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IBM is turning to your smartphone to improve weather forecasts
IBM and its subsidiary The Weather Company are working on a new weather forecasting system, one that they say will boost forecast accuracy quite a bit. It's called the Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System, or GRAF, and it will pull data from weather stations, aircraft sensors and smartphone pressure sensors -- a massive amount of information that will be analyzed by the IBM technology that powers the US Department of Energy's powerful Summit and Sierra supercomputers.
Kangaroo expands its line of affordable smart home security sensors
Smart home security is gaining traction, but it generally still comes at a price. Last year, however, startup company Kangaroo entered the market with its system of $30 peel-and-stick motion sensors and low-cost monitoring plans, designed to make security simple, accessible and affordable. Now, it's launching five new equally-affordable products to expand its repertoire and help its users take advantage of even beefier security.
Here's ride-hailing app focuses on shared rides
Most ride hailing apps are strictly focused on getting you from A to B. That's rather important, but they don't really acknowledge why you're going out -- you're heading to a party, a business meeting, a family get-together. Here Mobility thinks it can add that social element with its SoMo app. At its heart, it's a multi-service hailing app with group planning. You can create one-time or recurring events, invite people and help them find the best way to get around, whether it's a ridesharing car, a taxi or the bus.
Alcatel's inexpensive 1X and 1C phones bring some important upgrades
CES isn't really known for its surplus of smartphones, but a few notable new options do pop up from time to time. This year's set of affordable phones comes courtesy of Alcatel and TCL, which just announced its updated 1X and 1C models -- just be aware that only the 1X is coming to the US.
Olay's electromagnetic face wand turns skincare into a mobile game
Olay's FaceNavi Smart Wand isn't a magic solution for perfect skin, but it is pretty fun. The Smart Wand is a handheld device that uses electromagnetic pulses to transform a singular Olay face cream into a multi-use product, able to treat puffiness, wrinkles, sagging, discoloration, uneven skin and other conditions in one fell swoop.
AT&T gets burned by rivals over its fake 5G network
When AT&T admitted that its new 5G network was actually regular old 4G LTE with a fresh logo, the internet was having none of it. It might have become a trend among wireless operators, but fortunately Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have also given their rival the gears.
The world's first real foldable phone is rough around the edges
Unless you're (for some reason) a fan of personal cinema headsets, you almost certainly haven't heard of Royole. That's OK -- founder and CEO Bill Liu wanted it that way. Unbeknownst to most of the world, Royole has quietly been working to pioneer and perfect its own flexible screens since 2012, and its new FlexPai smartphone represents something of a coming-out party.
Netgear jumps into 5G with AT&T-compatible mobile hotspot
Netgear is focused on the future of connectivity at CES 2019 with new products it believes can keep you online at home and on the go. The California-based networking company is showing off two new additions to its Orbi mesh router family designed to bring internet to the dead zones of your home and the Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot to provide high-speed connections while you're away.
Sony's new 8K and 4K TVs will have Apple AirPlay too
AirPlay is everywhere at CES 2019, at least when it comes to TVs, and Sony's latest TVs are no different. The company announced that its Z9G Series 8K LCDs, A9G Series OLEDs and X950G 4K LCD TVs will all add support for Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit protocols later this year. Similar to what we've seen from others like LG and Vizio, that will let users easily integrate them with other smart home devices that are compatible with Apple's protocols, and use AirPlay 2 features like synchronized multiroom audio. On Sony's TVs, this means blending Apple's tech with the Android TV platform they're based on. There's no technical reason why that can't happen, but it's an interesting wrinkle, and means that, like Vizio, users will have a bevy of options to choose between Google's Cast protocol and the Apple tech. Of course, a full-on iTunes app is still exclusive to Samsung's smart TV platform for now, but this is a start. So far there's no word on exactly when the feature will appear, or if it will extend to any older models, but we'll update this post if we get any more information.
Samsung is the next tech giant expecting a sharp earnings drop
Apple isn't the only tech industry behemoth dealing with a rough fourth quarter. Samsung has warned that its earnings likely dropped significantly during the last three months of 2018 due to both tougher competition in the smartphone space and mediocre demand for memory chips. Analysts were predicting sales equivalent to about $56.2 billion, but Samsung now expects 'just' $52.7 billion -- not a huge drop, but disappointing for a company used to growth. Accordingly, the Korean firm now expects profits around $9.7 billion versus the $11.8 billion observers thought they'd see.
Live from Sony's CES 2019 press event!
Just when you thought the pre-CES press event deluge was over, Sony is wrapping up a busy day with some evening festivities. The company's annual Las Vegas soirée is happening tonight, January 7th at 8PM ET/5PM PT, and we'll be there to bring you all the news live. We're sure to hear about Sony's new TV lineup, as well as new additions to its home theater stable of soundbars, speakers and more. There's typically some headphone and personal audio news as well, with a dash of cameras for good measure. Whatever Sony has planned, keep your browser locked here for all the details from the event. You can also stream the event live right here.
AT&T's Android phones now lie about having 5G
Like it or not, AT&T's not-really-5G icon is reaching phones. The carrier has started rolling out the indicator to Android handsets, including Samsung's Galaxy S8 Active and LG's V30. Install the update and you'll see a "5G E" (5G Evolution) indicator where you used to see "LTE." More eligible devices will see the new cellular icon in the spring, so don't think you'll escape it if you have a reasonably modern device.
Audeze's $99 Bluetooth cable makes iSine headphones 'wireless'
Just after the iPad Pro was announced, I wrote about how sad I was to be forced away from my current pair of headphones, the Audeze iSine 10. You see, iSine models are best paired with a Lightning cable that features Audeze's custom DAC, giving great audio quality -- and the new iPad drops the Lightning port. Well, someone, somewhere, heard my cries, as Audeze is releasing a cable compatible with all iSine models that converts them from Lightning to Bluetooth.
'Alien: Blackout' mobile game picks up where 'Isolation' left off
Alien fans wondering what the franchise's official Instagram account was teasing last month across a series of motion posters, each more terrifying than the last, will be happy to learn that a new game is on the way. But we're not getting the console follow-up to Alien: Isolation players were (probably) hoping for. Instead, Alien: Blackout is a mobile title for iOS and Android starring that game's protagonist Amanda Ripley -- who also happens to be the daughter of the original film quadrilogy's iconic heroine, Ellen Ripley.
Mophie's wireless iPhone battery case keeps your Lightning port free
Many iPhone battery cases use the Lightning port to keep your handset topped up, and that's obviously a problem when there's no headphone jack. Case makers either need to add a port back or make you forego wired listening altogether. Mophie, however, has a simple solution: wireless charging. Its newly unveiled Juice Pack Access relies solely on Qi to power the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, keeping the Lightning port open for wired headphones while adding 25 to 31 hours of extra talk time. This also avoids the bulky chin that you've seen in the past.
Live from LG's CES 2019 press event!
The CES 2019 madness is kicking off with LG's press conference today. As we found out earlier this week, the company will be showing off its new OLED and LCD TVs, including two 8K sets. Rumor has it LG could be ready to unveil a foldable phone, though don't be disappointed if that doesn't actually happen here in Las Vegas. It may be waiting to introduce it later in the year, when it wouldn't have to compete for attention with the thousands of other gadgets being announced. Either way, we'll find out together and bring you the news as it happens at 11AM ET / 8AM PT. Keep your eyes on this page.
Google Assistant will soon be listening on one billion devices
Google has some news to go alongside its giant pavilion that dominates the lot outside the main halls of CES 2019. The company expects that, by the end of this month, its Google Assistant will be... assisting on one billion devices, across Android phones, iPhones, TVs, headphones, watches, smart speakers and smart displays. And the other weirder things.
Over a dozen iPhone apps talked to a known malware server
Apple's App Store has generally had fewer security concerns than the Google Play Store, but that hasn't stopped questionable apps from slipping through the cracks. Security researchers from Wandera have discovered 14 games that all communicated with the same server used to control Golduck malware for Android. While the apps themselves appeared innocuous, they were loaded with ads. It would have been feasible to use ads to trick users into granting permission for malware installed outside the App Store, Wandera told TechCrunch.
Sphero gets into app-enabled music gadgets with the Specdrums ring
Back in June 2018, Sphero acquired Specdrums, a startup that found Kickstarter success with music-making rings. As part of that deal, we knew Sphero would be working on its own version of the product, and today the company's making it official. The new but familiarly named Specdrums are app-supported rings that let you, or your kids, play music by tapping the wearable instruments on different colors and surfaces. There are hundreds of customizable sounds and loops, all of which are created by tapping the Specdrums rings on the included playpad and other colored items around you.
NuraLoop packs personalized sound into wireless buds
Nura's first headphones were certainly a conversation starter. The hybrid design mixed over-ear design, with in-ear buds. The wireless headset's main trick, however, was the built-in audio test that uses otoacoustic emissions to spot any weak spots in your hearing and adjust the sound to compensate -- like having glasses for your ears.
