The Morning After: CES 2021 is going entirely online
It's time to go all-digital.
Like so many other things, Engadget’s annual trip to Las Vegas will skip a year as CES 2021’s in-person element is canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. As CTA Chief Gary Shapiro said in a statement: “It’s just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January.”
Now, CES will be presented as an experience that we live through from home. Unfortunately, some things just won’t be the same. Events like surprise android appearances and disinterested movie directors flubbing their lines are you-have-to-be-there moments, and Zoom can’t quite cut it. We’ll see if the organizers have something up their sleeve to bring the feeling of the Las Vegas Convention Center home — minus all the germs and annual flu-like symptoms. The CTA made the right call.
— Richard
'The Mandalorian' scores a best drama Emmy nomination for Disney+
Somehow Quibi snagged ten nominations.
Disney+ picked up 19 nominations overall, including somewhat of a surprise in the Best Drama Series category with live-action Star Wars show The Mandalorian — it seems Emmy voters loved Baby Yoda just as much as the rest of us. Netflix racked up 160 nominations, by far the most of any network or platform. The Crown, Ozark, Stranger Things, Dead To Me, The Kominsky Method, Unbelievable and Unorthodox all received best series nominations in their categories.
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Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR review: A big, bright content creation machine
A beautiful HDR screen alongside strong performance and battery life.
Steve Dent tests out the Aero 17 HDR XB, another strong model in Gigabyte’s powerful hybrid laptop lineup. The key feature is a very bright and colorful 4K 17.3-inch HDR display. It has an understated design that hides great specs, including Intel’s 8-core i7-10875H CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics. That helps it fly for both video editing and gaming. Interested? Read up on the full review.
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Gogoro's Eeyo 1s is so light you almost forget it's an e-bike
A practical but expensive solution for city dwellers.
Gogoro, better known for its scooters than bikes, surprised us with a light, practical e-bike that’s (mostly) a joy to ride. The regular Gogoro Eeyo 1, which complements its carbon frame and fork with an alloy seatpost, handlebars and rims, costs $3,899. The lighter almost-completely-carbon Eeyo 1s will set you back $4,599. That’s not crazy for a carbon fiber bicycle, but it’s far more than what you would pay for a heavier e-bike option. Nick Summers takes it for a test ride.
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Big tech CEOs release opening statements before antitrust hearing
Monopoly or not?
The big tech antitrust hearing with the House Judiciary Committee is set to occur later today. But all four CEOs — Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Sundar Pichai of Google, Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook — have released their opening statements early. In all of them, the CEOs attempted to make the case that they do not represent a monopolistic force in the industry.
All three CEOs also took the time to address antitrust concerns. Bezos pointed out that Amazon has competition from the likes of Walmart, Target and Costco that offer curbside pickup. Meanwhile, Pichai claimed Google has plenty of rivals in the form of Alexa, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and Pinterest, among others. Cook said that while the iPhone is a “revolutionary” product, it also faces plenty of stiff competition from other phone makers and Google. Zuckerberg didn’t name-check any rivals in particular, but just said his company faced “significant” competition.
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But wait, there’s more...
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo cabin surrounds you with windows
eBussy is a modular EV that's also a camper, pickup truck and more
TCL's 8-series Roku TVs are half price at Best Buy
Universal's deal with AMC shortens theatrical exclusivity to 17 days
Jabra Elite 45h review: Feature-packed $99 headphones
Movies Anywhere lets you create watch parties with up to nine guests
DeepMind and Oxford University researchers on how to 'decolonize' AI
BMW will offer fully electric versions of the 5 Series, 7 Series and X1
BMW's update with wireless Android Auto is rolling out
Twitter locks Donald Trump Jr.'s account for spreading COVID misinformation
Sony's A7S III has 4K 120p video and a fully articulating display
Space Camp needs to raise $1.5 million to survive the pandemic
