SpaceX sent and received its first text messages sent via T-Mobile using its D2D (direct-to-device) Starlink satellites launched just over a week ago, the company announced. First revealed in August 2022, the project aims to provide satellite internet connectivity to regular cell phones so that T-Mobile customers can stay online even when they're in a terrestrial dead zone.
T-Mobile said that it aims to publicly launch text services with T-Mobile in 2024, with voice, data and IoT (internet of things) plans coming in 2025. Globally, SpaceX has partnered with Rogers in Canada, Australia's Optus, KDDI in Japan and others.
The scheme requires larger, special versions of the Starlink satellites with D2D capability. SpaceX launched the first six of those on January 2, completing early tests with no issues. "On Monday, January 8, less than 6 days after launch, we sent and received our first text messages to and from unmodified cell phones on the ground to our new satellites in space using TMobile network spectrum... [indicating that] the system works," SpaceX wrote in a blog post.
SpaceX
When the plan was announced, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said the technology is like putting a cellular tower in the sky. He added that it could one day eliminate dead zones, allowing people to easily get in touch with loved ones even if they're in the middle of the ocean.
SpaceX said that the system, which uses LTE/4G (not 5G protocols) is a bit more complicated than cell towers in the sky, though. Since the satellites move at tens of thousands of miles per hour relative to the Earth, data must be handed off seamlessly between them. Doppler shift, timing delays and the relatively low transmission power of smartphones must also be accounted for.
The two companies aren't the first to test such a system. Working with communications specialist AST SpaceMobile, AT&T successfully conducted the first two-way satellite audio call on its network in April, calling a number in Japan with a stock Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone. AT&T also complained to the FCC that SpaceX and T-Mobile's plan was "woefully insufficient" regarding the risk of harmful interference to ground-based networks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-and-t-mobile-send-the-first-text-messages-from-orbiting-starlink-satellites-103526219.html?src=rss
The show floor at CES 2024 is open, and people have been racking up their steps, canvassing Las Vegas’ vast convention centers and hotel ballrooms to see all the latest and weirdest tech products. The Engadget team has been getting our cardio in, braving both vehicular and human traffic to get face and hand time (and other body parts?) with the most intriguing demos here, while companies haven’t stopped holding press conferences and announcing new items. If you don’t have time to parse through every individual headline or are here in Vegas and want to know where to go, here’s a recap of the biggest news out of CES 2024’s second day.
One of the biggest booths at the show is, as usual, Google, and the company also had a fair amount of news to share. In keeping with the same theme it’s been doing the last few years of “Better Together,” Google shared updates to its inter-device software like Fast Pair and announced it’s working with Samsung to integrate and rename its Nearby Share feature to Quick Share, which is the current name of Samsung’s version of the same thing. This should hopefully simplify things for Android users, and give them a more cohesive alternative to Apple’s AirDrop. Details were pretty scarce on whether there are changes coming to Samsung users, but those who have Nearby Share should see a new icon pretty soon.
Speaking of EVs, Honda also debuted new EV concepts called the Saloon and the Space Hub. The Saloon is a sedan with an aerodynamic design and rides low to the ground, while the Space Hub is a minivan that is a little boxier and its seats has its passengers facing each other. Honda said it will develop a model based on the Saloon concept car for North American markets in 2026, with no word yet on the Space Hub.
In other transportation news, Hyundai brought an updated version of its S-A2 Air Taxi to the show. The S-A2 is an electric vertical take off and landing vehicle that has a cruising speed of 120mph when it reaches an altitude of 1,500 feet. It’s designed to fly short trips between 25 to 40 miles and the company envisions it as an everyday transportation solution for urban areas.
We also got more smart home news from companies other than Google, including Amazon, which said it will adopt the Matter standard for Casting, but it won’t support Chromecast or Apple’s AirPlay. How nice. We also saw new face-scanning and palm-reading door locks, smart outdoor lights by Nanoleaf and a new Weber Searwood smart grill that’s cheaper and more versatile.
There has been a smattering of mobile news, including the Clicks iPhone keyboard case and a surprising, adorable device called the Rabbit R1. It’s pitched as an AI-powered assistant in what’s basically a cute squarish walkie-talkie co-designed by Teenage Engineering. It has a tiny 2.88-inch touchscreen, an analog scroll wheel, two mics, a speaker and a 360-degree camera you can spin to face toward you or through the back of the handset. You’re supposed to talk to the Rabbit AI by pushing down a button (like a walkie talkie) and ask it to do anything like book an Uber or look for a recipe tailored to your specific list of ingredients.
There’s been a lot more at the show, but I wanted to take some time to shout out a bunch of intriguing accessibility products. We saw the OrCam Hear system that’s designed to help people with hearing loss isolate the voices of specific speakers in crowded environments. There’s also the GyroGlove, which is a hand-stabilizing glove for people with hand tremors, as well as the Mouthpad, which lets you control your phone, tablet or laptop by using your tongue.
We also saw an update to the Audio Radar system that provides visual cues for gamers who are hard of hearing to see where sounds are coming from and what type of sounds they might be. It’s very heartening to see all this development in assistive technology at CES, especially when the industry often spends so much time and money on less-worthy endeavors.
We’re nearing the end of the show and as we get ready to do our final sweeps of the show floor, the Engadget team is also looking back and contemplating the best things we saw at CES 2024. We’ll be putting together our Best of CES awards list soon, so make sure you come back to see what we decided were the winners of the show.
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/ces-2024-day-2-recap-a-wild-rabbit-gadget-appears-while-google-offers-its-own-take-on-apple-software-tricks-022245111.html?src=rss
While MEMS drivers may be the next big thing in true wireless earbuds, the first models with the solid-state components still require a hybrid setup. These products pair a MEMS speaker with a dynamic driver to ensure proper bass performance. The current-gen driver from xMEMS, a California-based company that develops the audio components, is called Cowell and it's already available in earbuds from the likes of Creative and Noble Audio.
The next-gen MEMS driver is called Cypress, and while it won't arrive in new products until 2025, I got a chance to hear the difference been it and Cowell at CES 2024 here in Las Vegas — and it's quite striking. With Cowell, there's bass, but it's subdued and the emphasis is on the highs and the mids. It sounds great, on both complete products and reference designs, offering punchy highs, full mids and great clarity. With Cypress alone though, there's a blanket of warm, bassy low-end that really fills out the soundstage. It will be a massive improvement for what MEMS drivers are capable of doing for wireless earbuds.
"We moved to a sound from ultrasound principle where we have ultrasonic modulation and demodulation to deliver 30 to 40 times greater low-frequency pressure for anti-noise generation for ANC earbuds, while still delivering all of the benefits of our solid state speakers," xMEMS vice president of marketing Mike Housholder explained. "Wide dynamic range, with excellent low-frequency performance for deep bass and noise cancellation."
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
Indeed, that 30 to 40 times louder bass response was clearly evident when on a Cypress reference design. The prototype was built to showcase the MEMS drivers on their own, without that secondary dynamic driver today's true wireless models require for bass. The results are the pristine clarity you'd expect in a send of high-end wireless headphones or even some audiophile-grade cans. The additional bass isn't loud and boomy, but instead it's warm and full, inviting you to stay and listen a while. And that I did: I had a hard time putting the Cypress prototype down even when I felt I'd overstayed my welcome.
On the whole, MEMS drivers offer a host of benefits over coil speakers that should all lead to better audio quality in your earbuds. They're more efficient in terms of mechanical response, with faster speeds there contributing to increased detail and clarity — something I certainly noticed on the Noble Audio FoKus Triumph wireless earbuds. This model pairs Cowell with a 6.5mm dynamic driver, but the boost in fidelity in the mids and highs is apparent. And getting a set of earbuds with MEMS drivers doesn't mean you'll pay more. The two models Creative has already debuted are $130 and $150. The same will be true for upcoming products with the ultrasonic Cypress drivers, according to Housholder.
"We see ourselves going to market first in flagship products," he said. "As with our current products, we really see the sweet spot for our products anywhere 150 and up, [which] is easily achievable day one. And then over time and over volume, getting down to that $100 price point."
Various MEMS drivers for IEMs and wireless earbuds
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
And that's really the big takeaway from me. For years, companies have offered true wireless earbuds with some of the features of more premium flagship models, but usually lacking the sonic performance of pricier options. With MEMS drivers, the audio quality is greatly improved in affordable models that are half the price of the top-of-the-line Sony or Sennheiser noise-canceling earbuds. And with Cypress, xMEMS can offer audio companies the ability to improve overall sound quality without having to raise prices.
xMEMS has also developed what it calls a DynamicVent to relieve occlusion in sleep earbuds. The component can automatically open or close depending on if the buds detect ambient noise like a snoring spouse. When open, the DynamicVent offers a semi-open fit like AirPods, but when it's closed the ear will be completely sealed off. The open vent should also keep sounds of your own breathing or the earbuds rubbing against a pillow from disturbing your sleep. xMEMS is showing off the DynamicVent at CES in a set of reference sleep buds equipped with its Cowell MEMS drivers.
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/next-gen-mems-ultrasonic-solid-state-earbud-drivers-will-deliver-the-bass-214131547.html?src=rss
A year since Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) announced its debut EV concept, the Afeela, the company is back at CES 2024 to offer more details, more collaborations and a driving simulator.
The name of the concept vehicle hasn’t changed since last we saw it. What is new, however, is the car's ability to be driven around with a PlayStation controller. I didn’t get to do that — it was a stunt operated by one of the company's employees — but there was a DualSense controller involved in my demo.
So let’s begin where SHM left off. At last year’s CES 2023, it revealed the Afeela Concept EV, which packed in 45 cameras and an expansive “media bar” that spread across the vehicle's dash, showing a mix of car information, navigation, music players and more. The steering wheel was redesigned as a yoke so that the driver can better view that sumptuous dash. The company also further teased some mixed-reality tricks in collaboration with Epic Games.
The Afeela EV itself looks mostly the same as the prototype from last year, although it now has a substantial LiDAR bar above the windscreen that looks like a giant smartphone notch. The company says that the car will be available for pre-order in 2025 before going on sale in the US the following year.
At CES 2024, I got to step inside an Afeela, while an SHM representative gave me a tour of everything that’s so far been crammed into this concept vehicle.
Combining both Sony and Honda’s expertise, the Afeela will create its own noise cancellation bubble, apparently “tailoring the cabin for entertainment” using Sony’s Spatial Audio technology. According to SHM’s renders, there appear to be roughly 30 speakers, although that’s more than likely to change as the concept further evolves. A spokesperson added that over 42 sensors grace the Afeela’s initial spec sheet.
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget
In one of the most surreal experiences I’ve had at CES, I also got to play Horizon Forbidden West on the Afeela's expansive dashboard display. No, there isn’t a PS5 baked into this concept EV — why not, though? — but a demonstration involving PlayStation’s long-running Remote Play feature. Sure, the Bluetooth connection to the controller was temperamental (CES is just hundreds of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals clashing), but conceptually, you get that it’s possible. The two screens for passengers sitting in the rear would also be able to display games, movies and more; however they were just dummy screens in this demo car.
SHM also announced during Sony’s CES show that it’s already teamed up with Microsoft to use its Azure OpenAI technology to create a “Mobility Personal Agent” — a conversational in-car virtual assistant for drivers and passengers alike.
It’s also working with Polyphony Digital, the company behind Gran Turismo, on a nebulous goal of developing vehicles that “fuse the virtual and the real, mainly in the area of human senses.” For now, that collaboration has resulted in an Afeela you can drive in Gran Turismo.
But it’s the new dash, combined with AR graphics overlays and that LiDAR notch, which intrigues me most. The EV will draw information and imagery from its sensors and create 3D models of the outside world. This can be used for frivolous things, like Godzilla-styled monsters on your dashcam feed and augmented reality games. Or more simply, rich, detailed overlays for navigation to nearby businesses and destinations.
While we weren’t driving the Aveela EV around Las Vegas, SHM tried to offer the next best thing: a car simulator made in collaboration with Epic Games (and what appears to be that Unreal Engine 5 Matrix demo). Steering around the virtual world, in an Aveela cockpit (in a moody black colorway, different to the light-gray showroom car I sat in earlier), the digital wing mirrors also displayed the same highly realistic 3D world. The dash display then offered an AR overlay, showing vehicles, objects and pedestrians, flagging nearby hazards in red.
SHM is still putting a lot of its focus on developing its autonomous driving technology and advanced driver assistance systems, the latter are non-autonomous helper features, similar to Tesla’s Autopilot. With Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride SoC powering the concept vehicle’s advanced driving features, the Aveela could reach limited Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities. At that point (and we’re not there yet) a vehicle can manage most aspects of driving without any human intervention. A spokesperson added it would be capable of Level 2 Plus autonomous driving in urban settings. SHM also teased traffic monitoring through the sensors, detection for objects like traffic cones, and apparently, using what it calls a Vision Transformer that will work to detect environmental characteristics “in a broader perspective” — this could translate into predicting future traffic jams before you meet them or alternative driving routes.
The car will also utilize all those sensors more frivolously, to detect drivers' approach and open the door for them. The same sensors, including LiDAR and cameras, will guide the Afeela as it parks itself.
Many of us still wonder if SHM’s EV will ever exist as a consumer vehicle. The commitment to getting its car on roads by 2026 is still there, and while CES may be the perfect audience for the hype being served up, will car buyers think the same?
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/i-played-horizon-zero-dawn-inside-sony-and-hondas-afeela-concept-ev-at-ces-2024-205902922.html?src=rss
LG Display came to CES 2024 with something to prove. Its showroom in Las Vegas had transparent OLEDs, a 480Hz gaming monitor and the company's most advanced OLED panels yet, featuring its META technology 2.0. While it sounds like promotional fluff (and there is some of that), LG Display is trying to address arguably OLED’s biggest weakness in the face of ever-improving LEDs, MicroLEDs and the rest. Using advanced microlens arrays (now called MLA+) and new algorithms, LG Display says it’s made an OLED 42 percent brighter than the displays that came before it.
At CES 2024, I took a closer look at the prototype panels, headed to TVs later this year.
— Mat Smith
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A new startup called Rabbit seems to think our virtual assistants are less-than-ideal implementations of AI – and they’re not wrong. The dream of Rabbit is you leave your apps behind for conversation and, rather than a distracting device shoving icons in your face, you interact with what amounts to a walkie-talkie for an AI.
The stylish hardware (thanks, TE) is reminiscent of the Playdate handheld-with-a-crank, with an analog scroll wheel and a “360-degree rotational eye,” but the coolest feature — not that we’ve seen it working in real life yet — is its ability to use interfaces rather than APIs or apps. You can train it to use Photoshop to perform simple editing tasks and, apparently, even play Diablo for you. You can then make it repeat those tasks just whenever.
The Rabbit R1 costs $199 and is available for pre-order, with an expected ship date before the end of April.
The company has also published a response to a lawsuit filed by The New York Times.
OpenAI and its biggest backer, Microsoft, are facing several lawsuits accusing them of using other people’s copyrighted works without permission to train the former’s large language models (LLMs). OpenAI wrote in its evidence to the UK’s House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee that it would be “impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials.”
In some lawsuits, the plaintiffs accuse the companies of refusing to pay authors for their work while building a billion-dollar industry and enjoying enormous financial gain from copyrighted materials.
The ASUS Zenbook Duo features two screens and a detachable Bluetooth keyboard that can be stashed inside for traveling. This iteration stands out because the OLED panels are slightly larger than those on rival devices, at 14 inches, while also offering a 3K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and stylus support. Plus, with a starting price of $1,500, it costs $500 less than the Yoga Book.
The iPhone’s touchscreen killed the physical smartphone keyboard, so why not resurrect it with a case? Clicks’ design couldn’t be simpler. It’s a silicone case with a physical keyboard bolted on the bottom, coming to the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Read on for our first impressions.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-lg-displays-next-gen-oleds-are-42-percent-brighter-than-its-predecessors-181523507.html?src=rss
Sennheiser announced two very different sets of wireless earbuds at CES 2024 here in Las Vegas, extending its Momentum line with a fourth-generation flagship model and a high-tech sport version. The company's premium earbuds have offered excellent sound quality for a while now, consistently earning the best overall audio in our best wireless earbuds list. We paid Sennheiser a quick visit to see how the two new sets stack up.
There's no need to mince words here: The audio performance on the Momentum True Wireless 4 is outstanding. I only listened to them for a few minutes, but I had a hard time walking away. The jazz demo tracks the company selected played to the earbuds' strengths with excellent clarity and pleasant, inviting tuning. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) also seems to be improved as I was able to silence a noisy hotel suite at the press of a button. Transparency mode is also better and more natural sounding, but you still don't get as much of your voice beamed back through the earbuds as you do on the AirPods Pro.
Sennheiser clarified during my demo that its stated battery life on the Momentum True Wireless 4 of seven and a half hours is with ANC off. However, it explained that it has narrowed the gap in regards to noise cancellation impacting battery life as enabling it only reduces play time by 30 minutes.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
I'm also happy to report there's no discernible drop off in audio quality with the Momentum Sport. There's still crisp, clear sound that's evenly tuned despite the company's goal of "impressive bass" for workouts. There's ample low-end tone here, but it didn't seem to be cranked any higher than the Momentum True Wireless 4. The size of the Sport model makes them very comfortable to wear and the ANC seemed to do a solid job blocking the roar of CES surrounding us.
The Momentum True Wireless 4 goes on sale March 1 and the Momentum Sport will be available April 9. I'll be putting both sets of earbuds through their paces closer to their respective launch dates.
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/sennheiser-momentum-4-and-momentum-sport-hands-on-excellent-sound-in-two-very-different-earbuds-133029171.html?src=rss
The original iPhone convinced me (and many others) that typing on touchscreens was the future. So the last thing I expected to test out during CES 2024 here in Las Vegas was a mobile accessory that’s trying to bring back the physical keyboard. And, while I wanted to dismiss Clicks as a thing for people who can’t let go of yesteryear, what I found was a gadget that’s solving some modern problems by taking cues from the past.
Clicks’ design couldn’t be simpler. It’s a silicone case (Clicks’ website actually says it’s Liquid Silicon, but I think that’s a typo) with a physical keyboard bolted on the bottom. There’s a small vegan leather accent on the back, little bumps to accommodate buttons and switches, and a passthrough connector at the bottom (either Lightning or USB-C depending on your device). At launch, Clicks will be available for three devices starting at $139: the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The first problem that Clicks tries to address is giving you back your screen space, because when you don’t need to display a virtual keyboard at the bottom all the time, suddenly things feel a lot roomier. And Clicks accomplishes this with flying colors. But personally, with the increasing size of phones (especially new-fangled foldables), this has never really been an issue for me. But that doesn’t mean this isn't a problem for others so it’s nice to see Clicks providing people with alternatives to typing on glass.
Another big goal for Clicks is optimizing your device by providing tons of shortcuts, which to me is much more appealing. It almost gives your phone the type of speed and productivity you enjoy on a laptop. You can press CMD+H to go home, tap the Spacebar to scroll in Safari, hit CMD+Space to open up Spotlight search and so much more. Some commands even work in third-party apps like Instagram, which is just really handy. And after seeing Apple add a single Action key on the iPhone 15 Pro, my head is already swimming with the possibilities of having 30+ customizable shortcuts.
Finally, there’s the simple joy of having physical keys to wail away on. While you don’t get mechanical switches like on a desktop keyboard (Clicks features rubber domes), the tiny nickel-plated keycaps feel solid and offer a nice tactile bump with each press. You also get some handy backlighting so you don’t have to suffer in dark rooms. The one issue is that after years of typing on screens, I’m not entirely sure I want to go back. And that probably goes double for anyone who prefers swipe-based entry methods.
After years of typing on glass, just banging out a short text using Clicks felt lethargic. And even with their circular design which leaves ample space in between the keys, I found myself fumbling. But then old habits started coming back and I can easily see how those yearning for their old Blackberrys, Sidekicks, or Motorola Envys might be enchanted.
Now that I’ve used it, I can’t deny that there’s something endearing about Clicks. But when it comes to getting more use out of a device, I lean more towards foldable phones or simply bigger screens. Plus, there are a few other minor issues, like iPhones not being able to handle charging and data over USB-C at the same time, which could be an issue for anyone who relies on wired CarPlay while using Clicks. Also by tacking a keyboard onto the bottom of an iPhone, which already have extra long 19.5:9 aspect ratios, you may feel like you’re lugging around a stack of rulers. And if you have an Android handset, you’re just plain out of luck (at least for now). But there’s no doubt that Clicks is a charming device, especially those flashy yellow and blue/pink models.
Clicks will be available starting on February 1 for the iPhone 14 Pro with the other models following sometime later this spring.
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/clicks-hands-on-a-charming-keyboard-for-2024-thats-relying-on-more-than-just-nostalgia-131537619.html?src=rss
The first unofficial day of CES 2024 has come and gone and it feels like we’ve been run over by a giant metaphorical eighteen-wheeler full of press conferences. From home robots to electric vehicles to AI, laptops and processors, there was news from pretty much all areas of tech. There were pleasant surprises like Samsung’s cute new Ballie robot ball and Sony’s spatial content creation headset, and intriguing concepts like Razer’s vibrating cushion for gamers. We also got exactly what we expected in the form of new processors from the likes of AMD, Intel and NVIDIA, as well as the subsequent flood of laptops carrying the just-announced chips for 2024.
And for everyone else, this CES also saw the launch of things like headphones, electric vehicles, gaming handhelds, grills, gaming phones, e-ink tablets, strange hybrid devices, noise-suppressing masks, standing desks and more. It’s a free for all and we’re nowhere near done. Here’s just a small selection of the biggest news out of CES 2024’s press day, right before the show officially opens.
Samsung and Sony’s press conferences had some of the best surprises this year. Samsung showed us a new version of its Ballie robot, which is cute as heck. It’s basically a yellow bowling ball with a projector built in and can send you text messages and video clips of what’s at home while you’re out. You can ask it to close your curtains, turn on your lights or stream your favorite yoga video to your ceiling while you lie on your back for a meditative session. Samsung told The Washington Post that Ballie will be available for sale some time this year, but did not say how much it would cost. I guess that’s another surprise we can look forward to in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Sony brought us a few unexpected demos, starting by driving its Afeela concept electric car onstage using a PlayStation controller. Then, it showed off its mixed reality headset for “spatial content creation,” which sounds somewhat similar to Apple’s Vision Pro and Microsoft’s HoloLens. Sony’s does appear to target content creators, though, and looks like a pared down PSVR2 headset. It’ll be powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset, sport dual 4K OLED microdisplays and have user and space tracking. The new Sony headset still has no name, no price, but itwill be available later this year.
Also dominating our news feeds on Day 1 was the barrage of chip news coming from Intel, AMD and NVIDIA. AMD, for example, launched a new Radeon RX 7600 XT GPU, which is a slight upgrade from last year’s entry-level model. The company also brought processors with neural processing units for AI acceleration to its desktop offerings by announcing the Ryzen 8000G series. Meanwhile, NVIDIA unveiled the RTX 4080 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super and RTX 4070 Super, which will cost $999, $799 and $599 respectively. It also announced updates for its GeForce Now cloud gaming service, adding G-Sync support and day passes for streaming. Intel kept things fairly tame and tidy, simply giving us its complete 14th-generation CPU family, including HX-series chips like a 24-core i9 model. It also launched the Core U Processor Series 1, which is designed to balance performance and power efficiency in thin and light laptops.
Speaking of laptops, most PC makers followed up the chip news flood by announcing all their new models containing the latest silicon. We saw notebooks from Alienware, Lenovo, MSI, Acer, Asus, and Razer, among others. MSI also had a new gaming handheld to show us, which is the first of its category to use Intel’s just-announced Core Ultra chip.
Asus also put that chip in a non-laptop product, debuting a new homegrown NUC. Meanwhile, Lenovo continued to challenge our notions of what a laptop with its ThinkBook Plus Gen 5, which is a weird gadget mermaid of sorts. Its top half is a 14-inch Android tablet, while its bottom half is a Windows keyboard and all of it is just funky.
We also got to check out Razer’s Project Esther, which is a proof of concept vibrating cushion showcasing the company’s new Sensa HD haptics platform for more immersive gaming experiences. That might be one of my favorite demos so far because… well... It vibrates. It’s a vibrating cushion for most office or gaming chairs.
There was plenty of car and transportation news, too, like Kia’s new fleet of modular vans and Volkswagen adding ChatGPT powers to its in-car voice assistant. The CES 2024 showfloor was also littered with piles of headphones, earbuds (and earwax) thanks to announcements from JBL, Sennheiser and less-known names like Mojawa, which put an AI-powered running coach in its bone-conducting headphones.
At the Pepcom showcase, we also saw some intriguing and fun products, like the Skyted Silent Mask that lets you talk in private in public, as well as the LifeSpan standing desk bike that lets you cycle really hard to generate enough power to charge your phone.
Intrigued? Check out our articles and videos with more details on everything I’ve mentioned and more. Or if you prefer, we’ll be back tomorrow to recap all the biggest news again to make your life easier. We’ve got plenty of press conferences coming up, and the show floor has officially opened, which means there’s still lots of stuff to check out in the days to come.
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/ces-2024-day-1-recap-samsung-and-sony-dominated-as-did-chips-and-laptops-140024127.html?src=rss
Wearable startup Humane AI laid off four percent of its employees before it has started shipping its Ai Pin, The Verge has reported. Leadership reportedly told employees that budgets would be lowered in 2024, according to sources familiar with the matter. The cuts were implemented earlier this week and affect around 10 people.
On LinkedIn, CEO and co-founder Bethany Bongiorno called the cuts "part of a wider refresh of our organizational structure as our company evolves with purpose for this next phase of growth." She added that CTO Patrick Gates will be transitioning to an advisor role, and that Humane AI had promoted new heads of hardware, software and others as part of a reorganization. Bongiorno told The Verge that the cuts were "not communicated as a layoff," though sources told that outlet that they were, both verbally and in writing.
Humane was founded by ex-Apple executives Bongiorno and her husband Imran Chaudhri. It's primary product is the "Ai Pin" that acts as a sort of wearable AI assistant. The company first unveiled the device at a Paris fashion show and announced last month that it would start shipping in March for $699.
Humane
The pin takes voice commands from the user and beams relevant information onto the user’s hand via a built-in projector. It can also perform AI-powered optical recognition via a camera. It's powered by a quad-core Snapdragon processor with a dedicated Qualcomm AI Engine using Cosmos OS software. The founders have said that it "quickly understands what you need, connecting you to the right AI experience or service instantly."
The Ai Pin has yet to be thoroughly reviewed (other than a few short tests), but the company demonstrated how it works in a video released last month. The founders showed how you can give it specific commands like "play music written by Prince, but not performed by Prince." The device can then display the information on your hand via the projector and control music playback and more by tilting or closing your hand.
It can also answer questions by searching the web and send messages with modifiers like "add more excitement." You can use it to monitor your health and nutrition, and Humane provides a central hub for images, etc., along with accessories like clips, battery cases and more. How well it performs its AI tasks in the real world, though, remains to be seen.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/humane-lays-off-staff-before-its-ai-pin-begins-shipping-103548514.html?src=rss
ASUS has introduced quite a lengthy list of products at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, including a high-tech eyewear called the AirVision M1. It's not really a competitor to the upcoming Apple Vision Pro and the mixed reality headgears other companies debuted at the event, though. The AirVision M1 is a wearable display with the ability to generate multiple virtual screens, supposedly so that users can juggle several tasks at once. It's equipped with an FHD (1,920 x 1,080) Micro OLED display that has a 57-degree vertical perspective field of view.
The device's system has three degrees of freedom, and users can pin several screens where they want in the aspect ratio they prefer, whether it's 16:9, 21:9 or 32:9. They can do so through the glasses' intuitive touchpad located on the left temple, where they can also adjust brightness and activate 3D mode. The device also comes with built-in noise-canceling microphones and speakers.
While it may sound like the AirVision M1 could be a good companion for people who need to bring their work with them when they travel, it's not a standalone wearable: It has to be connected to a PC or a phone via USB-C to work. ASUS has yet to reveal how much it costs and when it'll be available, but its specs and capabilities indicate that it'll cost a fraction of Apple's Vision Pro.
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/the-asus-airvision-m1-is-a-wearable-display-for-multi-taskers-060237509.html?src=rss
