Never mind buying a robot dog for your kids — you might just get them a mythical creature instead. Chinese EV maker Xpeng has teased a robot unicorn meant for children to ride. As SCMPnotes, the quadruped will take advantage of Xpeng's experiences with autonomous driving and other AI tasks to navigate multiple terrain types, recognize objects and provide "emotional interaction."
The company is shy on most other details, although the design looks and trots like a cuter, more kid-friendly version of Boston Robotics' Spot. It's appropriately about as tall as a child. Sorry, folks, you won't prance your way to work.
This robot unicorn is just about as mythical as the 'real' thing, too. Xpeng hasn't revealed when it expects to deliver its robotic horse-with-a-horn, let alone pricing or availability. It might not cost as much as a $75,000 Spot, but we'd expect something this sophisticated to cost more than the $2,900 Aibo from 2019.
To some extent, profit is beside the point. Xpeng chief He Xiaopeng said the unicorn was part of a broader move into the robotics space by taking advantage of the company's existing technology. Think of this as a first step. What Xpeng learns from its unicorn could lead to more sophisticated (and hopefully adult-oriented) robots you're more likely to buy.
While Apple's entry-level iPad is ideal for those with strict budgets, we consider the iPad Air to be the best tablet in the company's lineup for most people. Those on the fence about shelling out $800 or more for an iPad Pro may find all their needs met by the $599 iPad Air. And now, thanks to a sale on Amazon, the tablet is cheaper than ever before. All five color options of the iPad Air are down to $500, or $100 off their normal price. We've seen this discount before a couple of times, but it's rare to see all colors on sale at once. While some like the rose gold model have the $100 discount outright, others like the silver and blue models are priced at $539, but an automatically applied coupon will bring the final price down to $500.
The iPad Air earned a score of 90 from us when it came out in October last year. Apple revamped the design to make it look more like the iPad Pros, featuring flat edges, a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, a USB-C port for charging and a side button with TouchID technology built in. Inside is Apple's A14 Bionic chipset, which includes a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU, as well as WiFi 6 technology. Both of these things help the iPad Air feel much zippier than previous models, and you'll be able to reap the benefits for a long time each day as the Air's battery lasted between 10 and 12 hours in our testing.
Like the iPad Pro, the Air is compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard. While those accessories drive the price of your whole system up, it also means that you could use the Air as a laptop replacement if you wish. However, there are some notable differences between the Air and the latest iPad Pros, namely the M1 chipset found in the latter. If you're going to push your machine to its limits on a regular basis, or just want a device that's slightly more future-proof, one of the new iPad Pros may be the way to go (the base 12.9-inch model is $100 off right now, too). But most people will find that the iPad Air hits a sweet spot — it's speedy, lightweight and versatile, with just the right number of pro-level features for the price.
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Apple may be gearing up to launch four new iPhones at its next event that's expected to happen sometime this month. 9to5Mac and MacRumors have spotted an FCC filing for a revised MagSafe charger, and while it doesn't say how the new version improves upon its predecessor, the document includes the device's testing information. Apparently, the tech giant tested it on four "New Phone" items, as well as on four "legacy" devices.
The company listed models A2176, A2172, A2341 and A2342, in particular, which correspond to the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, respectively. As MacRumors notes, Apple revealed the upcoming iPhones' model numbers when it registered them in the EEC database. Unfortunately, this FCC filing doesn't identify the four "New Phone" items it used for testing, but it's very much possible that they're the current generation's direct successors.
A rumor about the iPhone 13 that went around earlier this year said the device will have a stronger set of magnets in the back for the MagSafe charger. We'll find out within the month if that's true — Apple's next iPhone event could take place next week, and it's expected to announce the exact date for it as soon as today.
Singapore is known for having stringent laws and for having surveillance cameras all over the city-state. In the future, it may also deploy robots to keep an eye out for rule breakers — in fact, Singapore has started testing a robot named Xavier, putting a couple of them to work by having them patrol and survey a public area with high foot traffic. Over the next three weeks, the robots will monitor the crowds of Toa Payoh Central to look for what the nation's authorities describe as "undesirable social behaviors." Those bad behaviors include the "congregation of more than five people," which goes against its COVID-19 safety measures.
In addition, the Xavier robots will look for instances of smoking in prohibited areas and illegal hawking. It will patrol the vicinity for improperly parked bicycles and for any mobility device and motorcycle using footpaths and sidewalks, as well. If the robot detects any of those behaviors, it will alert its command center and then display a corresponding message on its screen to educate the public.
The machines are equipped with cameras capable of providing their command center with 360-degree views. They're also capable of capturing images in dim lighting using IR and low-light cameras. Plus, the video they capture will be analyzed by an AI system to look for anything that may require human officers' response. To enable the machines to navigate the city autonomously, they're fitted with sensors that give them the ability to avoid both stationary and moving objects, including pedestrians and vehicles.
Singapore already announced its plans to double the number of its surveillance cameras to 200,000 over the next decade. Officials believe these robots can help augment those surveillance measures further, though, and reduce the need for officers to do physical patrols.
Apple's AirPods Pro are some of the best true wireless earbuds that an iPhone user can buy, and they're on sale for $180 again, at both Amazon and Best Buy. We scored them an 87 in our review when they were released almost two years ago, and while there have been a host of true wireless earbuds released since then, these are still worth a look.
Naturally, these headphones offer some notable upgrades over the standard AirPods, which typically cost $160 (though they're often on sale, too). Their in-ear design means you'll get a better seal, and they have active noise cancellation to block out more sound. They also support Apple's spatial audio technology, which means that they can stream Apple Music's new Dolby Atmos format. They also come with a wireless charging case, while you need to pay extra to get that with the standard AirPods.
It's worth noting that Apple's fall events are coming soon, and some rumors point to new standard AirPods coming out in the next few months. As for new AirPods Pro, the latest rumors indicate that they'll have some fitness-tracking features on board. If that's of interest to you, it might be worth waiting, but at $70 off, the current AirPods Pro are still worth a look.
You may have to temper your expectations for the next iPhone's rumored satellite communications. As 9to5Macreports, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims in his "Power On" newsletter that emergency satellite calls and messages on the future iPhone (potentially named iPhone 13) will only work in "select markets," and then only in places without cellular coverage. This likely won't serve as a backup when cell service is spotty in your area, then.
Apple reportedly wants to launch its own satellites to provide more data coverage, but any plans for that are "years away," Gurman said. You also won't get to make non-emergency calls any time soon.
The limitations wouldn't be completely surprising. The new iPhone is rumored to use a modified Qualcomm X60 modem for satellite service — it might not be ready to serve as a full-featured satellite phone. Gurman added that costs and carrier objections might prevent Apple from offering a true satellite phone that bypasses conventional networks.
As it stands, there are other reasons to moderate your hopes for Apple's next event. Gurman also says display issues could limit availability for the Apple Watch Series 7. While the wristwear will reportedly debut alongside the next iPhone, some versions of it may be available "late or in small quantities." Your preferred case and band combo may take a while to ship. While this isn't as bad as the delays that stalled the iPhone 12 and other Apple products last year, it could be a far cry from the smooth launches in the pre-pandemic era.
We checked out a couple of ambitious Samsung products this week, plus a few other gadgets. Cherlynn Low tested the Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone, which is the third generation of Samsung’s foldable hybrid, and the Galaxy Watch 4, which is one of the first devices to run on the new Wear OS platform. James Trew popped off keys and customized the Keychron Q1 keyboard, while Daniel Cooper was pleased with his time with HP’s light yet capable Pavilion Aero 13 laptop.
Although Cherlynn Low likes a lot of the improvements made to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and calls it an impressive piece of tech, she still isn’t sure it can replace a regular smartphone for most people. The third generation of the folding device has a stronger, redesigned screen, a streamlined hinge and a robust aluminum build, and Samsung says it’s 80 percent more durable than previous models. According to Cherlynn, it easily withstood being thrown in a purse full of sharp and heavy objects, and the IPX8 water-resistance kept it safe from water droplets.
The Fold 3’s external 6.2-inch, 2,268 x 832 display refreshes at 120Hz and uses a Dynamic AMOLED panel, which made for fast scrolling and vibrant images. The phone also has S Pen support, although the stylus costs extra and there isn’t a slot for it on the device. There’s also more software support to improve the full-screen experience, like Multi Window and Flex Mode panels, plus five onboard cameras, which generally produced bright and colorful shots. Despite these wins, she felt that the device was over-reaching and attempting to do too much to achieve mainstream adoption.
Cherlynn Low is candid about how the Galaxy Watch 4 makes her feel, calling it and the rest of Samsung’s smartwatches the best Android wearable options around. The combination of capable hardware with intuitive software features and comprehensive health tracking continue to provide a satisfying experience. The Galaxy Watch 4 adds some interesting marquee features with body composition scans and snore detection, but Cherlynn says she’ll need more time to determine how useful these features are as they are, for now, somewhat unreliable.
The Galaxy Watch 4 includes a sharp 1.4-inch screen with a 450 x 450 resolution, a touch sensitive rotating bezel, and an updated 5nm processor with more storage. It also supports gesture controls that allow you to respond to calls or messages, but Cherlynn says they don’t work very well yet. She was also disappointed with the watch’s battery life, which barely made it through a day. She was more impressed with how accurately and quickly it registered her walking, and she liked that the watch tracks 95 different workouts. She also was pleased that the Wear OS platform strongly echoed the intuitive UI strengths of Tizen, save for the new ability to download apps directly from the Play Store. Despite some hiccups, she’d still recommend the Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic to Android users.
Keychron is known for making economical keyboards and James Trew says its newest offering, the Q1, is affordable, easy to customize and full-featured. The Q1 has hot-swappable switches and an Aviator style USB-C, which should appeal to both avid tinkerers and those who are interested in getting deeper into the geeky details of mechanical keyboards. It comes with a keycap puller and a switch remover, plus keycaps for Windows and MacOS layouts, but it lacks Bluetooth so you’ll have to live with it as a wired peripheral.
The Q1 features the expected RGB key lighting, but has a south-facing integration for a more subtle effect. Inside are a noise-reducing foam deck and screw-in stabilizers for steadier keys. James particularly liked the option to etch a customized metal badge where the Insert key goes. He reported that swapping out keys was easy, and that using the companion Via app was a convenient way to customize the Q1. However, he points out that, at 3.5 pounds, the Q1 isn’t designed for portability and that its height cannot be adjusted.
Daniel Cooper found plenty of reasons to recommend HP’s new Pavilion Aero. The lightest laptop yet from the company weighs in at a mere 2.2 pounds and still manages to fit in a 13.3-inch, 16:10 display with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. Rounding out the specs list on our review unit was AMD’s Ryzen 5800U with Radeon Integrated Graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Daniel said the build quality is solid, save for the malleable display hinge; the keyboard is well-engineered and satisfying; and the trackpad has tolerable accuracy. He also approved of the battery, which lasted for 9 hours and 43 minutes during testing.
He was less thrilled that the keyboard wasn’t backlit by default, but you can pay $20 extra to get that. And while he was pleased by the performance of the WideVision 720p webcam, he said the downward-firing B&O speakers pumped out audio you could put up with but not fully enjoy. The preinstalled software was another annoyance — getting pop-ups for plugins is never appreciated. Being a relatively affordable laptop, Aero isn’t set up for intensive gaming but Daniel was able to play Fortnite pretty smoothly with medium graphics power. Overall, he says the Aero is clearly punching above its weight and could almost be recommended as an alternative to the Dell XPS 13 for those with tighter budgets.
Razer’s new 14-inch Blade laptop hits all the right notes for Devindra Hardawar: It’s plenty powerful thanks to an NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPU and AMD’s latest processor, and at just under four pounds, it’s still light enough to carry comfortably. Featuring a minimalistic design and a sleek black aluminum case, Devindra’s review unit came equipped with an RGB LED keyboard, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a quad-HD 165Hz display. He reports that the laptop easily handled demanding games even in maxed-out settings and that the ray tracing performance was solid.
Devindra also liked the responsiveness of the keyboard, but said the layout felt a bit cramped for longer gaming sessions. During battery testing, the Blade 14 made it 10 hours and 50 minutes (running productivity tasks, not games). But during heavy gaming sessions, Devindra reports that the CPU reached up to 94 degrees Celsius, which is unusually high. Another downside? The RAM isn’t upgradeable like it is in the larger Blade 15 and 17 laptops. He says if those compromises aren’t deal breakers, then this is worth recommending given its $1,800 starting price.
Labor Day is another good time of the year to pick up a new TV. While not as rife with sales as Black Friday or even the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, this holiday weekend still has TV deals worth considering. Plenty of 4K smart TVs have been discounted across Amazon, Best Buy and other sites, but those who are looking for an OLED set will find a number of new models discounted by hundreds. Here are all of the best Labor Day TV sales we could find.
55-inch Sony Bravia XR A80J OLED 4K TV
One of Sony's premium OLED TVs, the 55-inch Bravia XR A80J set, is down to $1,700 at Amazon and Best Buy, or $600 off its normal price. It packs most of Sony's best TV technology into one set, including the Cognitive Processor XR, HDMI 2.1 support, 4K upscaling, XR Motion Clarity and improved sound with Acoustic Surface Audio+ and built-in subwoofers. It also runs the Google TV operating system, so you can call upon the Assistant for all your entertainment needs.
Amazon and Best Buy knocked $500 off Sony's 48-inch Bravia A9S OLED TV, bringing it down to $1,300. It runs on the company's Processor X1 Ultimate and supports HDR and Dolby Vision, Acoustic Surface Audio, X-Motion Clarity technology, AirPlay 2 and more.
A 55-inch LG G1 OLED TV will set you back $1,900 if you grab it this weekend, saving you $300 off its normal price. It's part of the "gallery" series and it uses OLED evo panel technology, which provides better brightness and clearer whites than standard OLED displays. It also runs on LG's a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K and supports features like G-SYNC, FreeSync, OLED Motion Pro and voice commands via Alexa and the Google Assistant.
The latest LG OLED lineup just became available a few months ago and now you can grab the 55-inch A1 model for $1,300. The A1 series is the most affordable of the bunch, making these sets good options for anyone looking to upgrade to OLED while on a tight budget.
If you're looking for a basic upgrade for your living room tube, this 55-inch TCL Roku TV could do the trick. It's on sale right now for $430 and it includes 4K HDR support, 4K upscaling, four HDMI inputs and voice control with Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant.
Samsung's 50-inch Frame 4K smart TV is down to $1,148 right now, or roughly $150 off its normal price. This is the TV to get if you'd prefer to look at something more interesting than a black box when not actually watching a TV show or movie. Its art mode lets you select images to display on the screen whenever you want, and it also supports 4K AI upscaling and truer colors using Quantum Dot technology.
Best Buy knocked $150 off the price of this 55-inch Samsung QN90A Neo 4K TV, bringing it down to $1,550. This set uses mini LEDs for improved contrast, and it supports Quantum HDR 32X for vibrant colors. It also includes 4K AI upscaling, a 120Hz refresh rate, technology to minimize motion blur and more.
Segway is moving into the robot mower market with the Navimow. What sets this model apart from many others is that you don't need to install a boundary wire. Instead, Navimow uses GPS and other sensors to stay within the perimeter of your lawn.
A so-called Exact Fusion Locating System can maintain Navimow's position accurate to within two centimeters, according to Segway. If the GPS signal ever dips, the company says the device's array of sensors and data ensure it will still work. You can tell Navimow where to mow, define the boundaries and instruct it to avoid certain parts of your garden via an app. Segway claims Navimow uses an algorithm to figure out a mowing path so it doesn't have to criss-cross.
Segway says Navimow operates relatively quietly at 54 dB. There are offset blades to trim edges and corners, while the mower gradually cuts grass from above to reach the height you want (between three and six centimeters). The mower can handle 45-degree inclines and it has an IPX6 water resistance rating, according to Segway.
There are safety features too. Segway says Navimow can detect and bypass obstacles, and its blades will stop spinning if pets or kids get too close. If the device detects rain, it'll return to the charging station, but you can turn off the rain sensor and put Navimow to work even when it's wet outside. When the battery gets too low, Navimow will continue cutting from where it left off after it recharges.
Segway
Installing a perimeter wire can take some time and as SlashGear notes, it can damage a garden, since it's usually buried under grass. So Navimow might be a healthier solution for your lawn than other robot mowers. iRobot planned to make a mower with wireless boundary beacons, but it put the device on hold last year amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Segway is releasing four versions of its mower. The Navimow H500E is for lawns with an area of up to 5,400 square feet. It costs €1,199 (around $1,425). The other three models have larger batteries to support bigger lawns, along with 4G support and a GPS anti-theft system. The prices top out at €2,499 (around $2,970). However, Segway hasn't announced US launch details yet.
WhatsApp has started rolling out its long-awaited cross-platform chat history transfer feature. First announced at Samsung’s recent Unpacked event, the tool allows you to move your chat history, including any voice memos, photos and videos you may have sent to family and friends, between Android and iOS. The feature is currently only available on Samsung phones running Android 10 and above, though WhatsApp notes it will come to more Android devices “soon.”
You can see the full rundown of how to use the tool on WhatsApp’s website. However, one of the more notable requirements is that you’ll need a Lightning to USB-C cable to connect your two phones together. What’s more, both devices must have the same phone number. Oh, and your Samsung phone must be either brand new or recently factory reset. In short, the process isn’t quite as streamlined as we had hoped, but WhatsApp promises it’s secure and reliable.
