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The technology industry loves to breathlessly sell you its latest and greatest and best-est new idea. Pitches have to be fast and aggressive because if you took more than a second to think about what they were selling, you might not reach for your wallet. As flashy as the products at CES 2024 in Las Vegas can be, they often have one fatal weakness. Which is to not have any sort of answer to the most important question of them all: “y tho?”

One: LG’s wireless transparent OLED TV

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

LG came to CES showing off a 77-inch wireless 4K OLED TV that is transparent for some reason. You can play footage of a singer, or an aquarium, or other screensaver-y type things as a talking piece in your home. But it turns out, being transparent isn’t great for actually watching TV, so it ships with a roll-out black background to make your transparent TV no longer transparent. I can imagine this used as an advertising screen or as an installation in a museum or corporate office. But why would you spend so much money on a TV where its key feature is an impediment to its proper function?

Two: Kohler PureWash E930 Bidet Seat

Kohler

It’s important that devices are designed with accessibility as a primary concern, rather than tacked on at the end. Nobody would hate on a voice-activated toilet that could help folks with access needs get through their day. But Kohler’s bidet seat is deeply integrated with Alexa or Google Home. Why on earth would you spend more than two grand to give Amazon or Google detailed insights into your bathroom habits?

Three: Lockly Visage facial-scanning smart lock

Lockly

Lockly’s Visage smart lock uses facial recognition to allow access to your home, opening the door if it spots you approaching. Setting aside the hideous privacy and security implications of smart locks, a thing you should never connect to the internet, this is a mad idea. Why would you leave something as important as access to your home at the whims of a sensor or some unproven gadget?

Four: Urtopia’s ChatGPT-enabled e-bike

Urtopia

The Urtopia Fusion is an e-bike equipped with a 540Wh battery promising 75 miles of range, a beefy mid-drive motor and air suspension forks. It is also, for some godforsaken reason, equipped with ChatGPT which, the company says will enable you to “talk” to your bike. Its custom assistant will, when asked, help you “explore new routes,” “get real-time information” and even “engage in entertaining conversations.” Why on earth would you want to have a conversation with your bicycle when you should be focusing on literally anything else.

Five: Hyundai S-A2 air taxi concept

Hyundai

Hyundai showed off a new VTOL air taxi concept that, it’s hoped, would take people on short hops of up to 40 miles. It can reach a top speed of 120 miles per hour and will probably never ever come to the real world. After all, why would you go to the trouble of reengineering the whole world to accommodate this disaster waiting to happen?

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Nissan has unveiled its latest Nismo electric vehicle. The Ariya Nismo is based on the Ariya e-4orce and it's scheduled to be available in two trims. The B6 has a 66kWh battery, while the B9 has a 91kWh version. With Nismo being Nissan's performance division, it's no real surprise that the EV will offer a little more power than other Ariyas. The B6 model will have 362 hp and 413 lb-ft while the B9 is set to have 429 hp and 443 lb-ft, though Road and Track points out that these figures might change before the electric SUV hits the road.

The Nismo team is said to have tuned the acceleration and added an exclusive driving mode that aims to maximize response. Nissan claims that the tuning, combined with the four-wheel-control tech of e-4orce and tires mounted on rigid 20-inch aluminum wheels, will help deliver "superior stability and turn-in ability as well as better line-tracing and enhanced cornering ability at high speeds."

Nismo also added an optional Formula E-esque sound to the Ariya Nismo for additional "excitement," Nissan said. The automaker added that the cabin has a premium feel with specially designed Nismo seats and trim.

This isn't quite the first Nissan EV that the Nismo team has worked on. It debuted the Leaf Nismo RC concept at the 2011 New York Auto Show. A second-gen model went into production in Japan in 2018. Nissan has yet to announce pricing and a release window for Nismo's new flagship EV.

The latest ZenBook 14 OLED from ASUS has most of the hardware we'd want in a modern ultraportable: Intel's new Core Ultra chips, a gorgeous OLED screen and a decent number of ports. But after testing ASUS's laptops for years, and seeing how much progress it's made with the Zephyrus G gaming line, it's surprising that the company's premium Zenbook hasn't evolved much lately.

While it's a solid step into the "AI PC" era, thanks to its NPU for accelerating AI tasks, the new ZenBook 14 is also a reminder that ASUS is lagging behind Apple and Microsoft when it comes to premium design. It doesn't feel nearly as sturdy or sleek as the redesigned MacBook Air, and it lacks the refinement of the Surface Laptop. The ZenBook 14 OLED looks fine — it’s as if you asked an AI to generate an image of a generic ultraportable.

On the plus side, ASUS is delivering far more bang for the computing buck than Apple and most other competitors. You can snag the ZenBook 14 OLED with a Core Ultra 7 155H chip, 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD for $1,300 at Best Buy. An M2 MacBook Air for the same price comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD (and it can only be upgraded to a maximum of 24GB of RAM). ASUS also includes a decent selection of ports, including a USB-A connection, two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI socket and a microSD card slot. You'd have to step up to the pricier 14-inch MacBook Pro to get some of those ports on a Mac.

While ASUS is touting the Core Ultra's AI capabilities as the big upgrade this year, I'm still far more compelled by the Zenbook 14's glorious 14-inch 3K OLED screen. It's wonderfully bright and colorful when it needs to be, and it can hit those inky dark blacks that we love from OLED displays. This year the Zenbook's OLED screen can also reach a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling, which is practically a requirement for premium laptops these days.

Images and video practically leap off of the ZenBook 14's OLED screen, which makes it ideal for binging Netflix or catching up on your YouTube queue. And thanks to the laptop's incredibly thin bezels, it's almost as if the display is floating in the air — so much so, I stopped noticing how dull the rest of the ZenBook's design feels. I also wish there was a bit more spring and depth to its keyboard, and that its trackpad didn’t feel so stiff.

But back to Intel's Core Ultra chip. Our review unit, which was equipped with a Core Ultra 7 155H, 32GB of RAM and Intel Arc graphics, delivered some healthy gains over ultraportables running Intel's 13th-gen chips. It scored 1,000 points higher in PCMark 10 compared to the ZenBook S 13 running a Core i7-1355U, and its Arc graphics were almost twice as fast as the S 13's Intel Xe graphics in the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme benchmark.

While it's far from a gaming machine, the ZenBook 14 OLED's Arc graphics also reached between 30fps to 49fps while playing Halo Infinite in 1080p with low graphics. Streaming games over Xbox cloud gaming delivered far better results: Halo Infinite and Forza Motorsport played like a dream over Wi-Fi in my office. Of course, that's more a testament to the ZenBook's wireless hardware than its graphics.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Intel's Core Ultra chips are also focused on a lot more than just raw horsepower (Intel's internal benchmarks even show it getting bested by a 13th-gen chip in some single-threaded tasks, a trade-off it made to deliver better AI and graphics performance). The addition of an NPU means the ZenBook 14 OLED can handle AI workloads in the future; developers like Adobe and Audacity have announced they're working on AI-powered features in their apps. If you're not using those apps, there's not much to do with an NPU in Windows yet except for Microsoft's Studio Effects, which lets you blur backgrounds and automatically keep yourself in frame during video chats. And notably, Studio Effects delivers far better background diffusion and person detection than the built-in alternatives in Zoom and Google Hangouts.

Buying an AI PC like the ZenBook 14 OLED is more a bet on the future rather than an immediate speed upgrade. But based on the industry support we've seen from Microsoft and other big tech firms, having an NPU-equipped PC could pay off soon. Just imagine Microsoft giving Copilot offline capabilities to make it more responsive, similar to Apple's push to make Siri available offline (something also powered by the company's Neural Engine). Eventually, you may be able to speak aloud to Copilot and have it instantly find files or locate a specific setting on your PC.

I won't blame you if you're not excited by the future of AI PCs. When Macs switched over to Apple Silicon chips, there were dramatic performance improvements over Intel's older hardware, along with the additional benefits of the Neural Engine and far better battery life. Windows users, instead, can only hope and pray that developers actually tap into NPUs.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

For now, though, you can look forward to some decent battery life from Intel's Core Ultra chips. The ZenBook 14 OLED lasted 12 hours and 43 minutes in the PCMark 10 Modern Office battery benchmark, which was longer than any other PC we've tested. During a recent trip, it held up for around a day and a half for general productivity work (lots of web browsing, writing, photo editing and a few video chats). ASUS is still lagging behind Apple, though — the M2 MacBook Air lasted 16 hours and 30 minutes in our benchmark. Fan noise also remains a problem: Its fans spun up noticeably during a podcast recording, whereas the fan-less MacBook Air is completely silent even under heavy workloads.

After spending a few weeks with the ZenBook 14 OLED, I’ve grown to love its OLED display and I’m intrigued by the possibilities of the Core Ultra chip’s NPU. It’s just a shame to see those features stuck in a relatively humdrum package. If you care more about getting a good deal than style, though, this ZenBook is tough to beat.

It's almost time for the first Samsung Unpacked event of the year. We're almost guaranteed to get the first official details about the Galaxy S24 smartphones, which are almost certainly going to have on-device generative AI features. You'll be able to watch Samsung Unpacked at 1PM ET on January 17 on the company's website or YouTube channel.

What to expect at Samsung Unpacked

Samsung hasn't exactly been subtle about what's on deck for Unpacked. The company has been teasing something called Galaxy AI for mobile devices across several promo videos:

Yeah, it's pretty safe to say AI will be a focal point of the showcase. In November, Samsung revealed its Gauss generative AI models. These can handle tasks such as translation, coding assistance and turning text into images. The S24 lineup is also expected to run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which can handle many generative AI requests on-device. As such, at least some GAI features won't need to go through the cloud, meaning that they should be processed more quickly.

As for the new smartphones, there likely won't be many changes on the hardware front beyond spec bumps. That said, the S24 Ultra is slated to have a fully flat display along with a titanium casing, according to a leaked spec sheet. Just in case there was any doubt about fresh Galaxy phones being in the offing, Samsung already has a pre-order page up for "the newest phone from Galaxy."

It's less certain whether we'll see any hardware other than smartphones at the event, though some rumors have indicated the presence of a Galaxy Fit 3 fitness tracker and/or Galaxy Book Pro laptops. This being Samsung, there's always at least a small chance of seeing new tablets, smartwatches and earbuds too.

Just as we expected, AI was the running theme throughout CES 2024. In this episode, Devindra and Producer Ben Ellman chat with co-host Cherlynn Low, who’s on the ground in Las Vegas with the Engadget team. We dive into AI coming to almost every product category, new standalone AI hardware, and a surprising amount of “shush” tech. In geekier news, we dive into Micron’s new RAM format for laptops, which has the potential to reshape the notebook industry, and discuss why we all may want a rolling house robot like Samsung’s Ballie. And on a sad note, we chat about the wave of tech layoffs from Google, Amazon and others.

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!

Topics

• Transparent OLED TVs, assistive gloves, and a Sony car: What’s hot at CES with Cherlynn Low – 1:09

• AMD and Intel announce new chips – 28:22

• Micron’s replacement for SODIMM laptop RAM is a bigger deal than you think – 38:01

• Humane and Rabbit show off standalone AI devices – 45:49

• New gaming laptops from ASUS, Alienware, and Razer – 53:36

• Samsung’s Ballie robot could be a great multimedia companion for kids – 1:00:54

• Layoffs at Amazon: Twitch to lay off 35% of its workforce – 1:16:50

• Google lays off “several hundred” workers in an effort to reorganize hardware divisions – 1:18:14

• Pop culture picks – 1:22:09

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Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

For better or worse, it isn't January if it's not a month focused on fitness and staying active. Fortunately, tracking your progress is a bit more accessible right now, thanks to an 18 percent discount on the 41mm Apple Watch Series 9. The sale on our favorite Apple Watch of 2024 brings it from $399 to $329 — an all-time low price other than the fluke instance when just two colors dropped to $310 in December. The Apple Watch Series 9 is available for $329 in the small to medium and medium to large models in five of the nine colorways. 

The Apple Watch Series 9 is one of the gems in its lineup and an excellent option for anyone looking to spend decent money on a solid smartwatch. It garnered a 92 in our review by impressing us with new features like Raise To Speak and Double Tap. Raise to Speak allows you to elevate your wrist in order to activate Siri (though it didn't work every time). These Siri requests are now processed right on the watch instead of going through another device, like your iPhone. This update means you can still use Siri when offline or away from your phone. 

Double Tap is a bit more interactive feature. The update lets you tap your index finger and thumb together (the ones on the same side as the watch) twice to complete specific actions. You can use it to answer or end calls or reply with dictation, among other commands. 

As for the health and fitness aspect, the Apple Watch Series 9 monitors your heart rate and will send a notification if it notices any irregularities. It also tracks your sleep stages and overall well-being through features like temperature sensing. Plus, it's water-resistant, so you don't have to worry if it gets all sweaty. 

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There may be a lot more real-money gaming (RMG) apps available in the Google Play Store before the year ends — at least in certain locations. Google initially started allowing apps that deal with real money in its store back in 2021, but only if they fall under a game type that's regulated by the government. Now, the company has announced that it's tweaking its rules to allow more "game types and operators not covered by an existing licensing framework." That will open the Play Store to games that aren't that popular or aren't played widely enough for local governments to create laws around them. 

Google says it conducted several pilot programs in different parts of the world since 2021 to determine how to support more real-money game operators and game types. In India, for instance, its pilot tests included apps offering Rummy card games and Daily Fantasy Sports. The company will enforce its new policy in India, Mexico and Brazil starting on June 30. After that, operators part of its pilot programs can release their current applications — and other types of real-money gaming apps — like any other developer, so long as they're in compliance with local laws. 

The company said it has plans to expand the availability of RMG apps in other regions in the future, but it clarified that its age requirements to be able to access those games will remain in place. Also, developers will still be required to geo-fence their products, so that they'll only be available where they're legal. It has also revealed that it's "evolving its service fee model" for real-money gaming apps to "help sustain the Android and Play ecosystems." As 9to5Google notes, RMG apps can't use Google Play billing, but that's likely set to change if the company intends to take a cut of developers' earnings. 

Following a cryptic tease during CES 2024, Ayaneo has revealed its Next Lite gaming handheld and it's a confusing product, to say the least. It's designed to compete with Steam Deck, but it doesn't run Valve's official SteamOS — rather, it uses a forked version called HoloISO. It will be priced at a decent $299 and while the controls and screen look good, it packs a less-than-potent processor. 

The Next Lite is equipped with a seven-inch 800p screen, 16GB of RAM and and a 47Wh battery, close to the battery size in the $549 Steam Deck OLED. However, it runs either a Ryzen 7 4500U or 4800U processor with Vega 8 graphics, rather than the Ryzen 7 5825U found on the Next. The former chips are several years old now, so the Next Lite is likely to lag well behind the original Steam Deck, currently priced at $349. 

It also uses Hall effect joysticks to eliminate drift and has a copper heat pipe cooling system. It's equipped with three USB-C 2.3 Gen 2 ports on the top and bottom, along with a slot for full-length M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs. If you'd rather run Windows like most other handhelds, it supports that option and will offer required drivers on the company's official website. 

Ayaneo

The earlier press release was puzzling because Ayaneo talked about a "subscription," but it turns out that it was just about subscribing to get more information. The company also initially said it would ship with SteamOS, which got everyone excited, but it turns out that it won't officially support Valve's operating system. Since then, the initial post has been modified to say that it'll use HoloSO, a third-party SteamOS fork. 

So what does that mean in terms of Steam Deck gaming? Ayaneo said that HoloISO "attempts to bring the Steam Deck's SteamOS Holo redistribution into a generic, installable format, and provide a close-to-official SteamOS experience." In other words, there may not be a guarantee that games will work, given the lack of official support from Valve. 

As mentioned, the Ayaneo Next Lite will cost $299 and come in "vibrant colors" including seafoam green. It's set to start shipping ahead of Chinese New Year on February 10th, 2024. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.