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Lenovo’s latest ThinkBook 15 has built-in wireless earbuds
Lenovo’s new hardware includes the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 i with built-in wireless earbuds.
OnePlus TV may come with eight speakers and Dolby Atmos support
OnePlus has been slowly releasing details about its upcoming smart TV. Today, we learned that OnePlus TV will have eight built-in speakers with a combined 50 watts of power. According to an Amazon listing spotted by 9to5Google, they'll pack "punchy bass to fill your living room," and they'll be powered by Dolby Atmos.
Google says fix for WiFi bug on Cast devices is coming tomorrow
After weeks of reports from users losing WiFi connections due to Google devices with the "Cast" feature, the company has responded. According to an entry on Google's support page, the company has identified the issue and will release a fix to roll out as a Google Play service update tomorrow January 18th.
Netatmo adds a connected smoke alarm to its smart home range
Netatmo is known for connected home products like the Presence AI-assisted security camera that can tell crooks from coyotes, but for CES, it's expanding into a new niche: built-in products. On top of a new smoke alarm and siren, the company has teamed up with French companies Velux and Legrand on AI-equipped in-wall smart switches, power outlets, skylights and blinds.
Samsung's built-in smart appliances blend in with your decor
Smart home appliances are all well and good, but they're rarely options if you need or prefer that machinery built-in. What if your oven has to blend in neatly with the kitchen? Samsung wants to help. It's introducing its first-ever built-in smart appliances, all of which tout WiFi-connected features while integrating with your home. They're expensive, but just might fit the bill if conventional equipment simply won't do.
Microsoft announces updates for Windows 8 built-in apps, just in time for October 26th launch
All signs point toward the impending general availability of Windows 8, what with the upcoming OS launch event, the Surface RT finally hitting the FCC, and Paul Allen letting the world knows what he thinks of it. In light of this, the Redmond company has announced a final update push to the built-in apps you'll find in Windows 8. The Bing update will be first out the gate tomorrow -- it promises richer search results for local content -- with the rest rolling out through October 26th. Also of note is Music, which touts "expanded music services" as an update (Xbox Music, anyone?). If you're itching to know what built-in apps will be updated, you can get the full and extensive list after the break.
Pioneer's AVIC-ZH09 GPS navigation systems take augmented reality on the road
While it may not be the first GPS navigation system we've seen sporting augmented reality, Pioneer's latest in-dash series may offer the first built-ins to bring AR to the open road. Using a windshield-mounted camera, the AVIC-VH09CS and AVIC-VH09 stream live footage to a 7-inch in-dash display, adding layers of pertinent information to real-time video. Among other things, the AR-capabilities provide visual cues that alert drivers to the changing of upcoming traffic lights and the exact distance of the next turn. Both systems sport a USB port, SD reader, CD and DVD drives, and Bluetooth. Pioneer will let them loose in Japan later this month for an as of yet undisclosed amount, but it looks like American drivers will just have to keep rolling with plain old reality for now.
Fujitsu LifeBook S761/C and P771/C replace optical drives with pico projectors, past with future
Optical disc drives may be passé nowadays, but the enclosures usually reserved for them in laptops need not go to waste. Fujitsu has just rolled out its latest line of portables and a pair of them pack a pretty awesome new extra: an integrated pico projector. The 13.3-inch LifeBook S761/C and 12.1-inch P771/C both fill their ODD slots with a small visualizer, and while the specs of its actual output aren't clear, the two machines have been fully specced and priced. The S761/C can offer you a Core i5-2520M CPU, a (presumably upgradeable) 1GB of RAM, 160GB of storage, and a 1366 x 768 resolution for a price of ¥219,450 ($2,675). Moving down in size class but up in price, the P771/C matches those specs, but for a squarer 1280 x 800 resolution, and asks for ¥255,150 ($3,110). Both will be available in Japan in mid-May, which is also when Fujitsu will release its LifeBook E741/C, whose claim to fame is the ability to authenticate users by reading the veins in their palms. Sexy!
Harman-Mercedes Map Pilot modular built-in nav system becomes reality
A little over two years ago, we opined on the lack of decent built-in nav systems, hopelessly waiting for Harman and Mercedes to make good on their promise of an easily upgradable in-dash setup. Well, the day has finally come, and the partners in automotive innovation are gearing up to introduce the Becker Map Pilot to the world at the Geneva Motor Show. As promised, the system combines the flexibility and features of a PND with the integration and good looks of a built-in setup -- although the interface shows up on the auto's central display panel and relays voice instructions over the car's speakers, the main unit is stored in the glove compartment, where it's easily removed and upgraded via the internet. If you can afford the mammoth price tag, Map Pilot will roll out in the new Mercedes-Benz SLK and C-Class, but if you don't have an extra $50,000 lying around, we'll still let you peep the PR after the break.
Mitsubishi unveils REAL line of Blu-ray burning, super upconverting LCDs
Providing some competition for Sharp's DX series, Mitsubishi has taken the wraps off of its REAL Series LCD HDTVs, including a set with built-in hard drives and Blu-ray recorders, plus a few more that lack the recording, but throw in super resolution upconversion that claims to make even the worst SD look better than ever. Even if that's just hype, we hope it fares better than the company's ill-fated 120Hz processing. The 37- (1080p) and 32-inch (720p) BHR300 models feature their disc drives in the stand, rather than back-mounted approach of the AQUOS, plus 320GB HDDs, SDHC slot, plus i.LINK and USB connectors that let owners edit video from a camcorder on the TV before saving to disc or hard drive. The MZW300 models are all 1080p, in 40-, 42- and 52-inch sizes, with Diamond Engine Pro IV HD super resolution tech, the latest and most power efficient Diamond panel with 20,000:1 contrast ratio, built in 5.1 Dolby Digital decoder, virtual surround speakers and a talking program guide feature. These hit shelves in Japan in late October ranging in price from ¥350,000 ($3,705) for the LCD-52MZW300 to ¥200,000 ($2,117) for the LCD-32BHR300.
Bornakk hints at upcoming threat meter
This isn't the first time we've heard about putting a built-in threat meter in the standard World of Warcraft interface. The idea came up back at Blizzcon 07, and Neth confirmed plans to include such a meter in February '08. But there's not been much discussion about the idea since then. Today, Bornakk confirmed they're still working on it, but there's obviously no details to be shared yet. ("Soon," and all that.) So, while we don't know that we'll be seeing the threat meter with the release of Wrath of the Lich King, at least we know it's probably still coming eventually. Threat meters are almost entirely a mandatory requirement for most raids. The two big ones are KTM and Omen, of course. It lets your DPS know when to let off the gas a bit, before they pull aggro off the tank. Or, maybe, tells the tanks they need to push the pedal harder and build up more of their own threat instead of limiting the DPS. I can't imagine raiding without one, and if that's the state of things for enough players, I expect Blizzard will take it over themselves soon enough.
Cheaper PS3 loses HDMI, slots, Wi-Fi, 40GB
As you can see above, there are a few things different between the two PS3 SKUs planned. (Hint: the obvious alterations concern high-def output and wireless connectivity -- though Bluetooth controllers should work just fine with both, with or without any chrome case highlighting.)So what's HDMI, built-in multimedia card-reader slots, wireless internet connectivity, and an extra 40 gigabytes' hard disk space worth to you? $100? Now that Sony's gone with the 2-SKU approach with its next-gen hardware (a la the Xbox 360's premium and "Core" systems), we can expect some tough consumer choices after six months -- with console shortages possibly for another six months after that -- as $100 separates the base $499 and premium $599 versions of Sony's "Clear Black" hope.HDMI is important to those who want to take full advantage of Blu-ray high def and have the new screens to use it; MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots would be nice for the PS3 memory-card users and those will run multimedia on the system; Wi-Fi's the only way to avoid stringing ethernet cables for online access; and 360 owners might appreciate the full 60GB available to potential buyers of the premium PS3 model. Neither model comes with a second HDMI port; thankfully, one should hopefully be all most users need. The details are laid out in a feature-comparison table at the end of Sony's official PS3 hardware press release, available in both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word formats. Determine what's most important to your PS3 ambitions there.[Image pieced together from the PlayStation.com forums; thanks, Guru]
Spy on friends and family with your iSight-enabled Mac
This post could also have been titled: "how to lose family and friends quickly with your iSight-enabled Mac." A poster over at macosxhints discovered that you can start a new video recording session in QuickTime Pro on an iSight-enabled Mac (for that low-profile surveillance look), and invoke Fast User Switching while the QT Pro session keeps on recording. For more stealth surveillance, you can set your display to shut off and, aside from the green light, most people will be none the wiser.Ethics and exclamations of 'how dare you?!' aside, I wonder if this 'built-in webcam' feature is going to inspire a new niche of unique video recording software.
