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Teracube's smartphone combats e-waste with a 4-year warranty
If you've ever broken your phone's screen or dropped it in the toilet, you know the pain of coughing up the cash to either repair it, or replace it altogether. A company called Teracube, however, hopes to change that with a whole new concept: A phone with a four-year premium care warranty. For around $300, you can get a phone that comes with accident coverage insurance included in the price. Teracube claims that it's the "world's most reliable smartphone," but that's not telling the whole story.
This massive 8K VR headset was built for NASA
For years now, VRgineers has been making VR headsets for the professional and enterprise market, including for government institutions like NASA. This week at CES, however, the company has unveiled its latest model. It's still called the XTAL, but this time it comes with a whopping 8K resolution, which provides it with a "best-in-class" crystal-clear VR image. It boasts other features too, such as foveated rendering capabilities, an AR mixed reality module and improved lenses, which give it a very immersive 180-degree field of view. I tried it on in a demo at a CES evening event, and I was blown away by how crisp and clear the images were. A VRgineer spokesperson told me that I was trying out a very basic version of a VR simulation designed for NASA astronauts. The controls in front of me were so sharp that I could actually see the tiny letters on the keyboard. I didn't have a chance to try the controls, but it also has eye tracking, the ability to interact with virtual worlds with your gaze and voice commands, plus gesture controls. The gesture controls in particular are thanks to the two Leap Motion sensors embedded underneath the headset. Starting at around $8,000, the XTAL headset isn't meant for you and me. As mentioned, it's intended for enterprise applications such as employee safety training. Older versions of the XTAL are already in use at the Department of Defense, the US Navy and NASA. Eight-thousand dollars is certainly a lot of money for consumers, but when it comes to training future soldiers and astronauts, that might not be such a bad deal.
Watch AMD's CES 2020 keynote in 10 minutes
For Xbox gamers, the highlight of AMD's CES event was probably the sizzle reel that showed a 360-degree view of the Series X and all of its ports -- that is, until Microsoft clarified that the images were fake and came from a repository for 3D files. Thankfully, the chipmaker revealed and debuted a lot more things at CES, including a Dell G5 gaming laptop powered by its new Renoir-H Ryzen processor. It also launched the Ryzen 4000 chips, which will bring eight cores to ultraportables, as well as the Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU, which is designed to deliver 1080p performance between 90 and 120 fps. The company also announced that its 64-core Threadripper 3990X will be available on February 7th for $3,990.
Ergatta isn't the first connected rowing machine, but it is the prettiest
Rowing isn't a particularly cool or accessible sport. The real thing -- pulling oars through water -- is an expensive hobby, requiring access to a boat, a crew and a suitable body of water. You could try a rowing machine in the gym, but even rowers who love rowing tend to hate rowing machines. I should know: I rowed all through college, and for a few years after. And yet. Over the past year I've seen at least two connected home-rowing machines that attempt to make this repetitive, sometimes grueling sport feel more fun. First was Hydrow, what you could fairly refer to as the Peloton of rowing machines. Today at CES I had a chance to take some strokes on the Ergatta Digital Rower. The Ergatta is decidedly not a Peloton equivalent, or so the company's founders insist. When you scroll through the ergometer's 17.3-inch screen, you don't see group classes. You see workouts dressed up as games. It's up to you if you want to compete with yourself or other users who have completed the same workout recently.
Watch Adobe show off its impressive AI-powered vertical-video tech
Intel has Jason Levine, Principal Worldwide Evangelist for Adobe Creative Cloud, and his fabulous head of hair to thank for the most entertaining part of its CES press event. The chipmaker's Executive VP, Gregory Bryant, said he often gets asked why AI and machine learning are important on PC. He then brought Levine onstage to demonstrate the kind of creative experiences Ice Lake's integrated AI unlocked for creators -- and Levine did so with great panache.
Mercedes unveils crazy concept car inspired by 'Avatar'
Mercedes has made sure to play up its tech chops during the past few CES events, and this year is no different. But instead of a straight autonomous electric vehicle, it's gone a little wacky with a vehicle that's based on the Avatar movie. Yep, the James Cameron film.
The Atmōs is an air filter for your face, if you can bear the bulk
To make an ideal personal air filter, said Mikal Peveto, you'd need a seal around your face. The head of US for Aō Air is presenting an alternative at CES: the Atmōs. The device uses small fans to create a high-pressure pocket of clean air at the front of a mask that you breathe from, no seal necessary. The transparent device goes over your mouth, with air drawn in just below your ears, where there are also sensors that measure one's respiration rate. The goal is to take it to consumers -- tonight, in fact. It'll be available for pre-order for $350, shipping in July of this year.
Watch Intel's CES 2020 keynote in nine minutes
Intel didn't have many major announcements at CES this year, but it did give us a taste of what's to come. That includes its upcoming Tiger Lake mobile platform, which it showed off by demoing a 17-inch foldable OLED tablet, a peek at its dedicated graphics card and its ambition to power the intelligence of the modern world through computing. No small feat, right? Judging from this keynote, it's going to be an interesting year for notebooks and PCs as a whole.
The mamaRoo sleep bassinet mimics parents' cuddles to lull babies to sleep
The mamaRoo sleep bassinet looks simple at first glance -- and then it starts moving. The base stays still while the basket itself glides up and down, side to side, in smooth, dreamy motions. There are five different patterns: car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rockaby and wave. Each of these movements has five speeds, offering 25 total settings. And each one is based on the natural motions that parents make when they're trying to soothe their little ones.
THX spatial audio is coming to smartphones
It's only been about a year and a half since audio mastermind THX announced the first product featuring its new spatial-audio format, which is meant to simulate 360-degree sound from less-advanced devices, like two-channel headphones. As such, there aren't many products that support it, but THX just unlocked a major new category. Today, THX and ZMBIZI jointly announced the first smartphone that supports spatial audio, regardless of what headphones are plugged into it.
AMD's new FreeSync tiers guarantee display performance
Much like NVIDIA did at CES 2019, AMD is rebranding its adaptive frame rate technology at CES 2020 to make it easier for consumers to know what different FreeSync displays can do. To start, the company is introducing a new tier called FreeSync Premium. Monitors with this certification will be able to maintain at least a 120Hz refresh rate at 1080p. They'll also include a technology called low frame rate compensation (LFC) that will make sure gameplay remains smooth even if your PC can't render a game at or above your monitor's refresh rate. The company says approximately 300 displays already qualify for FreeSync Premium branding.
Samsung's CES fitness pitch: AR glasses and a GEMS exoskeleton
Last year, Samsung unveiled an exoskeleton called Gait Enhancing & Motivating System (GEMS) that could help correct your posture and assist with everyday walking. It was an ambitious concept device that the company has now developed into a personal fitness coach. During its CES 2020 keynote, Samsung unveiled a pair of augmented reality glasses -- a new piece of hardware for the company -- that appeared to be tethered to a nearby Galaxy smartphone. The wearer could then pick a virtual-workout location and motivational trainer to guide them through some exercises.
Panasonic's extra-bright OLED TV is aimed at cinephiles
Panasonic is known for building costly TVs with exceptional image quality, and it's keeping that trend going at CES 2020. Its latest HZ2000 model is the first OLED TV to support Dolby Vision IQ and Filmmaker Mode, features aimed at cinephiles who want to view films exactly as the creators intended. It's built using Panasonic's Master HDR OLED Professional Edition panel, which also delivers up to an extra 20 percent peak brightness compared to other OLED TVs.
Samsung made a rolling robot called Ballie that runs your smart home
Samsung's CES keynote got off to an intriguing start when HS Kim was joined onstage by a robot designed to help you around the home. The company says it made Ballie to understand and support your needs: Essentially, it can run your smart home for you.
Bic aims to give you a better shave via its connected razor
Bic wants to design better razors via a new prototype of a connected wet shave called the Next Bic Thing. It looks like a normal five-bladed shaver and handle, but it can capture tons of shaving data, including temperature, humidity, hair density, shaving speed, number of strokes, time spent shaving, blade dullness and even water use. Using this data, Bic will build next-gen shavers that are "perfectly adapted to today's users based on these advanced consumer insights," the company said.
A smart running shoe insole detects your gait to offer coaching advice
There have been smart insoles before, but Nurvv is betting that its shoe companions could be particularly helpful if you're a runner. Its Nurvv Run insoles pack 32 sensors that, along with mobile apps and included GPS trackers, provide coaching both during and after runs. You can get updates on standard stats like cadence, step length and overall pace while you're mid stride thanks to audiovisual and haptic feedback. However, you can also venture into the app post-run to look at minutiae like your pronation (foot roll) and foot strike (how much of the forefoot hits the ground). You'll know whether a change in technique leads to practical gains.
OtterBox made a 'bacteria-killing' screen protector for your phone
Face it, your phone screen is filthy. Think about all those times you texted from the toilet or scrolled through Instagram while riding the subway: Those streaks on your screen are not only schmutz but also breeding grounds for bacteria. That's where OtterBox's Amplify Glass Anti-Microbial comes in.
Sony showed off an electric car to highlight its automotive technologies
Sony has unveiled an electric car -- yes, an actual car -- at CES today. It's the first prototype vehicle under Sony's mobility efforts called the Vision-S initiative, and based on what the tech giant said during its press event, it was built to showcase the automotive technologies it developed and can offer. Sony teamed up with a number of companies such as Bosch, Continental, NVIDIA and Qualcomm, to create the prototype sedan. It's loaded with 33 sensors, most likely including ones that enable autonomous driving, 360 Reality Audio tech, wide-screen displays and other features. The company didn't reveal much about Vision-S during the event, but we'll get an even closer look at the concept vehicle later this week in Las Vegas. For now, here's what else Sony is sharing about its CES surprise reveal.
Intel showed off its upcoming discrete graphics card on stage at CES
At its CES keynote this evening, Intel saved its most important reveal for last. After almost two years of leadup, the company finally showed off its upcoming Xe GPU platform. And not only did we learn how it will integrate with Intel's forthcoming Tiger Lake processors, we saw DG1, its first discrete graphics card. While Intel didn't provide a lot of details on the card, it showed it running Destiny 2. The company plans to first integrate the platform into its upcoming Tiger Lake processors that will come out later this year. Intel's Lisa Pearce showed a Tiger Lake-equipped notebook running Warframe. She didn't speak too much to how the integrated graphics card handles modern 3D games, but did say that you'll be able to play "HD" games without issue. Additionally, Intel showed the GPU upscaling an old, low-resolution image using an AI-accelerated processor. The "Horseshoe Bend" foldable display tablet Intel showed off at the keynote had a Tiger Lake processor and integrated Xe GPU. We'll likely learn more about both variants of Xe as Intel gets closer to releasing its new CPUs later this year.
Roland's A-88MKII keyboard embraces MIDI 2.0 and USB-C
MIDI 2.0 is (hopefully) right around the corner. And Roland is trying to stay ahead of the game. The A-88MKII keyboard is the first from the company to support the new standard as it works its way toward finalization. Unsurprisingly, Roland isn't starting its MIDI 2.0 journey with a budget controller. The A-88MKII is a premium music making machine with a wooden body and 88 weighted keys that are made to feel like ivory (even though they're plastic).
