrong. For those unfamiliar with the trope, the Federation always reaches out to races developing warp engine technology for the first time, to catch them before they blunder out into trouble in outer space. It’s a fairly standard Star Trek plot, one that makes for a good standalone adventure to kick off a program that’s been billed as an “episodic” show. First contact episodes are good because both the characters and audience are meeting an alien species for the first time at the same time, so there’s no backstory to explain, nor are they expected to follow up (other ships have the task of continuing diplomatic relations, as seen in Lower Decks).

CBS

But in this case, the development of warp on the planet was not natural; instead the planet is not far from the events of Discovery at the end of season two and was witness to sights and readings that led them to build a warp device… as a bomb. While Starfleet protocol would dictate that the planet should just be allowed to blow themselves up, Pike decides to take responsibility instead, stepping in and delivering a message along the lines of The Day the Earth Stood Still, though less “we’ll blow you up” and more “don’t do this to yourselves.” There’s an entire speech about how Earth went through the same kind of struggles, and this is where the message stops being allegorical as Pike specifically shows footage of January 6th, 2021.

It’s rare for Star Trek to directly acknowledge the present day in its storytelling, partly because that facet of continuity is a mess (the worldwide Eugenics Wars were originally supposed to take place in the ‘90s, for example) but mostly because it violates the whole “science fiction as metaphor” principle. When the show specifically points at something you personally know, something you’re almost sure to have an opinion on, it’s easy to feel like it’s turned against you when your opinions don’t align. Even if they do line up, people don’t particularly like being lectured. So for a show that’s trying to win back fans that seem to have turned away from this new era of Trek, it’s a weird path of Strange New Worlds to take.

CBS

But, between this and the season four finale of Discovery and its Stacey Abrams cameo, it seems that Star Trek has no interest in being metaphorical anymore; too many people are missing the point. There are those on the internet that love to complain about “woke” Trek even though the show has always addressed racism, sexism, gender identity, drug addiction, religious belief, terrorism, persecution of minorities, slavery, colonialism, environmentalism… the list goes on. Many of these situations weren’t even that subtle. And, despite insistences to the contrary, Starfleet is a military organization. The Federation is a government. Almost everything they do is political by definition. But that seems to have escaped many viewers, forcing the franchise to drag the real world in to make its point.

The following contains mild spoilers for the finale episode of ‘Star Trek: Picard’ season two.

Picard has always been an outlier in the Star Trek franchise. It’s not a show about a particular ship and its crew; the title indicates that at its heart, it’s about this one character and any unresolved issues he may have had with his life. It hasn’t been the most compelling premise, and its output so far has been divisive among fans. But as the series finishes up its second year and rolls into its third and final season, its ultimate purpose has become more clear, a purpose that wouldn’t have worked for a broadcast show but fits right in with the more intimate confines of a streaming service.

In its first two seasons, Picard has felt rather directionless. Season one was about artificial life, while season two decided to delve into time travel and emotional trauma. It may be a serialized program, but the plotlines and tone have gone all over the place (mostly notably in “Stardust City Rag,” which starts off with a gory torture scene but by the halfway mark the crew is all wearing silly disguises). But between the departures of cast members at the end of season two and the announcement that The Next Generation crew would be appearing in the series in its last season, however, a clear pathway for the program seems to have emerged from the fog.

CBS

The final TNG movie (Nemesis) is generally considered to be awful, with a weak nonsensical plot, some out-of-character moments and just a bad sendoff for fan favorite characters like Data. Picard has sought to heal some of those wounds by giving Data a proper death, Troi and Riker a proper family, and Jean-Luc himself some needed character growth. That last one was a particular sticking point since the finale of the show, “All Good Things,” ended with a message that Picard needs to grow as a person. And then in the films… he just didn’t.

It’s hard to imagine creating a network television show just to fix some problems with a series of films made twenty years ago, which is why Picard is most definitely a product of the streaming model. I’ve talked before how streaming affects the creative development of shows in both good and bad ways. A streaming program is given a full season order before it starts, meaning that creators know they have at least six or 10 or 13 episodes to play with. It’s a big part of why serialized storytelling is even possible, since showrunners no longer fear being cut off in the middle of an ongoing story (like the recently canceled Legends of Tomorrow on the CW, which ended on a big cliffhanger).

CBS

There are also some drawbacks, to be sure; without audience feedback, it means a creator can’t fine-tune a show as it goes along. They can’t make changes at all until the new season starts production. And if the show hasn’t been renewed for another season, they can’t seed plot points in the current season and be sure they’ll pay off. At least with broadcast shows, they may hear of their renewal while still in production, allowing them to add in some hook for the next season.

But as I said, Picard doesn’t have to worry about any of this. The show was intended to be three seasons and no more, and they’ve already shot the entire thing. Many lapsed fans have publicly stated they intend to jump on board merely for the presence of their TNG faves, meaning Paramount+’s streaming strategy does seem to be working in this case.

CBS

And it’s because the show has such a limited life span, because it’s ending up to be less a tentpole than it is a nice little coda for long-time fans, I find it easier to make peace with the show’s existence. Like many viewers I’ve had problems with Picard, some I’ve written about. The same goes for Discovery. But as the Star Trek universe expands and more options become available, each show has a lot less weight to carry.

They no longer have to try to meet every expectation; instead fans have a fuller menu to choose from. Discovery can be for those who like a quirkier Trek with a progressive cast, Picard is for TNG diehards, Lower Decks is for fans who like the sillier aspects of the franchise, Prodigy is for kids and Strange New Worlds is trying to be an old-fashioned-style Trek for fans who literally hated everything else on this list. And I don’t think any of this would have been possible without the streaming model. There may be too many shows to keep up with, but at least it’s easier to find something that fits your unique taste. Whether the growth of streaming is sustainable is yet to be seen (RIP CNN+) but for now, we can enjoy the plethora of options at the buffet.

AMD has at last made chips with its Zen 3 architecture for higher-end Chromebooks. It created several C-series Ryzen 5000 processors that are designed for Chrome OS. All of the CPUs in this lineup were built on a 7nm process and have Vega graphics.

At the top of the line is the eight-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 5825C. It has eight GPU cores and tops out at 4.5GHz with max boost — just below the 5700G's 4.6GHz. AMD says this is the first Chromebook processor with eight high-performance cores.

A step below that APU is the Ryzen 5 5625C, which has six cores, 12 threads, seven GPU cores and a max boost speed of 4.3GHz. Next up is the Ryzen 3 5425C, with four cores, eight threads and six GPU cores. That maxes out at 4.1GHz. Lastly, there's the Ryzen 3 5125C, which has a top speed of 3.0GHz. That model has two cores, four threads and three GPU cores.

The Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-series chips, which top out at eight cores and eight threads, use the Zen architecture and are being positioned as mainstream-level options.

With the Ryzen 5000 C-series, AMD is promising up to 94 percent better battery life than you'd get with Intel chipsets. It says machines with the processors will run for up to 13 hours before they need to be recharged. The chips also have multi-monitor support for up to three 4K monitors, fast charging support and Chromebooks using them can instantly wake from sleep.

Among the first manufacturers to use the new chips are Acer and HP with the Chromebook Spin 514 and HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook.

The latest version of Acer's Chromebook is a 14-inch, full HD 2-in-1 that can house up to the Ryzen 7 5825C processor. It has support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and up to 256GB of PCIe gen-3 NVMe SSD storage.

Acer says its device has military-grade MIL-STD 810H durability and a 100 percent sRGB color range. It has a 1080p webcam with a shutter, two USB-C gen-2 ports and optional HDMI. The battery will run for up to 10 hours on a single charge, Acer claims.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-3H) will be available in Q3 in North America and the EMEA region, starting at $580/€749. An enterprise version will also be available in the third quarter, starting at $900 or €849.

HP

As for the HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook, there are multiple display options, including a 14-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen with 250 nits of brightness. There's also a non-touch 1,000-nit panel with low blue light and HP's Eye Ease tech.

This model can be equipped with up to 16GB of soldered LPDDR4X memory, up to 512GB of PCIe SSD storage and an optional smart card reader. It has a 5MP webcam, along with two mics and dual speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen. 

In addition, there's support for fast charging and WiFi 6E. The c645 G2 has passed MIL-STD 810H durability tests as well. HP is also guaranteeing Chrome OS support through June 2030. 

The HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook should be available in early June and it will start at $559. On top of that, the company announced the HP Elite c640 G3 Chromebook, which has similar specs but runs on Intel chips. That should arrive in mid-May with a starting price of $509. 

Enterprise versions of both the AMD- and Intel-powered Chromebooks are expected to go on sale in the same timeframes. Pricing for those will be announced later.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 is now cheaper than ever at Amazon, where the 40mm Bluetooth-only version is currently on sale for $174. That's a new all-time for the wearable and is $76 less than its retail price of $250. The watch has been on sale a few times for $200 over the past months, but the lowest it got before this was $180 ahead of Black Friday last year. 

We gave the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 a score of 84 in our review and praised it for its comprehensive health tracking capabilities. It has a 3-in-1 biometric sensor that enables body mass scans and new sleep-tracking features, such as continuous blood oxygen detection that can help assess your sleep quality more accurately. We also praised the watch for having a sharper and brighter screen than its predecessors. 

Since Galaxy Watch 4 is loaded with Wear OS, it has much better third-party app support than previous versions. You can download apps directly from the Play Store — there's even a section that shows which of the apps on your phone has a Wear OS counterpart. In addition, Samsung has added gesture controls to the device via the One UI that will let you answer or dismiss calls by flicking your wrist or lifting your arm. 

Although only the 40mm version is on sale for $174 right now, you can also get its bigger counterpart at a discount. If you prefer a larger smartwatch, the 44mm version of the Galaxy Watch 4 is currently available for $230, which is only around 90 cents off its all-time low and $50 less than its regular price. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

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Gaming has been one of Chrome OS’ weak spots for years. Most Chromebooks have lower-power hardware paired with an OS built on web technology, so playing AAA titles found on Windows has simply not been an option. Cloud gaming, like Google’s own Stadia, offered a solution of sorts, but many players have been eager to see how Steam would fare, after Google announced Valve's platform was in an early alpha phase.

News Editor Nathan Ingraham tested things out on one of the seven Chromebooks that can run Steam, an ASUS Chromebook CX9 with Intel's 11th-generation Core i7. (Google says Steam required a device with at least a Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM.) He explains that many games run like a dream; however, his attempts to play 2018's God of War, originally released for the PS4 and ported to Windows in January this year, was apparently a “totally unplayable slideshow.” God of War’s spec requirements demand either NVIDIA's GTX 960 or AMD's R9 290X graphics cards — it wasn’t a huge shock.

While Google and Valve will improve the Steam experience from this early alpha, it's fair to say Chrome OS will never be the place to play cutting-edge games. But, Steam's library is vast, and there are thousands of titles — most playable offline, something Stadia can’t offer.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Meta offers new professional certificates through Coursera

• 'Elden Ring' for PlayStation falls to $50 in a good day for gaming deals

• Steam on a Chromebook works better than I expected

• The best self-care gifts for graduates

• AMD teases new 'Dragon Range' CPUs for high-end gaming laptops

• YouTube Go will no longer be available from August

• Samsung's new dashcam memory card records non-stop for up to 16 years

• Apple employees criticize work-from-home policy in open letter

New 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' trailer includes some Darth Vader assembly

The six-episode series debuts on Disney+ on May 27th.

Lucasfilm and Disney+ celebrated May the 4th by offering another look at the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. There's not a ton of new footage, but it includes a peep at Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) being pieced together, which is much more than the breathing cameo from the previous trailer.

Continue reading.

Wordle brought 'tens of millions' of users to The New York Times

Many players stuck around, too.

The New York Times has revealed it added "tens of millions" of new users in the first quarter of 2022 thanks to Josh Wardle's hit word game. That led to the company's best quarter yet for subscriber additions to games, and "many" of those incoming players have stuck around to try other games.

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Samsung's new phone storage standard is twice as fast

The company will start mass-producing Universal Flash Storage 4.0 in the third quarter.

Samsung has introduced the latest iteration of its Universal Flash Storage product, which it says is much, much faster than its predecessor. UFS was created to enable SSD speeds for cameras, phones and other devices, but this version — called UFS 4.0 — can reach 23.2Gbps per lane. That's double the speed of UFS 3.1, the storage used in Samsung’s Galaxy S22.

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Sonos' rumored $250 soundbar is reportedly called the Ray

It may be smaller than the Beam, with some high-end features.

Sonos' rumored budget soundbar was briefly posted online at Colombian store KTronix. The listing suggested g it will be called the Sonos Ray and be smaller than the already compact Beam Gen 2 at just 22 inches long (versus 25.6in), if slightly taller and thinner. A previous leak hinted Sonos might release it as soon as early June. And while the Colombian price (about $323) likely won't reflect the exact pricing for the US, it does imply the rumored $250 sticker is at least close to the mark.

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The best gifts to upgrade your grad’s tech setup

Due a refresh.

Engadget

Graduation is traditionally a big time for gift-giving, so if you know someone heading out into the real world who could use an upgrade after four (or more!) long years of higher education, we’ve got a host of options — even if the giftee is in deep with tech already.

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As part of Lenovo's big spring laptop refresh, the company today unveiled a new generation of Slim clamshell laptops in the US (which confusingly share the 'Slim' branding with older, unrelated models). These include the Slim 9i, the Slim 7i and Slim7i Pro X, the Slim 7i Carbon and the Slim 7. The last of those come with an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor rather than the Intel chips inside its sisters, while the Slim 9i claims to be carbon neutral. While the improvements aren’t dramatic, the new line offers decent boosts in performance, longevity and screen quality. 

Lenovo’s Slim 9i is a 14-inch laptop with WiFi 6 and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. It's also supposedly carbon-neutral, which makes this a solid bet if you're eco-conscious. The display includes an option to upgrade to a 4K OLED Puresight touchscreen display, which will no doubt make for sharper visuals and more immersive gaming. It also includes the IdeaPad’s infrared webcam, which means it will have facial recognition abilities. It also features 12th-gen Intel Core processors. The laptop starts at $1,799 and will be available in US stores starting in June.

Both the Slim 7i Pro X and Slim 7 Pro X are 14-inch laptops; the former offers 12-gen Intel Core processors and the latter includes an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor. You can expect up to 32 GB of RAM and the option of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU. At 3.5 pounds, both machines are also very lightweight, especially for ones with dedicated graphics cards. The 7i Pro X starts at $1,699 and the 7 Pro X starts at $1,499.

The Slim 7 features a 16-inch screen and is outfitted with an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor, and starts at $1,499. The Slim 7i is available in either 14 or 16-inches and includes 12th-gen Intel Core processors. It is priced starting at $1,199 or $1,599, respectively.

For those in the market for a lightweight laptop that also won’t weigh down their carry-on bag, a decent option may be Lenovo’s 13-inch 2.2 pound Slim 7i Carbon. As the name implies, it saves weight by having a carbon frame. It includes 12th-gen Intel Core processors and self-adjusting fan and power speeds to save battery life. The 7i Carbon is available as either a 13-inch laptop or an upgraded model that features a 13.3-inch Lenovo Puresight touchscreen. The price starts at $1,299, and will be available in the US this June.

For those afraid of losing their laptops while on the go (or heaven forbid, their machine getting stolen), Lenovo will be offering its Smart Lock program in North America, starting in June. The cloud-based security program includes an app and browser version and essentially allows users to track and find their machines, as well as remotely lock or wipe any personal data from them.