The Morning After: Our verdict on the Sonos Roam
And we take a look back at the history of LG's cellphones.
The world of smart home audio definitely benefited from all this time we’re spending indoors. Sonos has an eye on the future, though. We’ve just finished reviewing the $170 Roam, which Sonos pitches as a hybrid speaker for beach trips and vacations, and which also integrates with your at-home sound system. It also doesn’t look like a giant kettlebell like Sonos’ last attempt, the $400 (!) Move. According to Deputy Managing Editor Nathan Ingraham, it sounds good (and sounds even better in a stereo pair) and is as portable as the competition.
Sonos is busy on other frontiers, too. The company is apparently continuing its work with Ikea on future smart speakers that hide in plain sight. A new speaker-lamp may be on its way — the better-sounding device from Ikea’s debut Symfonisk range — and we may even see a new ‘art piece’ addition that crams speakers into something even more aesthetically pleasing. The irony is that a lot of us (read: me) can’t wait to escape our homes later this year, regardless of how pretty my speakers might be. Perhaps, then, I should buy a Roam.
— Mat Smith
Remembering LG's finest (and strangest) phones
It’s too bad the G5’s modular design never caught on.
LG didn’t usually make the best smartphones, and that’s a part of the reason it’s exiting the business now. But the company always managed to bring something extra to the mobile space, so Chris Velazco is taking a trip down memory lane to recap some of its best and weirdest efforts. Everything from the enV 2 to G Flex gets one more moment to shine.
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Chevrolet will build an electric Silverado with 400 miles of range
GM is betting its electrified future on ‘Ultium’ battery plans.
GM began its electrified venture in 1996 with the EV1, one of the very first viable battery-powered sedan models produced by a major automaker, which continued its run until being discontinued in 2003. Today, GM relies on an EV platform powered by the Ultium battery system as the basis for the 30-plus models it plans to produce in the coming years.
When the Hummer EV SUT (sport utility truck) and its newly unveiled SUV variant hit dealer show floors in the fall of 2021 and 2023, respectively, they’ll be among the first models in GM’s new electrified lineup built atop the company’s Ultium battery system. On Tuesday, the company announced they’ll be joined by an electric Silverado capable of traveling an estimated 400 miles on a single battery charge.
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Sony's LED Bravia TVs with 'cognitive intelligence' start at $1,299
If OLED is still out of your price range, these may fit the bill.
The first 4K TVs Sony released with “cognitive intelligence” image processing tech were high-end OLED models, but those started at $2,999 and went up from there. Now, Sony has unveiled first LED models with the Cognitive Processor XR, and they're a lot more reasonably priced.
The X90J is the higher-end LED model launching today, and it's available in 50-, 55- and 65-inch sizes at $1,299 (Amazon, Best Buy), $1,499 (Amazon, Best Buy) and $1,799 (Amazon, Best Buy), respectively. These offer the Cognitive Processor XR, though cinephiles will likely want to turn that off to see the content as the creators intended. They also deliver 10-bit (billions) color and full array LED, though Sony didn't specify the number of zones.
Naturally, they have HDR support for HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision and offer HDMI 2.1 ports that deliver 10-bit 4K at up to 120Hz for a superior gaming experience.
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The Switch’s newest battle royale game is ‘Pac-Man 99’
Tetris and Mario are done.
Pac-Man 99 launches today at 9PM ET, available exclusively to Switch Online subscribers. Players have to hunt down Power Pellets to make ghosts vulnerable. Once players eat the vulnerable ghosts, these ghosts turn into a Jammer Pac-Man that chases one of your 98 opponents and slows them down. Following the rules of battle royale, players fall one by one until the field is winnowed from the 99 initial players to one winner.
While the game is free for subscribers, there will be optional DLC that adds CPU mode, time attack and various custom themes that reference classic Bandai games.
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Feds say actor's $690 million Ponzi scheme lied about selling movies to Netflix
Horwitz told investors he was selling Latin American film rights to HBO and Netflix.
Talking of questionable deals, according to the FBI and SEC, Zachary Horwitz allegedly helped orchestrate a Ponzi scheme that the SEC claims raised over $690 million. The actor, listed as Zach Avery on his IMDB profile, apparently told investors his company, 1inMM (one in a million), was involved in buying film rights and reselling them to HBO and Netflix. Both companies have denied any business relationship, however, and the FBI says that agreements shown to investors were fake, complete with forged signatures.
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Will.i.am's latest tech product is a $299 HEPA face mask
The artist has a checkered history of wobbly tech launches.
The Black Eyed Peas frontman has teamed up with Honeywell on a $299 tech-imbued face mask that packs noise-canceling headphones alongside HEPA filters. The face mask goes on sale April 8th in North America and Europe, launching in two colors (black and white) and two sizes. Even if the tech parts underwhelm, a face mask should hopefully offer more utility than his mediocre smartwatch efforts.
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But wait, there’s more...
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Google's Pixel 5 April update appears to boost GPU performance
Thousands of US government agencies using Clearview AI without approval
Apple TV+ will stream another 'Mythic Quest' bonus episode ahead of season two
Fender's Mustang Micro packs impressive amp modelling in a tiny package
