At CES 2024 this week, Philips teased its first-ever smart deadbolt that works using a touch-free palm reading system that allows homeowners to unlock their front doors. The Philips 5000 Series Wi-Fi Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt, will go on sale in the US early this year and will retail for $360.
The deadbolt will join the Philips home security smart lock product lineup and will integrate with the Phillips Home Access app where users can remotely control the lock system through smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It’ll also have built-in Wi-Fi that makes it easier to pair and link to other smart devices.
The system works by automatically detecting unique palm vein patterns through its built-in proximity sensors. While palm sensing technology hasn’t fully hit the mainstream, we may start seeing more applications like this. Amazon, for example, is already offering a payment system powered by palm recognition in Whole Foods.
The new door smart lock is another part of Philips’ expanded smart home security product offerings, which include indoor and outdoor cameras and monitors that compete with Ring.
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.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/philips-smart-deadbolt-will-unlock-a-door-by-looking-at-your-palm-224040003.html?src=rss
LG has been trickling in news about its latest product drops at CES this year, with some first-of-its-kind headliners including its wireless transparent OLED TV, an ultra portable 4K projector and a friendly looking two-legged robot that can roam your house and watch your pets.
The 77-inch signature OLED T has turned heads with its unique "transparent" look and wireless audio and video capabilities. It's also powered by a processor that improves overall display performance and visuals by 70 percent compared to the precious gen chip, according to LG. Its OLED TV lineup is also getting bigger with the expected launch of the LG Signature OLED M4 and OLED G4 TVs. Both have Alpha 11 AI processor chips embedded in their design which are meant to up their display properties. The AI chips promise to reduce visual blurring and improve color contrasts.
There are some other big developments worth getting excited about in its display offerings — but in the gaming sphere. LG announced a 27-inch QHD OLED gaming display with an extremely fast 480Hz refresh rate.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-lgs-ces-2024-keynote-in-10-minutes-194905188.html?src=rss
TCL is going for different with its new pro tablet, revealed at CES 2024. There aren’t that many premium tablets beyond the annual updates from Apple and Samsung, and TCL plans to make its new 14- and 10-inch slates stand out with their display tech, featuring its next-gen NXTPAPER 3.0. It's aimed at striking a middle-ground between e-readers and tablets. It’s not about them being sharper or faster, but gentler on our very human eyes.
The TCL NXTPAPER 14 Pro’s display features heavily focus on eye comfort, with a new VersaView interface that can switch between a black-and-white reader mode and the standard tablet views. The 14-inch 2.8K display (2,880 x 1,800) features the company’s new NXTPAPER 3.0, aimed at better reflecting, literally, how the human eye reads natural paper, but on a digital display. NXTPAPER is TCL’s display tech that tries to offer a tablet experience with a paper-like reading surface. We’ve written about earlier iterations found in devices like the NXTPAPER 11 tablet and even some of its recent budget smartphones.
The company says its next family of phones – no fewer than seven, including the TCL 50 XL NTXPAPER 5G and 50 XE NTXPAPER 5G – will also feature NXTPAPER 3.0 technology. The NXTPAPER 14 Pro is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8020 chip, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is fine if unremarkable. It’s truly all about the screen.
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget
TCL says its NXTPAPER series continues to filter out up to 61 percent of blue light to ease the effects on users’ eyes. Version 3.0 is brighter, hitting 700 nits on the 14-inch matte display. A new Circularly Polarized Light (CPL) screen should also light up text more naturally, while being easier to read in sunlight. TCL claims this creates a reading experience closer to reading books in natural light. There’s also DC dimming, which should also lower flickering effects experienced on some lower-refresh rate screens. In tablet mode, the NXTPAPER 14 Pro can reach up to 120Hz refresh rates, and the new CPL tech also means it maintains legibility even if you’re wearing polarizing lenses.
Meanwhile, the Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G packs some of the same display technology (NXTPAPER 3.0) but on a 10.4-inch, 2K (2,560 x 1,440) screen. And no dedicated viewing mode button. It does, however, feature 5G support.
To really make sure you get it, TCL also created an Eye Health Assistant to nag remind you to reduce screen brightness or perhaps not stare at your new tablet at midnight. The NXTPAPER 14 Pro also has a dedicated physical button for switching between three different viewing modes. The tablet’s VersaView UI means users can switch between a standard tablet mode and NXTPAPER mode.
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget
The latter is an e-ink style (but not e-ink!) monochrome mode, which rarely features on devices headed to the US. However, this isn’t just the tablet processing the Android interface into grayscale. The interface includes stripped-down icons, like line drawings, that can still be differentiated from each other and a lot more blank space and white backdrops for reading ease. It feels like a concentration mode, which I appreciated. You’ve probably heard of the ‘hack’ of turning your smartphone system into black-and-white to make everything less compelling. This simplifies everything 2even more aggressively while ensuring that some content, like video, can still be played in full color. Swiping around the tablet, or using TCL’s stylus on the screen in both modes was fluid, and refresh rates seem much improved from the earliest NXTPAPER hardware
There are no prices for either of TCL’s new tablets yet, but the company has confirmed that the NXTPAPER 14 Pro will be coming to the US in early 2024. In the meantime, these are our reigning picks for the best tablets you can currently buy.
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.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tcls-nxtpaper-14-pro-is-somewhere-between-a-tablet-and-a-giant-e-reader-190047895.html?src=rss
Until now, TCL has perhaps been best known not for the quality of its TVs, but its reasonable prices. This week at CES 2024, however, the company seems like it’s trying to reintroduce itself as the sort of premium player that can could compete with the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony. The brand just debuted a new 115-inch set, the 115QM89, that it claims is the largest MiniLED TV with Quantum Dot technology.
The TV is an offshoot from TCL’s broader QM8 line, which includes premium TVs in the 65- to 98-inch range. The new set brings over some features from TCL’s previous QM8 TVs, but it adds a 6.2.2 channel speaker system that delivers a more surround sound-like home theater experience. The mega-sized screen also has a TCL AIPQ ULTRA processor that allows it to deliver higher-quality and crisper images than any of TCL’s previous TVs were capable of. Notably, too, the 115QM89 has 20,000 dimming zones, which is important for a bigger display so that shadows and highlights appear more defined, making moody movies and TV shows appear more vividly on screen.
Aside from that showstopper 115-inch TV, TCL the company debuted the premium Q6-Pro in 50- to 85-inch screen sizes, with improved local dimming for a 33 percent boost in display brightness at 600 peak nits. It also added the QM7, another Mini LED device to its lineup — which offers better processing speeds and display brightness as well as overall image quality.
In TCL’s lower-end to midrange S line, the company announced the new S5, which offers 4K UHD resolution in 43- to 85-inch screen sizes. The company also says these TVs will be 25 percent brighter than the previous generation and will offer improved color depiction thanks to that new TCL AIPQ processor. Additionally, the S5 will include HDR PRO+ along with Dolby Vision for overall improved image quality.
Lastly, TCL introduced some new S and Q class soundbars. At the top of the line, these include the S55H, a new 2.1 Channel Dolby Atmos soundbar, and the Q85H, which offers 7.1.4 Channel Dolby Atmos sound and can wirelessly connect to rear speakers for what TCL describes as a more immersive sound experience.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tcl-came-to-ces-2024-with-a-115-inch-miniled-quantum-dot-tv-190047876.html?src=rss
Viva Las Vegas! I am contractually obliged to write that in at least one of our posts at CES 2024. So I’m getting it out of the way early. This year, LG and Samsung brought out the big guns, both revealing similar (but technically very different) transparent displays for assembled media and analysts to gaze at and wonder… why.
I’m being cynical, of course. LG, first of all, revealed a wireless transparent OLED. The 77-inch OLED T also taps into the company’s work in wireless transmission technology, reducing wiring needs to power alone. To ensure the display still offers black-enough blacks, a contrast screen rolls down into a box at the base of the OLED T.
A few hours later, Samsung revealed its own transparent display, but it used MicroLED. Samsung showcased the transparent MicroLED display side-by-side next to transparent OLED (oh, snap) and transparent LCD models to emphasize the brighter capabilities of MicroLED. Oh, and it wasn’t only bezel-less — it was frameless.
Lots of questions remain: pricing, availability, and once again, why? The onus is on LG and Samsung to make a case for what will be incredibly expensive displays.
Remember to follow along with all the big CES reveals (and insider views) right here.
— Mat Smith
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You know what’s also transparent? A cat flap. Don’t worry, it’s also high-tech and expensive. Flappie’s AI-powered cat door automatically locks if your kitty tries to bring in its caught prey. The flap uses sensors and cameras to detect if your cat has a present — very dead present — for you. Flappie says it has compiled a “unique and proprietary” dataset over the years, which ensures its AI-powered detection system is accurate more than 90 percent of the time. Flappie plans to launch its pet door in Switzerland and Germany later this spring, but there are plans for a US launch. It’ll be $399.
This just looks… nice? Samsung also announced the Music Frame. It’s a wireless speaker that pulls double duty as home decor, like Samsung’s popular Frame TV series. There’s no screen here, though. Instead, you literally use it as a frame for your printed photos or art. There is no word on pricing or availability for the Music Frame, but expect to hear more in 2024.
I love it when Apple just elbows CES in the ribs with its own announcements. The company says the hotly anticipated device will arrive in the US on February 2. Pre-orders for the mixed reality headset, which starts at $3,499 for 256GB of storage, will open on January 19. It’s notable as the first new major product since the Apple Watch, which launched almost 10 years ago. Anyway, back to CES stuff.
JBL showed off a set of true wireless earbuds that featured a touchscreen-equipped smart case at last year’s CES. It must have been a hit because the company is bringing the feature to three more devices. The Live Buds 3, Live Beam 3 and Live Flex 3 will all get a smart case as well as customizable adaptive noise cancellation, LDAC support for high-res listening, six mics for calls, wireless charging and multipoint Bluetooth connectivity.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ces-2024-kicks-off-with-transparent-displays-from-samsung-and-lg-182001128.html?src=rss
Waymo just announced it’s ready to start testing driverless vehicles on highways and freeways. The experiments start in and around Phoenix in the next few weeks and include the autonomous Jaguar I-Pace SUV. The company had already partnered with Uber to offer driverless taxis throughout the city, but the vehicles were restricted to city streets at low speeds. Now, these robo-taxis will be careening down the highway, bringing us one step closer to a world where we won’t have to sully ourselves with the task of driving.
Unlike the Waymo One service, which is available to regular customers, these autonomous highway tests will only be available to company employees and their guests. This will change when the vehicles have been on the road for a while without any serious incidents. Waymo says the data collected during these tests will be used to provide faster routes throughout the area, with a particular emphasis on Phoenix airports.
The company’s cars had already been allowed on highways, but only with a specialist in the front seat to handle any issues. This next step removes the specialist, for a true self-driving experience. Waymo says it has been incrementally ramping up testing on freeways throughout the past year to get ready for this move.
The company touts the speed of highway driving over local streets, saying that a trip to Sky Harbor Airport from the northern parts of Scottsdale will be twice as fast on AZ-101 compared to local routes. This is obvious and the reason why highways exist in the first place. Still, customers have long been unsatisfied with autonomous vehicles’ penchant for side streets and slow speeds.
To that end, Waymo hasn’t announced any speed limits for highway driving or if there are any maximum distance limits. Engadget reached out to Waymo for more information and will update this post when we hear back. The company has been offering driverless rides in Phoenix since 2020. It also has quite a sterling reputation when it comes to safety. Waymo's own safety data, as reported byArs Technica, indicated its driverless vehicles traveled over seven million miles in California and Arizona, with only three minor injuries.
Driverless rival Cruise hasn’t been so lucky. In October, a Cruise robotaxi was involved in an incident in which a woman was dragged underneath a vehicle. There have also been reports that the self-driving algorithm had trouble recognizing children. This all led to the CEO resigning, multiple layoffs and, eventually, a hiatus of the service.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymos-driveless-cars-are-hitting-phoenixs-freeways-at-long-last-180009825.html?src=rss
LG is one of many companies that usually shows off new soundbars in Las Vegas, and at CES 2024, that trend continues. While the new models are designed to compliment LG TVs, they offer something different in terms of audio, design and features. The most robust option, the S95TR, is a 9.1.5-channel setup that comes bundled with a subwoofer and rear speakers.
The flagship S95TR musters an output of 810 watts and is what the company calls the first Atmos-equipped soundbar with triple up-firing channels. Those include what LG says is the industry's first center up-firing speaker. That center driver helps with the dimensionality of the sound by boosting clarity and the overall soundstage. Two tweeters handle the treble while a passive radiator offers low-end tone in the correct relation to the wireless subwoofer. The S95TR employs Wowcast Built-in to wirelessly receive audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, from LG TVs. The company says the tech can even handle lossless-quality sound without a wired connection.
Indeed, the audio quality from the S95TR is big and boomy. Aided by rear speakers with three drivers, the sound from the complete setup was full, with punchy highs and bombastic bass when a scene demanded it. Last year, LG nixed the wireless transmission box that sat between the rear speakers on the S95TR's predecessor, opting instead to put that tech inside the speakers themselves. That's still the case, but the company decided to forgo the box on rear speakers that are sold separately this year. You still need to run a cable between them, but an added piece of hardware isn't required when expanding your setup.
To match up with its premium OLED TVs, LG has introduced the SG10TY. This is a flatter, low-profile option that looks at home situated below the company's M series. It's a 3.1-channel unit that can be expanded to a 5.1-channel setup with the addition of rear speakers. I wasn't able to hear this one during my demo, but I can tell you that it looks quite striking with those LG OLED TVs. And while it doesn't offer the sonic power of the S95TR on paper, I'm willing to bet some people will be just fine sacrificing a bit of dimensionality for improved aesthetics. Thanks to Wowcast Built-in, the wireless audio means you won't have visible wires just to get Dolby Atmos, further enhancing the clean look.
LG SG10TY soundbar
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
These two models offer the Wow interface, which puts soundbar settings and sound modes on a menu on the TV. They are also all both equipped with the company's Wow Orchestra tech that ensures the best audio quality thanks to "an enlarged soundstage and improved depth and height." This should particularly come in handy for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content. LG's AI room calibration now factors in the rear speakers in a surround sound setup, adjusting for the proper sound no matter where you put them. The company says the tweak can even happen if the rear speakers are setup at uneven distances due to furniture or other living room constraints.
There's no word on pricing or availability for either of the new soundbars, but we'll likely hear more as launch day approaches for each one. In the meantime, these are our reigning picks for the best soundbars currently available on the market.
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.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-s95tr-and-sg10ty-first-look-two-takes-on-wireless-dolby-atmos-for-home-theater-154551736.html?src=rss
Sometimes the never-ending quest to shave an extra gram or millimeter off a new laptop can become a bore. However, when a company can do it without cutting too many corners, that deserves some attention. And that’s what HP has done with the new Omen Transcend 14, which is making its debut at CES 2024 as the lightest 14-inch gaming laptop in the world.
Weighing just 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg), the Omen Transcend 14 is much closer in size and lightness to an ultraportable than an average gaming laptop. To put that into context, that’s just 0.1 pounds heavier than a 14-inch MacBook Pro and 0.15 pounds lighter than rival super-portable gaming laptops like the ASUS ROG Zepyrys G14. And while it’s not quite as powerful as the larger Omen Transcend 16, it certainly won’t be hurting for performance thanks to support for 14th-gen Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 processor, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 2TB of storage and an RTX 4070 GPU.
Critically, despite its petite dimensions, you still get two USB-A and two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4) plus a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack around back. And for those who want peak wireless speeds, you’ll also have the option to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 card with Bluetooth 5.4.
The Transcend 14 does feature a Meteor Lake chip with a dedicated NPU, but don’t expect any game-changing breakthroughs in terms of AI capabilities. At HP’s demo station, I saw the Omen run Cyberpunk 2077 smoothly ata 2K resolution while simultaneously livestreaming using OBS at 1080p. In this situation, the laptop was offloading camera effects to the NPU, which provides a small performance bump as that task would normally be handled by the GPU. AI is destined to be a big buzzword at CES 2024, but this is probably the most realistic example of what you should expect on next-gen notebooks.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The Transcend 14’s display looks great, packing a 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED panel with a variable 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR with a peak brightness of 500 nits and a wide color gamut that colors 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum. Meanwhile sound is handled by a pair of DTS:X Ultra speakers, though an interesting change for 2024 is that following HP’s acquisition in 2021, the Transcend 14’s audio tuning will now be handled by its in-house sub-brand HyperX. This comes with the added bonus of the Transcend 14 having a built-in wireless receiver for the company’s Cloud III headphones. So, if you already have a pair or decide to purchase some later, you won’t have to waste one of your precious USB ports on a dongle.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The Transcend 14 shares a lot of design traits with its 16-inch sibling (which is getting a spec refresh and new OLED panel option for 2024) including minimalist lines with a matte finish in classic black alongside a new white color option. The two main differences are that on the smaller model, the trackpad is centered on its deck while the keyboard features a more translucent lattice that allows HP’s RGB backlighting to pop even more. I think this makes the Transcend look especially good in white, where it looks slightly out of place on the black model, but to each their own.
I really appreciate that HP paid attention to little details that matter for travel-ready gaming laptop, like opting for USB-C power delivery. This means you can use the Omen’s adapter to juice up other gadgets like a phone or a tablet instead of needing a separate charging brick for each device.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
In a vacuum, the goal of being the lightest isn’t all that important. But when a company like HP can make a laptop that’s easy to carry around that also has solid specs and a slick design, that’s when superlatives come into play. And with a starting price of $1,600, HP isn’t demanding a huge premium for a machine this sleek. That said, with some other extremely sleek gaming PCs due out at CES 2024, it's unclear how long the Transcend 14 will hold this title.
The Omen Transcend 14 is expected to go on sale sometime in Q1 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.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hp-unveiled-the-lightest-14-inch-gaming-laptop-in-the-world-at-ces-2024-130024558.html?src=rss
There's always a number of surprises at CES and during its First Look event, Samsung teased the world's first transparent MicroLED display.
While there's still no word on how much it costs or when this tech will find its way into retail devices, Samsung showcased not one but three different transparent micro LED displays with slightly different designs. Two of the demo units featured tinted glass which made it easier to ignore any potential districting objects behind the panels, while another appeared to be as transparent as regular glass while also boasting a frameless design.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
In person, the effect Samsung's transparent micro OLED displays have is hard to describe, as content almost looks like a hologram as it floats in mid-air. All of the demo units were freestanding and measured only about a centimeter thick, which adds even more to the illusion of a floating screen. Additionally, because of micro LEDs high pixel density, images also looked incredibly sharp. So far Samsung has only uploaded a single vertical video overflowing with EDM, but hopefully it gives you some idea what we saw:
According to a Samsung representative, because transparent MicroLED displays have higher brightness compared to transparent OLED panels, they are also less impacted by ambient light.
The bad news is that with Samsung's current crop of non-transparent MicroLED TVs currently costing $150,000 for a 110-inch model, it's going to be a decently long time until these new displays become anything close to affordable.
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.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-debuts-the-worlds-first-transparent-microled-screen-at-ces-2024-042634398.html?src=rss
When I reviewed Samsung's HW-Q990C last year, my main gripe with the flagship soundbar was the fact that it didn't offer HDMI 2.1. That meant that it didn't have the 4K/120 passthrough for things like gaming consoles and streaming devices the competition did. At CES 2024, the company is addressing that concern. With the HW-Q990D (note the one letter difference), HDMI 2.1 is onboard even though the overall design hasn't changed. Samsung's priciest soundbar once again supports wireless Dolby Atmos with an 11.1.4-channel sonic setup, making it the most robust option in the company's 2024 home theater lineup.
Samsung packed in several new features for the Q990D. First, a Private Listening mode turns off all front-firing drivers and only uses the rear speakers so as not to disturb sleeping family or roommates. A new Party Play mode creates a balanced sound across the soundbar and rear speakers so that each element of the setup offers a solid mix. You won't just get the rear channels from those speakers at the back of the room, in other words. Other 2024 Q-Series soundbars will get these two new modes, including the Q910D, Q800D and Q730D. Plus, the entire Q-Series still works with Alexa and Google Assistant, in addition to Bixby, and support for Chromecast and AirPlay returns across the board.
When connected to a compatible Samsung TV, the Q990D's sound can be analyzed by the display's NPU processor to smooth out sharp notes and bass tons for the ideal results. Q-Symphony is back as well, adding the speakers from a Samsung TV to the Q990D and some of the company's other soundbars to provide a more robust living room audio setup. The Q990D also supports Roon, a high-resolution music streaming service that allows you to beam music, including local files, to individual speakers or groups of devices.
In addition to the Q-Series, Samsung has also updated its ultra-slim S-Series lineup. The key addition is a new 35-inch-wide S700D model that's designed to fit better with TVs sized 55 inches and smaller. The company promises the same "impressive sound quality" as the 46-inch S800D and S810D, which are also updated for 2024. All of these ultra-slim soundbars are meant to be used with low-profile displays, like The Frame, or in cases where customers don't want the imposing stature of something like the Q990D. More specifically, they're about a third of the depth of a typical soundbar. The S models still offer wireless Dolby Atmos, Q-Symphony, SpaceFit Sound Pro and other premium features, but they top out at 3.1.2-channel setups. What's more, the S800D now has HDMI eARC if you still prefer a wired option.
Once again, there's no word on pricing or availability for the Q990D, or any of the other new models, just yet. But for reference, last year's Q990C arrived in the spring and was originally priced at $1,900. It included two wireless rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. The top-of-the-line ultra-slim model, the S800B, was $900 at launch and included a wireless subwoofer. We're likely to get pricing info from Samsung closer to the shipping date for all of the 2024 items.
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.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-q990d-soundbar-has-the-one-thing-the-2023-version-didnt-hdmi-21-030059753.html?src=rss
