Samsung has unveiled its largest curved monitor yet, the 55-inch Odyssey Ark, showing its potential for both gaming and productivity. For gamers, it wraps around your field of view so you can see both ahead and beside you when playing Flight Simulator, for instance. But it can also be flipped 90 degrees into a portrait orientation for work, showing a Zoom feed, spreadsheets and whatever else you need to see. 

Samsung

The Odyssey Ark is a Quantum Dot Mini LED display with a fairly sharp curvature and 16:9 aspect ratio, unlike the much wider 32:9 format of the 49-inch Odyssey Neo G9. It can pivot and tilt via the height adjustable stand (HAS), so you can set it to the optimal angle. That's pretty key, because it's so large when when tilted vertically that you have to crane your neck to see the top of the display. 

It also offers multiview options that "allow users to adjust Odyssey Ark exactly how they want it with a totally adaptable screen size to fit the game or the program without compromising its 4K display and bright, colorful images. The monitor also features a wireless, dial controller to manage lighting and the interface," Samsung wrote in a press release. Other specs like refresh rate, color accuracy, latency and more have yet to be revealed, but with Mini LED you can likely count on a reasonably bright, fast and color accurate monitor. 

Samsung's press shots only show the Odyssey Ark obliquely from the top and side, but YouTuber Tim Schofield tweeted some images from the CES show floor. Suffice to say, it's pretty grandiose when in portrait mode, essentially working as a triple display with the top of it literally towering over the user. Samsung plans to bring it to the US in the second half of 2022, but has yet to reveal any pricing. 

There's no shortage of app-connected, camera-enabled doorbells on the market, and now there's one more, this time from IoT company Wemo, a subsidiary of Belkin International. The Wemo Smart Video Doorbell is available to order today and it costs $250 for the self-installation option. 

Android households, take note: The Wemo doorbell works exclusively with Apple's HomeKit Secure Video, and it's managed through the Home app on iPad, iPhone and Mac. The system requires an iCloud plan and a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad established as a home hub.

Wemo's Smart Video doorbell has a 178-degree field of view, 4MP camera and low-light sensitivity for nighttime recordings. Since it connects to HomeKit, the Wemo doorbell can identify specific visitors using Apple's face-recognition software, and all recordings are stored securely in the Home app, including a 10-day motion-based video history.

Wemo is doubling (tripling?) down on the Apple ecosystem — this is the third device in its lineup to take advantage of HomeKit, working exclusively with iOS and iPadOS. The Wemo Stage lighting controller and Smart Plug also rely on HomeKit.

Sony has revealed some pertinent details about its next-gen virtual reality headset at CES 2022, starting by confirming its name: PlayStation VR2. The new headset will be compatible with the PS5 and with the new VR2 Sense controllers. It has a display resolution of 2000 x 2040 pixel per eye, has a 110-degree field of view, is capable of 90 to 120Hz frame rates and supports 4K HDR.

The PS VR2 features inside-out tracking, which means it has multiple embedded cameras to track the movements of your head and controllers. Sony has also introduced a new sensory feature for the device called "headset feedback" that can make games and experiences even more immersive. Headset feedback uses a built-in motor with vibrations to simulate in-game events — it can, for instance, mimic the feel of a character's elevated pulse rate while they're hiding from a threat or the feel of objects passing close to a character's head. 

3D audio and eye tracking are a couple of other features that create immersion. The headset can detect the motion of your eyes, allowing you to interact with the game environment like you'd interact with the real world. As for the PS VR2 Sense controllers, they'll have key features from the DualSense controllers, particularly haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. While Sony has yet to reveal the headset's availability, the company announced one of the first games arriving on the platform. Horizon Call of the Mountain, a VR experience in the Horizon universe, is apparently being built for the PS VR2 and will be an exclusive title for the platform.

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Samsung's making more moves in the portable projector market with its new Freestyle model. It weighs just 1.83 lbs, and with the help of auto focus and auto leveling features that'll help align whatever you're watching, you'll have a lot of options for where to place it.

Samsung

You'll be able to project content at a display size ranging from 30 to 100 inches with a 1080p resolution. It has a 180-degree cradle stand, so you can point it toward a ceiling and watch things while you're lying down. Alternatively, using a base accessory, the Freestyle can connect to a standard E26 lightbulb socket.

If you want to use the device on the go, there's an optional waterproof case and portable battery. You might not even need to connect it to speakers, as Samsung is promising 360-degree audio. Expect far-field voice control too.

The Freestyle will have much of the technology and customization features of Samsung's smart TVs, according to the company. In addition, you can attach the lens cap for mood lighting while you play your favorite music. The portable projector will be available for pre-order on Samsung's US website starting today for $899. It will be available in other regions over the coming months.

Following up on its Aonic 50 headphones that debuted at CES 2020, Shure announced a more affordable noise-cancelling option today. With the Aonic 40, the company offers a similar design to its premium model, maintaining adjustable active noise cancellation (ANC) and on-board controls with slightly more battery life than the 2020 version. 

Though the Aonic 40 will debut at $150 less than its elder sibling did two years ago, the new model doesn't look any less premium. Shure opted for a combination of aluminum and nylon, revising the silver and black or sliver and white/tan color schemes from the Aonic 50. The earcups on the 40 rotate flat and fold inward for easy storage, making them a decent option for travel. 

Shure

Shure says you can expect its "iconic sound" alongside a fully customizable EQ via its ShurePlus Play app on Android and iOS. That software will allow you to save any created settings for future access. The app also allows you to choose between three ANC options as well as tweak the Environment Mode (ambient sound). Shure also says the software is equipped with a hi-res music player that works with the Aonic 40. 

As is typically the case with headphones these days, Shure is hyping call quality thanks to dual beamforming microphones. On-board controls will allow you to easily answer those, in addition to volume adjustments and accessing both the ANC and ambient sound options. The company says you'll get up to 25 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on — up from 20 hours on the Aonic 50. Plus, a quick charge option can offer five hours of use in 15 minutes. 

The Aonic 40 is available now in black and white color options for $249.

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TikTok is testing a “repost” button in its app that allows users to quickly re-share a clip with their followers. The new feature, which the company described as an early test, isn’t available to everyone yet, though it appears to be cropping up for a number of users over the last several days.

“Currently, we're experimenting with a new way for people to share TikTok videos they enjoy,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. The feature appears as a yellow “repost” button alongside the app’s other sharing features. TechCrunchreports that reposting a clip won’t publish it to your profile, but it will push the video to the “For You” feeds of your friends. You can also add a brief comment that will appear with the clip so your friends can see “why you reposted this video.”

Screenshot via TikTok

While TikTok has long been known for users endlessly remixing and re-sharing each other’s clips, the repost button is the first time the app has had something akin to a retweet – the ability to quickly re-share a video from your feed as is. As TechCrunch points out, TikTok may be treading carefully with the feature as making it too easy to recycle posts could pollute users’ “For You” feeds, which are known for being hyper-personalized.

That could be why the company is limiting the visibility of reposts to friends who follow each other, at least for now. Elsewhere, the company is looking into other ways of mixing up the types of videos people see in their recommendations, including limiting “clusters” of potentially problematic content.

Like many other PC manufacturers, MSI is refreshing its gaming laptops this week with the new CPUs and GPUs Intel and NVIDIA announced at CES 2022. Among the models the company is updating are its popular Stealth GS77 and Stealth GS66 laptops. New to the 2022 versions of the laptop is a more durable zinc alloy hinge. They also feature larger trackpads and keycaps for a more comfortable typing experience. Between the Stealth GS77 and Stealth GS66, MSI will offer 10 different configurations.

With the latter, the most affordable model will cost $1,799 and feature an Intel Core i7-12650H processor, NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of NVMe storage. It also comes with a 17-inch 360Hz Full HD display. If you want MSI’s most powerful GS77 model, you’ll need to set aside $4,199. That gets you a computer with a 14-core, 20-thread i9-12900H; NVIDIA’s new flagship laptop GPU, the RTX 3080 Ti; 32GB of RAM; and a 1TB M.2 drive. Instead of a Full HD or QHD panel, it comes with a 4K 120Hz display that covers the entire Adobe RGB color gamut.

Moving to the smaller GS66, your most affordable option here is a $2,499 model with an i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of internal storage and a 15-inch 360Hz Full HD display. For $1,000 more, you can get the computer with an RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB of RAM and 4K display.

MSI

If one of MSI’s new computers comes with at least an RTX 3070 and Core i7 processor, it will feature a “Meta-Ready” sticker on its case to tell you you’re ready to experience the Metaverse at its best. The company doesn’t say who decided you need one of NVIDIA’s latest GPUs for a technology that is more an idea than a reality at this point.

One of the ways MSI hopes to differentiate its laptops from all the other Intel 12th-gen machines you’ll have the chance to buy in 2022 is through its new cooling technology. The Core i9 Stealth GS77 will come with a metal pad that melts when the computer reaches a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid fills the space between the CPU and thermal block, leading to a more efficient transfer of heat, according to MSI. The company claims the technology allows for an up to 10 percent increase in performance.

MSI

MSI is also updating its Creator series of laptops, including the Z17, Z16P and M16. The highlight of the line is the Z17. It features a 17-inch 16:10 display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. The base model comes with an RTX 3070 Ti, i7 12700H processor and 32GB of RAM for $3,249. We’re waiting on details for when MSI plans to release all the laptops it announced today.

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After delivering an ambitious gaming convertible notebook last year, the svelte ROG Flow X13, ASUS is taking that concept even further with the Flow Z13 tablet. Think of it like a souped-up Surface Pro: the Z13 packs in Intel's new 12th-gen processors and up to NVIDIA's RTX 3050 Ti all in a sleek slate. Weighing in at 2.43 pounds, it's clearly not meant to replace smaller tablets like the iPad. Instead, ASUS sees it as a way to bring your PC games everywhere — say a cramped airplane tray table — without the bulk of a laptop.

Like the ROG Flow X13, the Z13 can connect to the ASUS XG Mobile external GPU, which supports up to AMD's Radeon RX 6850M in addition to NVIDIA's mobile RTX 30-series lineup. That eGPU still relies on a custom PCIe connection, which can reach up to 63 Gbps of graphics bandwidth, making it more capable than Thunderbolt 4's 40 Gbps. I was wary of the XG Mobile last year, given just how expensive and flaky similar eGPUs have been. And that was before we learned it would cost $1,500 with the 3080, and that it wasn't nearly as fast as reviewers would have liked. At the very least, the Z13 promises to be a better performer than the X13 with its built-in hardware, so maybe an eGPU would be unnecessary.

In person, the Z13 is exactly what you'd expect from an ROG gaming laptop to look like. The preview unit ASUS sent for me to borrow felt dense and sturdy, surprisingly so for its 12 millimeter thickness. Unlike iPads and other tablets, it feels strong enough to survive a backpack commute without a protective case. From the front, you could easily mistake it for a notebook. From the sides and back though, it's more like a Super Surface, with a flexible kickstand and keyboard cover.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

I wasn't able to run any games and benchmarks on the ROG Z13, unfortunately. (I'd wager ASUS's software and drivers aren't ready for serious testing yet.) But I could see why it could be compelling: An RTX 3050 Ti in a machine this size would be a dream for travel (at least, when that's safe again). And its 4K 13-inch display was perfectly fine for productivity tasks (there's also a 1080p 120Hz option). Given its size, though, the Z13 felt too heavy to use as a standard tablet. It's also not nearly as "lappable" as the Surface Pro devices; it's just too heavy to stay put while you're typing.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

ASUS deserves credit for actually including the keyboard case with the Z13, something Microsoft still refuses to do with the Surface Pro. And the typing experience actually feels pretty decent, so long as the Z13 is planted firmly on a flat surface. I could see it being a solid option for casual gaming, but the WASD inputs don't feel nearly as responsive as a basic desktop gaming keyboard. Basically, if you're expecting to compete while using the Z13, plan to bring along a separate keyboard.

You'll likely be able to connect most of your accessories to the Z13 as well, since it includes both a USB 2.0 Type-A connection, as well two USB 3.2 Type-C ports (one is hidden under the XG Mobile connection. There's also a microSD card slot, which is useful for throwing in additional storage or offloading media.

Without knowing the ROG Z13's price and testing it properly, it's hard to make any final judgements. Personally, I think most consumers would be better off investing in a gaming notebook, which would have bigger screens, faster hardware and more capable keyboards. But ASUS already makes plenty of those, including our beloved Zephyrus G14 and G15. The Z13, which is expected to land in the first half of 2022, is clearly meant for gamers who prioritize portability more than anything else. For them, this might be the tablet of their dreams.

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ASUS' gaming laptops have caught up to the work-from-home era. The PC maker has unveiled its ROG laptop line for early 2022, and the centerpiece for many is likely an updated Zephyrus G14 (shown above) that finally, finally includes a webcam — one with Windows Hello-friendly infrared, no less. ASUS told Engadget gamers didn't mind the absence of a camera in the past, but a combination of shrinking panels and smaller cameras made the inclusion possible. Whatever the reasoning, this will be welcome for anyone who had to forego the G14 (or buy an external webcam) to participate in virtual classrooms and meetings.

There are plenty of performance-related upgrades, of course. The reworked Zephryus G14 uses AMD's new Ryzen 6000-series chips (up to the Ryzen 9 6900HS), a maximum 32GB of DDR5 memory and dedicated Radeon graphics up to the RX 6800S. Cooling has improved, too, thanks to a new vapor chamber, liquid metal on the CPU and GPU, a dust filter and higher-airflow fans. You'll also find slimmer overall display bezels, a 50 percent larger trackpad and a flashier mini-LED lid with 19 percent more lights and smoother animations. It's too soon to say if the G14 will match ASUS' claims of 10-plus hours of video playback on battery, but USB-C fast charging and reduced GPU thermal design power (from 100W to 65W) should minimize the amount of time you need to plug in.

ASUS hasn't divulged pricing for the Zephyrus G14 as of this writing, but you'll have options for 144Hz 1080p and 120Hz 1440p screens, and you can spring for more frugal components like the Ryzen 5 6600HS or Radeon RX 6700S to keep costs down.

ASUS

There are other laptops in store. The new Zephyrus Duo 16 (pictured at middle) builds on the dual-screen concept with some unique display tricks. If you spring for the 120Hz 4K main panel, you can switch to 1080p at 240Hz thanks to a clustering technique — you can trade resolution for speed. You'll also find a tweaked second-screen mechanism that makes for a more "seamless" integration with the primary display. The G14's Ryzen 6000-series CPUs, liquid metal-enhanced cooling and the IR camera have made their way to the Duo, although you'll be using NVIDIA graphics (up to the new RTX 3080 Ti).

 Other laptops aren't quite as eye-catching, but might still scratch the itch for gamers on the move. The ROG Flow Z13 (at bottom) is a Surface Pro-like 13.4-inch detachable for the gamer crowd with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i9, a 4K screen and RTX 3050 Ti video, while the Strix G15 and G17 are more conventional 15- and 17-inch gaming portables that leap to the newest AMD processors and NVIDIA graphics. While pricing and availability are unknowns here as well, we'd expect machines like the Duo and Flow to carry premiums given their still-rare form factors.

ASUS

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Qualcomm believes it can widen the field for semi-autonomous driving features, and it's launching a new platform to make that happen. The company has unveiled a Snapdragon Ride Vision platform that combines a 4-nanometer system-on-chip with Arriver's computer vision software to give automakers an "open, scalable and modular" way to build Level 2 driver assists and Level 3 partial autonomy into their cars.

Snapdragon Ride Vision can help cars detect road geometry, pedestrians and other cars using 8MP wide-angle cameras. It can also handle driver monitoring (to keep your hands or eyes focused on driving) and perception for near-field parking cameras. More importantly, the system is flexible — car designers can customize it to fit new vehicles and update features over the air.

The platform won't be ready for vehicle production until 2024. That's a long time to wait, particularly when Intel's Mobileye and NVIDIA are teasing chips capable of full self-driving. Still, Qualcomm might have an edge simply by making automated driving features more accessible. Snapdragon Ride Vision works with "virtually all" car price ranges and categories, Qualcomm said — this could be key to semi-autonomy in cars where the tech was previously impractical.

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