CES: Lightweight Asus Zenbook Laptop Takes on MacBook Air

The new Asus Zenbook A14 laptop leads the company’s Copilot+ line expansion. Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, Asus says its battery will last up to 32 hours. And at just 2.18 pounds, the “featherweight” device is drawing comparisons to Apple’s MacBook Air — but at a more affordable price. The Zenbook A14 will start at $1,099.99 when it hits the market later this month in gray with a base 8-core processor featuring 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. The model sports a 14-inch OLED display with 1920×1200 resolution reaching 600 nits of peak brightness at 60Hz. Continue reading CES: Lightweight Asus Zenbook Laptop Takes on MacBook Air

CES: Companies Present AR Use Cases for New Smart Glasses

Long billed as a manifestation of augmented reality (AR), the field of smart glasses has seen a wide range of products emerging on the market over the years. Notable products include the Ray-Ban Meta collection (a collaboration with Meta Platforms), Microsoft’s Hololens, and Vuzix’s entire product line. A survey at CES this year indicated the market of head-worn wearable computers is by no means a mature market. Our team found a few companies demonstrating their latest offerings. The principals of these companies believe their innovations differentiate from the current field with their own paths for solving specific use cases. Continue reading CES: Companies Present AR Use Cases for New Smart Glasses

Microsoft’s Windows 365 Link a Mini PC for Cloud Streaming

Microsoft is releasing a mini PC designed specifically to access the cloud version of Windows. The $349 Windows 365 Link is a compact, fanless system that will connect local monitors and peripherals to Windows in the cloud. Microsoft plans to bring it to market next year as a companion to the Windows 365 cloud suite, helping companies transition employees to virtual machines. The concept is described as the first move toward a new type of “boot to cloud PCs” that offer little in the way of versatility, but are cheap, easy to operate and secure. Continue reading Microsoft’s Windows 365 Link a Mini PC for Cloud Streaming

DJI Intros New First-Person View Drone Goggles N3 for $299

DJI, a leading maker of consumer drones, is releasing Goggles N3 — first-person view (FPV) eyewear that offers improvements over its predecessor, Goggles 3, for less than half the original list price. Currently on preorder for $299 from DJI and Amazon, Goggles N3 has the same 1080p display as the earlier model with a wider field of view — 54 versus 44 degrees. The new product is also lighter than Goggles 3, with a bigger viewing cabin that can accommodate even very large eyeglasses, eliminating the need for diopter adjustments or custom lenses for prescription wearers. Continue reading DJI Intros New First-Person View Drone Goggles N3 for $299

Glowtime: Apple Unveils iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, AirPods 4

During yesterday’s Glowtime event in Cupertino, Apple introduced its iPhone 16 lineup with Apple Intelligence features, A18 chip, and new camera control button to access “visual intelligence” functionality. The company also unveiled a redesigned Apple Watch with polished titanium option and new S10 chip; a new Satin Black color for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, alongside a collection of updated bands with darker hues; and two new versions of AirPods wireless earbuds, one touting active noise canceling. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models feature aluminum bodies while the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max bodies are made of titanium. The first Apple Intelligence features for the new iPhones will launch in beta next month. Continue reading Glowtime: Apple Unveils iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, AirPods 4

Gemini-Driven 4K Google TV Streamer Replaces Chromecast

Ahead of next week’s scheduled “Made by Google” event, which is expected to promote the company’s next generation of Pixel hardware and AI tools, Google is already unveiling new products, including a fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat with Matter support, and the anticipated 4K HDR Google TV Streamer — a $99.99 set-top box and successor to the Chromecast. The new entertainment hub — shipping September 24 — reportedly provides significantly better performance; integration with Google Home, Thread and Matter for improved connectivity across devices; and new Gemini AI functionality. Continue reading Gemini-Driven 4K Google TV Streamer Replaces Chromecast

Alice Camera Targets Mobile Creators with AI and M43 System

After three years of development, the Alice Camera — which transforms smartphones into mirrorless photographic systems with a mount for interchangeable Micro Four Thirds (M43 or MFT) lenses — is taking preorders and will start shipping July 15, beginning in the UK. The Alice Camera leverages AI to produce “computational photography” that runs on-device in real time. The result, its makers say, is content that is “beautiful straight out of camera” and instantly ready to share. “Alice Camera transforms your phone into a content creation studio,” according to parent company, London-based Photogram Ltd. Continue reading Alice Camera Targets Mobile Creators with AI and M43 System

Sonos Rolls Out Its First Headphones, the $450 Bluetooth Ace

Sonos, the company that helped launch the Wi-Fi speaker market is now branching into wireless over-ear headphones. The launch marks a much-anticipated and also inevitable move, considering the U.S. headset market was estimated to be almost $2.2 billion last year, nearly twice as large as the total for wireless speaker sales, according to market research firm Circana. Sonos Ace headphones have what is being called exceptional noise-cancellation and feature Bluetooth connectivity and a Wi-Fi chip so they can be used in conjunction with the Sonos soundbar for a personal home-theater experience. They ship June 5 for $449. Continue reading Sonos Rolls Out Its First Headphones, the $450 Bluetooth Ace

Wacom Movink Introed as Industry’s First OLED Drawing Tablet

Wacom is releasing the Wacom Movink, an OLED pen display developed around the needs of creative professionals, digital artists and design students. In addition to being the industry’s first OLED pen display, Wacom says the Movink is its “thinnest and lightest” pen display ever. The Movink combines the pen with a 13.3 inch full HD OLED Samsung drawing tablet display for $750, available from the Wacom online store. The company says the Wacom Movink has the fastest response time among Wacom pens, “with increased pen detection height and no visible parallax.” Continue reading Wacom Movink Introed as Industry’s First OLED Drawing Tablet

CES: Sennheiser Touts Its New Wireless Momentum Earbuds

Sennheiser has updated its flagship Momentum True Wireless earbuds, adding support for Qualcomm’s aptX audio tech. The company also debuted a Momentum Sport edition that tracks heart rate and body temperature. The Momentum True Wireless 4 promises “unparalleled sound,” combining Sennheiser’s audio expertise with Qualcomm’s S5 Sound Gen 2 platform and Snapdragon Sound Technology with aptX for lossless sound and ultra-low latency. Boasting 7.5 hours of continuous listening, the new buds come in black copper, metallic silver, and graphite for $300. The more rugged Momentum Sport with biometric features lists for $330. Continue reading CES: Sennheiser Touts Its New Wireless Momentum Earbuds

Looking Glass Readies Launch of Mobile Holographic Display

Looking Glass has since 2014 been working to bring holographic display into regular consumer use. Now the Brooklyn-based company thinks it’s found the killer app to make that happen: Looking Glass Go, a pocket-sized display that has a $300 MSRP for June 2024 delivery and features a six-inch screen and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to enable receipt of “holograms from the cloud.” The Looking Glass Go allows you to “shoot instant spatial photos with your phone” and view them as holograms — “including holographic AIs you can customize, powered by ChatGPT,” the company says. Continue reading Looking Glass Readies Launch of Mobile Holographic Display

New PS5 Model Adds Option for Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive

Sony announced it is introducing a new PS5 shipping in November, timed for the holiday shopping season. The slimmer form factor, which features a detachable Blu-ray Disc drive and 1TB SSD for internal storage, has been reduced in volume by more than 30 percent and is 18- 24 percent lighter, depending on the choice of two models. The PS5 Digital Edition will run $449.99, while the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive will cost an additional $50. For those who purchase the base PS5 Digital Edition, a $79.99 Blu-ray disc drive can be added later. The new PS5 includes a horizontal stand; a new $29.99 vertical stand is compatible with all PS5 models. Continue reading New PS5 Model Adds Option for Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive

Apple Rolls Out New iPhones, Watches, iCloud Plans and More

During yesterday’s Wonderlust new product showcase, Apple unveiled its new family of iPhone 15 models — the 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max (no SE or Ultra yet) — which all feature USB-C in place of the Lightning port. The company also revealed the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in addition to AirPods that include a USB-C port in the charging case. Apple announced that iOS 17, watchOS 10, iPadOS 17 and tvOS 17 will arrive on September 18, while the new macOS Sonoma will be available the following week on September 26. Higher storage options of 6 TB and 12 TB for iCloud plans were also introduced. Continue reading Apple Rolls Out New iPhones, Watches, iCloud Plans and More

CES: Samsung Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor Wows Crowd

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is a 1000R curved 57-inch gaming monitor that uses quantum mini-LED technology for pixel resolution of 7,680 × 2,160 at 32:9. Announced in November as the first monitor with DisplayPort 2.1 support, it has 240Hz refresh rate and connects with the Samsung Gaming Hub for cloud gaming. Samsung, which is calling the Neo G9 “the world’s first single monitor with dual ultra-high-definition resolution,” says it will ship later this year and did not announce pricing. The company also announced the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9. Continue reading CES: Samsung Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor Wows Crowd

CES: Samsung Introduces an Easy-to-Use Smart Home Hub

Samsung Electronics announced its new $60 SmartThings Station, which the company describes as “an easy-to-use, affordable smart home hub and fast charging pad.” The product is designed to provide consumers with “simple control and interoperability of multiple connected devices.” SmartThings Station is one of numerous solutions touted at CES that are compatible with a growing collection of smart home products, including those that are labeled as Matter devices. The Matter home automation standard, which helps connect devices built with the Thread low-power mesh networking protocol, had a significant presence at CES. Continue reading CES: Samsung Introduces an Easy-to-Use Smart Home Hub