Dual-screens, foldable OLED tablets, curved vertical screens and more. This year’s CES might be a quieter, more divisive affair, but pretty much everyone had some weird displays to show off.

Samsung’s epic 55-inch Odyssey gaming monitor is curved for a more immersive play experience. However, it can also rotate 90 degrees for more… spreadsheets and Slack channels? It can pivot and tilt via the height adjustable stand, so you can set it to the optimal angle — surprisingly important when you have a very tall, curved screen.

ASUS

Then there’s ASUS’ ZenBook 17 Fold, an OLED tablet that can disguise itself like a 12.5-inch laptop thanks to a keyboard on top of the lower half of the screen. If you want to use the entire 17-inch display, you can stand the tablet up and use the keyboard separately. The images look like heady concept products from a few years ago – ASUS demoed this form-factor as Project Precog back in 2018 — but this is a genuine device headed to stores. Hopefully, ASUS learned lessons from Lenovo and Microsoft’s attempts at foldables.

— Mat Smith

BMW's color-changing car concept tech works just like an e-reader

The wrap is embedded with millions of microcapsules.

BMW

BMW unveiled an e-ink vehicle exterior that can change color depending on weather and traffic conditions or just your mood. Alas no, this futuristic feature is nowhere near production-ready despite appearing at the show on a live demonstration vehicle. The current iteration can only swap between a pair of colors, thus the monochromatic e-readerish appearance you see here. However, the palette could eventually expand to display a rainbow of shades.

Continue reading.

Sponsored by Verizon

5G Ultra Wideband. Now in more and more places.

GM officially reveals its Chevrolet Silverado electric truck

The company is aiming for a 400-mile range on both editions.

GM

Finally, during its CES 2022 keynote address on Wednesday, GM officially unveiled its new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, GM's second fully electric model built on the Ultium battery platform.

The fully electric full-size pickup will be available in two versions when it arrives late next year: the RST First Edition and a WT model designed for fleet usage. Both will have an estimated 400-mile range.

Continue reading.

Razer's $150 Zephyr Pro smart mask adds voice amplification

Needs a vocoder.

Razer

Razer’s first smart face mask, the Zephyr, went on sale in October for $100 and promptly sold out. Two years since it first revealed its debut mask, the company now plans to release a Pro version of the mask in 2022. It will have all the features of the standard model, including the dual-fan active filtration system with N95 filters and RGB lighting, but add voice amplification in the mix.

It will amplify your voice by 60 decibels up to one meter away. A button on the side will allow you to toggle the feature on and off. Sadly, funny voices are not included.

Continue reading.

Razer made a smartwatch, too

Only 1,337 units will be available. Sigh.

In addition to new laptops, masks and concepts galore, Razer also teamed up with Fossil to launch a special edition smartwatch. The Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch at CES 2022 is basically what you might expect: a pretty standard Wear OS device with straps and faces that are unequivocally lime green and Razery.

Continue reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed

Lenovo's ultrawide 17-inch laptop has an 8-inch screen next to the keyboard

Apple's 24-inch iMac M1 is cheaper than ever on Amazon right now

Watch Sony's CES 2022 press conference in under nine minutes

KeyMander Nexus Gaming KVM connects your PC to Xbox, Switch and PS4

Ring's new Glass Break sensor does exactly what you think

Watch NVIDIA's CES 2022 conference in under 10 minutes

ASUS' ZenBook 14 OLED models get a big redesign and the latest chips

Popcorn Time, the app that was once popular for making pirating movies as easy as watching Netflix, has shut down. Its original developers took the service down and abandoned the project merely a few days after it launched in 2014. But since the project was open source, other developers were able pick up where they left off, and it's been killed and revived a few more times ever since. It remains to be seen whether Popcorn Time is now gone for good, but it looks like the biggest contributor to its most recent demise is the dwindling interest in the app.

On its website, the developers posted a graph of "popcorn time" searches over the past seven years. While the app enjoyed a ton of searches in the months after its launch in 2015, the graph shows a sharp decline in interest by 2016. Its popularity continued to wane, and it never really recovered after that, at least based on Google Trends. 

According to Bloomberg, the group behind Popcorn Time announced its closure in an email. While they didn't say whether law enforcement action was a factor behind their decision to shut down the app this time around, Popcorn Time has had brushes with the law in the past. The original version may have closed after authorities got involved, and Hollywood studios even sued individual users who allegedly downloaded and shared copies of movies illegally. 

Developers associated with Popcorn Time previously talked about how they're not responsible for piracy themselves, because the service doesn't actually host any content. Instead, it relied on a peer-to-peer sharing system and only provided a way for users to access content hosted on other people's computers.

Samsung is best known for its QLED TVs but at CES 2022, after years of building up hype, the company’s Display subsidiary unveiled its new QD-OLED technology and it promises to take on the best OLED TVs from LG. The tech is different from your standard OLED in that it only uses blue organic light-emitting diodes. Those diodes then shine the light they produce through a series of quantum dots, allowing the panel to produce the full spectrum of color visible to the human eye. The approach has multiple advantages.

The most notable, particularly compared to current OLED displays, is that the panel can get a lot brighter. In a demo FlatspanelsHD saw at CES, one display produced more than 1,000 nits of peak brightness across a 10 percent window. For comparison, some of the more recent TVs from LG can produce between 700 nits and 1,000 nits of brightness across the same area. Brightness is something LG has consistently tried to address with its WOLD panels. In December, the company’s display subsidiary unveiled its “OLED EX” tech, claiming it would enhance brightness by up to 30 percent compared to conventional OLED displays.

Another advantage of the technology is better color performance. The panels Samsung Display showed off at CES 2022 covered 90 percent of the Rec. 2020 color gamut. LG’s WOLED panels, which people consistently praise for their accurate and vibrant colors, hit about 70 percent of the Rec. 2020 standard. Lastly, viewing angles are improved. In addition to TVs, the technology will make its way to gaming monitors, with Samsung and Dell planning to use the tech in 34-inch displays.

We’ll have to see how the panels perform in the real world, but at least on paper, QD-OLED could easily become the new standard for high-end consumer TVs. One of the first companies set to release a TV with a QD-OLED panel is Sony with its A95K sets. Unfortunately, Sony has yet to announce how much those TVs will cost, and we won’t know until closer to release sometime this spring.

Volvo says it will be the first automaker to offer direct integration with Google Home in its cars. You'll be able to control certain functions remotely via Google Assistant. You might tell your phone to lock the doors or ask a smart speaker to start warming up your car as you're getting ready to leave home.

Two-factor authentication is needed for "more sensitive commands," like unlocking the doors. You can also learn info related to your car through Google Assistant.

More features will be added later, such as the option to schedule charging. Volvo will roll out Google Home integration in the coming months. To use it, you'll need an Android-powered infotainment system that's connected to the Volvo Cars app and a Google Assistant-enabled device.

It's not the first time we've seen integration with connected home platforms in cars. GM and BMW owners can control smart home devices from vehicles with built-in Alexa, while Samsung and Google brought a SmartThings dashboard to some models with Android Auto. Still, Google Home is one of the more prominent connected home platforms around. If you have a smart speaker with Google Assistant enabled, these features might come in useful.

In addition, YouTube will be the first video streaming service on Volvo's infotainment system. You'll be able to download the app from the Play Store. The automaker offers unlimited data in certain markets, so you might be able to watch as many videos as you like without worrying about busting your data allowance.

For safety reasons, you'll only be able to watch YouTube videos on the screen when the car's stationary. That will ensure Volvo avoids the kind of controversy Tesla was embroiled in recently, when it emerged that games were playable on the infotainment system while a car was moving. The company said it would disable that option after the NHTSA said it was looking into the matter.

Other apps that Volvo owners will soon be able to download to their infotainment system include navigation apps Sygic and Flitsmeister; charging apps ChargePoint and Plugshare; and parking services SpotHero and ParkWhiz.

Earlier this week, Volvo announced it will use Qualcomm's car chipsets to power the infotainment systems in Polestar 3 and its upcoming electric EV. The automaker claims Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms will make the systems more responsive and more than twice as fast.

Google wants to do for Android and Chrome users what Apple does for people in its ecosystem. It's announcing a set of news today at CES 2022 that are designed to help those using non-Apple devices easily set up, connect and share seamlessly across platforms. That involves expanding its existing Fast Pair and Chromecast capabilities to more products, as well as improving the sharing of data between Android phones and laptops. In fact, Google said that "for the first time with Android, we're also focused on building for other platforms, like Windows."

First, Fast Pair. Google is working with Acer, HP and Intel to bring Fast Pair to Windows PCs so you can quickly connect your Android phone to your laptop. You can then set up Bluetooth accessories, sync your text messages and easily share files via Nearby Share. This feature will arrive on select Windows PCs later this year. 

Meanwhile, Google is also bringing Fast Pair to devices beyond wearables, cars and Bluetooth audio accessories, to include things like TVs and smart devices. It already works with the Pixel Buds and some Fitbit watches, enabling easier setup on those devices. In a few weeks, your Chromebook can automatically detect your Fast Pair-enabled headphones when you turn them on, allowing you to connect to them in a single click. New Chromebooks arriving later this year will be easier to set up, too. You can connect your Android phone and port over saved data like your Google account and Wi-Fi password.

Google

The company said it'll let you connect headphones to Google TV or Android TV in the coming months, and that Fast Pair will work with new Matter-enabled smart home devices as well. That should make adding connected appliances to your home network easier than before. It doesn't sound as simple as Apple's HomePod setup where you can just hold your iPhone near your speaker to trigger the installation process, but we'll have to wait to see Google's solution in action to know for sure.

After your gadgets are all set up and synced with each other, Google also wants to enable convenient connections a la Apple's AirPlay or AirDrop. It's bringing Cast support to more brands, starting with all Bose smart speakers and soundbars, so you can stream music and audio from your Android phone to compatible speakers. 

The company is also "building a technology for Bluetooth-enabled headphones" that will let them automatically switch audio output depending on what device you're using. Say you're wearing earbuds while watching a show on your Android tablet and a call comes in on your phone. The system will pause your movie and the headphones will switch over to your phone, then go right back to your tablet when your conversation is over. This will work for all audio playing through your devices at a system level, rather than on a supported-app-only basis. For Apple users, this is similar to how AirPods can automatically switch between iPads, iPhones and Macs. 

Google

Google says compatible headphones will also get spatial audio support so you can hear directional sound based on your head's movements for more immersive experiences. These features are coming in the next few months.

Later this year, Phone Hub on Chromebooks is also getting new features to make it more useful. For example, you won't have to install separate apps like Signal or WhatsApp on your laptop to message your friends via your phone anymore. Messages from chat apps will show up on your Chromebook and you can reply to them from there. Google is also adding Camera Roll to the Phone Hub so you can view your media without opening photos.google.com. 

Locking and unlocking devices and vehicles is also getting easier. Just like you can with Apple Watch (and some Samsung devices), in the coming months you'll be able to use your paired Wear OS 3 watch to keep your Chromebook and Android devices unlocked when you're close by.

Google

Cars are also getting an Android update. Compatible Samsung or Pixel phones will now be able to lock, unlock and start supported BMW vehicles. Later this year, too, phones with ultra wideband support can open car doors without leaving your pocket or purse. Google is also adding support for key sharing, in compliance with the Connected Car Consortium interoperable standard, so you can remotely share access to your vehicle right from your phone. The company said it's "working to bring digital car keys to more Android phones and vehicles later this year."

Finally, you'll also be able to tell the Google Assistant to warm up, cool down, lock and unlock your car and ask it for the amount of battery left in your EV. This is coming first to Volvo Cars vehicles in the coming months, "with more to follow," according to Google. 

Everything Google announced today fits in with the vision of ambient computing the company has talked about for years. "This is sort of a foundational element for us to achieve the vision of ambient computing," vice president of multi-device experiences Erik Kay told Engadget. It does seem like when these updates do roll out, non-Apple users may have less reason to envy the seamless ecosystem that iPhone or Mac users enjoy.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

CES wouldn’t be the Consumer Electronics Show without Razer bringing at least one prototype product to the event. This year was no different with the company using the annual trade show to unveil Project Sophia, a concept modular gaming desk. In its current iteration, the table includes room for 13 separate modules. These can be used to add components like touchscreen hotkey panels, external capture cards and audio mixers to Project Sophia, thereby allowing you to modify the station to your needs. Razer claims it’s possible to reconfigure the table “in seconds.”

Razer

The computer that powers everything is housed in a chassis that magnetically snaps underneath Project Sofia’s glass tabletop surface. Razer says it features the latest components from Intel and NVIDIA, and you can detach the case at any point to install new upgrades. Naturally, this being a Razer product, you’ll find plenty of RGB lighting, all of which you can control through the company’s Chroma software. But arguably the most eye-catching aspect of Project Sophia is the 65-inch OLED display Razer has built into the station. The company says it will also offer a model with a 77-inch display – but we’ll note here Project Sophia may never make it to market.

Looking at the rest of the concept, Razer appears to have paid less attention to ergonomics. Judging from the renders the company shared, you can’t adjust the height of Project Sophia to make it a standing desk or to better accommodate the position of a chair. And speaking of chairs, the company also unveiled a “Pro HyperSense” version of its $399 Enki gaming chair. Razer partnered with D-Box to add haptics to the chair. It will support 2,200 games, movies and TV series, including releases from publishers like Ubisoft and Microsoft. Oh, and it too will come with RGB lighting.

Razer

Razer didn't say when it plans to release either product, though we expect it's far more likely for the Enki Pro HyperSense chair to make it to market.  

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

Almost exactly one year ago, Razer announced Project Hazel. The smart face mask, which later became Zephyr, went on sale in October for $100 and promptly sold out. No doubt sensing an opportunity, the company now plans to release a Pro version of the mask in 2022. It will have all the features of the standard model, including the dual-fan active filtration system with N95 filters and RGB lighting, and add voice amplification.

That’s a feature Project Hazel included but that Razer was forced to cut as it worked to bring the prototype to market. It will amplify your voice by 60 decibels up to one meter away. A button on the side will allow you to toggle the feature on and off. Beyond 2022, Razer hasn’t said when it will release the Zephyr Pro, but what we do know is the mask will cost $150. The company will also offer a starter pack with 100 days of filters for $200.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

With Intel and AMD announcing new processors this week, many PC manufacturers are also sharing details on their latest laptops. One of those is ASUS, which on Wednesday unveiled its 2022 ZenBook 14 lineup. At first glance, the most notable difference about the new "ZenBook 14 OLED" is that it features an updated design that's more square and less obtrusively branded. 

ASUS will offer separate versions of the ZenBook 14 OLED with the latest CPUs from Intel and AMD. You’ll need to go for a 12th-gen Core H processor if you want DDR5 RAM and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Ryzen models will ship with DDR4X memory instead. Either way, you can configure the ZenBook 14 OLED with up to 16GB of RAM, though you’ll get faster clock speeds from the DDR5 modules. In addition to up to 1TB of PCIe storage, there’s an extra M.2 slot available if you decide you need more space. Powering everything is a 75Whr cell, and the entire laptop weighs less than three pounds.

The ZenBook 14 OLED comes with plenty of ports for an ultraportable, including two USB-C connections, a single USB-A port, HDMI 2.0, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. It also comes with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support. If you get an Intel CPU, the two USB-C ports will offer Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, allowing for data transfer speeds of 40Gbps.

However, the highlight of the ZenBook 14 OLED is without question its display. On paper, it’s impressive. It’s a 14-inch OLED panel with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and 550-nit peak brightness. Add to that 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage, DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification, a 90Hz refresh rate and claimed 0.2 millisecond response time, and you have a display that should be equally great for productivity, gaming and video streaming.

ASUS

ASUS will also sell a “Space Edition” of the ZenBook 14 OLED. It has many of the same features as the standard 14-inch model, but you can configure it with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. However, your only option on the CPU front is an Intel processor. Notably, it also comes with a smaller 63 Whr battery. The computer's exterior, which includes a 3.5-inch OLED display, was inspired by the MIR space station. Morse code across the outside of the laptop says Ad Astra Per Aspera. Roughly translated from Latin, that’s “through the hardships to the stars.”

There’s no word yet on pricing for either the ZenBook 14 OLED or ZenBook 14x OLED Space Edition, but ASUS promised to share more information when the laptops go on sale closer to the second half of 2022.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

ASUS has a lot more to show off at CES than traditional laptops. The ZenBook 17 Fold is a full-screen foldable OLED tablet, which marks an evolution from the dual-screen Project Precog concept the company showcased in 2018.

The device comes with a Bluetooth keyboard with touchpad. When the screen is partially folded and the keyboard is positioned on the bottom half, it can effectively be used as a 12.5-inch laptop with a Full HD resolution. For more real estate, you can place the keyboard on the desk and stand the tablet up.

ASUS

When it's fully open, the 17.3-inch display has a 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1920, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 0.2 ms response time and 90 Hz refresh rate. The Pantone-validated touchscreen meets VESA's DisplayHDR 500 True Black standard and it supports Dolby Vision.

The ZenBook 17 Fold has a 75Wh capacity battery, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, a Dolby Atmos quad-speaker system and 1 TB of NVMe M.2 SSD storage. You can have up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory as well as "the latest Intel CPU" with integrated graphics. Ports are limited to a sole Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack.

ASUS

It's hardly the first time we've seen a manufacturer attempt a foldable tablet PC. Lenovo revealed the ThinkPad X1 Fold at CES 2020, though we felt it wasn't up to scratch. Foldable phones, of course, have become more commonplace over the last couple of years too.

ASUS hasn't disclosed pricing though it's aiming to release ZenBook 17 Fold around the time of Computex in May. The device and keyboard weigh over four pounds combined, which could make it a hard sell for some folks. Whether ASUS can overcome that issue, as well as supply chain difficulties and problems other manufacturers have had with foldable devices, remains to be seen. 

Razer seems to treat each CES as its personal carnival, using the show as a chance to show off things like wild-looking masks and insane triple-screen notebooks. This year, in addition to launching new laptops, it’s also teamed up with smartwatch maker Fossil to launch a special edition wearable. The two companies are announcing the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch at CES 2022 and it’s basically what you think: A themed version of an existing Wear OS device with straps and faces that reflect the gaming company’s identity.

But the Razer edition of the Gen 6 has some small differences. It only comes in the 44mm size (while the original is also available in 42mm) and also features some unique interface elements. I’ve had a sample to play with for awhile, and frankly, this feels like most Fossil smartwatches, just with an aesthetic nod to Razer.

The Fossil Gen 6 was the first to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chip, and like the original series, the Razer edition will be updated to the new Wear OS 3 later this year. So far, the existing software on the watch felt familiar and performed quickly. I swiped through cards and changed watch faces with no delay, though that’s par for the course for Wear OS watches these days. The three custom watch faces for the Razer-branded wearable were what I expected — that is, they had matching color schemes and displayed the time in "fun" fonts. The Wellness face shows your daily stats, but doesn’t look very Razer-esque.

There’s not much else different about the device, and most other elements like battery life and system performance require me spending much more time with it to test.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

What I can say now is that as a person with smaller wrists, the Razer watch is a bit too big for me. Are most Razer fans people more big-boned, or do they prefer a chunky aesthetic? I don’t know, but it sure seems like that assumption is being made.

One thing I do believe Razer’s loyalists love is the company’s distinct acid green color that permeates their products. The special edition Gen 6 comes in a black finish with a black 22mm band with no pops of green on the case itself. But it does come with a bright green strap that you can swap out. Both silicone bands were pliable and comfortable, though, again, I’d prefer a narrower style.

The larger size does allow for a roomier screen (though the 42mm Gen 6 has the same display dimensions), and I enjoyed how easy it was to read app titles and notifications.

Razer and Fossil are only selling 1,337 units of this special edition device, because Leet, get it? Anyway, you can get one for $329. For comparison, the Fossil Gen 6 costs between $299 and $319. With its higher price and limited quantity, the Razer watch is clearly meant to be a collectible for the most loyal of the company’s fans.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

If you don’t manage to get one of the Razer watches or are intrigued by Fossil’s other brands, you could also consider the new Skagen Gen 6. The Skagen Falster is my favorite of Fossil’s smartwatches, and the company is launching an updated version that offers its latest suite of features like the Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, faster battery charging and upgraded sensors. It’ll be available in six styles and cost $295.

Fossil also told Engadget that the Gen 6 series will be getting Alexa support early this year, so those who use Amazon’s assistant for smart home device control can do that from their wrists.

The Razer x Fossil watch represents an intriguing expansion of Fossil’s lineup, though we might see the company team up with other brands in future. Fossil told me it’s open to the idea, so who knows? Maybe one day we’ll see collabs with the likes of Tesla, McDonalds or, oh God, White Castle.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!