Get ready for virtual AI cohosts that chat with Twitch stars and control their streams

Image: Inworld AI, Streamlabs, and Nvidia

Inworld AI, Streamlabs, and Nvidia are partnering on a new AI assistant for streamers that can provide technical support for streams in real time and even act as a quippy cohost.

As a cohost, the “Intelligent Streaming Assistant” can understand what’s happening in games like Fortnite and offer “contextually relevant commentary,” according to a press release. “This awareness enables the assistant to do things like highlight a well-timed build, provide commentary during a dramatic Victory Royale, or shoutout audience members for sending tips.”

Image: Inworld AI, Streamlabs, and Nvidia

As a producer, the assistant will be able to trigger “audio and visual effects to enhance high-impact gameplay” as well as capture clips. The assistant can also help set up Streamlabs Desktop and offer troubleshooting advice. And streamers will be able to pick from “assistant personalities” that can “complement the tone of their stream, whether they’re looking for subtle behind-the-scenes support or a lively co-host.”

The tool seems like it could be a useful and potentially entertaining way to improve your streams. But based solely on how it’s demonstrated in a video, the assistant might also look and sound like an awkward AI avatar, so I’m not sure how widely it might be used in practice.

The Intelligent Streaming Assistant is set to launch in Streamlabs’ app store later this year.

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Alienware’s flagship desktop finally ditches proprietary parts

The new Alienware Area-51 desktop. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Alienware has built some of the easiest-to-open toolless gaming PCs around — but for years, the Dell-owned brand has stifled their upgrade potential by limiting them to Dell’s own proprietary power supplies and motherboards.

But the 2025 Alienware Area-51, an 80-liter tower just introduced at CES in Las Vegas, finally ditches the proprietary parts in favor of standard ATX components.

Even though the tempered glass sided chassis features fancy compartments for liquid cooling and power supplies, it’s no longer a hexagonal monster or even a proprietary tower: it’ll come with a standard power supply, standard based motherboard, and even feature standard fan mounting locations. And even though there’s a dedicated daughterboard to easily control and cable manage its lighting, fans, I/O, and power switch, Dell will offer a conversion kit to make it work with third-party motherboards.

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

You can see the daughterboard here.

“With this edition, we are returning to our roots with a machine that caters to the desires of PC gaming enthusiasts and longtime Alienware fans who have a deep appreciation for technology and a can-do attitude for manually customizing their build to their needs,” writes brand manager Matt McGowan, promising “the ability to make serious upgrades for years to come.”

Why now? I asked McGowan, and his primary answer is that he’s listening to his customers. “I’m talking with customers, reading reviews, understanding what the sentiment is in the market and where things are going,” he tells The Verge, and what he’s hearing is demand for “standard mounting locations” — a demand so “loud” that Alienware decided to make a “wholesale shift” toward a fully upgradable computer.

That’s not to say there weren’t reasons to go proprietary, or that Alienware is promising to do this on every PC. In fact, Alienware built its own nonproprietary ATX motherboard for this Alienware Area-51, and the new 2025 version of its smaller Aurora (a spec bump with new Nvidia and Intel chips) will still feature proprietary motherboards and power supplies, at least for now.

McGowan says that’s because of the “leverage” Dell gets with proprietary parts.

“If you go back years and years, there was a decision to take the power supply unit and go and drive commonality between our Dell Precision products and Alienware products,” he explains. Dell got better prices that way — and, he argues, more efficient, higher-quality power supplies, too, by unifying its supply chain and taking advantage of those economies of scale.

And, he says, it allowed Dell to shrink the size of its PC cases at a time its commercial customers, in particular, valued a “form factor aggressive” chassis.

Images: Dell

So, does that mean the Alienware Aurora, the smaller and less expensive desktop that Dell is more likely to sell in volume, will get the ATX treatment, too? “We’re evaluating that for Aurora as well,” McGowan tells me, but he isn’t promising anything today. “We have to hit an inflection point ... where we apply resources to go and redesign the internals of that chassis,” he says.

But Dell would need to see the numbers add up — not just in terms of price, but the ratios of price, performance, size, and quality that would allow a new Aurora to compete.

“There’s a clear customer advantage around how much power we can put into a compact mini tower. The other [consideration] is cost related; when we get economies of scale across other Dell product and it’s something we can adopt with little impact on the gaming side, we’re going to take that and pass that savings on to the user,” he says.

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

This is far from Dell’s only shift in strategy this year in an attempt to become more consumer-friendly: it’s also killing off the XPS brand for Apple-like “Pro” and “Pro Max” product lines instead, and those Pro laptops will now all feature consumer-replaceable USB-C ports in addition to user-replaceable batteries.

Alienware hasn’t shared the entry price or configuration of the Area-51 quite yet but says it’ll ship later in Q1 starting at $4,499 with a “high-end, next-gen Nvidia GPU.” The company is also announcing a pair of new Area-51 laptops.

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Alienware’s 27-inch 4K 240Hz OLED monitor is only a couple months away

Image: Dell

Alienware is joining Asus, Samsung, and MSI in making a silly “world’s first” claim — all four of them are now set to launch a genuinely exciting new wave of 27-inch 4K QD-OLED gaming monitors with an excellent 240Hz refresh rate. Remember when I called Alienware’s 32-inch version the best monitor of CES last year because it finally offered the best of all worlds? Now, you’ll be able to buy a smaller 27-inch version, without a curved screen, in a far more subtle design that no longer dominates your desk.

Like competitors that are using the same Samsung panel, the Alienware AW2725Q has a technically 26-inch screen that offers 166 pixels per inch and 250 nits of typical brightness (1,000 nits of HDR at peak), while displaying 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Unlike some competitors, though, Alienware’s G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro screen only offers DisplayPort 1.4 rather than DisplayPort 2.1, which could theoretically mean dealing with the occasional Display Stream Compression (DSC) hiccup to get your 4K at 240Hz. It also features a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports that offer 4K at 240 with HDR, VRR, ALLM, and eARC for Dolby Atmos passthrough. There’s no USB-C video in, but the 15-pound monitor does offer a very basic USB-A hub and a single USB-C port with 15W charging.

Image: Dell

The ports. Tap here to enhance.

The monitor supports Dolby Vision HDR and offers a three-year burn-in warranty — with a graphite sheet “placed between the panel layers” to help fight burn-in and image retention, plus “AI-based technology” that “actively monitors on-screen images and makes adjustments to help prevent burn-in.”

For now, the best thing it has going for it over the competition is a firm price and release window: March for $900 in the US or $1,230 CAD in Canada. (Alienware’s competitors for the 32-inch version took a good bit longer to hit the market, and I wonder if that’ll be the same this time.) The monitor will actually hit China this month and arrive in EMEA territories in April.

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The Razer Blade 16 is even thinner this year

The 2025 Razer Blade 16.

Razer announced it’s overhauling the Razer Blade 16 inside and out. In addition to a new CPU and GPU, the Blade 16 is now thinner overall than the outgoing 2024 model and comes with a few tweaks to its audio system and keyboard.

The new Blade 16 comes with up to a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and a “next-gen NvidiaGPU.” The company also bumped its speaker array from four to six speakers, while the display carries over the 240Hz OLED introduced to the line last year. This is the first time Razer has put an AMD processor in the Blade 16.

Razer says it’s packing all of that into a chassis that’s over 30 percent thinner than last year’s model at just 0.59 inches — or 14.9 millimeters — thickin the front and 0.69 inches (17.4mm) in the back, not including the feet. For reference, the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 is 0.61 inches (15.5mm) thick, including feet. The new Razer Blade is also deeper than last year’s model, measuring 250.5mm front to back, versus 244mm for the 2024 Blade 16. Despite all of that, Razer says it increased the travel of its keyboard keys from 1mm to 1.5mm. And there’s now a Copilot key, of course.

That thinness may come at a cost: the new Blade 16 has a 90Wh battery that it says can charge to 80 percent in about 45 minutes. The fast charging may come in handy; the larger 95.2Wh battery in the Blade 16 we reviewed in 2023 already felt like it wasn’t up to the task. That review unit was also a hot laptop. Razer says it’s using a new thermal gel that covers more interior surface area than the 2023 model.

The 2025 model (top) vs. the thicker 2024 model (bottom).

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

2024 (left) vs. 2025 (right).

The AMD chip it’s using might help things, though. When we tested an Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with that Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU against the same laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, the AMD version ran for three hours longer in non-gaming tasks and put out slightly less heat, though Asus puts a much lower power draw cap on its gaming laptops than Razer does. Naturally, we won’t know how any of that affects the new Blade 16 until we have one in hand to test.

The 2025 Razer Blade 16 is due out in the first quarter of this year. Razer didn’t announce pricing, but you can bet it won’t be cheap.

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Nvidia announces DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide running on a GeForce RTX 5090 at 4K | Image: Nvidia

Nvidia is revealing a big upgrade to its Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology today. DLSS 4 will include new neural rendering capabilities that, on systems with the new RTX 50 Series GPUs, can do Multi Frame Generation, generating “up to three additional frames per traditionally rendered frame, working in unison with the complete suite of DLSS technologies to multiply frame rates by up to 8X over traditional brute-force rendering.”

According to Nvidia, that’s a big enough upgrade to make 4K 240fps, fully ray-traced gaming possible. Also, in an upgrade that will work on all GeForce RTX GPUs, DLSS games with Ray Reconstruction, Super Resolution, and DLAA can be updated to new transformer AI models that use the same tech as AI tools like ChatGPT.

Nvidia says its new frame generation model is 40 percent faster and uses 30 percent less VRAM than the old one.

Here’s a slide showing which features are available on which series of RTX GPUs:

Image: Nvidia

DLSS 4 arrives more than two years after Nvidia introduced DLSS 3 with Frame Generation to boost performance in a variety of games. Nvidia then introduced DLSS 3.5 in August 2023 with an AI-powered Ray Reconstruction technique to improve the quality of ray tracing and introduce path tracing (full ray tracing) in select titles. In August last year, Nvidia revealed it now has more than 600 games and applications with RTX support.

At launch, Nvidia says there will be 75 games and apps that support Multi Frame Generation, with A_lan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle_, and Star Wars Outlaws supporting it when RTX 50 Series GPUs launch.

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Nvidia announces next-gen RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs

Image: Nvidia

Nvidia is officially announcing its RTX 50-series GPUs today. After months of leaks and rumors, the next-generation RTX Blackwell GPUs are now official, and there are four of them on the way.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed the RTX 50-series GPUs during a CES keynote this evening, announcing a $1,999 RTX 5090, a $999 RTX 5080, a $749 RTX 5070 Ti, and a $549 RTX 5070. Nvidia’s new RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs will both be available on January 30th, with the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 to follow.

Image: Nvidia

Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs.

The RTX 50-series GPUs include a new design for the Founders Edition, with just two double flow-through fans, a 3D vapor chamber, and GDDR7 memory. Surprisingly, the RTX 5090 Founders Edition will be a two-slot GPU and will be capable of fitting inside small form factor PCs.

The RTX 5090 has 32GB of GDDR7, a memory bandwidth of 1,792GB/sec, and a massive 21,760 CUDA cores. This all adds up to a GPU that Nvidia says will be two times faster than the RTX 4090, thanks to DLSS 4 and the Blackwell architecture.

Nvidia demonstrated Cyberpunk 2077 running on an RTX 5090 with DLSS 4 at 238fps compared to 106fps on an RTX 4090 with DLSS 3.5. Both GPUs are running the game with full ray tracing enabled.

The RTX 5080 is designed to be twice as fast as the RTX 4080 and will include 16GB of GDDR7 memory, a memory bandwidth of 960GB/sec, and 10,752 CUDA cores. Nvidia is promising big performance gains with the RTX 5080 over the previous RTX 4080 model as a result.

Image: Nvidia

Nvidia’s RTX 5080 performance promises.

Nvidia is also launching an RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070. The RTX 5070 Ti includes 16GB of GDDR7 memory, a memory bandwidth of 896GB/s, and 8,960 CUDA cores. The RTX 5070 has 12GB of GDDR7, a memory bandwidth of 672 GB/sec, and 6,144 CUDA cores. Nvidia says the RTX 4070 Ti will be 2x faster than the RTX 4070 Ti, and the RTX 5070 should be twice as fast as the RTX 4070.

Nvidia is also bringing its RTX 50-series to laptops, with the RTX 5090 laptop GPU debuting with 24GB of GDDR7 memory. The RTX 5080 laptop GPU will ship with 16GB of GDDR7 memory, the RTX 5070 Ti with 12GB of GDDR7 memory, and the RTX 5070 with just 8GB of GDDR7 memory. RTX 50-series laptops will be available starting in March from a variety of PC makers.

Image: Nvidia

RTX 50-series laptops are coming in March.

Huang demonstrated Nvidia’s RTX Blackwell GPUs with a real-time rendering demo at the beginning of the company’s CES keynote today. The demo included new RTX Neural Materials, RTX Neural Faces, text to animation, and even DLSS 4. “The new generation of DLSS can generate beyond frames, it can predict the future,” says Huang. “We used GeForce to enable AI, and now AI is revolutionizing GeForce.”

Nvidia’s new RTX Neural Shaders can be used to compress textures in games, while RTX Neural Faces aim to improve face quality using generative AI. The next generation of DLSS includes Multi Frame Generation, which generates up to three additional frames per traditional frame and can multiply frame rates by up to 8x over traditional rendering, according to Nvidia.

DLSS 4 also includes a real-time application of transformers to improve image quality, reduce ghosting, and add higher detail in motion.

Nvidia’s RTX 50-series announcement comes more than two years after the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 were announced, based on Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace architecture. Nvidia’s RTX 40-series of GPUs focused on improving ray tracing with Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) version 3, and the RTX 4090 delivered some truly impressive performance gains over the previous RTX 3090 GPU.

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Eufy’s new robovac transforms into a handheld vacuum

The Eufy E20 might be the first robovac that cleans more than just floors. | Image: Eufy

Eufy is making it easier to splurge on a robot vacuum with a new model that can clean more than just your floors. The Eufy 3-in-1 E20 has a unique design that transforms from an autonomous robovac to a manual stick or handheld vacuum by removing a unit containing the motor, dust bin, and battery and then attaching other cleaning accessories.

The E20 is available for preorder starting today for $499.99 through Eufy’s website with a $50 discount. It will officially be available starting on February 10th through additional retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy, for its full price of $549.99.

Image: Eufy

The vacuum’s motor, dust bin, and battery are contained in a single unit that can be inserted into a robot vacuum, which adds lasers and a brush head.

In robovac mode, the E20 has 8,000Pa of suction power and a runtime of up to 180 minutes from a battery that takes 2.5 hours to fully charge. It lacks floor-mopping capabilities but features a spinning brush with “anti-tangle comb teeth” to help reduce hair getting tangled around it, similar to the Eufy X10 Pro Omni.

Image: Eufy

The E20’s compact dock charges and empties the robovac’s dust bin and has enough capacity for up to 75 days of cleanings.

Instead of cameras, the E20 uses a set of three lasers (located on the top, front, and side of the robot) that Eufy says can detect and avoid “obstacles as small as 15mm,” even in the dark. When it needs a charge, the E20 will return to its included base station, where its 350mL dustbin is automatically emptied into a filtered bag that has enough capacity for an estimated 75 days of cleanings.

Image: Eufy

In stick vacuum mode, the E20 has almost four times the suction power as it does in robot mode.

In handheld mode, the E20’s suction power jumps to 30,000Pa for getting off-the-floor areas a robovac can’t access like furniture. It can also be used as a manual floor vacuum for tackling messes that may need a few back-and-forth passes to get clean or for tidying other floors in a home where the robot doesn’t roam.

The robot includes built-in storage for a small crevice tool, but the rest of the E20’s accessories, including a powered brush head, can be stored on an optional wall-mounted hanger that doesn’t necessarily need to be installed near the base station — you can hide it away in a closet. That approach helps keep the E20’s charging dock compact and discreet.

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Anker’s solar umbrella uses next-gen perovskite cells to keep a longer charge

Not sure what’s less realistic: this usage scenario or the shadows in this image. | Image: Anker

You’ve seen EcoFlow’s hat with integrated solar panels — now meet Anker’s more practical Solix Solar Beach Umbrella, fitted with a new generation of perovskite solar cells. It can produce up to 100W of total output from XT-60 and USB-C connections, which could keep Anker’s new battery-powered Solix EverFrost 2 Electric Cooler running indefinitely in sunny environments.

Perovskite is a new type of solar cell that can outperform the silicon-based cells found in most of today’s solar panels in almost every way. Anker claims its perovskite cells offer “30 percent better performance than crystalline silicon solar cells in bright light, and double the efficiency in low light.”

The silicon-based solar cells shipping today in consumer panels currently max out at around 24 percent efficiency, with a theoretical efficiency near 30 percent. Solar panels that layer a perovskite film on top of a silicon base can absorb even more light — perovskite cells can be optimized at the blue end of the light spectrum while silicon cells harvest energy on the red end — to reach solar conversion efficiencies of up to 43 percent. That’s a step change in how we harvest energy from the sun. Notably, perovskite can be made from low-cost materials that are widely available.

Image: Anker

The solar umbrella keeping a phone charged over USB-C.

A UK-based company called Oxford PV announced in September that it had already started the “world’s first” commercial sales of solar panels using perovskite-on-silicon cells, boasting a 24.5 percent efficiency, with improvements on the horizon.

Unfortunately, Anker isn’t offering any details on the origins of its “perovskite solar cells,” despite us reaching out with questions. That leaves a lot of unknowns around things like conversion efficiencies and life expectancy — the latter being a historical problem for perovskite. We also don’t know the weight of the umbrella. We do know that the folding Solix Solar Beach Umbrella stands just over seven feet (215cm) tall with a six-foot, two-inch (190cm) diameter. It also has an IP67 rating, so it should hold up to blowing sand and rain.

There’s still time for Anker to answer our questions, since the solar umbrella won’t ship before summer 2025 for an undetermined price.

Image: Anker

Image: Anker

Image: Anker

Image: Anker

Two removable batteries with ports that can also charge your USB-A and USB-C gadgets.

We know a lot more about Anker’s new Solix EverFrost 2 Electric Cooler, available in 23L, 40L, and 58L models. The rugged (IPX3) unit features six-inch wheels — large enough to roll over semi-rough terrain (small stones and rough gravel) — and a fold-down tray that can also be used as a handle. However, only the 58L model includes two independent compartments to create a dual-zone fridge and freezer.

Anker claims it’s the first from this class of portable fridges to use air-cooled refrigeration instead of direct cooling. That will likely make it noisier and less power-efficient than competing models from EcoFlow and Bluetti, while having the advantage of improved temperature uniformity, faster cooldown, and no need to manually defrost the thing.

The Solix EverFrost 2 can provide up to 104 hours of cooling from a pair of detachable 288Wh LFP batteries — and half that with a single battery. The batteries can also be removed to function as power banks, with 60W USB-C and 12W USB-A jacks to charge your gadgets. The batteries can be charged off 100W of solar input, a 12V car socket, an AC wall jack, or USB-C connection.

Prices are set at $699 (23L), $749 (40L), and $999 (58L), with preorders for the 40L and 58L models starting on February 21st before shipping a few weeks later. The tiny 23L model is slated to launch in Q2.

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Eureka’s new robot vac can tackle wet messes

The J15 Max Ultra uses infrared technology to identify wet messes and clean them without damaging the robot. | Image: Eureka

Most robot vacuum mops can tackle mopping your floors and maybe scrub up a dried-on stain, but let them trundle through a puddle of spilled milk or juice, and they’re likely to smear the liquid around. If they do suck any up, it could seriously damage the robot’s internals — robot vacuums are not wet / dry vacs.

Robot vacuum manufacturer Eureka claims to have solved this problem with its new J15 Max Ultra ($1,299). According to the company, this robot vacuum and mop, debuting at CES 2025, can accurately spot liquids and automatically rotate its body to tackle wet spills with its mopping pads.

“The J15 Max Ultra adds an infrared vision system to the robot vac, so it can detect the 3D structure of anything in front of it no matter what the lighting is,” Yuan Ruan, PR manager of Midea Group, which owns Eureka, told The Verge in an interview. This allows it to spot and react to liquid spills, both clear and colored. In addition to mopping first, it also raises its roller brush to avoid sucking any liquid into the bin.

A video from Eureka demonstrating how the robot vacuum tackles wet spills.

While most people aren’t likely to leave wet puddles on their floors — grabbing some paper towel to soak it up only takes a few seconds — it’s feasible that a pet might leave a wet mess while you’re not home. This type of advancement in the capabilities of a robot vacuum to react to what it’s cleaning and adjust appropriately is encouraging.

Over the past few years, high-end robot vacuums have gotten smarter about identifying and reacting to specific objects — such as cables, solid pet waste, and socks — using cameras and computer vision.

Models from companies like iRobot and Roborock can determine what to do based on the type of object they spot. So, rather than simply avoid an object, they will adapt how they clean if they spot certain items. For example, if it’s a pet bowl or kitty litter tray, get close and increase the suction; if it’s a Christmas tree or potted plant, approach with care.

Image: Eureka

The Eureka J15 Max Ultra is the company’s newest flagship robot vacuum and mop.

Eureka’s new liquid spotting ability builds on this type of intelligence. Eventually, we’ll get to the point where robot vacuums can accurately identify most items in our homes and clean them similar to how we would.

Eureka’s smarts are powered by its new IntelliView AI 2.0 technology, which adds IR vision to the robot’s lidar navigation system and uses computer vision to help it decide how to clean what it sees or if it should avoid it.

Image: Eureka

The J15 can lift its chassis up to 1.57 inches (40mm) to get over transitions and high-pile rugs.

The Eureka J15 Max Ultra is an upgrade to the J15 Pro Ultra ($999.99), which can identify colored liquids but not clear or white ones. The Max also features a new extendable side brush that can reach out into corners (a feature first seen in the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra). It also adds increased suction power — up to 22,000Pa from 16,500Pa — increased battery capacity, and a threshold crossing height of up to 40mm.

Both models feature Eureka’s FlexiRazor tech that uses razors inside the robot’s brush system to cut out tangles and dual spinning mop pads that can extend into corners and edges and light up when they detect carpet. The J15 line also has auto-empty base stations that can refill the mopping tank and wash and dry the robot’s mop pads with hot water and air.

The company also introduced the more affordable J15 Ultra to its lineup at CES. The $799 model has most of the same features as the $1,000 J15 Pro Ultra, including the ability to detect colored liquids, but with an increased 19,000Pa of suction power. It will be available in March 2025. The J15 Max Ultra will be available in June 2025.

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Anker’s new wall charger has ports on the bottom to help it stay plugged in

Anker’s new wall charger relocates the charging ports and introduces a display showing the power output for each one. | Image: Anker

Anker has announced a new 140W wall charger at CES 2025 with a design that positions four USB ports on the underside to improve its center of gravity and help it stay plugged in with cables attached. It’s also Anker’s first wall charger with a built-in screen displaying each port’s power output.

The Anker Charger (140W) with display will be available starting on January 7th, 2025, for $89.99. The wall charger debuts alongside the new Anker 25K Power Bank, a 25,000mAh power bank with a retractable 27.2-inch USB-C cable and a screen offering similar charging info, priced at $99.99.

Anker’s previous solution to its heavier GaN chargers (that did have a tendency to fall out of outlets) was to introduce a smaller design with thicker, textured prongs offering more grip. With four USB ports — three USB-C and one USB-A — the new design could work even better while also charging four devices simultaneously. The only downside is that the repositioned ports could make it more difficult to plug in devices in the dark of night.

Two of the charger’s USB-C ports can deliver up to 140W of power, while the third maxes out at 40W and the USB-A is limited to 33W. Those speeds will be reduced with all four USB ports in use. The integrated display, located where the USB ports have traditionally been found on Anker’s chargers, will show how much power each USB port is drawing as well as the remaining power available if all four aren’t in use.

Image: Anker

Anker’s new 25,000mAh power bank has two integrated USB-C cables, including one that’s over two feet long and fully retracts.

Anker says its new 25,000mAh power bank is about the size of a soda can and can deliver a total of up to 165W of power across three USB-C ports and a single USB-A port, or up to 100W to a single USB-C port for fast-charging laptops. The power bank’s display shows how much power is being drawn by the devices connected to each port.

Two of the power bank’s USB-C ports have integrated charging cables: an external 8.6-inch cord that transforms into a carrying strap and a 27.2-inch cord that fully retracts, so you’ll never find yourself without one.

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Sony Announces Helldivers And Horizon Zero Dawn Movies

Sony has big Hollywood plans for its hit gaming franchises. The PlayStation 5 maker announced a series of new movie spin-offs at CES 2025 this week, including movie versions of Helldivers 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as an anime spin-off of Ghost of Tsushima.

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HBO's The Last Of Us Season 2 Gets New Trailer And Surprise April Release Date

HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us returns for season 2 in just a few months. Sony revealed the hit horror game will be back on TV with fresh episodes beginning in April and dropped a new trailer for fans to pore over in the meantime.

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Sony is working on Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2 movies

Image: Chris Welch / The Verge

During its CES 2025 keynote, PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash and Screen Gems president Ashley Brucks explained how Sony plans to keep expanding its IP after adaptations of The Last of Us, Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, and Uncharted.

They announced that Sony Pictures is working on a film adaptation of last year’s hit Helldivers 2, while Columbia Pictures and PlayStation Productions are in “early stages” of developing a Horizon Zero Dawn movie. After an attempt at turning it into a Netflix series fell apart, the HZD movie will, like the game, tell the main character Aloy’s origin story in a fallen futuristic world, but that is all of the information we have about them for now.

Earlier in the presentation, execs also announced that Crunchyroll and Aniplex are teaming up to create an anime series based on Ghost of Tsushima.

Finally, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann took the stage and presented a clip from The Last of Us season 2, which will arrive on Max in April.

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Reblogged by kornel ("Kornel"):

mattrambles@t00t.cloud ("Matt Stein") wrote:

Next free idea: e-reader with bellows, so you can roughly feel when you’ve got one of those long ones to get through.

Since I know you’re going to ask: yes—it makes a wheezing, honking sound if you collapse it quickly for travel and/or amusement.

Attachments:

• Crude marker drawing of an e-ink reader with bellows attached to the back, along with illustrative side views of Murderbot (flat) and Moby Dick (expanded). (remote)

The Last of Us season 2 will premiere in April

The Last of Us will return to HBO and Max this April. Series creative director, Neil Druckmann, announced the premiere of the show’s second season onstage at CES this evening alongside a short teaser for the new season. A specific premiere date wasn’t given.

The show’s first season wrapped up in March 2023, so it’ll be more than two years between seasons by the time the new one debuts. The Last of Us’ first season was very well-received — particularly for a video game adaptation — so expectations are high for the show’s return.

This season is supposed to cover a portion of the second game, with the full story being split across two or more seasons, according to an interview last year with the show’s creators. “We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too,” showrunner Craig Mazin told Deadline.

Alongside the return of The Last of Us, Sony also announced plans to bring several other PlayStation titles to the screen. Ghost of Tsushima is being adapted into an anime series, and both Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2 are being made into films.

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There’s a new contender for budget smartwatch king

The Amazfit Active 2 may only be $100–$130, but it’s a good-lookin’ budget watch.

Amazfit may not be a household name, but it’s been crushing it in the budget smartwatch space for a long time. And at CES 2025, the company is trying to outdo itself with the $99 Amazfit Active 2.

I was a big fan of the company’s GTR 4 watch — it wasn’t a looker, but it packed in an incredible amount of value for $200. I liked it so much that it’s sat comfortably as the top overall pick in our fitness tracker buying guide for two years. Compared to that watch, the Active 2 has even more functionality for half that price.

It’s got a bright 2,000 nit OLED display, upgraded health sensors, revamped heart rate and sleep algorithms, and the Zepp Flow AI assistant. There’s also a smarter strength training mode that can auto-detect sets, reps, and rest, offline maps with turn-by-turn directions, and personalized training plans via the Zepp Coach integration. For people with periods, there’s also a mini app in collaboration with Wild.AI, which delivers diet and exercise recommendations based on hormonal and menstrual cycles throughout a person’s life (i.e., reproductive years, perimenopause, and menopause). The watch also works in tandem with the company’s recently launched Helio smart ring, similar to how the Samsung Galaxy Ring optimizes sensor accuracy with its Galaxy Watches. European users will also get contactless payments via Zepp Pay, a feature that was notably missing from the GTR 4.

The display gets up to 2,000 nits of brightness.

You almost never find this kind of feature set for under $250. It’s bonkers that you can get it for $100.

Amazfit’s Active line, which launched last year, effectively replaces its popular GTR lineup (though you can still easily find GTR 4 models online). Style-wise, you can see that in how the Active 2 switches from the original Active’s square, Apple Watch-esque design to a more classic 44mm round watchface. The standard model comes with a tempered glass screen, stainless steel case, and a 20mm silicone sport band. The premium model costs $129 and upgrades the screen to a more durable sapphire glass and includes an additional leather strap. Compared to the Active, the Active 2 also adds more advanced hardware like a barometer, a gyroscope, and an ambient light sensor. Battery life isn’t quite as good, dropping to 10 days with normal use compared to 14 days. (That said, 10 days is still impressive compared to the competition.)

I wish the touchscreen were a little more responsive, but that’s been my only real complaint so far.

On paper, the Active 2 feels like it ought to have some kind of catch. However, I’ve been wearing the premium Active 2 for the last few days, and it’s quite nice. So far, performance has been zippy, it’s lightweight on the wrist, and I’ve already gotten several compliments from coworkers. Sometimes budget devices can look chintzy, and while no one would mistake the Active 2 for a luxury watch, it doesn’t look or feel as cheap as a $100–$150 smartwatch could. I’m still testing out the health and fitness features, but so far, it’s held up well on a handful of treadmill runs, and in the last three days, I’ve only used about 25 percent battery. I wish the touchscreen were a bit more responsive, but it’s nothing too egregious thus far. It’s too early for me to make a definitive call on the Active 2, but so far, it’s looking like it could be a compelling option for folks who want a simpler smartwatch without breaking the bank.

The Active 2 is available for preorder in the US now and will launch globally in February.

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Sony’s Xyn is a prototype VR headset for making 3D games and movies

Image: Sony

Sony is launching the Xyn (pronounced zin), an “extended reality” headset for creating 3D objects for films, animation, and games. The device, which Sony first teased at CES last year, will come with 4K OLED displays, video passthrough, and support for third-party design, modeling, and production software.

Based on the video shared by Sony, it looks like wearers will be able to flip up the headset when they’re not using it. It doesn’t appear to come with the ring and pointer that Sony showed off last year, though.

Alongside the headset, Sony revealed Xyn Motion Studio, an accompanying Windows app that supports up to 12 Mocopi sensors, its wireless motion-tracking system that V-Tubers and other creators often use to control virtual avatars. The software comes with motion-editing features, allowing creators to trim and merge motions, as well as adjust time and position.

There’s also a prototype of a “spatial capture solution,” which is supposed to transform images of real objects and spaces into “photorealistic” 3D computer-generated assets using Sony’s algorithm. One year out from Sony’s initial teaser, and details are still pretty slim on what exactly this headset will be capable of, aside from viewing and interacting with 3D objects.

Sony is planning to release its Xyn Motion Studio software in late March 2025, but there still isn’t any word on the availability or pricing of its headset.

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This toaster-looking gadget boosts your phone’s battery in seconds

Not an actual toaster.

I didn’t have “phone toaster” on my CES bingo card, but here we are. Swippitt is a unique solution to the problem of keeping your phone battery charged up, and it promises a life where you basically never have to plug your phone into a charger again. But it’ll cost you.

To be clear, there isn’t an actual toaster involved. Swippitt — which rhymes with “whip it,” and I’m sorry you have that song stuck in your head now — includes a system of interchangeable batteries that fit into specially designed phone cases. You use your phone like normal, and the extra battery charges your phone through a power connector integrated into the case — much like plenty of other battery cases on the market.

Swippitt’s Link phone case holds a battery in place while it’s in use and allows it to be swapped when placed in the hub.

But instead of having to recharge the external battery, you swap it out. To change the battery out for a new one, you insert your phone, case and all, into the Swippitt Hub, which is the toaster-looking bit. Inside the hub, a fully charged battery is swapped into your case, the old one is retained to recharge, and your phone is ready to go with a fresh external battery. The whole thing happens within seconds. The demo unit I saw was pretty noisy about it all, but I’m told final production models will have much better sound dampening.

Each external battery provides an extra 3,500mAh, which is roughly 50 to 90 percent extra charge, depending on the size of your phone’s battery. That power is available immediately to begin charging your phone, or if you’re topping off a battery that’s not super low, it can sit in reserve until needed. An accompanying app lets you set lots of different parameters — things like limiting the charging of your phone’s battery to 80 percent to extend its lifespan, dictating certain times of day to charge your phone, that kind of thing.

Because it uses a mechanical process to swap external batteries, Swippitt works with any phone as long as there’s a case designed for it. That way, a single hub can serve a whole household of people with different phone models. At launch, it will offer cases for the iPhone 14, 15, and 16 series, and the company plans to expand with Samsung Galaxy S series cases by the end of 2025. The company’s CEO and founder Padraic Connolly tells me that they’ve designed it with some wiggle room to keep the hub and batteries all compatible even if phones (groan) continue getting bigger in the coming years.

This all clicked for me when I realized that Swippitt isn’t just selling a silly charging gadget — it’s selling a life where you never have to plug your phone into a charger again. Who wouldn’t want that? But this vision of an untethered future comes at a price: $450 for the hub, which contains five batteries, and a phone case with a battery included is $120. The company is running some introductory promos, including 30 percent off your entire purchase if you order in January, as well as another $100 off as a kind of CES special. Swippitt expects the system to start shipping in June 2025.

Still, you could buy a whole bunch of nice MagSafe chargers for that kind of money. But what Swippitt offers is a tidier solution, one you don’t really have to think about. For some people, that kind of convenience might be worth the price. The rest of us will probably have to keep our phone chargers for now.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge

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Sony and Honda’s Afeela electric car will start at $89,900

Image: Chris Welch / The Verge

Afeela is starting to become a little bit more than just a feeling. The electric vehicle that’s a joint venture between Sony and Honda is finally available for preorder. And it only took five years to get here.

At its press conference at CES today, Sony Honda Mobility announced pricing and preorder details for Afeela 1. The vehicle will come in two trims: the $89,900 Afeela 1 Origin and the $102,900 Afeela 1 Signature. Both prices include a complimentary three-year subscription to a variety of in-car features, including the company’s Level 2+ driver assist and an AI-powered personal assistant.

Preorders start today, and interested buyers who live in California — and apparently only California — can plunk down a refundable $200 deposit to get in line to buy one. It’s unclear if and when Afeela will be available to the other 49 states.

We’re also getting some new specs, including up to 300 miles of EPA-estimated range, and built in support for Tesla’s Supercharger network. The only paint option appears to be “Core Black.” The pricier Signature trim will start deliveries in 2026, while customers will have to wait until 2027 for the less expensive Origin.

The latest version of the prototype, which Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno described as “near final,” still looks like a mashup of a Tesla with the Lucid Air, with short overhangs and a long wheelbase.

It boasts screens across the width of the dashboard, 40 sensors and cameras for semi-autonomous driving assistance, all-wheel drive, and hints at augmented reality integration and “virtual worlds” embedded into the driving experience. As a result, Sony’s first foray into the automotive sector is designed to compete with some of the top players in the luxury EV space.

Mizuno demonstrated one of the more advanced features when he summoned the vehicle on stage by speaking the voice command “Come on out, Afeela” into his phone. (He also said it was a “tech demo for this showcase,” so it’s a little unclear whether voice commands will become a production feature.)

A lot has changed since Sony first rolled out its Vision concept in 2020: demand for EVs in the US spiked, then flatlined, and now has basically stabilized; the Biden administration rolled out generous incentives for EV buyers, but they’ll likely get eliminated by the incoming Trump administration; and China has emerged as the world’s dominant EV producer. That last fact has recently spurred Honda to initiate a merger with Nissan in the hopes of better competing with Chinese companies on EVs.

And now the Afeela, with its sleek sedan looks and plethora of interior touchscreens, is moving steadily closer to becoming a real car that you can really buy.

The preorder details aren’t all we’re getting from Sony Honda Mobility this week. Tomorrow, the company will hold another press conference to outline the customer experience of shopping for and owning an Afeela.

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The National Zoo's giant pandas make the most of DC's snow

The two giant pandas were seen on camera playing around in the snowfall that blanketed much of the Midwest and mid-Atlantic on Monday.

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Meta taps Trump ally and UFC CEO Dana White to join its board

White's election as a Meta director two weeks before Trump takes office comes as Silicon Valley is courting the incoming administration.

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First bird flu death reported in the U.S., according to the CDC

Health officials in Louisiana say a person there has died after catching bird flu. This marks the first reported death in the U.S. from the virus during the current outbreak.

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slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:

Seems my perf.now() talk is now un-paywalled:

https://youtu.be/0XwWVjQOmyg?si=47K_hMsMJssonxLi

I've come to the conclusion that all of my punch-pulling for the past ~decade has only served to aid and abet folks selling lemons. This is a gloves-off enunciation of why making websites that feel good to use isn't charity, and why those of us who make a living on the web need to care.

The best stuff we’ve seen at CES so far

Photo by Owen Grove / The Verge

The show floor of the biggest tech event of the year hasn’t even opened yet, but CES 2025 has already delivered a long list of new gadgets, tech, concepts, and AI-powered devices tempting you to upgrade.

It’s a lot to keep up with, so we’ll help you catch up. Below are some of the standout gadgets of the show so far. Of course, there’s still a lot more out there and a lot more to go. You can catch up on all of The Verge’s coverage of the show here.

Roborock Saros Z70

Photo by Owen Grove / The Verge

The ability for most robovacs to thoroughly clean a floor can be stymied by random objects left lying on the ground. Roborock’s new Saros Z70’s solution to that problem is an articulated five-axis robot arm called the OmniGrip that can pick up after its owners and move obstacles out of its way. It’s limited to smaller items like socks, tissues, or anything weighing less than 300 grams, but the company plans to eventually expand what it can grasp. Pricing isn’t known, but Roborock says the Saros Z70 will be available by June 2025.

Samsung The Frame Pro TV

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Samsung’s The Frame TV appealed to many consumers with an aesthetically pleasing design and the ability to camouflage itself as a piece of art in a home’s decor. The Frame Pro further expands the TV’s appeal to more discerning TV viewers with a variation on Mini LED display technology, the matte finish introduced in 2022, and a wireless connection to its breakout box so all you need to hide is a power cord.

Halliday smart glasses

Image: Halliday

With the success of the Meta Ray-Bans, it’s no surprise that several companies are debuting smart glasses at CES 2025. Halliday’s new enhanced specs, which are expected to ship “by the end of Q1 2025” and cost between $399 and $499, are differentiated with the addition of a small screen on the frame. The “DigiWindow” appears as a 3.5-inch private display in the upper-right corner of your vision and is controlled using voice commands, an interface on the frame, or a smart ring with an integrated trackpad.

Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED monitor

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Dell’s new 32-inch 4K OLED display uses an infrared sensor and five speakers located below the screen to track your head and beam sound directly to your ears. The feature eliminates the need to keep your head positioned in a sweet spot for optimal sound, and it could be ideal for gamers who are constantly moving around in the heat of battle. The monitor also features a 120Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, and will launch in the US on May 22nd, 2025, for $799.99.

Wonder plant and insect camera

Bird Buddy is moving on to smaller flying creatures of the outdoors. The company behind the stylish smart bird feeders is introducing a playfully designed camera for tracking your plants and the insect visitors that stop by them. You’ll be able to view a livestream from your phone, while an optional solar panel can keep the 4K camera running. It’s supposed to launch on Kickstarter this spring.

Mirumi

Image: Yukai Engineering

Mirumi is a robot that you might actually want to own. It’s a furry, bashful companion bot that clings to a bag and looks adorable. It doesn’t have AI tricks and doesn’t even make noise. Like my colleague Owen Grove said in a video: “It’s just a cute fuzzy thing. What more do you want?” It will be available through a crowdfunding campaign that’s set to launch in mid-2025.

Acer Nitro Blaze 11

Image: Acer

How big is too big for a handheld gaming machine? The answer might be Acer’s new Nitro Blaze 11 featuring a beefy 10.95-inch 144 Hz WQXGA touch display that makes it look like you’re holding a small monitor instead of a portable console. It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen 8040HS processor, 16GB of RAM, and has detachable controllers with Hall effect joysticks. It’s also got a built-in kickstand so you don’t have to strain your arms by always playing it handheld. It will be available starting in Q2 2025 and start at $1,099.99.

Belkin Stage PowerGrip

Image: Belkin

Your smartphone may take great pictures, but it lacks the refined ergonomics of a traditional camera. Belkin’s new Stage PowerGrip addresses that issue and battery anxiety. It’s a MagSafe power bank with a 10,000mAh battery, a retractable USB-C cable, and a design that adds a camera-like grip to the iPhone. It’s even got a physical shutter button that works with the iOS camera app over Bluetooth and a small LCD screen on the front showing the battery’s remaining charge. Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but the PowerGrip will come in several color options.

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CFPB sues Berkshire Hathaway-owned mortgage lender for alleged predatory practices

The CFPB says that Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, ignored evidence that borrowers couldn't afford loans to buy manufactured homes.

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cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:

I rediscovered "Super Cartography Bros." in my collection this afternoon. It has been a refreshing listen on an otherwise subpar Monday.

https://cartography.ocremix.org/

Apple says it will ‘clarify’ AI summaries after botching BBC headlines

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The BBC reports Apple will change how iPhones and other devices display Apple Intelligence-summarized notifications to make it clearer to users when its AI tech has adjusted the words. Not long after the still-in-beta feature launched in the UK in December, the news organization complained about how it rewrote a headline about the UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect, incorrectly suggesting that the BBC reported Luigi Mangione shot himself.

Since then, according to the BBC, Apple’s summaries had incorrectly rewritten notifications from its app to name a PDC World Darts Championship winner before the event even started and falsely claiming that Rafael Nadal revealed himself as gay. “These AI summarisations by Apple do not reflect – and in some cases completely contradict – the original BBC content,” writes the outlet.

The BBC reports that Apple said in a statement, “A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence.”

Apple Intelligence has had its funny moments, but there have also been some shocking failures, like summarizing a text message saying “that hike almost killed me” as “attempted suicide.”

Apple told the BBC that receiving summaries is optional. If you want to exercise that option, you can disable the feature or alter what apps use it by going to Settings > Notifications > Summarize Notifications.

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The best robot vacuums

Image: The Verge

Floor-sweeping robots are only getting better, with new mopping skills, better navigation chops, and more automation, meaning less work for you. We picked the best bots you can buy right now.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung’s next Unpacked event sets a date to reveal the Galaxy S25

Image: Samsung

Samsung has announced that it will hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on January 22nd in San Jose, California. Samsung will stream the event on YouTube, its website, and its newsroom page. According to its invitation, the company is preparing to introduce its next Galaxy S devices, along with new Galaxy AI features.

Rumors have suggested Samsung’s next phones will include a redesigned Galaxy S25 Ultra with more rounded corners, bringing it visually more in line with its lower-tier phones while still keeping marquee features like the Galaxy S Pen. There are also rumors that a Galaxy “Slim” phone is in the works, though that’s not expected until later in the year.

Finally, the rumor mill suggests that Samsung is adding Qi2 wireless charging to the Galaxy S25 line but wouldn’t put magnets in the phones, relying on magnetic cases instead. Earlier Monday, the Wireless Power Consortium quoted Samsung saying it’s supporting Qi 2 with new Galaxy devices this year while introducing “Qi2 Ready,” a special certification for phones needing a magnetic case to fully support the standard.

If you know you’re going to upgrade to some flavor of Galaxy S25 phone, the company is offering $50 credits if you reserve a spot in line to preorder it.

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Pentagon agrees to settle historic lawsuit with LGBTQ+ veterans over discharge status

The Pentagon has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit involving about 35,000 LGBTQ+ veterans that will help them get benefits like health care and disability.

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32 dolphins have died since an oil spill near southern Russia, experts say

A dolphin rescue center said most of the dead dolphins were from the endangered Azov species.

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Dana White is joining Meta’s board of directors

Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg attend the UFC 300 event at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Meta is adding three new people to its board of directors, and one of them is UFC president and CEO Dana White, the company announced on Monday. Zuckerberg is a fan of MMA who has medaled in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and tore his ACL in a sparring session a little over a year ago.

As shown above, the Meta CEO has attended several UFC fights over the last few years and shared a picture with White on Instagram in February, as noted by Bloomberg, and White was mediating the proposed Zuckerberg vs. Musk cage match at one point. White also has a personal relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, who Zuckerberg met with at his Mar-a-Lago resort after Trump threatened “if [Zuckerberg] does anything illegal this time he will spend the rest of his life in prison—as will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election” in a book released last September.

In a Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg said of White, “I’ve admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”

White maintained control of that brand after a New Year’s Eve incident two years ago where he was captured on camera slapping his wife in a nightclub, as reported by The Athletic. Afterward, White said, “There’s no defense for this and people should not be defending me over this thing no matter what... I have to walk around for however long I live — 10.4 years or another 25 years — and this is how I’m labeled now.”

John Elkann, CEO of European investment company Exor (which has stakes in companies like Ferrari and Stellantis), and Charlie Songhurst, a technology investor and former Microsoft executive, will be joining Meta’s board as well.

Meta now has 13 people on its board. “We have massive opportunities ahead in AI, wearables, and the future of social media, and our board will help us achieve our vision,” Zuckerberg says.

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Reblogged by jwz:

MissingThePt ("Missing The Point") wrote:

Breaking: House Chamber of U.S. Capitol sign "Number of Presidential Elections Since Last Attempt to Use Violence to Impede the Certification of Electoral Votes" is changed to "1."

Reblogged by jwz:

GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social ("Kevin Beaumont") wrote:

Exactly one week between these two tweets.

Attachments:

• 6d70e2fe3b53f588.jpeg (remote)
• f591bb4c66503957.jpeg (remote)

NBC’s Grimm series is being reborn as a Peacock movie

NBC

Between Nosferatu and Wolf Man, it feels like Hollywood has come back around on good, old fashioned monster movies. And it seems like Peacock wants in on the action with a feature-length reboot of the long-dead Grimm series.

Variety reports that Peacock is moving forward with a new film based on Grimm, Stephen Carpenter, Jim Kouf, and David Greenwalt’s 2011 series about a Portland cop who discovers that he’s one of the chosen few meant to defend humanity from monsters. Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva) is attached to write the movie as well as co-executive produce with Kouf and Greenwalt.

In its original run, Grimm ran for six seasons that saw Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) become a formidable Grimm (the show’s lingo for monster hunters) alongside his human partner Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby) and werewolf ally Munroe (Silas Weir Mitchell). Peacock has yet to announce details about the movie’s plot or whether any members of Grimm’s original cast members might return. But given that this isn’t the first time NBC has flirted with the idea of resurrecting the IP, it feels pretty safe to say this time around, Grimm’s definitely coming back to the small screen.

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The Sonic Movies Have Now Made Over A Billion Dollars

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hit theaters late last month and has already grossed more than $300 million worldwide, pushing the film series based on Sega’s popular video games past the one-billion mark and making it one of Paramount’s biggest ongoing franchises.

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A new tax credit for hydrogen helps out nuclear energy

Workers outside the hydrogen production facility at the Constellation Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station in Scriba, New York, on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023. | Photo: Getty Images

The Biden administration finalized rules meant to boost domestic production of hydrogen fuel through a new tax credit, a move that might also keep struggling nuclear power plants on line for longer.

The highly anticipated guidelines stipulate what kinds of hydrogen projects can qualify for the tax credit. Hydrogen combustion releases water vapor instead of greenhouse gas emissions, which is why the Biden administration sees it as a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. But it takes energy to produce hydrogen, and where that energy ought to come from has been contentious.

After a lot of political wrangling, the Biden administration ultimately loosened the rules to include hydrogen made with the help of some existing nuclear power plants. Specifically, nuclear reactors at risk of shuttering because of financial reasons might be able to benefit from the tax credit.

Where that energy ought to come from has been contentious

“The final rule is an important step in the right direction,” Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of the largest nuclear power plant operator in the US, Constellation, said in a press statement. “The final rule allows a significant portion of the existing merchant nuclear fleet to earn credits for hydrogen production.”

The tax credit, called 45V, was established through the Inflation Reduction Act and is worth up to $3 per kilogram of hydrogen production. To qualify, companies have to meet strict requirements to limit pollution.

That’s because whether hydrogen can be considered a clean fuel depends on how it’s made. Today, 95 percent of hydrogen produced in the US is made using gas in a process called steam-methane reforming. Methane is an even more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And steam-methane reforming also produces carbon emissions.

The more climate-friendly alternative is to create hydrogen through electrolysis, splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen using electricity. The electricity would have to come from carbon pollution-free sources like solar and wind farms — or nuclear reactors, of course.

But all the recent hype over hydrogen has sparked concerns that the burgeoning industry might use up too much of America’s still-limited carbon-free electricity supply. The worry is that power grids might try to meet rising electricity demand using gas and coal-fired plants, leading to higher greenhouse gas emissions.

To ease those concerns, the Biden administration proposed rules for the hydrogen tax credit more than a year ago that require companies to get electricity from new sources of clean energy. The hope was that, by doing so, the hydrogen industry might help add more renewable energy to the power grid rather than siphoning off limited resources.

It’s a lot harder to build new nuclear power plants than new solar and wind farms, however. The proposal subsequently faced backlash from the nuclear energy companies saying they wouldn’t be able to benefit from the hydrogen tax credit as a result.

After receiving more than 30,000 comments on the proposal, the Biden administration loosened its guidelines. The Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service released the final rules on Friday. They carve out scenarios in which an existing nuclear power plant at risk of retirement can benefit from the tax credit if it’s used to produce hydrogen and meets certain financial tests.

Constellation opposed any requirements that hydrogen production use electricity from newly built sources in order to qualify for the tax credit. The company is involved in plans to build a major hub for hydrogen production in Illinois, a project awarded funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The final rules also ease requirements for renewable energy and make it easier for developers to qualify for the tax credit in states that already have tough clean electricity standards. There are also new carveouts for hydrogen produced with methane that wafts out of landfills, farms, wastewater facilities, or coal mines that might otherwise escape into the atmosphere. In addition, companies can take advantage of the tax credit if hydrogen is made with electricity from a fossil fuel power plant that installs technology to capture its carbon dioxide emissions.

“The extensive revisions we’ve made in this final rule provide the certainty that hydrogen producers need to keep their projects moving forward and make the United States a global leader in truly green hydrogen,” John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, said in a press release.

Most of America’s nuclear power plants were built in the 1970s or ’80s, and the average age of a nuclear reactor in the US is 42 years old. Construction of the first all-new nuclear reactor in the US in decades finished in 2023 — seven years past its original deadline and $17 billion over budget. Next-generation nuclear reactors are smaller and modular, which is supposed to make them easier and more affordable to build. But those designs aren’t expected to become commercially viable until the 2030s.

The nuclear energy industry has also seen a boom of interest over the past year from tech companies in need of more carbon-free energy for AI data centers. Microsoft inked a deal with Constellation to help restart a retired reactor at Three Mile Island, while Google and Amazon announced plans to support the development of advanced small modular reactors.

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Adrien Brody dedicates Golden Globes win for 'The Brutalist' to his immigrant family

The post-war epic was nominated in several categories. Like Brody's real-life mother, Brody's character is an immigrant from Hungary who fled conflict.

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Toyota’s futuristic Woven City in Japan is ready for its first residents

Image: Toyota

Toyota’s futuristic Woven City, which is being built on the site of a former car factory in Japan, is almost ready for its first residents.

At CES this week, the Japanese auto giant updated the public on the progress of the $10 billion project, which is said to be a “living laboratory” where people can live while also testing out futuristic projects. Toyota said it completed “phase 1” of the construction, with the official launch planned for 2025.

“Woven City is more than just a place to live, work, and play,” Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said during today’s press conference at CES. “Woven City is a place where people can invent and develop all kinds of new products and ideas. It’s a living laboratory where the residents are willing participants, giving inventors the opportunity to freely test their ideas in a secure, real-life setting.”

Toyota first announced Woven City at CES in 2021. At the time, the company said it would be a “prototype city of the future” where it can test autonomous vehicles, innovative street design, smart home technology, robotics, and new mobility products on a population of real people who would live there full time.

Now move-in day is quickly approaching. In fall 2025, Toyota said it will welcome the first 100 residents to Woven City, all of whom will be employees of Toyota or its subsidiary, Woven by Toyota. The community will gradually expand to include “external inventors and their families” who will be invited to relocate to the new city. In total, the first phase of the city will eventually house 360 residents, Toyota says.

Toyota dubs these first residents “Weavers,” adding that they are people who “share a passion for the ‘expansion of mobility’ and a commitment to building a more flourishing society. Through their participation in co-creation activities, Weavers will contribute to realizing the full potential of Woven City.”

That said, the first “inventors” confirmed for Woven City are mostly in the food services business, including a vending machine company and a startup that wants to explore “the potential value of coffee through futuristic cafe experiences.”

Toyoda mentioned several other ideas during his press conference, including high-powered motorized wheelchairs for people with disabilities who want to experience the thrill of racing. He also pitched the idea of a personal drone that follows joggers for added security, and “pet robots” for elderly people.

The Woven City site, which is located at the base of Mount Fuji, includes buildings that are designed by famed Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. The goal, through phase 2 and subsequent phases, is to build enough housing and facilities for up to 2,000 people to live year-around, with utilities powered by the company’s hydrogen fuel cell technology. The site is private for now, though Toyota says it plans on inviting the general public to see it in 2026.

“The potential value of coffee through futuristic cafe experiences”

The name “Woven City” is a reference to weaving together three different types of streets or pathways, each for a specific type of user. One street would be for faster vehicles only. The second would be a mix of lower-speed personal mobility vehicles, like bikes and scooters, as well as pedestrians. And the third would be a park-like promenade for pedestrians only.

It’s still unclear how Woven City fits into Toyota’s plans for the future of mobility. The company, which is one of the largest producers of automobiles in the world, has been a bit of a laggard in the field of electric vehicles. The company has plenty of hybrids but only one fully electric car in the US, the BZ4X — though it did say it has a three-row SUV coming soon.

There’s nothing new about automakers using big plots of land to build proving grounds with fake city backdrops to test out new vehicles. And company towns have existed for decades; Elon Musk, for example, is building his own town in Texas to house Tesla and SpaceX employees.

But what Toyota is proposing is a dramatic escalation of that concept: a real city with real people who would live within the automaker’s amped-up vision of the future. And that’s where it could run into some problems. Google confronted something similar with its Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto, after objections from residents about surveillance and data collection led to the project’s demise.

Toyota hopes to avoid these same headaches by touting an enhanced quality of life for Woven City’s residents. The project has already earned Japan’s first “LEED for Communities Platinum certification,” the system’s highest rank.

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The best phone to buy right now

The best screens for screen time. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

The bad news: flagship phones cost a small fortune these days. The good news: we can help you pick the right one and get the most for your money.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Biden makes an 11th-hour move to block coastal oil drilling

President Biden has issued an executive order blocking drilling for oil in more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean. It's the largest such move in history, but is almost guaranteed to be challenged under the incoming Trump administration.

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jwz wrote:

Lazyweb, why doesn't this regexp match in Perl 5.32.1, 5.34.3 or 5.18.2 but does in PHP and JS:

perl -le 'print 0 + ("ABCDE" =~ m/ABCF|BCDE|C(G)/);'

Changing nearly any character, including the C before the G, or removing the parens, makes it match.
https://jwz.org/b/ykfv

Everything Coming In Marvel Rivals’ Fantastic Four-Focused Season

Marvel Rivals is entering its second season, confusingly named Season 1 because the first one was Season 0, and it’s bringing four new heroes to the game all at once. The Fantastic Four are joining the roster on January 10, seemingly alongside a new map, a balance patch, and a battle pass. Developer NetEase is rolling…

Read more...

U.S. transfers 11 Yemeni prisoners from Guantánamo to Oman

The Biden administration's move leaves just 15 detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Oman will help resettle the men and provide security monitoring.

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Hamas and Israel are negotiating the release of 34 hostages from Gaza

The deal would secure release of a third of the approximately 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, including two dual U.S.-Israeli nationals. In return, Israel would release some Palestinian prisoners.

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US designates Tencent and CATL as Chinese military companies

Image: Getty

The US Department of Defense has added tech giant Tencent and lithium-ion battery maker CATL to its list of Chinese military companies, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The designation doesn’t impose sanctions or a ban, but it could make it more difficult for the companies to do business in the US.

Along with owning the popular messaging app WeChat, Tencent is a major name in the gaming industry, as it owns League of Legends developer Riot Games and has invested in many others, including Epic Games, Larian Studios, Ubisoft, and FromSoftware. Meanwhile, CATL is the world’s biggest electric vehicle battery maker, with its products appearing across EVs from Tesla, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, and more.

The designations originate from President-elect Donald Trump’s executive order in 2020, which prevented US companies from investing in entities with ties to the Chinese military. DJI, which was put on the list in 2022, says US Customs is blocking its drone imports and eventually filed a lawsuit claiming the designation has resulted in “lost business deals” and a stigma “as a national security threat.”

These companies don’t always stay on the Department of Defense’s list, as the US removed Chinese phone maker Xiaomi just months after adding it in 2021. Both Tencent and CATL plan to push back on the designations. “We are not a military company or supplier,” Tencent spokesperson Danny Marti said in a statement to The Verge. “Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business. We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding.” CATL similarly told Bloomberg that its inclusion was “clearly a mistake.”

The Verge reached out to CATL with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

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Samsung claims its Ballie AI robot will actually be released this year

Is Samsung’s round robot finally ready to roll out of CES demos and into actual homes?

Ballie, the rolling robot that reemerged at CES last year, will be shipping to consumers as an actual product sometime in 2025. That’s what Samsung is saying at the moment, anyway. We were first introduced to Ballie at CES five years ago. Since then, the robot has undergone a more practical redesign, so maybe it’s really going to happen — but I’m still more skeptical than not.

Am I the only one who thinks those wheels look a bit flimsy? Maybe Samsung is intentionally building in a weak spot and planning ahead for whenever Ballie secretly amasses an army and turns against us.

Either way, Ballie is putting in yet another CES appearance here in Las Vegas. During Samsung’s First Look event last night, I watched the latest canned demo of the round bot. Its operator asked for information about a nearby attraction, The Sphere, which Ballie first projected onto the ground. But when more details and driving directions were requested, Ballie automatically turned around and beamed its image onto a nearby wall instead so that it would have more room to work with.

You can interact with Ballie using your voice and also by stepping on buttons projected onto the floor.

Ballie is smart enough to use the wall when you need a larger view.

From there, Ballie was asked to show a movie. It brought up Sony’s Uncharted, and when commanded to make the picture bigger, Ballie was smart enough to look for a wall that could accommodate the enlarged projection. The image wasn’t particularly bright; Ballie does better in that regard when beaming onto the floor immediately in front of itself. Don’t expect any ANSI lumen miracles from this rather small gadget. The built-in speakers were plenty loud, at least, and didn’t sound tinny.

Ballie looks to be an adequate, if average portable projector. But this one’s got wheels!

In another interaction, the person demoing Ballie held up a pair of wine bottles and asked the robot which would make a better pairing for his dinner, showing that Ballie has some visual AI powers at its disposal. Responses to most queries came within a couple of seconds without any hiccups. But again, I only saw a very controlled demo, and for all I know, it’s possible that this Ballie already had these answers programmed in. I trust absolutely nothing at this show.

Ballie did not advise its human of the Surgeon General’s recent warning about alcohol’s link to cancer. Pretty suspicious, if you ask me.

You communicate with Ballie through voice, and at times, the robot also projects virtual buttons onto the floor that can be stepped on to make a selection. (I’m curious as to what its accessibility features might entail.) Samsung has also given Ballie plenty of power over the smart home; you can tell it to control your lights and various routines.

It’s not quite Samsung’s original vision, but Ballie still has some charm.

And yes, it can control your smart home gadgets.

Samsung told outlets including CNET and TechCrunch, that Ballie is indeed rolling out this year. TechRadar got an even more specific “first half of 2025” timeframe. It’s possible Samsung could share more details during its CES keynote later today. As for price, your guess is as good as mine. What’s a fair amount to pay for a robot you’ll insist on showing everyone you know for a few weeks? That is, until you grow to resent Ballie for paling in comparison to the expectations set by BB-8 and WALL-E.

I can’t wait to find out how much Ballie will cost.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

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Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

RickiTarr@beige.party ("Ricki Crush Bandicute Tarr") wrote:

Cunk should host every political debate.

Attachments:

• Philomenia Cunk: Since light travels faster than sound, people may appear bright until you hear them speak (remote)

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

skinnylatte@hachyderm.io ("Adrianna Tan") wrote:

If you need a judge or panelist on anything civic tech / public interest tech and AI ethics related, let me know! I'm also happy to be on a podcast, or to sit down for a longer conversation regarding any of those topics.

I led the product management team for one of the US's largest municipal digital teams (SF) through Covid-19, built systems that helped residents and businesses, provided access to vaccines; made decisions on infrastructure and hiring.

Now I do the same at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

I'd like to share what I know, in whatever medium works best. I know many people are curious about product management work outside of the usual.

Email me: skinnylatte [at] gmail.com

My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriannatan/

A recent feature: https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/adrianna-tan-founder-future-ethics-united-states

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

carpingdiem@med-mastodon.com ("Carpingdiem") wrote:

The winter bird that got me interested in birding was the Northern cardinal. (Description in ALT.) #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #nature #naturephotography #HoosierMast

Attachments:

• The male Northern cardinal is a medium-sized bird who is red all over except for a black mask. Here, he is taking off from a feeder, wings spread. A small American goldfinch is still on the feeder, showing the difference in size between these 2 birds. (remote)
• A male Northern cardinal flaps his wings while trying to hang onto the feeder. His wing feathers are red at the base and become almost translucent near the tips. (remote)

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

grheavyroller ("gregg r") wrote:

Appropriate for January 6.

Attachments:

• "This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want." Hannah Arendt, German historian and philosopher.

Satechi’s M4 Mac Mini hub will launch in February for $99.99

Satechi’s Mac Mini M4 hub adds three front-facing USB-A ports. | Image: Satechi

First announced in late November, Satechi has confirmed that its Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub will be available in limited quantities starting February 17th, 2025 through its online store for $99.99. A wider release will begin sometime in March, according to an announcement by the company at CES 2025 today.

The hub, made from aluminum with a soft-touch silicone coating, is designed to expand the functionality of the Apple Mac Mini M4 with two front-facing USB-A 3.2 ports, a USB-A 2.0 port, and an SD card reader.

Image: Satechi

A cut-out on the back corner of the Satechi hub provides easier access to the Mac Mini M4’s power button.

The hub connects to the Mac Mini M4 using an integrated USB-C cable that can be stored on the underside when not in use. A recessed area on the top of the hub “maintains airflow without obstructing the Mac Mini’s fan,” while a notch in the back corner makes it easier to reach the computer’s underside power button.

Image: Satechi

The hub can expand the Mac Mini M4’s storage using an NVMe SSD up to 4TB in size.

A removable panel on the bottom of the hub also allows the Mac Mini M4’s storage to be expanded by installing an NVMe SSD; the hub supports multiple widths and lengths of SSDs with capacities up to 4TB. For comparison, a 4TB NVMe SSD from Western Digital is $299.99. Upgrading the base version of the Mac Mini M4 from 256GB to 2TB of storage through Apple adds $800 to the price tag, while upgrading the 12-core version of the Mac Mini from 512GB to 4TB of storage is an extra $1,200.

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Trump Gets the Peaceful Transfer of Power His Supporters Violently Refused Four Years Ago

Four years to the day that Donald Trump incited a violent attack on the US Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results, Congress certified his Electoral College victory as the 47th president of the United States. As required of her role presiding over the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw the ceremony, […]

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Gargron ("Eugen Rochko") wrote:

If you enjoy using Mastodon for Android, please consider leaving a positive rating or review on the Play Store, because a lot of people who do leave reviews are like this:

Attachments:

• A 2-star review saying "The app certainly has potential, but the users are so blue pilled that more than half the content isn't worth reading"
• A 1-star review saying "Far-left echo chamber"
• A 1-star review saying "I got banned for simply saying good things about Elon Musk and Donald Trump. While others are allowed to say nasty, vile things about them. This app is definitely another leftist dump"

These Are The Two Best Vanguard Heroes In Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals features three types of heroes: Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists. Arguably, the Vanguard can change the tide of battle the most. Traditionally known as tanks, the role of these heroes is to soak up damage to let the rest of their team invade the objective and make their way in.

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jwz wrote:

"Deep Dive"

What the absolute shit
https://jwz.org/b/ykfr

Attachments:

• Screenshot

This robot vacuum has legs

Dreame’s newest robot vacuum can climb up a step. It’s a start! | Image: Dreame

First, they sprouted arms; now, robot vacuums are getting legs. The latest bot from Dreame has two small legs that can push it up and over a step as high as 6cm (about 2.5 inches).

The Dreame X50 Ultra robot vacuum uses a system called ProLeap, which the company first demoed at the IFA tech show in Berlin, Germany, last year. Dreame calls the device’s appendage a “motorized swing arm” that “enables step navigation up to 6 cm in height.” But they’re clearly legs.

Image: Dreame

Don’t try and tell me those aren’t legs.

While this isn’t quite the stair climbing we’ve all been hoping for, it could be very useful for helping a robot vacuum reach more areas of your home without manual intervention.

Several current robot vacuums have a lifting capability that can help them get over high room transitions or bulky rugs; Roborock’s Qrevo Curv can handle 3cm, and Shark’s latest can go up to 2cm. Six centimeters is a big leap.

The Dreame X50 Ultra is the next generation of the company’s flagship X40 Ultra (which is our current pick for the best robot vacuum / mop hybrid). A robot vacuum with oscillating mopping pads, the X50 has advanced obstacle recognition and lidar navigation. It comes with a multifunction charging dock that can empty its bin and wash its mops with hot water and heated air. It can also automatically remove and reattach its mops. It will be available for $1,699.99 starting on February 14th. A presale featuring discounts starts on January 7th on Dreame’s website.

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Millions of public workers are set to get higher Social Security benefits. Here's why

Public service workers including some teachers, firefighters, police officers may soon see their Social Security payments increase by hundreds of dollars.

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Under the shadow of the Jan 6. 2021 riot, Congress certifies the 2024 election

Four years after the riot at the Capitol, Congress meets under heavy security and a blanket of snow to certify the 2024 election.

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AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D is ‘the world’s best processor for gamers and creators’

Image: AMD

AMD is unveiling its latest flagship desktop CPU, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, today at CES. After the 9800X3D wowed us with its gaming performance, we’ve been waiting to see what AMD’s second generation of 3D V-Cache technology could do with more cores and higher boost frequencies. AMD is now claiming the 9950X3D will be “the world’s best processor for gamers and creators.”

The 9950X3D includes 16 Zen 5 CPU cores (32 threads), a max boost frequency of 5.7GHz, and 144MB of total cache. It has a higher TDP over the 9800X3D at 170 watts instead of 120 watts, but this extra power appears to translate to big improvements in creator benchmarks and gaming.

Image: AMD

AMD’s benchmarks against Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K.

AMD says the 9950X3D should be around 8 percent faster on average than the previous 7950X3D, based on benchmarks run on 40 games at 1080p. The gaming performance should be similar to the 9800X3D, with AMD claiming it’s within 1 percent. AMD even claims the 9950X3D is 20 percent faster than Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K in those same games, but Intel is about to deliver a performance update for the 285K that could close that gap.

In content creation tasks, the 9950X3D should be around 6 percent faster than the 7950X3D in Premiere Pro tasks and around 13 percent faster in Photoshop. On average, AMD says the 9950X3D will be 13 percent faster for creator tasks than the 7950X3D, based on 20 apps tested. The big claim from AMD is that the 9950X3D will be 10 percent faster than Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, something that could make the 9950X3D an easy pick for anyone wanting great desktop and gaming performance in a single CPU.

AMD is also launching a Ryzen 9 9900X3D processor with 12 cores (24 threads), a 5.5GHz max boost, 140MB of cache, and a 120-watt TDP. Much like the 9800X3D, both of these new X3D chips use the second generation of AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology that sees the cache now sit below the processor cores. This change allows the processor cores to have better access to cooling, and the cache is now less sensitive to high temperatures, allowing the CPU to boost to higher frequencies and deliver better performance in both gaming and creator tasks.

AMD says both the 9950X3D and 9900X3D will be available at some point in March, but it’s not detailing pricing just yet.

AMD is also announcing new “Fire Range” mobile CPUs today, which are the latest X3D-series laptop parts. You can read more about the flagship 9955HX3D laptop chip and other mobile-focused AMD announcements right here.

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AMD announces ‘Fire Range’ and Ryzen AI Max, its most potent laptop chips yet

Strix Halo is here. | Image: AMD

AMD promised eventual “mobile gaming dominance” back in 2022, and it feels like we’re getting closer every day. Today, the company is announcing not one, not two, but three different families of chips designed to take it there, including final confirmation of the long-rumored “Strix Halo” and “Fire Range” laptop chips.

The former is now known as the Ryzen AI Max and Ryzen AI Max Plus, boasting the most powerful graphics AMD’s ever put in a chip, with up to 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units, 16 Zen 5 CPU cores, and a new memory interface with 256GB per second of bandwidth. AMD claims the highest-end AI Max Plus 395 has over 1.4x the graphics performance and 2.6x the 3D rendering performance of Intel’s highest-end Lunar Lake chip, the Intel Core 9 288V — and enough power to frequently beat Apple’s M4 Pro MacBook Pro.

As you can see in the chart above, not all AI Max parts are equal — but they all consume up to a monstrous 120W of power, making them most suitable for machines that’ll be plugged in and / or docked. HP will offer a Z2 Mini G1a desktop and a ZBook Ultra G1a laptop, while Asus will offer the ROG Flow Z13 gaming tablet with the new parts.

Fire Range, meanwhile, is AMD’s codename for its new HX- and X3D-series laptop parts, which don’t come with their own groundbreaking integrated GPUs but are designed to be paired with discrete ones. They do, however, contain the new version of its flagship gaming laptop chip with the 3D V-Cache that’s been so popular for boosting frame rate in AMD’s desktop chips. Previously only available in the 7945HX3D, the new 9955HX3D has the same incredible 144MB of cache, though there are a couple of lower-end parts, too:

AMD is also announcing two new X3D desktop chips today, declaring that it now has a CPU that’s “the world’s best processor for gamers and creators.” You can read more about the new Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D here.

Last and possibly least are AMD’s Z2 Extreme chips for handheld gaming PC competitors to the Steam Deck, which, strangely, raise the low-end TDP up to 15W from just 9W with previous-gen parts and each contain a different generation of GPU: RDNA 3.5 on the Z2 Extreme, RDNA 3 on the Z2, and RDNA 2 on the Z2 Go.

Image: AMD

AMD hasn’t yet offered any concrete idea of performance from its Fire Range or Z2 chips, or of battery life from any of these chips in its prerecorded briefing for journalists, though it did promise the Z2 will offer “more performance and capabilities than prior generations” and with “hours and hours of battery life.”

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AMD announces next-gen Radeon RX 9070-series GPUs with AI-powered FSR 4 upscaling

Image: AMD

AMD is previewing its next generation of GPUs at CES today, based on its latest RDNA 4 architecture that includes AI-powered FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) upscaling. The Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 will both be available in Q1 from a variety of video card manufacturers, but AMD isn’t detailing specifications, pricing, or exact release dates just yet.

The announcement is light on concrete information. AMD says it has built this architecture from the ground up and that the GPUs built on RDNA 4 will include “a significant boost in AI.” AMD has optimized the compute units in RNDA 4, improved its ray-tracing engine and performance, and upgraded its media encoding quality. Built on a 4nm process, the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 cards will include AMD’s second-generation AI accelerators, third-generation ray-tracing accelerators, and second-generation radiance display engine.

Image: AMD

AMD is only providing small details about its RDNA 4 architecture.

This RDNA 4 architecture will also enable AMD to launch FSR 4 with these 9000-series GPUs. FSR 4 is a machine learning-powered update to AMD’s upscaling and frame-generation technology that’s been developed specifically for RDNA 4 and its dedicated AI accelerator hardware. That means you’ll only be able to get FSR 4 with a Radeon RX 9070-series graphics card right now, and it will be supported in games with FSR 3.1 already integrated.

Matt Booty, president of game content and studios at Microsoft, appeared on stage at AMD’s CES keynote earlier today to confirm FSR 4 will be available in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 later this year.

AMD hasn’t hinted at how FSR 4 will compare to Nvidia’s DLSS technology or what type of performance uplift or image quality improvement we should expect to see with this next generation of FSR.

It’s also not clear exactly what performance the RX 9070 series of GPUs will deliver against the competition, but in a branding slide for RDNA 4, AMD appears to suggest the 9070 series will offer similar performance to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4070 Super. Nvidia is expected to announce its RTX 50-series GPUs later today.

Image: AMD

FSR 4 will use dedicated AI accelerators on next-gen GPUs to upscale games.

AMD is also adding new AI-powered features to its Adrenalin software. These include the ability to generate images with AI models, summarize local documents, and ask an AMD chatbot questions about graphics settings and more.

If you’re wondering why AMD has jumped from the Radeon 7000 series straight to 9000-series GPUs, the company says it will use the 8000-series branding for RDNA 3.5 mobile GPUs. AMD is only previewing FSR 4 at CES and promises to provide more details on the upscaling technology and its latest RDNA 4 GPUs ahead of the Q1 launch.

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Everyone’s favorite office monitor is getting even better

Image: Dell

Dell has made its latest UltraSharp 4K monitors more attractive to PC gamers by doubling the previous generation’s 60Hz refresh rate. The 27-inch and 32-inch 4K UltraSharp Thunderbolt displays announced at CES have been updated with new IPS panels that provide 120Hz refresh rates alongside features designed to enhance visual comfort.

The UltraSharp line is a popular choice for working professionals who need a no-frills 4K monitor that supports Windows, macOS, and multi-monitor setups — the 27-inch model in particular tops a lot of lists for best 4K monitor. 120Hz refresh rates are usually targeted toward gamers who can benefit from higher frame rates and smoother, more responsive gameplay, which now makes the 27-inch UltraSharp 4K in particular a decent solution for people who want a single display that’s suitable for both work and play.

The improvements come at a cost though: the 27-inch UltraSharp 4K is increasing to $699.99 (up from $639.99 for the 60Hz model), and the larger 32-inch UltraSharp 4K now costs $949.99 (up from $919.99). Both will be available to buy globally starting February 25th, according to Dell.

Image: Dell

Here’s a look at what the new 32-inch Dell UltraSharp 4K monitor looks like from the front.

Dell introduced several 120Hz monitors to the UltraSharp lineup in 2023 and 2024, but this is the first time that the popular 27-inch 4K model has seen a similar refresh rate boost. Other improvements for the new UltraSharp 4K models include up to 140W power delivery via USB-C (up from 90W), and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, thanks to its use of “enhanced IPS Black technology” that provides 47 percent deeper blacks compared to conventional IPS panels, according to Dell. The prior version of IPS Black offered a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. A comparison showing improvements in contrast ratio can be seen in this YouTube video.

Image: Dell

Besides some changes to the port selection and a new ventilation grill, the new UltraSharp 4K monitors look visually similar to the previous models.

Dell says the monitors include an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness and color temperature to help reduce eye fatigue. Otherwise, the 27-inch and 32-inch 4K UltraSharp share near-identical designs with their predecessors. The new models include VESA DisplayHDR 600 and ports for USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and DisplayPort, with ventilation grills now surrounding the ports located on the back of the monitors.

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AMD’s Z2 handheld gaming chips are official — and not coming to a Steam Deck near you

AMD has just officially announced its full lineup of Ryzen Z2 chips for handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck, after a brief tease this fall — but as of today, it’s pretty muddy who they’re for or what they’re going to do for handheld PC gaming.

First off, although AMD told journalists in a pre-recorded briefing that Valve’s Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally lineups would all feature the new chips, it’s not clear that’s actually true.

While we’re expecting Lenovo handhelds later this week that could come with Z2, Valve has categorically denied that a new Steam Deck will include one. “There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck,” Valve designer Pierre-Loup Griffais posted on Bluesky today, correcting the record after VideoCardz leaked a portion of AMD’s briefing.

There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck. Guessing the slide was meant to say the series is meant for products like that, not announcing anything specific.

— Pierre-Loup Griffais (@plagman.bsky.social) 2025-01-06T13:02:05.934Z

While that denial seems pretty clear, AMD strangely wouldn’t correct the record on Steam Deck (or ROG Ally) when we asked. The company would only say that its slide was “designed to highlight our current handheld design wins,” and that it’s not “preannouncing any partner handheld devices.” That’s not a denial. Asus won't announce a Z2 ROG Ally here at CES, rep Anthony Spence confirms to me, but couldn't comment on Asus' future plans.

It’s also not clear what the new Z2 chips can do. While AMD is promising “more performance and capabilities than prior generations” with “hours and hours of battery life,” the three chips are each built differently.

The Z2 Extreme is an intriguing mix of Zen 3 and Zen 5c CPU cores with RDNA 3.5 graphics, four more GPU cores than last-gen, and can boost 5 watts higher for a combined total of what should almost certainly be more performance than before — though AMD hasn’t provided any benches this time around.

Image: AMD

But stepping away from the Extreme, the vanilla Z2 has the same number of cores as today’s existing Z1 Extreme with the same RDNA 3 and possibly the same CPU cores, and AMD hasn’t mentioned any improvements over that chip yet. The Z2 Go has fewer CPU cores than even a vanilla Z1, and is on older RDNA 2 like the Steam Deck’s chip — but it does have 12 graphics cores, triple that of the Z1 and four more GPU cores than the Deck.

And, each of these new chips has a higher minimum TDP than the previous generation (a quoted 15 watts, up from a quoted 9 watts), which could potentially mean less battery life when you crank down the CPU’s power mode for less intensive games. (Not everyone changes power modes, though, so the TDP manufacturers ship it at may matter more; the Z1 Extreme’s sweet spot was around 15-17W TDP, while the Steam Deck’s chip nominally runs at 15W but can dip as low as 4W.)

Anyhow: it’s weird! But maybe the AMD-Lenovo-Valve-Microsoft handheld gaming event tomorrow will make things clearer.

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Acer’s latest all-in-one and mini PCs are getting Copilot Plus AI features

Image: Acer

Acer is revealing new all-in-one and mini PCs at CES 2025, and they’re among the first non-laptop computers to get Copilot Plus AI features.

The new Acer Aspire S AI all-in-ones, offered in a “minimalist white profile,” come in two sizes, according to a press release. The Aspire S24 AI has a 23.8-inch 1080p screen, and the Aspire S27 AI has a 27-inch panel in 1080p or 4K. You can get both with touchscreens, too. They’re equipped with “up to” Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), support Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7, and have an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3.2 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port.

The Aspire S24 AI will start at $1,199.99, while the Aspire S27 AI will start at $1,299.99. Both are set to launch in Q2 of this year.

Acer’s new Aspire C AI all-in-ones also come in 23.8-inch and 27-inch screen sizes, and both can be configured with up to QHD (1440p) screens. They’re powered by AMD Ryzen AI processors and AMD Radeon 800M-series GPUs, and you can get them with up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and 1TB of M2 PCIe SSD storage. However, unlike the Aspire S all-in-ones, the Aspire C all-in-ones only support Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6.

The Acer Aspire C24 AI is set to start at $999.99, with the Acer Aspire C27 AI starting at $1,099.99, and both are also scheduled to launch in Q2.

Image: Acer

The Acer Revo Box AI.

The Acer Revo Box AI is a new version of its mini PC line, and the company says this one “measures just 0.75 liters and weighs a mere 0.5 kg.” It also has Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) and can be purchased with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X 8533 memory. It will start at $799.99 and is also set for Q2.

In addition to supporting Copilot Plus features, Acer says these computers all have “Acer Intelligence Space,” which is “a central hub that automatically detects hardware and provides the appropriate AI tools to optimize performance, generate images, and enhance gameplay.”

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We asked global thinkers how to improve life on earth in 2025. Here are their wishes

What's one thing humankind can do to help heal the world? The wishes cover everything from upholding Jimmy Carter's legacy to cleaning up Mt. Everest. Readers, we'd like to hear your wishes as well.

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Night owl or early bird? Here's how your inner clock impacts your health

In order to better understand her circadian rhythm, science journalist Lynne Peeples conducted an experiment in which lived for 10 days in a bunker, with no exposure to sunlight or clocks.

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Reblogged by jwz:

ProPublica@newsie.social wrote:

After Jan. 6, 2021, ProPublica sifted through thousands of videos taken by Parler users to create an immersive, first-person view of the Capitol riot as experienced by those who were there.

Revisit the collection: https://propub.li/4a4RqZA

#News #Video #Jan6 #Insurrection #CapitolAttack

New Xbox Controller Is Basically A Fancy PS5 Gamepad

At CES 2025, accessory and controller maker Hyperkin revealed its upcoming Xbox gamepad that is inspired by Sony’s PS5 DualSense controller. However, this new wired controller is much more than just an Xbox pad designed for folks who prefer the layout and shape of a PlayStation controller.

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The Best Video Game Moments Of 2024

It’s January 2025 and we’re still thinking about all the best games and moments of 2024. We’ve looked back on our favorite games of last year, the characters who stuck with us throughout the last 12 months, and the various highs and lows of the industry. While we’ve celebrated the best games at large and the moments…

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‘Max Ink Mode’ makes TCL’s screens even inkier

Regular smartphone by day, e-reader by night. | Image: TCL

Look, I haven’t picked up the TCL 60 XE, but I can already tell you the name of its best feature: Max Ink Mode. The 60 XE is the latest of TCL’s phones to use its Nxtpaper display technology, aimed to go easy on the eyes with reduced glare and an E Ink-like monochrome mode.

The phone has a full-color 6.8-inch display by default, but if you flip a slider on the side of the device, you enter Max Ink Mode. In addition to being a kind of e-reader mode, it can also silence notifications so you can get a little peace and quiet while you do some reading. How lovely! TCL introduced this “Nxtpaper key” on some phones last year, but they never made it to the US. It’s our turn now, because the 60 XE is a North American exclusive.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Ink Mode to the max!

The TCL 60 XE also features a 50-megapixel rear camera and a 32-megapixel selfie camera and comes with a healthy 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. It’ll start at $199, going on sale first in Canada in May 2025, with US availability later in the year.

TCL has a couple of other non-TV things to show off at CES 2025: a Nxtpaper 11 Plus tablet with the company’s next-gen Nxtpaper 4.0 technology, which is supposed to offer better clarity and sharpness. The Nxtpaper 11 Plus emphasizes eye comfort with viewing modes designed to ease strain, offering an 11.5-inch 2.2K display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The company isn’t announcing its pricing or availability yet.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

The projector concept has a rotating handle to prop itself up.

There’s also a new projector — the Playcube, which uses a “modular concept integrating aesthetics and functionality,” according to a press release. No price or availability on that one, either.

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TCL’s first Mini LED TV of 2025 offers impressive specs at a tempting price

Image: TCL

Rather than roll out a whole series of new TVs here at CES, TCL has decided to take a staggered approach in 2025. So it came to Las Vegas with just one model to show off: the QM6K Mini LED. The company is claiming that this TV, the first of a new Precise Dimming series, “offers a level of picture quality that has never been offered in its price band before.” TCL has found itself in a fierce battle with Hisense in the Mini LED category; both brands have delivered fantastic TVs in recent years that set new expectations for their pricing tiers.

Highlights include up to 500 local dimming zones, a 144Hz panel (which can be pushed to 288Hz VRR in Game Accelerator mode), a new Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode, hands-free voice controls for the Google TV software, and even a “sleep sounds” mode. The latter could prove useful if you end up putting one of these in a bedroom.

But beyond the usual talking points, TCL is really putting emphasis on its newly enhanced backlight technology:

TCL has also upgraded to a Bi-directional 23-bit Backlight Controller, allowing granular control of over 65,000 levels of brightness for each LED. In addition, TCL includes a new Dynamic Light Algorithm, which intelligently optimizes the incoming video signal so that SDR signals render at near HDR level, for consistently great picture quality, regardless of the content metadata.

The company is also doing its best to fully eradicate blooming — the halo effect that can surround bright objects on a dark background — which has traditionally been one downside of Mini LED compared to the pixel-level control of OLEDs. TCL is also emphasizing sound performance with this “affordable premium” TV: it comes with an Onkyo-branded 2.1 system built in.

It’s unusual to get pricing for new TVs at CES, but TCL is getting right to it. The QM6K comes in sizes ranging from 50 inches to the XXL 98-inch behemoth, and preorders for several of them are beginning today.

• 98-inch: $3,499.99
• 85-inch: $1,999.99
• 75-inch: $1,299.99
• 65-inch: $999.99
• 55-inch: $799.99
• 50-inch: $749.99

This staggered release cadence means TCL isn’t ready to show off its very best 2025 TVs yet, so a follow-up to the excellent QM8 will have to wait for a few more months.

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jwz wrote:

Somehow I did manage to get it down to 0 followers and following, which was a primary goal. It wasn't like that last month, so I'm not sure how that happened.

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Lessons from self-inflicted blows to democracy in South Korea and the U.S.

The brief declaration of martial law in South Korea last month has drawn comparisons to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The attempted power grabs could hold lessons for other democracies.

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Marvel Rivals is adding The Fantastic Four with its first season update

Image: Net Ease Games

With theMarvel Rivals train firmly on its way, it’s time to start the game’s first official season. In a short trailer, Marvel Rivals developer Net Ease has announced that season 1 begins later this week on January 10th.

According to the trailer, season 1 features the arrival of Dracula who plunges New York City into eternal night by *checks notes* teaming up with Dr. Doom to tamper with the moon’s orbit. (Hey, it’s a comic book game, weird nonsensical stuff is supposed to happen.) Apparently Dracula has imprisoned Dr. Strange in a pocket dimension and has also unleashed a horde of vampires because messing with the moon just wasn’t enough.

To fight against this nefarious plot, Rivals will add four new characters to the game’s roster — The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, and The Thing — the hero collective known as The Fantastic Four. Throughout the week leading up to season’s launch, players will be get a first look at the new heroes and their abilities starting January 7th. The addition also has a bit of synergy with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Fantastic Four movie starring Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby releases in July of this year.

✨ Season 1 Kickoff Awaits!

Join Emiru, xQc, and their creator friends for a thrilling sneak peek of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman! Tune in live on January 7th at 2 PM PST. Don't miss the action!

Catch the streams here:
xQc: https://t.co/kIYnE4tEso
Emiru:… pic.twitter.com/kfzXbGMs2g

— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) January 6, 2025

Marvel Rivals appears to be scratching the hero shooter itch reminiscent of the early days of the original Overwatch. Developer Net Ease announced that the game has surpassed 20 million players shortly after the free-to-play game’s launch in early December.

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Shōgun Celebrates Golden Globes Sweep With Season 2 Update

We all saw it coming. Still, the best show of 2024 gave us a welcome surprise. At last night’s Golden Globe Awards, the FX series Shōgun not only cemented its remarkable year in gold, but also gave all of its fans an update on its upcoming second season to tide us over as we wait to return to feudal Japan.

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jwz wrote:

Locking the fire exits is still a great way to juice those engagement numbers.

"⚠️ Oops something went wrong, please try again later."

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• afe60fd4f2ba25c6.png

Biden Bans New Drilling in Coastal Waters Weeks Before Trump Handover

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Joe Biden has banned offshore drilling across an immense area of coastal waters, weeks before Donald Trump takes office pledging to massively increase fossil fuel production. The US president’s ban encompasses the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as […]

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John Deere says its self-driving tractors and trucks will help address labor shortages

Image: John Deere

The next time you pass a farm tractor tilling a field, check to make sure there’s somebody in the cab. Chances are, there won’t be.

Today at CES, John Deere announced a host of new fully autonomous vehicles that it says will revolutionize farming, landscaping, and construction. Among the new vehicles the company will have to show off are an autonomous tractor, a robot lawn mower, a crewless dump truck, and another driverless tractor, but this one designed specifically for orchards.

“We’re taking our tech stack, which is nearly three decades in the making, and we’re extending it to more of our machines to safely run autonomously in these unique and complex environments that our customers work in every day,” said Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer at John Deere.

“When we talk about autonomy, we mean full autonomy,” he added. “No one’s in the machine.”

It’s been three years since John Deere unveiled its first autonomous tractor. Commercial deliveries began in 2022, and now Hindman says that many farms have put the company’s robot equipment to work. “Those tractors are already being used by farmers to prepare the soil for planting in the next year,” he said.

Now the company is doubling down on autonomy, at a time when other vehicle manufacturers are cutting their losses. John Deere says its autonomous machines can help farmers address labor shortages, while also meeting the growing demand for food, infrastructure, and housing.

Tractor or computer?

The company’s second-generation tractor is designed for large-scale agricultural operations. And in order to ensure a full, 360-degree view of the world, John Deere added 16 cameras all around the cab of the tractor that provide for triple overlapping feeds.

The images are then sent for processing to an onboard Nvidia GPU because John Deere wanted to be sure the tractor’s edge AI system was doing all of its predictions and planning on the vehicle itself, and not up in the cloud.

“This ensures that the machine is running safe and reliable,” said Willy Pell, CEO of John Deere subsidiary Blue River Technology, which designs machine learning systems for agricultural operations.

John Deere’s first-generation tractors were designed specifically for the slowest and easiest works, which is fall tillage with a chisel file. The second-generation system will be for a broader set of operations, with John Deere setting the goal for a fully autonomous farming system for corn and soybeans in the US by 2030.

Dusty the dump truck

John Deere’s next robot vehicle is the company’s first for construction sites: an articulated dump truck (ADT). The heavy-duty truck is 34 feet long, 12 feet tall, and can carry over 92,000 pounds of construction materials — the equivalent of seven African elephants — in its front bucket. John Deere’s executives have given it the nickname “Dusty.”

The job of a dump truck operator in quarries and other sites is tough but also repetitive and boring. By removing the driver, John Deere hopes to improve safety while also helping improve productivity.

The ADT can carry the weight equivalent of seven African elephants in its front bucket

The ADT operates using the same tech stack as its farming siblings, with the added ability to dynamically change its routing information to get around people and other vehicles on narrow roads through construction sites. The truck can also receive directions from remote operators about location and timing — but that doesn’t make it remote-controlled.

“It’s unsupervised, it’s capable of making decisions and operating safely on its own,” said Maya Sripadam, senior product manager at Blue River Technology. “So it’s segmenting the world into different classes, it’s using StarFire GPS to localize itself on the road, and it’s navigating between a load zone and a haul zone.”

In the orchard

John Deere also revealed another autonomous tractor, this one designed to run on diesel for pulling air blast sprayers through nut orchards. Sprayers are used to apply pesticides, growth regulators, and nutrients to ensure a healthy crop.

Nuts are a huge business in the US, especially in California. And with 80 percent of the world’s almond crop grown in the Golden State, labor shortages have proven to be a perennial problem.

Workers typically drive up and down endless rows of orchards up to 10 hours a day at 2.5 mph. Every single tree needs to be sprayed six to eight times per year, with work starting in February and going through July or August — right into the hottest times of the year.

Nuts are a huge business in the US, especially in California

“The work is exhausting and it’s repetitive,” said Igino Cafiero, director of High Value Crop Autonomy, “but it’s also absolutely essential to protect the trees from pests and disease.”

But nut orchards, with their dense canopies of trees, are a much different environment than corn or soybean fields. John Deere had to add lidar laser sensors to help improve the tractor’s sensing and guidance capabilities because GPS is often obstructed. Aside from that, the tractor uses the same second-generation technology stack as its tractors for field tillage.

Robo-scaping

The last machine John Deere revealed was an autonomous lawn mower for large-scale commercial landscaping jobs.

The all-electric mower features four pairs of stereo cameras, one in the front, one in the back, and one on each side. They’re positioned as high as possible on the machine to give a complete 360-degree view around the mower. That’s fewer cameras than the tractor or dump truck, but enough for the size of the machine.

A large office park or campus yard is very similar to a field or construction, in that it’s a “constrained environment” with much less chance for unpredictable behavior, Blue River’s Pell said.

“The use cases we have, the tech just really fits these environments so well,” he added. “And it’s combined with this deep customer pain around labor availability and quality that just makes all this the perfect time for everything.”

John Deere didn’t announce pricing for any of its autonomous vehicles, but past reports have noted that the premium over non-robotic equipment would be “significant” — perhaps as much as 10 percent. A regular 8R tractor and the 2430 chisel plow can cost as much as $500,000, which suggests an added $50,000 for an autonomous version.

That could irk some farmers, especially those at odds with John Deere over the company’s recalcitrance over self-repairs. The Federal Trade Commission is currently investigating whether John Deere used unfair practices related to the repair of its agricultural equipment.

“Pricing will vary based on specific products and configurations and will be shared at a later date,” John Deere spokesperson Diego Rivera said.

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Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now

Apple’s new AirPods 4 offers better sound and voice call quality than their predecessor, and are cheaper too at just $119.99. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you know where to look, you can often score discounts on Apple’s ever-expanding AirPods lineup. Both the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max are just starting to receive discounts, for instance, while the third-gen AirPods can often be found at a steep discount. The same goes for the original Max, which are nearly indistinguishable from the last-gen model aside from the switch to a USB-C connector.

Below, we’ve rounded up the best deals currently available on each model, including the third-gen AirPods, both iterations of the AirPods 4, the latest AirPods Pro with USB-C, and the last-gen AirPods Max.

The best AirPods (third-gen) deals

With support for the company’s MagSafe charger and an asking price of $179, Apple’s third-gen AirPods were once considered the middle child in the AirPods lineup. The shorter stems made for a more subtle design, too, while improved sound and features like sweat and water resistance, support for head-tracking spatial audio, and improved battery life rendered them a nice upgrade over their predecessor.

However, the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have since replaced the third-gen AirPods in Apple’s lineup. The new earbuds run $129 and $179, respectively, with the step-up model offering a few perks once reserved for the Pro models, including ANC, a helpful transparency mode, and a case with a built-in speaker. You can also squeeze the stem to control media playback — a feature also available on the entry-level AirPods 4.

We recently saw the third-gen AirPods with a Lightning charging case drop to $94 at Walmart. However, the best deal you can get right now is only available at Adorama, where members can buy them with a MagSafe charging case for $149 ($50 off). That being said, it’s worth noting that you can currently buy the AirPods 4 at Amazon starting at $119, which is a far better deal.

Read our AirPods (third-gen) review.

The best AirPods 4 deals

During Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event in September, the company introduced the AirPods 4, a pair of wireless earbuds available in two flavors: a $129 standard model and a noise-canceling version for $179. Both models represent significant upgrades over the second-gen AirPods, with a more comfortable design and improved audio performance. They’re also better for taking calls thanks to Apple’s Voice Isolation feature, which better isolates your voice so that you can more clearly be heard in noisy environments.

For $50 extra, you can also buy the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, which offer ANC, a helpful transparency mode, and several more Pro-like features. Admittedly, the latest AirPods Pro do a better job of tuning out noise, but Apple’s newest pair of wireless earbuds still do a good job of reducing sound. They also offer other perks formerly reserved for Apple’s highest-end earbuds, including wireless charging and a case with a built-in speaker that allows you to easily track it down via Apple’s Find My app.

Although they only just launched a few months ago, we’re already starting to see discounts on both versions of the AirPods 4. Right now, for instance, Amazon is offering the standard AirPods 4 for $119 ($10 off), which is just $1 shy of their best price yet. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are also on sale for $168.99 ($10 off) at Amazon and for members at Costco, which is about $30 shy of their all-time low price.

Read our AirPods 4 review.

The best AirPods Pro (second-gen) deals

In 2022, Apple released the second-gen AirPods Pro, which feature a similar build to the first-gen model but offer better noise cancellation, swipe-based controls, and an extra-small pair of swappable silicone ear tips for smaller ears. Apple followed them up last year with a minor refresh, one that features a USB-C charging case and an upgraded IP54 rating for water and dust resistance. The newest model also supports lossless audio when used with Apple’s new Vision Pro headset and doubles as a pair of FDA-approved hearing aids.

Apple’s updated AirPods Pro with USB-C are currently available at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $189.99, which is their usual sale price and about $36 more than their best price to date.

Read our AirPods Pro with USB-C impressions.

The best AirPods Max deals

The AirPods Max aren’t the iconic in-ears that have become synonymous with the AirPods name. They’re large and luxurious, comprised of aluminum, steel, and mesh fabric that remains comfortable during extended listening sessions. They also sport excellent noise cancellation, Apple’s spatial audio feature, and expansive, balanced sound, even if they lag behind some of their peers when it comes to bass response and features. They’re not the best noise-canceling headphones for most people — blame the sticker price — but it’s hard to find a better pair of Bluetooth headphones if you’re an iPhone user.

At the beginning of September, Apple replaced the first-gen Max with a new model that features support for USB-C charging and a few new color options. They’re currently on sale at Amazon and B&H Photo for around $529 ($20 off) — which matches their second-best price to date — while the first-gen model is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $399.99 ($150 off). That’s not the lowest price we’ve seen on the original model, but it’s one of the best prices we’ve seen in the past year.

Read our original AirPods Max review.

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jwz wrote:

I Hate You, Milkman Apple.
https://jwz.org/b/ykfn

Attachments:

• Screenshot

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

medigoth@qoto.org ("Daniel Dvorkin") wrote:

@micahflee It's like if Fawkes et al. had been invited to join Parliament.

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

kellylepo@astrodon.social ("Kelly Lepo") wrote:

Need more galaxies in your feed? Of course you do.

Over the break I made @ArpBot, mostly because I thought the name "Arp Bot" was funny.

It posts an image of a galaxy in Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies twice a day. Images are from the archives of professional observatories and the original 1966 catalog. I curated the images and wrote the image descriptions and most of the alt text.

Give it a follow!

#Astrodon #space #galaxies

Attachments:

• A grainy, black and white vertical image of two spiral galaxies next to each other. The galaxies are nebulous structures with denser arms shaped like spirals that meet at the centre of each galaxy. The galaxy at the bottom of the frame is face-on. The galaxy at the top of the frame is somewhat inclined, and they're almost touching. The image is sprinkled with white dots, which are stars. (remote)

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

SeanCasten ("Sean Casten") wrote:

4 years ago, I was locked down in the Capitol. When the majority of the Republicans voted to overturn the election AFTER the attack, something broke in Congress that still hasn’t healed. Truth is truth. And while it should never be partisan to defend democracy, we can’t pretend it isn’t.

Reblogged by jwz:

dusk@todon.eu ("Dusk To Don :raccoon:") wrote:

@ErikUden

Don’t forget Senator Josh Hawley, another insurrectionist, running out of the capitol to the tune of “Chariots of Fire”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7xCwvSNgigE

Reblogged by jwz:

ErikUden@mastodon.de ("Erik Uden 🍑") wrote:

Congressman Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) cowers in fear at a coup he helped create on January 6th 2021

Attachments:

• A picture of Markwayne Mullin in congress hiding behind one of the large chairs looking fearfully at the door where rioters storming the Capitol are presumably coming in. (remote)

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

cave painting found in Alps of Paleolithic socmedia user

Attachments:

• man in tweed suit sitting at old fashioned Ham radio operator station while smoking a pipe (remote)

More Android phones with Qi2 wireless charging will finally show up in 2025

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

The Wireless Power Consortium announced at CES on Monday that more Android devices will use the MagSafe-based Qi2 charging standard in 2025. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll all have magnets, though; the WPC says it now has a “Qi2 Ready” certification for phones that need a case to add the magnetic alignment ring but otherwise meet the charging standard’s spec.

The announcement of Qi2 Ready could explain recent rumors that you’ll need a case to add magnetic charging to Galaxy S25 phones from Samsung, which says it’s releasing Qi2 Galaxy devices later this year. Meanwhile, Google says it’s “committed to the Qi2 wireless charging standard” and is contributing “its own high-power wireless charging technology to WPC.”

At the moment, you need a case with an embedded magnet for most Android phones to have MagSafe-style wireless charging. Apart from phones like the HMD Skyline, Apple has been alone in equipping its phones with the magnetic ring that normal Qi2 certification now requires.

The WPC also announced that a coming part of the Qi2 standard will be in-car wireless charging with a moving coil that shifts to keep aligned with the coil in your phone, using tech contributed by Panasonic Automotive Systems. Both the moving coil and Qi2 Ready certification are part of the Qi v2.1 update.

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jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

Happy Anniversary to Richard and Mildred Loving

http://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/jan/6

Reblogged by jwz:

helenaisvibing@tech.lgbt ("Helena") wrote:

Fedi scientists are funny because their behaviour spans the full spectrum of "basically only posts things that are indistinguishable from the public outreach account for the National Laboratory of Clever Activities" to "basically only posts meowing" and you can't necessarily tell which is which from their bio

Reblogged by jwz:

nocontexttrek ("Star Trek Minus Context") wrote:

#StarTrek #Insurrection

Attachments:

• Movie cover art for the film Star Trek: Insurrection. There's a large planet across the lower half of the picture as if we're in orbit above and we see the USS Enterprise flying away from us at warp towards open space. There's a large menacing face looking down at the starship and planet, cloaked in red beams of light. Across the top reads, "INSURRECTION."

jwz wrote:

He is absolutely the guy trying to shut down the rec center.

And only the power of dance can save us.

13 Years Later, You Can Still Find People Playing Call of Duty On PS Vita

The one Call of Duty game released on the PlayStation Vita in 2012 apparently still has an active player base in 2025. So if you’ve been desperately wanting to play Nukehouse again, go find your Vita and Black Ops Declassified and hop online.

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Reblogged by jwz:

adhdeanasl@beige.party ("ADHDean Being A Fanboy") wrote:

Happy 4th anniversary of the day Donald John Trump’s best and brightest smeared human feces on the walls of the United States Capitol Building.

The IDF Killed an American Peace Activist. Her Husband Is Still Looking for Answers.

The morning of December 16, Hamid Ali prepared to tell the story of his wife’s death. It was a Monday, and over the following 48 hours, I watched Ali—a lean man with glasses and a short beard—crisscross Washington DC, in search of accountability for his spouse, Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a peace activist and American citizen […]

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Hisense’s TriChroma TV could be the middle ground between Mini LED and MicroLED

Image: Hisense

CES is always a showcase of giant-sized TVs, and true to form, Hisense has brought two enormous new models to Las Vegas this year: the 136-inch MicroLED 136MX, and the 116-inch TriChroma LED TV.

It seems like, for five or six years now, we’ve been hearing how MicroLED will usher in the next era of home theater and leapfrog OLED in terms of picture quality — without any of the potential risks such as burn-in or panel degradation over time. But the technology remains prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of consumers. Hisense probably won’t be changing that with the 136MX, which is described as the company’s first “consumer-ready MicroLED display.”

Hisense has surged in TV market share by balancing price and performance better than just about any other TV manufacturer besides TCL. Today’s press release describes the 136MX as “a pivotal milestone in making cutting-edge display technology more accessible to households.” But a milestone doesn’t mean that this specific — and very large — TV will be anything close to affordable unless you lead a life of luxury.

Image: Hisense

Behold this home. Only someone who lives here could manage to afford a MicroLED display.

It sure does sound nice, though:

The 136MX builds on Hisense’s legacy of display innovation, leveraging a high-density array of over 24.88 million microscopic LEDs to deliver unparalleled brightness, resolution, and precision. Each pixel is its own light source, composed of independent red, green, and blue LEDs, eliminating the need for a traditional backlight. This self-emissive design achieves a near-infinite dynamic contrast ratio, delivering deep blacks, dazzling brightness, and remarkable clarity. Unlike OLED, which can degrade or suffer burn-in with static content, MicroLED offers consistent, high-quality visuals for years, making it ideal for bright living spaces and dedicated home theater rooms alike.

Hisense’s MicroLED display can hit a blinding peak brightness of 10,000 nits. It checks off support for all the modern musts, including Dolby Vision, Atmos, HDR 10 Plus, 120Hz gaming, auto low-latency mode, and more. But the reality is that it’s another very stunning screen that none of us will ever have in our homes.

For some people, there’s at least more of a chance of actually owning the also-new 116-inch TriChroma LED TV. That’s because, at its core, this is still a Mini LED set. But Hisense has developed a new local dimming system that it calls “RGB Local Dimming Technology.” The key benefit here seems to be color vibrance:

Unlike traditional systems that rely on white or blue backlights filtered through a quantum dot filter to create color, RGB Local Dimming Technology introduces independent red, green, and blue LEDs that generate pure colors directly at the source. This approach achieves richer reds, deeper greens, and more vibrant blues, delivering an industry-leading 97% of the BT.2020 color space — the widest color gamut ever achieved in a Mini LED display.

This precision is made possible by tens of thousands of RGB Local Dimming optical lenses, each containing individual red, blue and green LEDs. These lenses operate as independently controlled clusters, allowing for multi-level dimming at both the RGB chip level and the cluster level.

The company says RGB Local Dimming also helps to prevent loss of brightness and reduces blue light emissions by 38 percent. From what Hisense claims, the TriChroma TV can hit a peak brightness of 10,000 nits. It runs Google TV software and supports Dolby Vision IQ and IMAX Enhanced. On the sound front, there’s “a 6.2.2 multi-channel CineStage X surround sound system” built into the 116-inch frame.

There’s no price or release date for the TriChroma TV just yet, but Hisense says it “not only pushes the boundaries of what MiniLED displays can achieve, but also sets the stage for the future of display innovation.” Stay tuned for some impressions of both of these very, very big TVs once the CES show floor opens this week.

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Google will use more mics and Gemini AI to get you to talk to your TV

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Google TV is getting a Gemini integration that’s supposed to make interacting with your TV “more intuitive and helpful,” the company announced at CES on Monday. With the update, which is set to arrive later this year, you’ll be able to search for content and ask questions without starting with “Hey Google,” as reported by Bloomberg and Android Police.

As pointed out by Android Police, the integration will allow you to search for media by saying “What are the latest movies from Disney?” You can also ask more general questions such as, “What are the best places to visit in Asia in the summer?” and Google TV will show results from YouTube. The integration lets you interact with smart home devices as well, allowing you to view your video doorbell feed and more.

Google brought similar Gemini-powered features to the Google TV Streamer it released last year.

In addition to bringing Gemini to Google TV, the company is outfitting the TVs using its operating system with far-field microphones, according to Bloomberg and Android Police. This will let you use voice commands with your TV without speaking into your remote. Google TVs will also have proximity sensors that will detect when you’re close to the TV and show “personalized and informative widgets,” Android Police reports.

Google isn’t alone in bringing AI to TVs. LG and Samsung announced that they’re getting in on the AI hype by bringing Microsoft’s Copilot assistant to their TVs, too.

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LG TVs are getting Xbox Cloud Gaming

Image: Microsoft

Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to some LG TVs “later this year,” Microsoft and LG announced at CES 2025. When the feature is available, if you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you’ll be able to stream games from the Xbox Game Pass library and select titles that you already own from the LG Gaming Portal.

LG says you’ll be able to use Xbox Cloud Gaming on its “latest Smart TVs,” but doesn’t specify exactly which models. In a footnote, LG says that “service and country availability will be announced at a later date.” Microsoft promises that it will share more details on the feature in the “coming months.”

Microsoft and LG’s promotional art for the news features Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” tagline that shows how you can play Xbox games across a lot of different devices. Xbox Cloud Gaming is already available on some Samsung TVs.

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Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):

grickle@mstdn.social ("Grickle") wrote:

True passion. #grickledoodle #spiderman #DocOck #marvel #comics #cartoon #art #drawing #funny

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• A cartoon illustration of Spider-man villain Doctor Octopus sitting on a rocky shore surrounded by pink octopuses. Caption reads "It really wasn't about the suit, or Spider-man, or any of it. He just legit loved octopuses. And they loved him." (remote)

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