As ever, Samsung has a ton of news up its sleeve for CES, including some updates about its Freestyle portable projector. It looks pretty similar to the company's previous Freestyle model, but this one includes Samsung's smart TV platform and features its Gaming Hub, as well. This also provides access to services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna and NVIDIA GeForce Now for cloud gaming.
However, the real magic with this year's version of Freestyle may become apparent when you have two units. When projections from the two become one, as the Spice Girls might have once sang, Edge Blending tech can combine them into a single ultra-wide display with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Samsung says the patented technology can automatically keystone the picture and make adjustments for "an even more immersive cinematic experience." So, if you have a living room with an enormous wall or happen to know a friend with an art gallery, you may be able to set up two Freestyle projectors and play Fortnite on a massive display.
CookingPal has revealed what it claims is the smartest and safest pressure cooker on the planet. Pronto is an eight-in-one device and, according to CookingPal, it's the first pressure cooker with a fixed, hinged lid, an auto pressure release system and an air fryer attachment.
Pronto has a six-quart bowl with handles. There are safety sensors and an automatic pressure release with a steam diverter to help protect users. Along with pressure cooking, Pronto can be used for sauteing, slow cooking, steaming, fermenting, sanitizing, keeping food warm and, thanks to its integrated scale, weighing. The air fryer attachment, which is sold separately, adds air frying, roasting, baking and grilling to the list of cooking methods.
CookingPal
You'll be able to monitor the cooking status and control Pronto using CookingPal's companion app. Alternatively, you can keep an eye on things and adjust settings with the help of the device's 4.3-inch color screen. A dedicated tablet called the Smart Kitchen Hub (which comes with CookingPal's Multo cooking system) provides access to hundreds of recipes with step-by-step instructions and nutritional information, as well as the option to book cooking classes with the company's chefs.
Pronto is hardly the first pressure cooker that offers remote control via an app — Instant Pot has introduced several such models over the last few years. Still, the auto pressure release system and Smart Kitchen Hub integration could make Pronto a more appealing option.
CookingPal says that Pronto will be available in Q3 this year, which is sometime between July and September. It will cost $279. The air fryer attachment will run you $119.
L’Oréal has returned to CES to unveil two makeup devices. HAPTA is a handheld, motorized applicator that the company created for people with limited hand and arm mobility. L’Oréal's Lancôme brand will pilot the system this year with a lipstick applicator. Support for more makeup applications is in the works.
HAPTA is based on tech from Alphabet-owned Verily that levels utensils and keeps them stable to help people with limited hand and arm mobility eat independently. The system has smart motion controls and customizable attachments to enable precise application with the help of 360 degrees of rotation and 180 degrees of flexion, L’Oréal says.
L’Oréal
The attachments are connected magnetically, with users being able to click them into place. The company added that HAPTA allows for "increased ease of use for difficult-to-open packaging." Users will get an hour of use out of a single charge, which should be good for 10 or more applications, according to L’Oréal. It'll take three hours to fully recharge the battery.
“For years, Lancôme has sought to provide every woman with beauty solutions adapted to their needs. Beauty tech has enabled us to fulfill this mission in an even more powerful way, revolutionizing the way we develop beauty products and services and enabling greater personalization,” Françoise Lehmann, global brand president of Lancôme, said in a statement. “With HAPTA we are going one step further by making beauty more accessible to use, because everyone should have equal access to it."
L’Oréal
L’Oréal had another makeup applicator to show off as well. It says that L’Oréal Brow Magic can help folks to achieve a personalized eyebrow look based on their facial features and natural brow.
To create the handheld device, L’Oréal worked with a company called Prinker, which offers printed, temporary tattoos. L’Oréal Brow Magic has 2,400 small nozzles and a printing resolution of up to 1,200 drops per inch. It can seemingly apply a precise brow shape in seconds. Standard remover will take the makeup off.
L’Oréal says the system is based on its Modiface AR technology. Users will need to scan their face using an app and choose their desired shape, thickness and effect — the app will offer microblading, micro-shading and filler recommendations. After the user applies a primer, they'll need to sweep the device across their eyebrow in a single motion, then add a topcoat. L’Oréal Brow Magic should be available later this year.
We often see a bunch of healthcare-oriented gadgets coming out of CES, but Vivoo's latest offering isn't exactly a fitness tracker. The company has unveiled a smart toilet device that can test your urine and send the results to your phone.
The tech is built into a device that can clip onto existing toilets. Vivoo, which has offered at-home urine tests for the last few years, designed the system with residential care, the elderly and healthcare service providers in mind. It could give those who simply want to know more about what's going on with their body some additional data.
The device will automatically align a testing strip with a person's urine stream, according to Vivoo, which says this approach should reduce the risk of mess involved with a handheld strip. An optical reader akin to those used in hospitals analyzes the urine sample for four wellness parameters and delivers the results to the Vivoo app within 90 seconds. The company suggests that the results can offer "indications of certain deficiencies or abnormalities" and help with early detection of some conditions.
Vivoo says its app can provide data on your body's water, magnesium, pH, protein and sodium levels, among others, though disclaimers on its website say these measurements are not intended for medical use. It offers nutrition advice based on the results and Vivoo may suggest personalized supplements.
The company claims it's easy to clean the smart toilet device. It adds that the system has an ergonomic design. However, based on images Vivoo provided, the device is positioned at the front of the toilet seat and it looks fairly cumbersome. Folks who need to sit to pee may find it difficult to position their legs around it, such as the elderly and those with mobility issues.
IO Interactive is making things easier to parse for newcomers to the Hitman series and giving Hitman 3 owners who don't already own the previous two games a bonus. On January 26th, the company will rename Hitman 3 to Hitman: World of Assassination. That's the moniker IOI gave to the recent rebooted trilogy. What's more, Hitman: WOA will include access to all three games.
Those who already owned Hitman 1 and Hitman 2 were supposed to be able to access levels from them in the third installment. However, the approach caused some confusion. This change should streamline things a bit.
If you own Hitman 3, you'll get a free upgrade to Hitman: WOA. IOI will delist the previous two games, though you'll still be able to download them again if you already own them. Hitman: WOA, which will cost $70, will bethe only entry point for the trilogy moving forward. Hitman 3's current standard price is $60, but it's on sale for $21 on Steam until January 5th. You might find PlayStation, Xbox and Switch deals elsewhere.
A new $30 Deluxe Pack will grant you access to three expansion packs, which include two extra levels, a pair of sniper maps, the Seven Deadly Sinsexpansion for Hitman 3 and other challenges. The three expansions (Hitman 3 Deluxe Pack, Hitman 3 Seven Deadly Sins Collection and Hitman 2 Expansion Access Pass) will still be available separately on consoles and Epic Games Store. The Deluxe Pack will be pro-rated on Steam if you already own one or two of those DLCs.
IOI noted in a blog post that a key consideration for the updates was the roguelite Freelancer mode, as being able to access all levels from across the trilogy is important for players to get the most out of it. The Freelancer mode was supposed to debut last year, but it will go live on January 26th as well.
“We’re absolutely certain that these changes will have a hugely positive effect on existing players and new players alike. It will also make our lives a lot easier too, there’s no doubting that,” IOI wrote. “For many players, it will mean free content to enjoy. For others, it will mean significantly cheaper DLC prices. For new players, who probably aren’t reading this here, they’ll have a much better experience buying Hitman games.”
Folks looking for ultra-smooth gaming may be interested in Alienware's latest display. The Dell brand has unveiled its first 500Hz monitor. The inventively named 24.5-inch 500Hz Gaming Monitor has a Full HD display and a native refresh rate of 480Hz, which overclocks to 500Hz.
The monitor has an IPS panel and NVIDIA has certified it as G-Sync compatible, so it should deliver smooth, tear-free gameplay if you have a supported graphics card. It also has 99 percent sRGB color coverage and VESA DisplayHDR 400, which should help to deliver accurate colors and vibrant visuals at wider viewing angles. Alienware added that the TUV-certified ComfortView Plus feature will help to display true-to-life colors while reducing blue light.
There's a GtG response time of 0.5ms. That should help to minimize blur and ghosting while offering ultra-low latency, something that benefits competitive gamers who are looking for an edge over the competition. The monitor comes with NVIDIA’s Reflex Analyzer as standard, which should help you gain a better understanding of your system latency and PC performance.
Alienware
The monitor has a hexagonal base that's designed to take up minimal real estate on your desk, leaving more space for you to position your mouse and keyboard as you please. A built-in retractable headset hanger is another handy feature, while the monitor offers fully customizable AlienFX backlighting.
Alienware has yet to reveal pricing for the 500Hz Gaming Monitor. It will do so before the display ships, which will be on March 21st in North America. That'll give you some time to get your hands on a GPU that can support refresh rates of 500Hz, such as the NVIDIA RTX 4090, if you don't already have one.
Tesla has suffered another blow after a South Korea regulator said it would fine the company 2.85 billion won ($2.24 million) for failing to disclose the shorter ranges of its electric vehicles in low temperatures. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that Tesla EV ranges drop by up to 50.5 percent in cold weather, compared with the ranges that the company stated online.
The antitrust agency claimed that Tesla exaggerated the ranges of its vehicles on a single charge, the performance of Superchargers and fuel cost effectiveness versus combustion engine vehicles, as Reuters reports. The KFTC said that Tesla did so on its South Korean website between August 2019 and recently.
Studies have shown that ranges for all EVs can drop significantly in colder weather, mainly because the battery that's used to power those cars also heats the interior. Based on data from South Korea's environment ministry, a local consumer group claimed in 2021 that the ranges of most EVs drop by up to 40 percent in cold weather. Tesla's vehicles saw the biggest drop, according to Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty. Tesla doesn't have a communications department that can be reached for comment.
While the fine is a relatively small one, it's more bad news for Tesla. The company said on Monday that it set a new quarterly record for EV deliveries in the last three months of 2022 with more than 405,000 (an increase of nearly 97,000 compared with a year earlier). However, analysts expected Tesla to deliver 418,000 EVs last quarter. By 10:30AM ET on Tuesday, Tesla's stock had dropped by over 10 percent compared with Monday. The company's share price has plummeted by 72 percent over the last 12 months.
Dell has pulled back the curtain on several UltraSharp monitors, including what it claims is the first 6K monitor with an IPS Black panel. It says the screen delivers 41 percent deeper blacks and up to 1.2 times better color accuracy than regular IPS panels. The 31.5-inch monitor has 150 percent more pixels than a 4K display as well.
The Dell UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor is said to have a wide color gamut with support for 99 percent DCI-P3 and 99 percent Display P3, as well as VESA DisplayHDR 600. These should deliver accurate colors from more angles than you might be used to on older monitors. There's a built-in, dual-gain HDR 4K webcam with auto framing and light adjustment features, along with an automatic shutter. The monitor also has an echo cancellation mic and dual 14W speakers.
Dell
If you like, you can connect two PCs (or other video sources) and use them both simultaneously with the picture-by-picture (PBP) and picture-in-picture (PIP) functions. The monitor has DisplayPort 2.1 and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, as well as a front-facing port panel you can pop out when you need it.
Moreover, you can tilt, pivot, swivel and adjust the height of the Dell UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor. The display will be available in Q2 (between April and June). Dell will reveal pricing in the coming months.
Dell
For those who may be interested in a new monitor but aren't swayed by the 6K model (and maybe want more screen real estate), Dell has a few other new ones up its sleeve. For one thing, it unveiled a curved WQHD monitor with IPS Black tech that supports a 2,000:1 contrast ratio along with 98 percent DCI-P3 and 100 percent sRGB color coverage.
The Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Hub Monitor supports PBP and PIP and has dual 5W speakers. The always-on ComfortView Plus function is said to reduce blue light without compromising on color. The 34-inch monitor, which delivers up to 90W of power through its USB-C connector, will be available on January 31st for $1,260.
There's another addition to Dell's monitor lineup in the form of the UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Hub. You can connect up to four PCs (or other inputs) to this one and switch between them. Alternatively, you can view all four PCs while controlling them with a single keyboard and mouse. Dell also touts the ability to split one input into four partitions, which sounds pretty similar to having four equal-size windows open. The monitor has handy pop-out USB-A and USB-C charging ports too. This 43-inch monitor will be available on January 31st, and it will run you $1,330.
Samsung is refreshing its lineup of customizable Bespoke smart appliances with a wall oven, washer and dryer. The Bespoke AI Oven has a seven-inch screen and touch controls. The cooking methods include air sous vide, air frying and steam cooking. Perhaps the most intriguing element, though, is the AI Camera that's inside.
The camera can detect what you're making and suggest optimal cooking settings if it recognizes what you're making, Samsung says. Moreover, it can send you warning notifications to prevent your food from burning. You can keep an eye on your food using the screen or the SmartThings app (which you can use to control the oven remotely). There's the option to take photos of your creation or even livestream the video feed, which could help budding Twitch creators find their niche.
In addition, the oven has Samsung Health integration and can analyze workout stats and diet goals based on the ingredients you have on hand. The Bespoke AI Oven is available in Europe now and will arrive in North America this summer.
Also new is the Bespoke Wall Mount Hood. It's designed to match other Bespoke appliances and is said to operate at 65 decibels on its highest setting. The hood can ventilate up to 700 cubic feet per minute, Samsung claims. The hood can sync with a smart Samsung cooktop to adjust the ventilation levels based on what you're cooking.
In addition, there's an air quality sensor to track the cleanliness of the air. If the device detects that the air quality has dropped, you'll receive suggestions for how to remedy that via the SmartThings app. You'll be alerted when it's time to replace the air filter too. As with the wall oven, the hood will be available in a variety of colors and premium finishes.
Samsung
As for the company's fridges, the 4-Door Flex now has a larger Family Hub+ touchscreen. It now measures 32 inches, so the screen is almost 50 percent larger than on previous models. Samsung says that you'll be able to more easily use multiple apps at once and to multitask. The display includes a built-in SmartThings Hub as well. This will help you to connect other SmartThings-compatible devices without the need for other hub hardware.
As with previous models, there's an AI-powered camera inside that can analyze food labels and images to help make sure you don't run out of the essentials. The latest 4-Door Flex will be available in North America and Korea in the first half of the year.
Meanwhile, the new Bespoke Side-By-Side fridge has touch sensors on each door, so you can open them when your hands are full. Like the 4-Door Flex, it has SmartThings integration and the built-in Beverage Center with two options each for filtered water and ice. This model will be available in the US by the end of March.
Samsung
Finally, Samsung had some updates on the sustainability front. This year, the company will release microfiber emission reduction cycles and filters for its Bespoke washing machines. The aim is to reduce microplastic pollution in water.
The company also says that it has received the industry's first Energy Star Smart Home Energy Management Systems Certification for its SmartThings Energy system. Samsung claims the AI Energy Mode it recently started rolling out can reduce its appliances' power consumption by up to 30 percent without significantly impacting performance. For instance, it might make your freezer one degree warmer or reduce the maximum water temperature on your dishwasher.
Samsung is pushing further into the realm of humongous monitors with the next-gen, 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9. Some may find this model a bit more palatable than the 55-inch Odyssey Ark Samsung released last year, as it's an ultrawide with a ratio of 32:9 (the Ark is a 16:9 display). Sure, you might need to turn your head to fully take in Zeta Halo while playing Halo Infinite or see all the apps you have open, but it might feel more immersive and be more comfortable to use as an up-close monitor than the Odyssey Ark. Just don't expect to use the Neo G9 in a vertical orientation.
The latest Neo G9, which Samsung started teasing in November, has an 8K display with a resolution of 7,860 x 2,160 pixels. Samsung claims it's the first dual UHD mini-LED monitor. It has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and HDR 1000 support, along with a matte display to absorb light and minimize glare. The Neo G9 may be a viable option for high-performance gaming, given its 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. In addition, Samsung says it's the first gaming monitor with DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity as well. The company will reveal more details later, including the all-important price.
Samsung has other displays to talk about at CES this year, including its first curved OLED gaming monitors. It announced the Odyssey G8 OLED at IFA last year. The 34-inch, 21:9 display has a resolution of 3,440 x 1,440 and a 175Hz refresh rate. Samsung has already started selling it in some markets and says it will be available in the US very soon.
Samsung
The company has now revealed a 49-inch curved OLED gaming monitor, with many of the same features as the Odyssey G8. Both have a 1ms response time, a 3.6mm thick design, and a screen curvature of 1800R, along with adaptive sync and AMD FreeSync Premium to minimize screen tearing. They each have a Neo Quantum Processor that Samsung claims can deliver "brighter whites, deeper blacks, and near-infinite color contrast," as well as HDR True Black 400. In terms of ports, you'll find Mini-DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C, with the latter offering up to 65W charging. Both monitors include the Samsung Gaming Hub with access to cloud gaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now.
The Samsung Odyssey G95SC, however, is said to be the planet's first OLED gaming monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio. It has a 240Hz refresh rate and a Dual Quad-HD display with a resolution of 5,120 x 1,440.
Samsung
Elsewhere, there's a new version of the Smart Monitor with support for video streaming and cloud gaming services, as well as Microsoft 365 apps and a SmartThings hub. The Smart Monitor M80C is a 32-inch 4K, 16:9 display with a detachable SlimFit Camera.
What's new in the latest model is a personalization feature named My Contents. This will show the weather, photos, schedules and more on the ambient display. The personalized content will only be shown when a connected device is within Bluetooth range.
Samsung also announced its first 5K monitor, which is geared toward creatives. The 27-inch ViewFinity S9 has a resolution of 5,120 x 2,880, a wide color gamut of 99 percent DCI-P3 and HDR 600 support. The idea is to provide users with detailed, clear and clean images. In addition, there's a matte display, detachable 4K camera and HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C ports. You'll be able to calibrate the ViewFinity S9 with the help of the SmartThingsApp and a smartphone camera.
