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Shokz may have made its name with bone-conduction headsets, but the company has also built open-style earbuds in recent years. At CES 2026, the company is debuting its most recent model, the OpenFit Pro, which combines effective noise reduction with Dolby Atmos support in a premium set of wireless buds. As the name suggests, these sit outside of your ears, secured by an over-the-ear hook, so that you can stay in tune with your surroundings at all times.To me, the main appeal of the OpenFit Pro is the new Noise Reduction Mode that acts as a bit of active noise cancellation (ANC) for the open earbuds. The feature is adjustable, allowing you to slide between Reduced, Default and Enhanced levels of said reduction. I'm happy to report the tool does make a difference, even at its lowest setting, by assisting with background noise like raucous HVAC units. Shokz says the OpenFit Pro's noise reduction is best suited for moderately noisy environments - like cafes, gyms and offices. And when you don't need it, you can switch back to Open Mode for a fully unfiltered line to reality. Shokz OpenFit Pro Billy Steele for Engadget The other attractive feature on the OpenFit Pro is Dolby Atmos spatial sound and Dolby Audio with Dolby head tracking. Streaming music in Atmos really shows what the OpenFit Pro is capable of, putting the ultra large" 11mm x 20mm synchronized dual-diaphragm drivers at the forefront. Shokz promises more powerful bass and more authentic" sound in this model, and I'd say the company delivers on that promise based on my initial testing. The only issue is that your neighbors will be able to hear your tunes at moderate volumes. My colleagues sitting across the table as I write this commented on my selection of The Fate of Ophelia." Call me Tay-curious.You can expect up to six hours on a charge and up to 24 hours of use with the case with Noise Reduction Mode enabled. Turn that feature off and you'll get up to 12 hours on the earbuds themselves. Plus, there's IP55 protection, wireless charging and wear detection, so the OpenFit Pro will be both durable and convenient to use.The OpenFit Pro is available for preorder starting today (January 6) for $249.95. You can make your early commitment at the Shokz website or Best Buy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/ces-2026-shokz-new-earbuds-effectively-reduce-noise-while-keeping-your-ears-open-080000996.html?src=rss

Just like last year, NVIDIA has used some of its time on the CES stage to introduce an upgraded version of its real-time image-upscaling technology. The new DLSS 4.5 promises sharper visuals with the 2nd Generation Super Resolution Transformer, which the company says will deliver better temporal stability, reduced ghosting and improved anti-aliasing. The DLSS 4.5 also includes Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, which maximizes frame per second to monitor refresh rate, delivering up to 4K 240Hz path traced performance.The 2nd Gen Transformer Super Resolution is available now for all RTX GPUs, while the Dynamic 6x Frame Generation will arrive some time in spring 2026 for the RTX 50 series. It will also be available for more than 400 games through the NVIDIA app.Another new feature is RTX Remix Logic, which allows real-time environmental reactions to in-game events. For instance, when a door is opened on screen, the NVIDIA tech can present changes to volumetric conditions, display different weather simulations with particles or alter materials. More than 30 different common events can be detected, and the RTX Remix Logic can make adaptations to volumetrics, particles, material properties and light properties.NVIDIA noted that it now has native clients for both Linux and Fire TV. That's the roundup of major gaming updates from the company's CES presentation, but NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang had plenty to talk about earlier today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nvidia-announces-dlss-45-at-ces-2026-053000128.html?src=rss

For better or worse, CES 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for humanoid robots. Chinese company Agibot showed up with two: the roughly human-sized A2 and the slightly smaller X2, both of which were displaying their surprisingly impressive dancing abilities.We watched both robots walk around, wave at passersby and show off their best moves. The larger A2 mostly kept its legs still and danced mainly with its arms. The smaller X2 on the other hand is a bit more nimble - it has a larger set of "feet" to give it more stability - and those abilities were on full display.At the time we saw them, the robots were controlled partially by an Agibot rep using a dedicated controller, but the company told me the robots are able to move autonomously in spaces once they've been able to use their onboard sensors to map out their environmentThe company, which has already shipped several thousand robots in China and plans to make them available in the United States this year, says both the A2 and X2 are intended to provide a flexible platform so people can interact with the robots in a variety of situations.

The following article discusses adult themes.One surprising find at CES 2026 comes from OhDoki, the Norwegian makers of The Handy, a smart stroking device. It turned up to the desert with two new products, the Handy 2 and the Handy 2 Pro. Fundamentally, they're the same device, but the Handy 2 Pro comes with a far bigger battery, taking the usable life from one hour on the standard model all the way to five. That extra power enables you to run the 2 Pro far faster and harder than the original once you set it into Turbo mode. In fact, I was told the hardware can essentially be overclocked," although I wouldn't recommend it. Because the motor action was so aggressive that even just holding it in the hand, I'd be worried about breaking bones.There are plenty of useful new features, including using the Handy's beefy battery to charge your other USB-C devices. In addition, the sleeves are now be mounted to the motor arm with a click on motion, so you don't have to wrestle with the (very) weighty hardware when you don't have to. There are even tripod screws on both the side and bottom of the unit, enabling you to mount the Handy 2 to any compatible equipment. And, if you don't want to use your phone to control the action, there's a dot matrix display on the side which will show you both speed and stroke length.Naturally, the company's representatives were keen to highlight the connectivity features beyond just connecting to your own phone. As well as allowing other people to control the device, it'll sync with various VR and video content platforms as well as tube sites like Xhamster. And the company has recently teamed up with a cam platform for more remote opportunities for intimacy.The Handy 2 and Handy 2 Pro launch January 6, with the regular model priced at $299 and the Pro going for $499.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-handy-2-pro-is-an-overclockable-sex-toy-044456140.html?src=rss

Last year in Las Vegas at CES 2025, Sony Honda Mobility displayed yet another revision of its now-familiar yet still-unreleased Afeela 1 sedan. With a starting price of $89,900 and a maximum range of 300 miles, it didn't seem like a great value proposition. 12 months later, the math still hasn't changed, but would-be buyers now have a slightly taller option to consider.Meet the Afeela Prototype 2026, a version of the Afeela 1 sedan that's been up-scaled to better suit American SUV proclivities. It offers a carbon copy of the smaller Afeela's understated styling, including the external, nose-mounted LCD, and is due "as early as 2028."Afeela Prototype 2026Tim Stevens for EngadgetThat's code for "2029 is probably more likely" and is, sadly, all we know about the thing for now.And what about the Afeela 1? Shugo Yamaguchi, president and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility of America, confirmed that it's still on track for a release this year, still priced at $90,000 to start, and still set to be built at Honda's Ohio factory. That last bit is particularly good news, as the global tariff situation has been rather fluid since we saw the sedan last year.Unfortunately, the rest of the Afeela 1's core attributes haven't aged so well, particularly given it's intended to appeal to an increasingly skeptical American market, a situation that has driven Honda to dial down its own US EV aspirations. 300 miles of range is an increasingly middling figure, especially for a machine priced within spitting distance of a Porsche Taycan.To make the Afeela 1 compelling, Sony Honda Mobility is leaning into the tech play, launching with an advanced hands-off, eyes-on driver assistance system (a la GM's Super Cruise). Thanks to the beauty of over-the-air updates, the Afeela 1 will eventually offer Level 4 autonomy, leaning on a bevy of integrated sensors, including a roof-mounted LIDAR pod. That would theoretically mean you could drive in Gran Turismo 7 while your car drove you to work.Afeela 1Tim Stevens for EngadgetAt launch, though, the driver will only be able to play GT and other PlayStation games while the car is parked, thanks to built-in Remote Play functionality. Beyond gaming, Sony is building out a comprehensive set of APIs that will enable third-party developers to create immersive in-cabin experiences, including custom gauge clusters and infotainment skins. All that will be run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis, with enough power to handle both the evolving active safety and infotainment duties.That all sounds fun, but the bad news is that would-be buyers are going to have to wait a little longer to start customising their rides. Production on the Afeela 1 has slipped, and it will not ship to the first customers until the very end of 2026. Those customers will have to be in California, as that's the only state where the sedan will be for sale. Arizona will come next, sometime in 2027, but nobody at Sony Honda Mobility will say which state will get the next bite of this apple, or when.Will it be worth the wait? We'll circle back later with more detailed impressions from inside this year's iteration of the Afeela 1.

Garmin's big announcement for CES 2026 wasn't another fitness watch. Instead, it revealed it is adding food (and calorie) tracking to its Connect app. It combines AI image recognition with a rich food database, so you can monitor your calorie and nutrient intake without leaving the app - and even log some food through its watches.The food tracking works similarly to existing apps like MyFitnessPal, Noom, LifeSum and many others. Still, Garmin hopes to make its companion app the best place for tracking nutrition without having to leave its app - and tying it into your other fitness goals.This makes sense in a few ways. If you already use Garmin to track your exercise, the app can provide a more accurate estimate of your calorie expenditure. It'll personalize it based on height, weight and gender, which you've likely already entered on your Garmin profile. It can even offer calorie and macronutrient recommendations tailored to your fitness goals.However, it unveiled the news at CES 2026, a tech conference held in Las Vegas, which seemed like a troll. Las Vegas, where you're never far from a three-foot margarita, a BLT Bloody Mary or fried chicken and waffles. In fact, Garmin selected one of my favorite restaurants, Yardbird, to showcase its new nutrition-tracking feature. Yardbird does incredible chicken and waffles. It's possibly the worst possible place to start monitoring my calorie intake, regardless of the 15,000-odd steps I take each day here.In addition to the food database, you can use the camera to log food. With AI-powered image recognition, the Connect app makes a generally good guess at what you're eating. During the media briefing lunch, the app swiftly recognized grilled salmon, corn and several other vegetables. The quantities were not remotely accurate, however: Five kernels of corn do not equate to one cup. You can manually adjust the serving size, but unfortunately, it can't make a more informed estimate at this point. A Garmin spokesperson noted that the company is looking into how to improve accuracy here. (It's a common issue for any app or service attempting to use AI image detection to analyse meals.) It was, however, quick and easy.Mat Smith for EngadgetYou can also create customized meal entries (with the correct ingredient quantities), making it easier to track your regular breakfast habits or midday coffee order. Better still, you can monitor nutrition and calorie intake on compatible Garmin watches. You can even log your favorite (and recently logged foods from your wrist without needing to use your phone. Voice commands also work on compatible Garmin wearables.The feature is now available to Garmin Connect+ subscribers, who pay $6.99 per month. This also includes Active Intelligence, which already offers AI-powered insights into your workouts. It can now factor in your nutrition.Subscribers will also be able to get daily, weekly, monthly and even annual reports on calorie targets (and what you ended up consuming). But let's start monitoring that once I've left Vegas, please.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/garmin-food-tracking-feature-connect-plus-ces-2026-043231948.html?src=rss

OhSnap won our hearts (and a best of CES award) last year with the MCON, its tiny Bluetooth game pad that magnetically connects to your phone. At the time, we tried a pre-production unit, but in the year since the MCON has been finalized and went on sale last month. I just got a chance to try the final version here at CES, and just a quick demo was enough to convince me that OhSnap has made some solid refinements over the last year.Just as we saw last year, the MCON attaches magnetically to an iPhone or any compatible Android phone (the company also includes a magnetic ring in the box for Androids that don't have Qi2 yet). It has the full array of controls, including four face buttons, a D-pad, two joysticks and index finger buttons and full bumpers. It's just sleeker and feels more solid than last year's prototype, and while mounting your makes it feel a bit top-heavy, it's not awkward enough to cause real issues when playuing (at least that's how I felt after my brief demo).The controller also has grips that unfold to help balance things, and the plate that attaches your phone to the controller has a kickstand. So if you want to drop your phone down on a tray table on a plane and play just holding the controller, feel free. All in all, the MCON feels like a flexible and high-quality device that's probably worth the $150 OhSnap asks for it.The MCON dock connects your phone to your TV for full-screen gameplay.Nathan Ingraham for EngadgetThe company also has some new accessories to show off. There's a $70 TV dock that powers your phone and outputs video from USB-C to HDMI. You could use this dock with any Bluetooth controller hooked up to your mobile phone, not just the MCON. There's also a tiny $30 adapter you can put on your keychain that has a USB-C plug that goes into your phone; plug an HDMI cable into the other end and you can broadcast your games to a TV anywhere you go and play them with a controller.It's a pretty clever and comprehensive set of products, and while there are tons of mobile game controllers, the OhSnap feels like one of the more portable and sleek options out there. OhSnap is working on something even slimmer, though. The company showed off two new prototype controllers, the MCON Lite and MCON Slim.OhSnap is working on two new MCON controller that are more compact than the original.Nathan Ingraham for EngadgetAs the names suggest, they're both more compact than the original model. The Lite uses concave joypads rather than full sticks, and the Slim makes things even smaller by using concave touch pads. Your'e not going to get quite the same quality experience with those as you would with the bigger version, but they are noticeably thinner; OhSnap says they'll be cheaper, too. The MCON Lite is scheduled to arrive this summer, while the Slim should launch in the fall (around the same time as the iPhone 18).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/another-look-at-ohsnaps-mcon-a-magnetic-game-controller-for-your-phone-042424092.html?src=rss

New tech at CES often makes categorization hard. Is Cozyla's latest device a digital family calendar, a TV or a smart home hub? After seeing it, I'd say the answer is, yes? Cozyla calls the Calendar + Max the largest interactive hub in it's category." And indeed, it's the size of a big flatscreen, but the main interface is just like any other Cozyla device, an Android-based family calendar and planner with shared schedules, notes, meal plans, and chores. It syncs with Google, Yahoo and Apple calendars as well as Outlook, and it will run apps from the Google Play store. (Yahoo owns Engadget, but has no say in our editorial coverage.)But this super-sized version can also stream shows and movies with whichever apps you subscribe to. The photo integration, via the app, will take pics from your phone and stick them on the bigs screen. You can also create a slideshow and photo walls to look at when the calendar is off.The smart home integration lets you view your security camera and video doorbell feeds on a much larger scale than your phone's display can offer. The display has a camera of its own so you can make FaceTime and Zoom calls.The Max comes on a built-in stand that you can roll around the house, along with a battery that should power the whole thing for around six hours. When I first heard about it, I found myself wondering where I would put Calendar+ Max in my house. The kitchen is an ideal centralized calendar location, but I don't want to watch Miss Scarlet in there. Luckily, the wheels make that conundrum moot. This can go anywhere you want it to, and swings into portrailt orientation that looks great for chore mode, and landscape orientation for watching shows.Possibly the best part is the lack of subscription required. Like with all Cozyla screens, there's no ongoing cost to use all the features. The Calendar + Max has no release date or price available just yet, but if I ever decided to organize my family's life beyond barely contained chaos, I can see myself considering it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/cozyla-showed-off-a-4k-55-inch-digital-family-calendar-at-ces-040352802.html?src=rss

Projector maker XGIMI has turned up at CES to launch its own range of AR glasses, but don't get the champagne out too soon. MemoMind is a new brand under which its AI-infused eyewear will be sold, with two distinct units arriving at some point in the near future. The company says it has leveraged its know-how in optics and engineering to produce glasses which are unobtrusively light, all the better for blending into your daily life. Fashionistas will even be overjoyed to learn the glasses' ship in eight different frame styles, five different temple designs and can be worn with prescription lenses.Memo One is the company's flagship option, with dual-eye displays and integrated speakers so you can see and hear your AI assistant. The Memo Air, meanwhile, is a more stripped down model weighing just 28.9 grams which just has a single eye display. Unfortunately, the company is using microLED displays rather than waveguides, making them a far harder sell for a lot of would-be users. After all, putting something that small so close to your eye but behind your prescription means it's a painful experience for short sighted folks to focus on text. As I explained in myHalliday review, this technology is no friend to the glasses wearers who would otherwise be the ideal early adopters.Update Jan 5, 2026: I have never been so happy to post an update, as I have now seen these in person and learned that they do not use microLED displays. In fact, they do use waveguides, making them a lot more attractive than I had initially thought. In fact, the glasses they remind me the most of is Even Realities' G1, which I reviewed and absolutely loved.MemoMind LineupXGIMIIn fact there are plenty of similarities, including the fact you need to tilt your head up to activate them. The waveguide prisms are a lot taller here, giving you plenty more real estate for your important data. To the point where the homescreen was set to include a full stock tracker (with graphs) and still had room for the time and notification pane.They're also surprisingly light, despite the fact the model I tested was the feature-packed flagship as opposed to the display free version.The glasses are just a vehicle for the company's AI assistant, promising translation, summarization, note-taking, reminders and contextual guidance. Unlike some of its would-be rivals, XGIMI says its platform will switch between OpenAI, Azure and (Alibaba's) Qwen depending on what it thinks will offer you the best result for each task. Naturally, we'll need to get them in to test before passing final judgment on their qualities but, you can color us naturally hostile to those damn microLEDs until we're convinced otherwise.XGIMI says the flagship Memo One will be available to pre-order soon," most likely after MWC in March. It'll cost $599, with prescription lenses available for an additional, as yet unspecified charge, and the other models coming further down the line.This story was updated to rectify incorrect information from the company's press release.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/xgimi-best-known-for-projectors-launches-its-own-smart-glasses-170000968.html?src=rss

After relaunching its Area-51 brand with a new 16-inch laptop in 2025, Alienware is teasing two new laptops at CES 2026 in an attempt to reach an even larger audience. Dell's gaming brand plans to launch both entry-level and ultra-slim models later this year, and in the meantime, it's rolling out updates to its existing desktops and laptops to tide people over.Alienware isn't sharing all the details of its new laptops at CES, but we do have the highlights. The company's new "ultra-slim gaming laptop" will be around 17mm or 0.67 inches thin, and come in either 14-inch or 16-inch variants. While the 16-inch version of the laptop will feature NVIDIA discrete graphics and "new highly efficient CPUs," it's not meant to be a gaming powerhouse like the Area-51. Instead, Alienware suggests the laptop will work for gaming and also "creative projects, productivity and everything in between."The entry-level laptop is similarly not at Area-51-levels of power, but Alienware claims it'll deliver "strong gaming performance" at its "most accessible price point yet." That should ideally put the new laptop under the $1,199 starting price of the more streamlined Alienware 16 Aurora laptop.The Alienware Area-51 Desktop will get updated with the latest AMD chips in February 2026.DellOn top of those two new models, Alienware is bringing new anti-glare OLED panels to a selection of its Alienware 16X Aurora and Alienware 16 Area-51 laptops, along with new Intel Core Ultra 200HX chips. The new display panels reach 620 nits of peak HDR brightness and have a 0.2ms response time for even smoother gameplay. The Alienware 18 Area-51 is also getting an upgrade to Intel Core Ultra 200HX chips, while the Alienware Area-51 Desktop will ship with AMD's new Ryzen 7 9850X3D chips.There's currently no pricing available for Alienware's new laptops, or the updated versions of its older models. The updated Alienware 16X Aurora, Alienware 16 Area-51, and Alienware 18 Area-51 laptops will be available in Q1 2026. The update Alienware Area-51 Desktop is coming in February 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/alienware-teases-new-super-slim-and-entry-level-gaming-laptops-at-ces-2026-033000700.html?src=rss

While it's nice to see desktop support in AMD's new Ryzen AI 400 chips, demanding gamers and enthusiasts will likely be more intrigued by the company's next batch of Ryzen AI Max+ chips, as well as the new Ryzen 7 9850X3D with 3D V-Cache. The former will make its way into small desktops and a handful of workhorse laptops, while the latter is another option for gamers who want the speed bump of 3D V-cache without shelling out for the $700 9950X3D.Last year, AMD debuted its Ryzen AI Max chips as a way to create a single piece of silicon with powerful CPU cores, GPU cores, NPUs and integrated memory, similar to Apple's home-brewed chips. At the time, AMD VP Joe Macri also noted that the existence of Apple Silicon helped make the Ryzen AI Max chips possible."Many people in the PC industry said, well, if you want graphics, it's gotta be discrete graphics because otherwise people will think it's bad graphics," Macri said at last year's CES. "What Apple showed was consumers don't care what's inside the box. They actually care what the what the box looks like. They care about the screen, the keyboard, the mouse. They care about what it does."AMD Ryzen AI Max+ chip familyAMDAt CES this year, AMD is unveiled the 12-core Ryzen AI Max+ 392 and eight-core Ryzen AI Max+ 388. Both chips feature boost speeds up to 5GHz, 50 TOPS NPUs and GPUs capable of 60 TFLOPs. We've seen the earlier Ryzen AI Max chips in the Framework Desktop and the ROG Flow Z13, and we were generally impressed with its performance. For small systems, it was powerful enough that we really didn't miss having dedicated GPUs.AMD Ryzen 7 9000X3DAMDAs for the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, it's an 8-core chip that can reach up to 5.6GHz boost speeds with 104MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. Like all of AMD's X3D chips, it uses 3D V-cache technology to vertically stack additional cache memory. In comparison, the standard 9850HX chip has 76MB of L2 and L3 cache.AMD says the new Ryzen AI Max+ chips and the 9850X3D will ship in the first quarter. There's no pricing information on the latter, yet, but recent leaked listings suggest it may go for around $200. Rumors also point to a massive dual-cache (192MB!) 9950X3D2 chip coming soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amds-new-ryzen-ai-max-chips-and-ryzen-7-9850x3d-court-desktop-enthusiasts-at-ces-2026-033000587.html?src=rss

The whole AI PC trend didn't exactly set the world on fire last year, but, like clockwork, AMD is still ready to deliver a new batch of AI chips at CES 2026. The Ryzen AI 400 processors will offer some slight speed upgrades over last year's chips, and notably, they also include AMD's first Copilot+ processors for desktops. Sure, the Copilot+ program didn't really go anywhere, but as I've argued, it at least served as a template for building capable AI PCs. Now we just need some genuinely useful AI features in Windows - Recall and Copilot's voice commands aren't really compelling enough on their own.AMD's first AI desktop chips, the Ryzen 8000G series, arrived in 2024 with relatively underpowered neural processing units (NPUs) for AI tasks. The Ryzen AI 400 chips, on the other hand, feature 60 TOPS XDNA 2 NPUs (up from the 50 to 55 TOPS in Ryzen AI 300 hardware). That places them well above the 40 TOPS NPU minimum for Copilot+ systems. For most consumers, NPU speeds don't really mean much yet, but if you're running AI models on your system you can expect slightly faster inferencing from AMD's previous chips.AMD Ryzen AI 400 chipsAMDThe top-end Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 offers up to 12 Zen 5 CPU cores, 5.2GHz max boost speeds and up to 8,533 MT/s memory speeds. The line scales down to the four-core Ryzen AI 5 430, but even that model supports speedy 8,000 MTS RAM and offers a 50 TOPS NPU.AMD isn't giving us many specific details on the Ryzen AI 400 chips at CES, but broadly, it claims they'll offer up to 30 percent faster multi-tasking, 70 percent faster content creation and 10 percent faster gaming than its previous chips. The company also says you'll see 70 percent better "unplugged connectivity" on Cinebench nT, which is hopefully a sign that you'll see improved performance overall on battery.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amds-ryzen-ai-400-chips-are-a-big-boost-for-laptops-and-desktops-alike-033000635.html?src=rss

Urinalysis company Vivoo has rocked up at CES 2026 with two new products designed to keep an eye on your health. The first is the Smart Toilet, which clips onto your bowl and uses optical sensors to monitor your hydration levels.It's an evolution of the smart toilet product it originally announced back in 2023, which used a reactive testing strip as part of its process. Here, that feature has been ditched in favor of just collecting a small sample in its pocket-shaped cup for non-contact testing before being released.The optical sensors in question are designed to track your urine's specific gravity to monitor how hydrated you are. (If urine is too dense, it's a sign of dehydration, while if it's too thin, it's a sign of over-hydration or something more serious, like diabetes or renal failure.) mage of the Vivoo Smart Toilet being splashed with water Vivoo You trigger a reading via the smartphone app, and when the test is complete the data will be pushed back to your device. The company says its battery will last for more than 1,000 measurements before you need to recharge it, too.Vivoo doesn't (Withings) name (Withings) names (Withings) but throws a sharp elbow toward its competitor. It boasts that its product will last for 1,000 tests on a single charge, vastly exceeding the handful of monthly readings offered by chemical cartridge-based tests." And that its battery pack, which sits on the outside of the toilet bowl, means you won't need to uninstall the sensor to recharge and clean it on a regular basis. Image of Vivoo's FlowPad Vivoo At the same time, the company is announcing Hygenic FlowPad, a menstrual pad infused with microfluidics. These are capable of monitoring factors such as Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSI), a marker for fertiity, ovarian health and perimenopause. Once the wearer removes the pad, they are tasked with scanning it with their phone camera to Vivoo's app, much like many of its other at-home tests. At present, there's no word on when FlowPad will be available to buy, but the company hopes to charge $4-5 per pad.Vivoo's Smart Toilet can be ordered today, with early birds getting the gear for $99 with no need for an additional subscription, due to ship March. A second batch on the same deal arrives in June, but latecomers will have to wait until September 2026 when it goes on general sale. At that point, the price will climb to $129, plus an additional $6 a month for the subscription.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/vivoos-toilet-computer-keeps-an-eye-on-your-hydration-030000209.html?src=rss

You'll be able to watch more live sports programming on Peacock that supports Dolby Vision and Atmos starting this year. At the moment, the only live sports offering you can enjoy with Atmos on the service is Sunday Night Football. Now, Dolby Laboratories has announced at CES that Peacock is expanding the availability of Dolby Vision and Atmos across live sports over the coming year. Peacock will add support for both technologies to Sunday Night Football, NBA and MLB live sporting events that the streaming service will offer its subscribers.Our partnership with Dolby ensures that whether our subscribers are streaming a thrilling playoff game, the latest Universal blockbuster, or a critically acclaimed Peacock Original, they're experiencing it exactly as creators intended - with breathtaking picture and immersive sound that brings every moment to life," said David Bohunek, Senior Vice President of Global Video Engineering at NBCUniversal.The companies have also announced that Peacock will start supporting Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby AC-4 starting later this year. Dolby Laboratories called Vision 2 a groundbreaking evolution of its industry-leading picture quality innovation" when it announced the technology at IFA 2025. It was designed with today's TV technology in mind, and it uses AI to automatically adjust your TV based on what you're watching and where you're watching it. Meanwhile, AC-4 is a new audio format that Dolby says can deliver the highest audio quality at a much lower bandwidth than other formats."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/peacock-is-expanding-dolby-vision-and-atmos-availability-for-live-sports-023000794.html?src=rss

Smartglasses company Rokid has introduced new display-free AI glasses at CES 2026. Dubbed "Style", the glasses are intended for all-day use and are compatible with users' corrective prescriptions.Style supports multiple AI engines, including ChatGPT and DeepSeek, instead of being locked to any LLM. The glasses can also work with Google Maps and Microsoft AI translation.Style is powered by a dual-chip setup, with an NXP RT600 handling low-power, always-on tasks and a Qualcomm AR1 taking on heavier AI and imaging workloads. Rokid claims this architecture helps it reach up to 12 hours of battery life under typical use.A 12MP camera with a Sony sensor on the front supports 4K capture. Video can be shot in three different aspect ratios, which Rokid says makes it easier for creators to make content for different platforms. Style can record up to 10 minutes of continuous footage, which Rokid is quick to point out exceeds the roughly three-minute limit on Meta Ray-Bans.The glasses weigh 38.5 grams and sport ultra-thin lenses with anti-scratch coatings. Style is a bit lighter than the Rokid smartglasses that we reviewed earlier this year, which include a display. The company also offers transition lenses in a variety of colors and the frames are offered in two.Style is available for reservation now with a one dollar deposit and will officially release globally January 19. The AI smart glasses will retail for $300. Glasses purchased for a vision-impaired user will receive a 20 dollar subsidy from Rokid.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/rokid-introduces-display-free-ai-smartglasses-at-ces-2026-010017906.html?src=rss

"Relaxing" isn't a word anyone is likely to associate with CES. If anything, it is the antithesis of CES, an exhausting and wildly overstimulating marathon event that takes place in the already exhausting and wildly overstimulating Las Vegas. But a demo of Ambient's bedside device, Dreamie, ahead of its appearance at CES-adjacent Pepcom had me properly lulled and ready to go right back to bed. Dreamie is a smart sunrise alarm clock and nighttime wind-down device that has a built-in podcast player, a catalog of green, pink and brown noise sound masks, guided breathing programs, contactless motion sensors to provide insights into your sleep habits, dynamic lighting with simulated sunrise wake-ups and Bluetooth connectivity for headphones.But most importantly for anyone trying to avoid using their phone immediately before bed, it's a standalone system in which all controls, features and scheduling options as well as data storage are on-device. And there's no subscription.The goal of Dreamie is "to help you separate from your phone while providing a lot of the conveniences that you would normally have," said CEO and co-founder Adrian Canoso. You can set multiple alarms on different schedules, access soothing content to fall asleep to and customize how gradual your sunrise wakeup is. There are environmental sensors to clue you in on the humidity, temperature and lighting conditions over the course of the night, to give you a better idea of how these things may be affecting your sleep.Dreamie is a relatively small device compared to other sunrise-style clocks, with a truncated pill-shaped body and a sleek circular touchscreen. Around the display is a hidden dial for volume control, and it feels great to rotate, with just the right amount of resistance. There's also a touch strip on top of the device to easily adjust the dimness of the light by dragging your finger along it. From the display, you can even change the direction the light is pointing so you don't blast yourself (or your partner) with it when your eyes aren't ready, casting the light off to the back instead. Dreamie's brightness controls Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget Its 20-LED array can go from a soft, warm orangey glow to cool and bright blue-white, and certain programs, like the aurora borealis soundscape, will trigger other colors of the rainbow, throwing soothing green, blue and magenta. More impressive is the rich sound that comes from its 50 millimeter speaker. Dreamie has a 360-degree speaker grille on the bottom of the device that sends sound in all directions to create more immersive ambient sound.When a speaker is pointing toward you, "it's almost like a laser beam coming at you," which isn't exactly the most relaxing experience, explained Canoso, who previously worked in industrial design and robotics, and before that, as a studio recording engineer. "[Dreamie] projects the sound all the way around... So when you put it next to you on a night table, it sounds more diffused. It's not the loudest speaker out there because we've optimized it for rich sound quality at lower volumes. We don't need it loud. We just need it to sound good."And sound good, it does. It's seriously got me thinking I may finally have found the thing to replace the Philips Wake-Up Light I've been clinging to for close to 10 years now that has decent lighting but absolutely abysmal sound quality.Dreamie, which costs $250, recently started shipping after a successful crowdfunding campaign, and certain features - including podcasts and sleep insights - haven't launched just yet (though I did get to see the podcast library during the demonstration, so it is a real thing, and it's expected to roll out later this month). Those and other future features will arrive via free over-the-air updates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/this-tabletop-sleep-device-and-sunrise-alarm-clock-aims-to-help-you-put-your-phone-away-before-bed-004751464.html?src=rss

Intel turned up to CES 2026 to herald the birth of the Core Ultra Series 3, a new range of chips offering exceptional performance." It says the mobile processors, formerly known as Panther Lake, deliver great graphics and battery life alongside the aforementioned grunt. And that, for the first time, the silicon has been certified for embedded and industrial use cases, including robotics and smart cities. But, like so many stories about Intel these days, the launch is loaded with so much subtext you'll need a copy of Cliffs Notes to understand it.On the face of it, these are just some snappy flagship chips, available in Core Ultra 7 and 9 ranges as well as Core X7 and X9, which ship with 12 Xe graphics cores over the usual four. Almost all of them offer 16 total cores and threads, and all bar two have total NPU performance of 50 PTOPS.Image of the Core Ultra Series 3IntelThese chips are going to be famous for two key reasons: First, Intel claims they're the most advanced chips ever manufactured in the US. Second, they're the first to be made using Intel's long awaited 18A process, which has dogged the company for several years. 18A was a key plank of former CEO Pat Gelsinger's rescue plan to restore Intel to the top of the chip world. But sadly that comeback didn't come fast enough to prevent the CEO from being (unfairly, in my mind) deposed at the end of 2024. It didn't help that, for all of the money spent on 18A, as recently as August 2025, the company was reportedly still suffering from low yields and high defect rates.18A is short for 18 Angstrom, a measurement that's far smaller than the nanometers we currently use to denote transistor size in chips. 18 Angstrom is roughly equivalent to 1.8 nanometers, putting it on the same rough level as the most advanced manufacturing process - N2 - available at TSMC in Taiwan. At CES, Intel's new CEO Lip Bu-Tan said the company was now ahead of schedule for ramping production on 18A, which could mark an important shift in the global chip market.You should expect to see these chips show up in laptops from all the usual suspects, including HP, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung and the rest across this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/ces-2026-intel-hopes-its-core-ultra-series-3-chips-are-the-start-of-a-comeback-000155611.html?src=rss

Who among us hasn't looked at the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 and said, "That's great and all, but what if it had more Hideo Kojima?" Well, our cries have been heard. Behold, the ROG Flow Z13-KJP, a collaboration between ASUS and Kojima Productions.On the inside, this model is no different than the standard version we reviewed last May. The device takes a Surface Pro-like form factor and beefs it up into something that's more like a gaming laptop. (Ergo, ASUS's pitch of the product as a "gaming tablet.")But on the outside, you'll find a design "for Ludens who dare." The Death Stranding influence is evident, but you may pick up on some Metal Gear-adjacent touches as well. The tablet's gold color, symbols and integrated carbon fiber conjure Kojima's Ludens mascot. This variant is slightly larger than the standard one, most noticeably in the detachable keyboard.ROG Flow Z13-KJPASUSThere will also be matching accessories available, including a mouse, case, headphones and a desk mat. Depending on your region, those may or may not be bundled with the device. (We'll update this story when we find out more.)Fortunately, once the design novelty wears off, you're left with a fairly powerful gaming machine. The Copilot PC has a 13.4-inch IPS touchscreen with a 180Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. Its port selection is surprisingly generous: two USB 4 Type-C ports, one USB-A port, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio and a microSD slot. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip inside has integrated graphics that punch above what you'd expect. You can configure it with up to 128GB LPDDR5X 8000 RAM.More Kojima than you ever expected from a "gaming tablet"ASUSASUS hasn't yet revealed pricing or availability for the ROG Flow Z13-KJP. You can read more about the standard version in Sam Rutherford's review.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/ces-asus-made-a-special-hideo-kojima-version-of-the-rog-flow-z13-000000768.html?src=rss

A couple years ago ASUS made its first dual-screen laptop in the ZenBook Duo. Now at CES 2026, the company has taken that idea and branched off in a somewhat unexpected way with the ROG Zephyrus Duo, which might just be the world's first true dual-screen gaming laptop.Unlike a more traditional productivity notebook with two built-in displays, the concept of a dual-screen gaming notebook doesn't translate quite as naturally because powering two screens comes with a performance hit. Plus, in the heat of battle, it's not like you have a lot of opportunity to utilize that second monitor. But if you view this Zephyrus Duo as more of an all-purpose portable content creation and gaming station, things begin to make a lot more sense.Both of Zephyrus Duo's 16-inch Nebula OLED panels have strong specs including support for HDR with up to 1,100 nits of peak brightness, NVIDIA G-Sync, stylus integration and a very strong Delta-E (which measures color accuracy) of less than one. Performance also looks solid with ASUS offering the latest Core Ultra processors from Intel and up to an NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU. Sure, with a TDP of 135 watts, the Zephyrus Duo won't be quite as punchy as a comparable single-screened 16-inch gaming notebook, but those won't be nearly as adaptable as the ROG either.Just like the Zenbook Duo, the Zephyrus Duo comes with a detachable wireless keyboard that can be charged up magnetically. This allows users to set up the laptop in all sorts of positions, which are enhanced thanks to a built-in kickstand. The one people will use the most is probably the stacked arrangement with one display above the other. However, you can also keep the Duo and clamshell mode, slide the keyboard forward for drawing, lay it down flat on a table or even put it into tent mode and game on it. Though even ASUS admits that may not be super practical as apps will need to specifically support that use case. Though at the very least, you can mirror your screen for a friend on the other side of a desk/table.The ROG Zephyrus Duo comes with a built-in kickstand which makes it easy to set it up in all sorts of different positions, even if it is a bit heavy. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetNow I will admit that after messing around with the Zephyrus Duo in person, it is a bit ungainly due to its weight of 6.28 pounds. But ASUS managed to do a good job of keeping it relatively thin (0.77 inches) without skimping on features like sound thanks to the Duo's six-speaker stereo system and cooling which features a vapor chamber and a liquid metal thermal material. You also get a surprising amount of ports including multiple USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, HDMI 2.1 and a full-size SD card slot, plus a decently large 90Whr battery.The one important thing we don't know yet though is how much it will cost, particularly because this thing almost certainly won't be cheap (I'm guessing a starting price of around $2,500). A dual-screen gaming laptop might not make a lot of sense, but I appreciate how ambitious ASUS is being with the ROG Zephyrus Duo and I'm looking forward to testing it out sometime later this year.

NVIDIA and Intel had their moment in the spotlight, and now it's AMD's turn. The chipmaker is kicking off CES 2026 on Monday night, where it'll cover its latest AI developments and perhaps show off its newest Ryzen chips. It's the kickoff keynote of CES 2026, and CEO Dr. Lisa Su is expected to outline how AMD's hardware will power the AI revolution - and what the company can offer partners and consumers that those aforementioned rivals can't.We'll tell you how to tune in to the livestream and what else you can expect to see.How to watch AMD's keynote liveDr. Su will deliver a keynote speech from the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian on Monday, January 5 at 9:30PM ET (6:30PM PT). You can watch the event live on the CES YouTube channel (we've embedded the livestream below).Engadget will also be liveblogging the AMD keynote in real-time.What to expect from AMD at CES 2026While AMD says it's keeping its product details under wraps, we can expect "updates on AI solutions, from cloud to enterprise, edge and devices."It's also likely that AMD will unveil its new versions of the Ryzen chips during its keynote on Monday, as Su will talk about the "advancements driven by Ryzen CPUs." That could include the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is expected to have better single-threaded performance than its predecessors. Additionally, we can expect to see the Ryzen 9000G series, which is potentially built with AMD's Zen 5 architecture.Regarding AI, AMD could further discuss its new FSR Redstone technology, which it previously previewed on December 10. AMD's upscaling tech aims to close the gap on NVIDIA's DLSS 4, which was announced during CES 2025.Su's presentation caps off CES's press day, so she'll be taking the stage in the hours after rivals NVIDIA and Intel present their chipmaking and AI plans to the world. As a reminder of how cross-linked these companies have become: OpenAI has pledged billions of dollars of hardware orders to AMD, while rival NVIDIA has invested billions in OpenAI - and taken a stake worth billions in Intel, too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amd-at-ces-2026-live-updates-from-ceo-lisa-sus-keynote-presentation-190012370.html?src=rss

Waymo is getting a good look at the competition as Uber revealed the design of its robotaxi that's due to launch in San Francisco later this year. The upcoming robotaxi is a result of a partnership announced in July between Uber, Lucid and Nuro. The plan is still to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid EVs that will use the Nuro Driver autonomous driving tech and be available through the Uber platform.It's important to note that the robotaxi reveal will be a "production intent design," so there may be some modifications to the version that will eventually hit the streets. However, the partnership started on-road testing last month in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Nuro using more than 100 robotaxi prototypes supervised by autonomous vehicle operators.The robotaxi, which is a modified Lucid Gravity, will feature a multi-pronged sensor system, including high-res cameras, lidar sensors, and radar. The design also incorporates a halo mounted onto the EV's roof, which will increase sensor visibility and double as a display that uses LEDs to display helpful info to passengers.As for the interior, Uber designed the "in-vehicle rider experience," which can accommodate six passengers and luggage space. Inside, the robotaxi will have a display that lets you activate heated seats, adjust climate controls and throw on music, while also offering options for emergencies, like contacting support or requesting the robotaxi to pull over. Even though the passenger isn't behind the wheel, the robotaxi's interactive screen will show its planned path in real-time and all the decisions it makes while driving, like interacting with pedestrians, traffic lights or lane changes.The partnership said the design is still awaiting final validation, but that the robotaxi production is slated to start at Lucid's factory in Arizona later this year. Before its official launch in late 2026, Uber's robotaxi will be on display at CES 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-reveals-the-design-of-its-robotaxi-at-ces-2026-230056302.html?src=rss

Acer just announced the Predator Helios 16S AI gaming laptop at CES 2026. This computer is filled with both bells and whistles, making it a decent choice for modern gamers.To that end, the laptop can be equipped with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor. This is Intel's upcoming flagship mobile processor that has previously been known as Panther Lake. The Helios 16S AI can also be outfitted with up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 GPU.AcerIt comes with a 16-inch WQXGA OLED display that offers true HDR imaging support. The laptop can be loaded with up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage. The connectivity here is on point, with support for Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth. Everything is housed in an 18.9mm slim metal chassis. It looks pretty solid.We don't have any pricing, and the company might still be calculating that, given that ongoing RAM shortage. Acer says they'll disclose that closer to launch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/acers-predator-helios-neo-16s-ai-laptop-can-be-outfitted-with-intels-new-core-ultra-9-386h-cpu-230048825.html?src=rss

In addition to huge TVs, compact projectors, Trifolds and more, Samsung announced a new family of laptops at CES called the Galaxy Book 6 series. The company says it's focused on what matters and on what you, hopefully, want in your next laptop. That means Intel's latest chips, a cleaner design and battery life that lasts longer than a day. They're really thin, too.Timed alongside Intel's CES announcements, the whole Galaxy Book 6 series features new Panther Lake chips, optimized by Samsung for three new laptops: The Galaxy Book 6 Ultra, Galaxy Book 6 Pro and Galaxy Book 6.The 16-inch Galaxy Book 6 Ultra can be equipped with up to Core Ultra X9 processors and promises significant performance improvements, with a new 5th-generation MPU, Intel Arc graphics and NVIDIA's RTX 50 series GPUs (with RTX 5070 and 5060 options). That package leads Samsung to promise up to 1.6x greater CPU power and 1.7x improved graphics performance compared to the last Galaxy Book series. (It's worth noting that Samsung skipped an Ultra configuration of the Galaxy Book 5 series.)All the laptops feature improved heat-management architecture, with a wider vapor chamber and re-engineered fans. At the same time, the Ultra features a new dual-path fan to cool the GPU even more efficiently and swiftly.Mat Smith for EngadgetThe Galaxy Book 6 Pro will come in 14- and 16-inch versions, with up to Core Ultra X7 processors and Intel Arc graphics. Both the Book 6 Ultra and Pro have improved AMOLED 2X (2,880 x 1,800) displays with touch, reaching up to 1000 nits of peak brightness - twice the brightness of the Book 5 Pro. Both models support adaptive refresh rates too, going up to 120Hz.The Book 6 Ultra has a more typical laptop shape, while the Book 6 Pro has a teardrop profile, made famous by the MacBook Air. Even if there's some Apple inspiration, the Samsung laptops look great. Samsung has removed many unnecessary design elements. Although the Book 6 Ultra clings onto a USB-A port, it now (finally) has a full-size SD card reader, the lack of which was a major oversight on previous laptops.Mat Smith for EngadgetSamsung has also tweaked the keyboard layout, though it's too early to say whether it offers a significant improvement to the typing experience. It has added haptic trackpads to the Galaxy Book series for the first time too, although I found the one on my demo unit a little too hair-trigger sensitive to my touch. Thankfully, that's something that can be addressed in the settings.As you might notice from the photos, there are upward-firing speakers on either side of the keyboard. The Book 6 Ultra has six built-in speakers (four woofers, two tweeters) and has apparently balanced them symmetrically to reduce noise distortion.Both laptops are slimmer than their predecessors, too. The Galaxy Book 6 Ultra is 15.4mm thick, while the Book 6 Pro is a svelte 11.9mm. Inside, Samsung has also enhanced heat management, including a wider vapour chamber and re-engineered fans, to ensure optimal performance during intensive tasks - apparently another priority for the Book 6 Series. Likewise, battery enclosures and placements have been re-engineered, and Samsung claims the new Book 6 Ultra and Pro can each deliver up to 30 hours of video playback. The Book 6 Ultra has the extra benefit of faster charging, reaching 63% in 30 minutes.It wouldn't be a laptop launch in 2026 without AI features. Alongside the Book 6 series, Samsung highlighted a tool that uses AI to help create cut-outs of images for copy-and-pasting across devices, as well as a Note Assist feature to help collate and summarize your notes.As is often the case at CES, Samsung hasn't yet shared pricing or release dates for the Galaxy Book 6 series, so expect to hear more in the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/samsungs-galaxy-book-6-series-ces-2026-intel-panther-lake-230010324.html?src=rss

MSI has presented its refreshed Prestige lineup of business laptops, as well as its next-generation Raider, Stealth and Crosshair gaming models at this year's CES. The Raider 16 Max HX is a 300w laptop, which the company says its its most powerful gaming model yet. It can supply 175w to its GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 GPU, while feeding 125w to its Intel Core Ultra 200HX processor at the same time under full-load conditions. To be able to handle that kind of power, MSI equipped it with a new cooling system consisting of three fans, six heat pipes, five exhaust vents and phase-change thermal compound. The Raider 16 Max also has a quick-access bottom panel that gives users an easy way to upgrade their storage and memory.Meanwhile, the new Stealth 16 AI+ laptop's selling point seems to be its portability. It's just 16.6mm thin, weighs under two kilograms, comes equipped with RTX 50 series GPU and has dual memory and SSD slots. MSI has also introduced the new Crosshair 16 Max HX and Crosshair 16 HX laptops powered by Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs at the event. Buyers can pay extra for an optional QHD+ 165Hz OLED display if they want sharper visuals, as well.In addition to its new gaming laptops, MSI has introduced its all-new Prestige 14 and Prestige 16 business laptops at CES. They're slimmer with a more rounded silhouette compared to their predecessors, and they're encased in full aluminum. The laptops are powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and are equipped with an 81Wh battery that can offer over 30 hours of video playback in 1080p. MSI has debuted the new Modern 14S and 16S series powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors for everyday users, as well. Plus, the company has unveiled a Glacier Blue edition of its handheld gaming console, the Claw 8AI+, that's powered by the Intel Core Ultra 200V processor with Arc Xe2 graphics.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/msi-unveils-new-gaming-and-prestige-business-laptops-at-ces-2026-230000027.html?src=rss

Acer has a handful of laptop updates at this year's CES show. The headlining item is the addition of the Acer Swift 16 AI to the company's flagship line. This laptop has what the company says is currently the world's largest haptic touchpad at 5.5mm by 109.7mm, and it can support up to MPP 2.5 stylus inputs. The screen is a 16-inch 3K OLED WQXGA+ touch display with HDR, a 120 Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. On the inside, the Swift 16 AI can be kitted with up to an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor with built-in Intel Arc B390 graphics. The whole package is in a 14.9mm thin chassis and the machine weighs 1.55kg (about 3.4 lbs).Closeup of the trackpad on the Acer Swift 16 AI laptopAcer (modified)Another notable element in the company's CES announcements is Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, one of two new lightweight laptops revealed at the event. The Swift Edge 14 AI measures just 13.95mm thick and weighs 0.99kg (about 2.2 lbs). It is powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 386H. The max spec 14-inch screen has a 3KWQXGA+ OLED touch display with 120 Hz refresh rate.Both machines can have up to 32GB of RAM and are part of the Copilot+ PC program. Storage in the Swift 16 AI maxes out at 2TB while the Swift Edge 14 AI be up to 1TB.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/acer-goes-big-on-the-haptic-trackpad-for-ces-with-the-swift-16-ai-laptop-230000750.html?src=rss

This year HP is making an important change by taking its name off its gaming hardware entirely and letting its HyperX branding take center stage. At CES 2026, the company is celebrating this transition in a big way with Omen Max 16, which is being heralded as the world's most powerful gaming laptop with fully internal cooling.Now the last part of that claim is a bit of a cop out, but considering that most gamers probably don't want to lug around a notebook with hoses coming out the back, it's an understandable qualifier. Plus, with a total platform power of 300 watts that includes support for the latest chips from Intel and AMD and up to an NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU, this thing certainly won't be lacking in speed. Under the hood, the Max 16 features a third cooling fan to prevent throttling under sustained workloads along with HP's Fan Cleaner tech that reverses the direction of the laptop's fans to prevent dust from building up inside.As for its design, the Max 16 doesn't stray too far from HyperX's signature matte black color scheme, though I do appreciate that the company kept a handful of accents like the RGB lightbar mounted on the laptop's front lip. The notebook also features a per-key RGB backlit keyboard with a 1,000Hz polling rate, which should all but eliminate any issues with ghosting or rollover during hectic facerolling sessions.However, one quirk about the system I noticed when checking it out first hand is that even with above average brightness of 500 nits for its 2.5K OLED display, the screen also comes with an unusually glossy coating. The benefit of this is that colors appear super saturated. The downside is that especially in well-lit rooms with a lot of sunlight, there's more glare and reflections than you might expect.Another nice improvement about the Max 16 that might go unnoticed if you only look at its spec sheet is that despite having a TPP of 300 watts, its power brick is relatively compact. It wasn't all that long ago that a laptop with this kind of performance might have required dual power cables in order to supply the notebook with the amount of juice it needs. That said, weighing between 6.1 and 6.5 pounds depending on the exact configuration, the Max 16 still isn't the kind of laptop you're going to want to carry around on a frequent basis.Regardless, if you're in the market for what is essentially an old-school desktop replacement laptop without moving up to even larger 18-inch machines, HyperX's latest flagship gaming laptop should be a strong contender that won't be lacking in speed.One change for 2026 is that HP is taking its name off of its gaming systems and letting the HyperX brand take center stage. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetUnfortunately, HP doesn't have concrete info about how much the HyperX Omen Max 16 will cost or when it will go on sale. However, we should know more when it becomes available sometime later this spring. And finally, if you're looking for something slightly smaller or a more affordable system (we don't have official pricing, but the Max 16 won't come cheap), HP is also updating the Omen 15 and Omen 16 with fresh components and new HyperX branding for 2026 as well.

A viral Reddit post purportedly from an employee of a "major food delivery app" may actually be an AI-generated hoax, The Verge reports. The post itself, and an image of an employee ID card the poster, u/trowaway_whistleblow, shared with The Verge, where both flagged as being likely AI-generated when run through online AI detectors and AI assistants like Gemini and Claude.Given the inflammatory nature of the post, it's not hard to see why it received over 80,000 upvotes in the four days it's been up in r/confession. The post includes a series of striking claims about the unnamed food delivery company, like that its "Priority Delivery" option doesn't actually change delivery speeds, that it sorts delivery drivers based on their level of desperation and that it steals tips from drivers. The post doesn't name a specific company, but there's enough real world evidence of driver mistreatment - including misleading pay structures that subsidize driver's base pay with tips - that it sounds true.

TCL introduced the next entry in its flagship line of televisions during CES. The X11L SQD-Mini LED Series is available for pre-order now in three sizes. But like much of the gear on show in Las Vegas this week, it doesn't come cheap. The 75-inch model of the X11L costs $7,000, the 85-inch option is $8,000 and the 98-inch model goes for $10,000.That's more than double the costs of the QD-Mini LED TV the brand unveiled at last year's CES.The most notable addition in TCL's latest screen is the company's new Deep Color System. This tech leverages Super Quantum Dots, combined with its CSOT UltraColor Filter, and the Advanced Color Purity Algorithm. While a mini LED screen can't match the true blacks of an OLED, the X11L has TCL's Halo Control System to reduce the presence of bloom. The television also has 20,000 discrete dimming zones and boasts peak brightness of 10,000 nits.Well-known brand Bang & Olufsen continues to be responsible for the TV's audio system. The models use an upgraded AI processor to deliver enhanced color, contrast, clarity, motion, upscaling and sound. It's also integrated with Gemini for Google TV.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/tcl-unveils-its-x11l-sqd-mini-led-tvs-at-ces-2026-205532386.html?src=rss

SOPA Images via Getty ImagesCES 2026 is off and running, and chipmakers enabling the AI moment are one of the big starts of the show. In addition to NVIDIA and AMD taking the stage today, we'll also be getting Intel's 2026 launch event. The chip giant is expected to provide more details on its AI PC initiative and the new processors powering it: The Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs (aka Panther Lake) are made using an 18A process - that's 18 angstroms, or just under 2nm - and designed for high-end laptops and gaming devices.For Intel, the stakes at CES are higher than ever. In the past 12 months, both NVIDIA and the US government acquired ownership stakes in the company, helping nearly double the stock price by the end of the year. But that's still down over more than 20 percent since 2021, as rivals like TSMC, Qualcomm, AMD and NVIDIA have taken the leadership mantle in chip fabrication and AI hardware.How to watch Intel's CES 2026 launch eventSenior VP of Intel's Client Computing Group Jim Johnson will kick off the launch event on Monday, January 5 at 6PM ET. The livestream from Intel's YouTube channel is already available, and we've embedded it below.Engadget will also be liveblogging the Intel presentation.What to expect from Intel at CES 2026As we noted above, Intel has publicly confirmed that it will be highlighting "the next generation of Intel-powered PCs, edge solution, and the AI experiences enabled by the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Processors." We'll be keen to hear if the company can address the profitability concerns that have surrounded those next-gen chips since at least last summer, when published reports indicated that yields were still under 50 percent. (In response, Intel told Engadget that it felt "very good" about its trajectory on Panther Lake, though it didn't hit the late 2025 release date it had envisioned at the time.)Will we get any updates on that NVIDIA partnership? It's possible. But don't expect to hear anything about Intel possibly fabricating the chips for that rumored new entry-level MacBook Air. If that comes to pass, the announcement will definitely be at a time and place of Apple's choosing.Update, January 5 2026, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to include the embedded YouTube livestream.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/intel-at-ces-2026-live-updates-from-the-core-ultra-series-3-panther-lake-launch-event-130040881.html?src=rss

HyundaiCES has long felt like a full-on auto show, but the car-centric energy seems somewhat muted at CES 2026. Sure, the Afeela electric vehicle from the Sony-Honda joint venture is returning to the show floor, but with the Trump administration yanking most EV incentives from the market, the industry isn't offering a full-court press of new vehicles in Las Vegas this year.That includes Hyundai. While the company's Mobis subsidiary will present "more than 30 mobility convergence technologies" during CES week - including its Holographic Windshield Display - we're hearing the Korean auto giant will instead use its press conference to focus on its AI Robotics Strategy. That will apparently include showcasing its new Atlas robot, as well as the wheeled MobED robot line. We'll get into the details below, along with how to watch it today.How to watch Hyundai's presentation at CES 2026Hyundai's presentation takes place today, January 5 at 4PM ET, and you can livestream it on either its HyundaiUSA YouTube channel or its global YouTube channel. (We've embedded the link below.)We'll also post relevant news from the Hyundai presser in our main CES 2026 liveblog.What to expect from Hyundai at CES 2026Hyundai is putting a huge focus on its AI Robotics Strategy during its presentation today - the theme is "Partnering Human Progress." That'll include its strategies for commercializing AI-enhanced robotics, keeping with the very AI-centric focus of this year's CES.We'll also get a first-ever look at the company's new Atlas robot. In the teaser image shown in the press release, Atlas looks rather dog-like, which makes sense when you remember that Boston Dynamics was purchased by the Korean multinational back in 2020."This next-generation Atlas represents a tangible step toward the commercialization of AI Robotics, highlighting the Group's commitment to building safe and adaptable robotic co-workers," the company said in the same press release.But Atlas isn't the only robot the company has up its sleeve. There's also the MobED Droid, a wheeled 'bot that scored a CES 2026 Innovation Award as the show opened this week.While on stage, Hyundai says it will "reveal its strategic AI Robotics learning, training and expansion plans," via its Group Value Network and Software-Defined Factory approach. That includes a manufacturing strategy and an advanced smart factory.We originally thought Hyundai would showcase its Holographic Windshield Display during its press conference, but a Hyundai representative notified us it won't be featured today. It will have a separate CES presence, though not a separate press conference.Update, January 5 2026, 2:58PM ET: This story has been updated to include information on the MobED robot line, and to note that the Holographic Windshield Display likely won't be featured at the press conference.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/how-to-watch-the-hyundai-ces-2026-press-conference-live-190051823.html?src=rss

A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, wife of President of France Emmanuel Macron, the BBC reports. The judge found that the defendants made false claims about Macron's gender and sexuality, and "malicious remarks" about the 24-year age gap between Macron and her spouse.The defendants, eight men and two women, received a range of sentences, including jail time up to eight months and mandatory online harassment awareness training. Five of the defendants will also lose access to their X accounts for six months, according to The New York Times.Key to the lawsuit is the fringe belief that Brigitte Macron was born a man - proponents for some reason believe Macron is Jean-Michel Trogneux, her older brother - and transitioned to living as a woman at some point later in life. This style of "transvestigation" is an unfortunately common type of online conspiracy theory, a roundabout way to both spread hateful rhetoric about transgender people and bully cisgender people at the same time. The campaign against Macron has the added twist of her age: Brigitte Macron is 72, 24 years older than President Macron. The pair married in 2007, but their age difference has been an ongoing narrative throughout Emmanuel Macron's political career.In July 2025, Macron also filed a defamation lawsuit in the US against Candace Owens, a right-wing podcaster and conspiracy theorist. Owens has made multiple attempts since 2024 to spread false claims about Macron's gender, and has said that she's willing to stake her "entire professional reputation" that she's right.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/paris-court-finds-10-people-guilty-of-cyberbullying-brigitte-macron-195500994.html?src=rss

A reputable leaker has indicated that NVIDIA plans on bringing the RTX 3060 back to market, according to reports by Kotaku and WFCCTech. It first released the GPU at the beginning of 2021. The leaker Hongxing2020 indicates that NVIDIA will resume production of the 3060 sometime in the next few months.Why is the world's most valuable company reportedly bringing back such an antiquated graphics card? You know the answer. It's the endless gaping maw known as AI. Tech companies have been hoovering up PC parts for AI applications with reckless abandon. It has become a legitimate challenge for a regular person to buy RAM and graphics cards, which has led to price increases across the board and companies like Crucial closing up shop.

Dolby introduced its FlexConnect technology a few years ago, vowing that it would allow customers to position soundbars and speakers anywhere in a room. The company said the platform would then reconfigure the sound automatically, taking into account any locations that may be further away from the center sweet spot. At CES 2026, LG is the first to put Dolby Atmos FlexConnect in a soundbar, offering the so-called Sound Suite that also includes satellite speaker options and a subwoofer. You don't need every member of the lineup to use Dolby's tech, so you can pick and choose which items work best for your living room.The centerpiece of the Sound Suite is the H7 soundbar. This 9.1.6-channel speaker is configured for spatial audio (Dolby Atmos) and supports lossless audio up to 24 bit/96kHz. The standout on the spec sheet for me is the six up-firing channels, which should enhance the sensation of overhead sounds. Most of the soundbars I review have only two of those.What's more, the H7 is equipped with a feature called Sound Follow that tracks the location of your phone to reconfigure the audio when your position changes. Maybe you move to a comfy chair instead of the sofa right in front of the TV. The idea is that you don't have to suffer through subpar audio during a movie or show just because you aren't in the best spot.LG Sound Suite H7 soundbarBilly Steele for EngadgetThen there are the M5 and M7 speakers. When used with the H7 soundbar, these are the satellite speakers, but LG cautioned me against calling them rear" units. While it's true a pair of them will be positioned behind most people's sofas, the company explained that there's more audio content coming out of them than traditional rear channels provide. As such, two of the M5s or M7s that are used to complement the speakers inside one of LG's impressively thin TVs are doing more work than just beaming sounds that are designed to come from behind.The M5 is a 1.1.1-channel speaker while the M7 is 2.1.1. Like the H7, both support Dolby Atmos and lossless music. What's more, the entire Sound Suite arsenal has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, including AirPlay 2, Google Cast and both Spotify and Tidal connect. The whole shebang also employs LG's own AI Sound Pro and Room Calibration Pro, and all of the settings are customized in the ThinQ app for Android and iOS.Each speaker can be used independently should the need arise, and as I already mentioned, you can pick and choose which components will work best for you - up to four total speakers. So you can opt for the H7, sub and two speakers or four of either the M5 or M7. You can also get a smaller setup with two speakers or just the soundbar and subwoofer. Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is still in play no matter what combination you decide on. I should note the optional W7 subwoofer is quite large, but you can use it standing upright or laying flat, according to LG.LG Sound Suite M5 speakerBilly Steele for EngadgetOf course, none of this means anything if Sound Suite doesn't actually sound good. I'm happy to report LG's collection of speakers are sonically impressive. I was able to get a good sense of how they'll perform in a quite demo room at CES. Watching a variety of movie clips in Dolby Atmos, I flipped back and forth between a setup with four M7 speakers and a more robust configuration of the soundbar, subwoofer and M7 speakers. While I preferred the overall tone and tuning of the four M7s, I can concede the bigger collection offered more immersive sound and better directional audio. That said, they both provided excellent clarity and pristine detail.With Sound Follow, you can quickly have Sound Suite reconfigure the audio based on the location of your phone with just a tap. Let's say you move from the couch to a comfy chair and want to adjust the sound to that spot. You can do that in the app. And while I could tell a slight difference in a side-of-the-room location and the center sweet spot in front of the TV, the correction did offer an improvement over the unadjusted audio.I was also able to test standalone mode, where you can quickly use any Sound Suite speaker individually for music. Sound quality was consistent here too, and the system allowed me to add a second M7 speaker for a stereo pair with a few taps in LG's app. Overall, the Sound Suite lineup offers lots of flexibility in terms of features and configurations. In fact, LG says that between the H7, W7, M5 and M7, there are 50 possible combinations.Unfortunately, LG hasn't announced pricing or availability yet. Given the capabilities of the Sound Suite system, I don't expect the more robust collections to come cheap. However, I do think the company will offer a few different bundles that will hopefully provide a discount over buying each component individually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-sound-suite-hands-on-at-ces-2026-home-theater-powered-by-dolby-atmos-flexconnect-192709499.html?src=rss

Micro RGB TVs first arrived last year with little fanfare and a confusing name, so you may have mistaken it for other panel tech or not even noticed. That is not likely to be the case this year, though - it's the hot new luxury" display technology and is all over the place at CES 2026. So why do we even need these new TVs and how are they different from OLED, Micro LED and Mini LED models? Here's how it works and how it compares.A brief history of flat panel display techTo better understand Micro RGB, it helps to see how flat panel display technology has evolved over the last 20 years. The first LCD TVs used liquid crystals that become transparent to light when voltage is applied, letting a rear backlight shine through as a pixel. Those pixels combine to create moving or still images, with color created via an RGB filter layer placed in front.The main problem is that LCD crystals let some light partially leak through, so blacks are dark grey instead of pure black. And for a backlight, early LCD TVs used a white screen lit by dim and power-hungry fluorescent lights, which caused uneven light distribution. And finally, the RGB filter color layer reduced a panel's brightness.The next step up, then, was to use LED backlights instead, placed at first at the edges of the white screen and then later directly behind it (the first TV with this tech was Sony's 2004 Qualia). That added the benefits of higher brightness, lower power consumption, improved color balance and even light distribution. It also allowed individual dimming zones that improve contrast by allowing near-pure blacks in shadow areas of an image.Samsung's Neo QLED 8K TV from CES 2025SamsungQuantum dot (QD) technology came on the scene around 2013 with Sony's Triluminos televisions. This type of LCD panel employs a semiconductor nanocrystal layer (rather than an RGB filter layer) that can produce pure monochromatic red, green, and blue light when struck with a blue backlight. Unlike previous LCDs, they offer higher brightness and color accuracy thanks to the purity (narrowness) of the base RGB colors. The best-known TVs using this tech are Samsung's QLED models.The latest evolution of QD LED technology is Mini LED. That combines the accuracy of quantum dot tech with hundreds or even thousands of LED dimming zones. Those models offer high brightness and color accuracy along with good contrast, but still don't deliver perfect blacks and can display blooming" in scenes with bright points of light due to leakage into neighboring pixels.Both of those problems were solved with OLED technology, which first came on the market in 2007 with Sony's XEL-1 model. The panels are made using sheets coated with organic LEDs, each paired with a transistor that can switch the LED on or off. On regular OLED TVs, OLED pixels are white and a filter layer generates colors, much as with LED TVs. However, with QD-OLEDs, OLED pixels are blue and color is created via a quantum dot layer, like LED QD displays. The latest version of QD-OLED featured on several new monitors at CES 2026 (Samsung's 5th-gen QD-OLED) uses an RGB stripe pattern to reduce color fringing" on text.This is the first, and still the only widely commercialized TV tech that can switch its light source off on a pixel-by-pixel basis, allowing perfect black levels and near-infinite contrast. However, due to their organic nature, OLED TVs suffer from a lack of brightness and the potential for burn-in" that can kill pixels.There is another type of self-illuminating tech called Micro LED. Rather than organic, it uses microscopic inorganic LEDs to form the individual pixel elements. Those can also be turned on or off individually, so they offer the same pure blacks and sky-high contrast as OLED. At the same time they're potentially brighter than OLED and don't suffer from burn-in. The tech is still prohibitively expensive to manufacture, though, so none have arrived to market other than Samsung's The Wall, which costs a cool $40,000.Micro RGBDevindra Hardawar for EngadgetBefore talking about Micro RGB, let's look at color space and gamut both for HDR, which uses the BT.2020 standard, and SDR, commonly associated with the REC.709 standard. REC.709 is ideal for regular HD content like TV broadcasts and YouTube videos. It can display a limited set of colors and brightness is generally capped at 100 nits.BT.2020, however, is designed for high-end HDR streaming and 4K or 8K content creation (via Dolby Vision, HDR 10 or HDR10+). It has a much wider color gamut, meaning it can display a wider variety of colors and a bigger chunk of the visible color spectrum. It's also designed for significantly higher brightness levels of 1,000 nits or more.To achieve the color accuracy required for BT.2020, TVs must have extremely accurate red, green and blue pixels. Up until last year, the most color-accurate TVs used quantum dot technology and achieved a maximum of around 85 percent BT.2020 coverage (some projectors can cover 100 percent or more of the BT.2020 spectrum as they use RGB lasers to create colors).That brings us to Micro RGB (also known as RGB Mini LED), the most advanced LED panel yet. Unlike the uniform white or blue backlights found on Mini LED models, it features individually-controlled, precise red, green and blue LED backlights that shine through a liquid crystal layer. It also offers more local dimming zones. The net result is higher color accuracy and better contrast than regular Mini LED displays, but with potentially greater brightness than OLED. Since each pixel still can't be turned on and off like OLED or Micro LED, though, contrast falls short of those technologies.WikipediaSo far, there is one and only one Micro RGB TV on the market, Samsung's 115-inch 4K MR95F model. The color accuracy is impressive with 100 percent coverage of the challenging BT.2020 HDR standard, an industry-first and huge leap over quantum dot tech. That means it can produce billions of colors natively and display a higher percentage of them in the visible spectrum than any TV to date.Samsung left out a few key specs like the local dimming zone count, only saying that it has four times more than its similarly-priced 115-inch Q90F QLED model (so likely around 3,600). The company also failed to disclose the total brightness in nits, but the figure should be impressive given the potential of Micro RGB.We were gobsmacked with the MR95F Micro RGB model in person. Engadget editor Sam Rutherford said it produced stunningly rich and vivid colors that put Samsung's other top-tier TVs to shame," including the aforementioned Q90F. It also came with an equally stunning $29,999 price tag.A couple of other manufacturers including HiSense have also released RGB Mini LED models similar to Samsung's Micro RGB, but they differ slightly in that the RGB modules are larger than the ones found on Samsung's latest TVs.Which companies will have Micro RGB tech at CES 2026?SamsungLuckily, the number of Micro RGB TVs is about to dramatically increase. Earlier this month, Samsung announced a full lineup using the technology with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch screen sizes, saying they'd set a new standard for premium home viewing." Those sets will also offer 100 percent BT.2020 HDR coverage under a new certification standard called Micro RGB Precision Color 100. While certainly likely to carry more reasonable prices than the first model, they'll probably still be Samsung's most expensive TVs when released later this year.And on Sunday, Samsung also revealed a 130-inch Micro RGB prototype meant to showcase the technology. Once again, it blew us away partially just because of the huge size, but also due to the incredible "color accuracy and richness," as Engadget editor Devindra Hardawar put it. "I couldn't help but notice how everyone just looked a bit stunned, like the monkeys from 2001 seeing the monolith for the first time," he added.At the same time, LG announced its first Micro RGB evo" TV lineup in 75-, 86- and 100-inch models. The company is also promising 100 percent BT.2020 color gamut coverage and said the sets will have over a thousand local dimming zones for color control. Not only that, it said that its new TVs will deliver 100 percent coverage in SDR modes as well, both for Adobe RGB and the challenge P3 standard.It was interesting to compare LG's Wallpaper and other OLED sets with the new Micro RGB tech, with our editor Devindra again being amazed. "LG already announced its Micro RGB set a few weeks ago, but that didn't prepare me for standing in front of the 100-inch demo TV it brought to CES," he said. "Throughout a variety of clips, colors looked wonderfully rich, and the overall texture of the images looked surprisingly life-like."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/what-are-micro-rgb-tvs-and-why-are-they-everywhere-at-ces-2026-182441543.html?src=rss

Smart fridges are a dime a dozen at CES, and LG and Samsung have thoroughly explored what's possible when you connect your fridge to the internet or slap a touchscreen on the front. The new GE Profile Smart Refrigerator with Kitchen Assistant GE Appliances is announcing ahead of CES 2026 doesn't reinvent the wheel in that regard, but it does include a first: a built-in barcode scanner for adding items to your shopping list.GE Appliances' "Scan-to-List" feature uses the barcode scanner to quickly (and precisely) add items to a shareable shopping list in the company's SmartHQ app. You can refer to that list while you're shopping in person, or sync it with Instacart and have it delivered, eliminating the need to go grocery shopping entirely. Inside the fridge, GE Appliances also includes a flush-mount LED bar with a built-in camera that can deliver "real-time, on-demand snapshots of crisper drawers, focusing on the most costly and perishable items." This "FridgeFocus" feature is supposed to prevent you from overbuying perishable produce that you might already have, by letting you see which perishables might go bad first.GE Appliances' fridge is stainless steel and has a built-in touchscreen display.GEOn top of those smart features, the GE Profile Smart Refrigerator has a four-door stainless steel design, with door-in-door storage and an adjustable temperature drawer. The fridge also has an 8-inch touchscreen display for viewing recipes or the current weather conditions, and microphones for accepting voice commands. When you're dispensing water, the fridge's water dispenser is supposed to be smart enough to fill a container with the exact right amount of water using built-in sensors, too.The GE Profile Smart Refrigerator with Kitchen Assistant will be available from GE Appliances and select retailers starting in April 2026 for a suggested MSRP of $4,899.Update, January 5, 1:09PM ET: Headline and article updated to refer to GE Appliances rather than GE, because they're separate companies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/ge-appliances-new-smart-refrigerator-automates-grocery-shopping-with-a-barcode-scanner-and-instacart-194326073.html?src=rss

Netflix just announced the pending release of a Stranger Things documentary, hot on the heels of the series finale. It premieres on January 12. One Last Adventure focuses on the making of season five, so it's not a full series retrospective. This seems similar to what Disney+ does a few weeks after a popular Star Wars or Marvel show drops.Still, it's a documentary about the very last season of the show, so there's likely to be some tearful goodbyes and all of that jazz. As a matter of fact, the trailer shows plenty of hugs along with sit-down interviews.It'll shine a light on how some of the stunts and set pieces came together, which is cool. Stranger Things, after all, is primarily a show about spectacle and season five had plenty to spare. The Duffer Brothers will also discuss how they came to write some of those final character arcs (no spoilers here.)If you're grieving the loss of Steve Harrington, Delightful Derrick, Eleven and the rest, this should make for a nice watch. It's worth noting that while Stranger Things has doled out its last needle drop, the franchise itself is still going.The animated spinoff Stranger Things: Tales From '85 premieres later this year. There's also a live-action spinoff coming at some point. This will likely be another story in the same universe.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a-stranger-things-making-of-documentary-hits-netflix-next-week-175539720.html?src=rss

Xinhua News Agency via Getty ImagesHisense is typically best known for its affordable electronics and home appliances, from TVs to refrigerators. But at CES 2025, the China-based company showed off its premium side with a massive 136-inch micro LED TV - now available for a jaw-dropping $100,000. So what's in store for this year's show? New leadership, for starters.The company has two new hires, including Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Larsen and Chief Commercial Officer James Fishler. In a press release, Hisense said Fishler's experience in home entertainment, appliances and HVAC is important as the company "builds toward a milestone 2026 and its presence at CES."We'll give you a rundown of what to expect during Hisense's presentation and how you can watch it live.How to watch Hisense's presentationHisense is livestreaming the event on its YouTube channel today (Monday, January 5) at 1PM ET. We've embedded it below.You can also follow the Engadget CES 2026 liveblog for real-time updates from the show.What to expectWith its new hires in place, Hisense is clearly aiming to further polish its brand. Between Fishler and Larsen, the new front office is bringing to bear their experience from such high-powered competitors as LG, Samsung and Beats. And in a recent interview with Tom's Guide, Larsen emphasized a continued focus on the company's fast turnaround time from concept to market as a key differentiator for Hisense.As for actual announcements, Hisense has already revealed the following products on its website:

Tamagotchi ripoffs are alive and well at CES 2026, and SoildTech's spin on the idea is to stick a virtual pet in the dirt to help you stop killing your plants. Senso combines a plant health sensor and a Tamagotchi-like device, offering insights into the conditions of a houseplant's environment and a gamified way of keeping up with them.If a plant is in need of watering or could use some lighting adjustments, little characters will offer you quests to complete those tasks. And by taking care of your plant properly, you'll also be helping those characters' virtual home planet thrive. (A world that, I must point out, looks a whole lot like one I've seen before as a Tamagotchi Paradise owner). The virtual pet component magnetically attaches to a two-pronged probe that's inserted into the pot, so it can be swapped between the sensors in different plants if you have more than one.The companion app for the Senso device showing plant data and care tipsSoildTechIn the AI-powered app, where you can add and manage multiple plants, you'll get the full breakdown of each one's data and needs. Soildtech says the app can also identify plants and the diseases they may be afflicted with from a photograph. Senso supports voice interactions so you can turn directly to the device for caretaking advice too.It's designed with beginner plant enthusiasts in mind and is, admittedly, super cute, though I can't speak to how well it can actually assess the health of a plant from our brief look at it. Senso comes in multiple colors and will launch on Kickstarter "soon."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/this-tamagotchi-clone-is-designed-to-help-you-keep-your-plants-alive-172000982.html?src=rss

One trend emerging from CES 2026 is wearable microphones you can use to dictate your thoughts. Vocci is one such gadget, a titanium ring with a single button capable of recording audio for up to eight hours on a charge. Unlike some of its competitors, Vocci isn't just for catching your own thoughts as they spring forth from your scalp. Instead, you'll be able to record whole conversations and meetings from the comfort of your proximal phalanx.Users can start and end recordings by double clicking the ring's single button, while single clicks are used to mark important moments within the recording. Tagged moments will instruct the AI app to add more context, highlights or reminders, where appropriate. Once the file has been processed, you'll receive a transcript, complete with a summary and commentary.I'm told the ring has a range of five meters, but I was unable to hear an example recording or see a working demo of the technology. I did ask why a ring would be more effective at capturing a room's worth of chat over, say, using a recording app on one's phone laid on a table. But the response was to point out a user may forget to start the recording, and you can't disagree with that.Vocci will ship with a charging case, and will be able to recharge to full in half an hour, but it's not clear yet how much (if at all) power will be stored in the case's batteries. We also don't know how much the ring will cost, but it's likely to be available for pre-order at some point in February. As for the ring's pedigree, it comes from Gyges Labs, the company which leant its name, manufacturing and engineering expertise to last year's Halliday Smart Glasses.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/voccis-ai-note-taking-ring-aims-to-do-much-more-170536442.html?src=rss

Audeze has unveiled the second generation of its Maxwell gaming headset at CES 2026. The Maxwell 2 is a comprehensive refresh aimed at competitive players and anyone seeking more immersive audio when gaming on PC or consoles. The original Maxwell headset was our pick for best premium gaming headset in 2025.The headline upgrade is Audeze's patent-pending SLAM technology, which the brand claims improves spatial cues while delivering punchier" bass. Maxwell 2 pairs that with 90mm planar magnetic drivers, which offer a wide frequency range of 10Hz to 50kHz. Audeze says the result is clearer detail for every in-game sound from subtle directional footsteps in competitive FPS games to bass-heavy moments like big explosions with near-zero distortion.An upgraded suspension strap with ventilation holes aims to ensure comfort during longer sessions and a new earpad design gives your ears more space. A new magnetic attachment system should make earpads easier to swap.The Maxwell 2 headset includes an AI noise-canceling mic setup with AI-assisted noise removal on a removable hypercardioid boom mic. The headset can connect with a wireless USB-C dongle as well as Bluetooth 5.3. Battery life is rated at over 80 hours of wireless playback and the headset supports USB-C fast charging.Pricing is set at $329 for the PlayStation version and $349 for the Xbox model (which supports Dolby Atmos on compatible devices). Both versions also support Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch and they're available now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/audeze-has-unveiled-the-maxwell-2-gaming-headset-at-ces-2026-170056068.html?src=rss

XGIMI, which burst on the scene in 2025 with several impressive projectors, has unveiled its latest high-end model called the Titan Noir Max. The new model revealed at CES 2026 has many of the bells and whistles found on professional-level projectors including a dynamic IRIS system for improved contrast, along with a new thermal system designed to boost brightness.The Titan Noir Max has a design to XGIMI's Titan model announced last year, but it's taller and a bit squarer with an elegant grille-like pattern on the front. As with other XGIMI models, it features a laser light engine and 4K video quality, though the company didn't say if it had the same big Texas Instruments 0.78-inch DMD (digital micromirror device) chip as the original Titan model.The key new feature is a dynamic IRIS system that boosts native contrast to 10,000:1 for deeper blacks and brighter highlights. At the same time, it boasts new "precision tuned optics" (ie a better lens) also designed to improve contrast and color nuance.Another key feature is a re-engineered DMD architecture that can handle "substantially higher light power densities," XGIMI says. This should allow for increased brightness, though the company didn't provide a figure in ANSI Lumens. It would be impressive if it topped the 5,000 Lumen Titan, though.Many other specs are lacking, like color accuracy in the Rec.2020 space. However, the company is promising a lot, saying that the Titan Noir Max will offer "the stability, accuracy, and reliability required for color-critical work, studio environments, and high-end installations." At the same time, it's also targeted at home enthusiasts, promising to "turn a blank wall into a cinematic event."XGIMI's Titan was only recently released for $3,999 but there's no word yet on the price or release date of the Titan Noir Max. Unlike the Horizon 20 series (which has a smaller 0.47-inch DMD chip) the Titan has received very few reviews so far, but one French projector site gave it a solid score.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/xgimis-titan-noir-max-4k-projector-has-a-dynamic-iris-for-increased-contrast-170044625.html?src=rss

Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026, which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger. It's already on sale for $30, which is a discount of $10. These are preorders, however, with shipments officially going out on January 20. The 45W charger includes a screen that displays real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features "fun animations to keep things cheerful." Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan. To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the smaller side, with dual folding prongs that rotate to fit most outlets. The deal does require a coupon code, but it's auto-applied at checkout. If that doesn't work, it's WS24D5XT3DV9. We haven't gotten a chance to try this one yet, but it looks promising.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-new-45w-charger-from-ces-is-already-10-off-160707324.html?src=rss

Anker's sub-brand Soundcore just announced a new AI voice recorder at CES 2026. The appropriately-named Work voice recorder is primarily intended for professionals, but also seems useful for students and anyone else who wants an AI to transcribe conversations.To that end, the company promises 97-percent transcription accuracy via the AI algorithm. The affiliated app will also provide summaries of conversations, like many modern AI tools. Users can double-tap the gadget during important parts of a conversation to ensure it gets preferential treatment.Anker/Soundcore None of this is really that new. Dedicated AI voice recorders have been around a while and there are plenty of smartphone apps that do this kind of thing. The Soundcore Work, however, is extremely small and could make for an inconspicuous recording method. The company says it's "coin-sized" so it should fit just about anywhere, including as part of a necklace.It has built-in privacy protections and has been MFi certified for Apple devices. The Soundcore Work is available right now and costs $159.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ankers-soundcore-work-ai-voice-recorder-offers-transcription-in-an-ultra-compact-form-factor-160030844.html?src=rss

Anker's sub-brand Eufy just revealed a high-tech baby bottle washer at CES 2026. The Bottle Washer S1 is filled to the brim with nifty features that should please frazzled parents.It's been designed to clean deeper than rival models. The Bottle Washer S1 features a built-in water softener, a first in the product category, which should help remove stubborn minerals. It also includes proprietary HydroBlast technology that cleans baby bottles from every angle. This is assisted by the inclusion of a multi-layer rotating spray.It sterilizes up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and dries in just 40 minutes. These are both fantastic metrics for baby bottle washers. It also holds more bottles than comparable units, with the ability to clean eight bottle sets at once.Anker/Eufy The device allows for complete app control, which lets users set cleaning schedules and perform simple maintenance routines. After cleaning, it can keep bottle sets in a sterile standby mode for up to 72 hours. This really looks like the best bottle washer out there, but quality comes at a price. We don't have any details yet regarding pricing or availability.Eufy also announced a portable milk cooler at CES. This should be another boon for busy parents.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/eufy-just-revealed-a-tech-heavy-baby-bottle-washer-at-ces-160021666.html?src=rss

If you had your eye on Nebula P1 projector but $799 is too rich for your blood, Soundcore has a new option at CES 2026. The Anker affiliate just unveiled the 1080p Nebula P1i portable projector that's less than half the price and even more portable, albeit with less brightness.Instead of detachable speakers like the Nebula P1, the P1i's speakers are embedded in the projector and can be flipped open and tilted through 180 degrees. It also lacks the P1's tilting projector body and instead offers a stand that can incline the projector from zero to 12 degrees.Though it offers the same 1080p maximum resolution as the Nebula P1, it's a bit less bright at 400 instead of 650 ANSI Lumens. Like the more expensive model, though, it supports autofocus, auto keystone correction and screen fit, which will make setup easy for spontaneous outdoor use. And like other projectors in the Nebula lineup, it supports Google TV so you can stream Netflix, Prime Video, Disney and other apps. Best of all, the Nebula P1i is priced at a very reasonable $369 and is set to arrive in "early 2026," according to Soundcore.SoundcoreSoundcore also revealed availability for its Nebula X1 Pro party projector that marries its impressive Nebula X1 projector with a 160W sound system, all in one assembly. As a reminder, the projector delivers 3,500 ANSI lumens and an impressive 110 percent coverage of the Rec.2020 HDR color space. The sound system, meanwhile, features a floating subwoofer, 80W soundbar speakers and two wireless satellite speakers for 7.1.4 surround sound. It even supports Dolby Atmos, which the projector on its own doesn't do, while offering IP43 protection from light rain and dust if you want to use it outdoors.The Nebula X1 Pro is tentatively set to launch on January 20, 2026 for $4,999, though you currently preorder one on Soundcore.com for $4,499. If you need a screen, the company is offering a 200-inch inflatable model for $2,000.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/soundcores-nebula-p1i-portable-projector-launches-in-early-2026-for-369-160020321.html?src=rss

Open-ear wireless earbuds are great for running, when keeping some awareness of the world around you is necessary, but not so good when you want premium audio features that require a good seal, like active noise cancellation. At CES 2026, Anker is trying to change that with the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro, the company's first open-ear earbuds that offer ANC.The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro features a similar adjustable ear-hook design to Anker's previous AeroFit 2 and AeroFit, but with one extra level of adjustment to help the earbuds create more of a seal in your ear. That change, plus tweaks to the tips of the Pro, seem to be how Anker is offering ANC on the new earbuds. Anker says the algorithm running on the Pro checks 380,000 times per second to adjust its level of noise cancellation on the fly. The earbuds' custom diaphragms also offer deeper bass and clearer highs, according to the company.AnkerAlongside new open-ear earbuds, Anker is also introducing a new portable Bluetooth speaker. The Soundcore Boom Go 3i is a palm-sized speaker with a strap that's ideal for attaching to a bag or taking on a camping trip. Anker says the 15W speaker gets 22 hours of battery life, and that the Boom Go 3i's 4,800mAh battery can be used to charge other devices in an emergency. With an IP68 rating, the speaker also has ample dust and water protection.AnkerAnker says the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro will be available in February for $179.99. Final pricing for the Soundcore Boom Go 3i wasn't shared by Anker, but the company says the speaker will be priced between $65-$80 and will go on sale in March.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/ankers-new-aerofit-2-earbuds-can-switch-between-open-ear-and-anc-form-factors-160014977.html?src=rss

8BitDo just revealed a new gamepad at CES and it's a doozy. The Ultimate 3E Controller for XBox is a modular marvel that should suit just about any configuration preference. That's because many elements are swappable.There are two different button modules, each with a different feel when pressing down. There are several joystick options, including standard, tall and thick-neck designs. The controller even ships with a pair of D-pad options. One is intended for precision and the other for "smooth, directional rolls."8BitDoThere are other bells and whistles here. The Ultimate 3E offers a 1000Hz max polling rate, hall-effect impulse triggers, remappable bumpers that have been designed for speed and customizable 6-axis motion control. It also ships with a wireless charging case. This thing is a beast.Despite being officially licensed by Xbox, the controller works with other platforms. It looks like a great option for PC, Android and Apple devices.Now for the bad news. These pro-level features come with a pro-level price tag. The Ultimate 3E costs $150. The company says preorders will open up in the near future and that it should ship later in the year. In the meantime, you'll have to make due with this nifty arcade-style controller by 8BitDo.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/8bitdos-ultimate-3e-gamepad-for-xbox-offers-swappable-button-modules-and-joysticks-160011248.html?src=rss

If you're one of the many who made a New Year's resolution to read more, an ereader can help by putting your whole library (and more) at your fingertips wherever you are. While not as expensive as an iPad or another flagship tablet, these e-paper devices can be more expensive than you think, but right now you can save on one of our favorites. Amazon's base Kindle is on sale for $90 - that's $20 less than usual and only $10 more than its record-low price. This made our list of the best ereaders, and for good reason. It's an iconic device that gets the job done. It doesn't have much by way of modern bells and whistles, but it ships with 16GB of storage and comes in two snazzy colorways. The build is compact and durable. It's also light, which makes it easy to pack and easy to hold up with one hand. It allows access to the vast Kindle library and this deal comes with three months of Kindle Unlimited. That's sort of like Netflix, but for books. The selection isn't comprehensive, but I've always found something to read when in a pinch. This is an entry-level device. There's no color screen and no option to use a stylus. The battery, however, does last around six weeks with regular use. This is a metric I can personally confirm. It seems like I barely charge mine and it's always ready to go. The only major downside here is that this is one of those Amazon devices that forces ads on you. There is a version without lockscreen ads, but it costs more. I never really found them to be all that intrusive, given that they are tethered to the lockscreen and mostly advertise books. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-amazons-latest-kindle-on-sale-for-20-off-183302556.html?src=rss