Bird Buddy’s new camera tracks plants and insects in your garden

The creators behind the Bird Buddy smart feeder have taken the wraps off a camera that keeps tabs on the activity in your garden, whether it’s a seed sprouting or a bee visiting one of your flowers. The Petal camera is launching under new Wonder branding, and features a bendable stem alongside a universal clip you can attach to different areas throughout your yard.

The 4K, 12-megapixel camera uses an AI system to help identify plants and insects from the accompanying app. You can also interact with an AI chatbot that will tell you helpful information about the activity the camera captures, as well as what you can do to help your garden.

Like with Bird Buddy’s feeder, you can use your smartphone to snap photos and view a livestream of wildlife from the camera. There’s an optional solar panel roof you can use to power the device as well.

In case you don’t have an ideal spot to plant your Petal, you can pair it with Wonder Blocks, a modular system designed to house plants and attract insects. You can customize the components you place atop the Wonder Block pedestal, including a plant base, seed tray, bee hotel, butterfly feeder, and a home for bugs, allowing you to track all sorts of activity from one spot.

Petal and Wonder Blocks will be available on Kickstarter in the spring of this year, but there are still no firm details on price.

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The newest Kindle Scribe is $75 off in its first sale

The 2024 Kindle Scribe has a new look and new features, but you can stick to the older model if you already have one.

Amazon released a new version of its Kindle Scribe in October with an improved pen and new AI-powered writing features. It’s appropriately Amazon’s most expensive Kindle by far, but thankfully, you can finally get it a bit cheaper. The Kindle Scribe (second-gen) with 16GB of storage is down to $324.99 ($75 off) in its first sale at Amazon. You can also get a discount on the 32GB model that drops it to $339.99 ($80 off), or the 64GB model that’s now $364.99 ($85 off). All come with the newest Premium Pen, which adds a shortcut button and a soft eraser tip.

The writing features on the original Kindle Scribe felt more like an add-on to the reading experience than the primary selling point of Amazon’s biggest Kindle. The 2024 refresh further emphasizes the writing experience, however. When writing notes in a document or book directly on top of text, for example, the Scribe will automatically adjust your notations and markups so they’re not interfering with the surrounding text. It’ll also convert your handwriting to typed notes to make them easily editable, searchable, and shareable, plus summarize them using AI.

The ebook reader otherwise feels familiar: it’s still the biggest Kindle available with its 10.2-inch 300 ppi display, with a new textured cover that adds paper-like friction while writing. Amazon refreshed the design with thinner bezels that are now white. If you already have the Kindle Scribe, you can probably skip the upgrade (unless you need the slight hardware refinements) as it received most of the same software features in a recent update.

Read our Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) review.

A few more deals to distract you from CES

• The GoPro Hero 13 Black debuted for $399.99, but now you can get the action camera bundled with two batteries, a carrying case, a grip handle, and a 64GB microSD card for just $299.99 ($150 off) at Amazon. That’s an all-time low price for the bundle and matching the record low for the camera itself. The Hero 13 Black uses the same camera sensors as the previous generation model, which supports up to 5.3K 10-bit video recording at 120 frames per second. The newest model adds an integrated magnetic mounting and charging system; three new lens options for macro, ultra-wide, and anamorphic shooting; Wi-Fi 6 connectivity; and slight battery life improvements.
• You can get the Anker MagGo Charger Stand for an all-time low of $35.99 ($14 off) at Amazon and from Anker’s store with code WS7DV2WISMJY. The 2-in-1 stand offers Qi2 charging speeds (up to 15W) for your MagSafe iPhone, with a rotating joint that lets you angle the device up to 45 degrees. There’s also a charging pad in the base for AirPods and other wireless charging earbuds.
• The Shargeek 170 power bank offers a quirky alternative to the black bricks we usually see. You can get the translucent, prism-shaped battery for $139 ($40 off) at Amazon (when clipping an on-page coupon), Huckberry, and Sharge’s online store, which is only about $4 more than the record low. The rugged power bank has IP66 protection against water and dust, and also boasts a 24,000mAh capacity with a 170W total output, including two-way 140W charging through either of its two USB-C ports (there’s also a USB-A port). It also has a digital display that’ll show its charging status and total capacity remaining.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Book 5 laptops get an Arrow Lake CPU upgrade

Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro. | Image: Samsung

Samsung has announced new Galaxy Book 5 Pro and 360 laptops featuring the NPU-packing (but not CoPilot Plus-qualifying) Arrow Lake Core Ultra processors Intel announced earlier today as an upgrade to the Lunar Lake-powered devices Samsung launched in September.

Samsung says the new Book 5 Pro and 360 convertible laptop / tablet “diversifies” the Galaxy Book AI PC lineup and highlights its AI software capabilities, including the Circle-to-Search-like AI Select app and an AI image retouch tool called Photo Remaster. These features launched on the Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 and appeared on last year’s Snapdragon X Elite-powered Galaxy Book 4 Edge.

The Galaxy Book 5 Pro comes in 14- and 16-inch variants, each with 2880 x 1800 resolution AMOLED screens and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Pros also have “Vision Booster” tech that “uses tone mapping to adjust the contrast and colors” to make things easier to see while working outside.

Samsung says the 16-inch model provides up to 25 hours of video playback per charge, while the 14-inch offers up to 21 hours. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Book 5 360 has a 1080p 15.6-inch AMOLED screen and lasts “up to 31 hours” while playing videos.

All three models have Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB-A port, HDMI, and microSD card slots. They can be configured with Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 “Evo” processors and either 16GB or 32GB of RAM. For storage, your options are 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Pricing has not yet been announced, but all will ship to the US, Canada, UK, and other markets starting in February.

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HDMI 2.2 cranks the bandwidth to 96Gbps and aims to eliminate audio sync issues forever

Image: HDMI Forum

The HDMI Forum is using CES — the annual showcase of all things home theater — to announce the new HDMI 2.2 specification. In a press release this morning, the trade association confirmed that the new spec will up total bandwidth significantly to a new high of 96Gbps. And yes, that means the introduction of an “Ultra96” HDMI cable that “enables all the HDMI 2.2 specification features.”

“Higher resolutions and refresh rates will be supported and more high-quality options will be provided,” the HDMI Forum said in its release. An example of an HDMI 2.2 cable (below) calls out some of those, including 4K at up to 480Hz, 8K at up to 240Hz, and 10K at 120Hz. Current HDMI cables can already pass 4K at 120Hz, so I doubt most people will feel any temptation to upgrade for years to come. And you’ll need content for any of these higher resolutions to be worthwhile, and there’s still a dearth of native 8K entertainment out there.

But with many TVs now offering 4K at up to 144Hz, and as consumers gravitate towards larger screens, the HDMI Forum sees ample reason to keep pushing forward.

Image: HDMI Forum

HDMI 2.2 cables will be badged as “Ultra96.”

There is at least a more helpful aspect of this spec for everyone: HDMI 2.2 includes a “Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) for improving audio and video synchronization, especially for multiple-hop system configurations such as those with an audio video receiver or soundbar.” In my experience, HDMI 2.1 and eARC have mostly resolved frustrating audio / video sync issues, but they can still pop up as a frustration depending on your setup. Apparently HDMI 2.2 will go further in keeping everything lined up and keeping this headache in the past.

Interestingly, the HDMI Forum is already anticipating tariff issues and has implemented an extensive certification program that includes anti-counterfeit labeling on packaging. You certainly can’t miss the Ultra96 badging.

HDMI 2.2 will be released in the first half of this year and be widely available “to all HDMI 2.x adopters.” Your TV and external devices will need to support the specification in order to unlock that new level of bandwidth, so we’re just starting down what’s inevitably going to be a long road.

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Ecobee launches an even cheaper smart thermostat

Image: Ecobee

Ecobee is launching a new entry-level smart thermostat that costs $129.99. The Smart Thermostat Essential comes with a full-color touchscreen and supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Assistant.

Just like Ecobee’s other smart thermostats, the Essential adjusts the temperature of your home based on the schedule you set, allowing it to conserve energy while you’re away. It ensures your house reaches an optimal temperature by the time you return by learning how long it takes to heat or cool your home.

The Essential can be paired with the company’s SmartSensors to optimize the temperature in specific rooms. The smart thermostat, which can be controlled through the Ecobee app, is compatible with most conventional HVAC and heat pump systems but doesn’t support HVAC accessories or multispeed fan systems.

The Essential will replace the $150 Ecobee3 Lite when it launches in March 2025. The lower $129.99 price makes it more of a rival to the basic Google Nest Thermostat, which costs the same. However, the Nest works with Matter, whereas Ecobee still hasn’t added support for the new smart home standard, despite saying they would.

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Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X chips bring Windows on Arm to cheaper laptops

Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm is introducing another Arm laptop chip to its Snapdragon X series today, lowering the cost of Copilot Plus PCs to around $600. The new Snapdragon X joins the existing Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite and will be available in a variety of devices from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo in the coming months.

The Snapdragon X is designed for mainstream and budget laptops, so it won’t offer as good of performance as the X Plus or X Elite variants. Qualcomm is still promising better performance per watt compared to Intel’s Core 5 120U processor and better battery life across a variety of tests.

Much like the rest of the Snapdragon X series, the base Snapdragon X chip will include a 45 TOPS NPU that supports Microsoft’s Copilot Plus features. The Qualcomm Oryon CPU has eight cores that boost at up to 3GHz and is built on the same 4nm process node as the rest of the Snapdragon X series.

Image: Qualcomm

The Snapdragon X platform.

It looks like the Snapdragon X will also lay the groundwork for some of the first Qualcomm-powered mini desktop PCs. Qualcomm is promising the “world’s first mini desktop PC powered by Snapdragon X series” tomorrow, so it certainly sounds like more Copilot Plus mini PCs are on the way.

The Snapdragon X will really have an impact on the $600 laptop market. It’s poised to put even more pressure on Intel’s efforts here, and Qualcomm says more than 60 laptop designs from OEMs are currently in production or development based on the Snapdragon X series of chips. More than 100 are on the way by 2026. Windows on Arm momentum isn’t slowing down.

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Meta stops selling the Quest Pro

Poor little guy. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Meta has stopped selling the Quest Pro, UploadVR spotted. The news comes just over two months since the company discontinued the high-end VR headset. Meta wrote then that it would keep selling the headset until year’s end or until it ran out of stock, whichever came first. I guess it didn’t sell out.

The $999 headset’s product page now says the “Meta Quest Pro is no longer available” and encourages users to consider the Meta Quest 3 instead, which we liked more than its upscale sibling. UploadVR notes that the company is still selling the Quest Pro’s Touch Pro controllers, which work with the Quest 2 and up.

VR headsets have struggled to go mainstream, especially at the high end. The $3,500 Vision Pro has improved since we gave it a relatively lackluster review but still hasn’t caught on in a big way. Apple reportedly cut back on manufacturing it in October. The Quest Pro started at a cheap-by-comparison $1,499, but it made a far worse impression at launch — packed better internals than the Quest 2 and some fancy new features the older headset lacked, but it was also heavy, expensive, and didn’t have much better displays.

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Disney strikes deal to merge Fubo with Hulu + Live TV

Hulu and sports-forward streamer Fubo are settling aside some legal differences and teaming up in order to launch yet another new platform for you to subscribe to.

Last year, Fubo filed a lawsuit against Disney (which co-owns Hulu), Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery last year on grounds that the studios’ plan for Venu Sports, a new sports streaming service, was anticompetitive. But today, Fubo announced that it has reached an agreement with Disney to merge Hulu + Live TV and the entire Fubo platform to create a new multichannel video programming distributor. Going forward, Disney will own about 70 percent of the new venture, which will be headed up by Fubo’s co-founder and CEO David Gandler. Hulu’s core video subscription service will also continue to operate independently.

In a statement about the partnership, Gandler insisted that the deal will enable Fubo to “deliver on our promise to provide consumers with greater choice and flexibility.”

“Additionally, this agreement allows us to scale effectively, strengthens Fubo’s balance sheet, and positions us for positive cash flow. It’s a win for consumers, our shareholders, and the entire streaming industry,” Gandler said.

Though a hearing for Fubo’s previously-filed lawsuit against Disney, Fox, and WBD was scheduled for today, the case has now been dropped because of the new deal. Additionally, Fubo will receive a $220 million payout from Disney, Fox, and WBD. Fubo also noted that Disney plans to provide it with a $145 million this year, and should the entire deal fall apart, Fubo will be due a $130 termination fee.

It wasn’t clear how Disney planned to proceed last summer after a federal judge sided with Fubo and blocked Venu Sports from its planned fall 2024 launch. But now it’s looking like the way forward is going to be a collaborative one.

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Elvie’s automatic baby bouncer and bassinet costs $799 for six months of use

A motor bounces baby according to your settings, but you have to convert it into a bassinet using your own motor skills. | Image: Elvie

The Elvie Rise is an app-controlled baby bouncer that can be converted into a bassinet without moving the baby. Unfortunately, it costs $799 and isn’t suitable for tots over six months of age.

Of course, much less expensive bouncers without motors and apps also go flat for nap time, which is why Elvie’s pitch leans heavily into baby’s safety. As we’ve learned, baby tech is often peddled to anxious parents based on fear, not practicality.

According to Elvie’s own study, “at least 67 percent of babies aged 0-3 months routinely sleep in a product that is not deemed safe for sleep during the day and the night.” Rise follows the AAP’s sleep safe guidelines, which require a firm, flat mattress, breathable fabrics, and retractable straps.

Elvie’s “SootheLoop” tech records whatever bounce intensity and duration you desire, which can then be automatically repeated. In manual mode, bouncing can also be controlled by baby-power alone. It’s up to the caregiver to lift the bouncer into bassinet mode and hoist the blinders when baby grows tired.

Bouncer mode is suitable from newborn to six months of age, according to the company, or until your sub-20lb spawn starts to sit upright on their own. The bassinet is only suitable until junior hits five months, or starts to push up on hands and knees.

Decent portable bassinets that follow AAP guidelines start around $140, while highly regarded bouncers can cost $200. $799 could be justified if that 2-in-1 convenience and motorized bouncing really speaks to you — just don’t lose the charger. Too bad the company doesn’t make a dumb version without motor or app because it does look nice.

On the bright side, the Elvie Rise is way cheaper than a Snoo or that poop-detecting crib, and it doesn’t require a monthly subscription.

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Birdfy Bath Pro is a voyeuristic take on smart bird feeders

Birdfy has announced the Birdfy Bath Pro, a camera-equipped smart bird bath that lets you watch your local birds as they plop into the water to wash up. The device features two lenses — a wide-angle one and an auto-tracking one — and an optional AI analysis feature that keeps track of and summarizes the bath’s visitors. It’s in preorder now.

The onboard camera consists of a 2MP wide-angle lens that shoots at 1080p and a 3MP “Portrait Lens” with 2K resolution. It carries an IP66 waterproof rating, so it should be able to withstand bird splashes, rain, and a direct blast from a water hose. But if you live somewhere cold, you should know the camera may be slow or not start at all if the outdoor temperature drops below 14 degrees Fahrenheit (or minus 10 degrees Celsius).

Image: Birdfy

The Bath Pro notifies you when birds arrive.

The fountain portion comes with five interchangeable nozzles that Birdfy says make “captivating water patterns.” The Bath Pro will run you $249.99, or $299.99 with the stand included. For another $50, you can also get a lifetime subscription to its AI analysis service that Birdfy says will recognize birds and offer daily visitor counts and bird picture highlights. It also offers monthly recaps that rank your bath with that of other Birdfy owners.

Rounding out its features are an integrated solar panel to keep its 9,000mAh battery topped up, cloud storage for videos and images, and Wi-Fi connectivity so you can watch birds from your phone, “catching every flutter and dip in real-time.”

The Bath Pro feels like a logical next step after the Bird Buddy smart bird feeder got its moment in the sun in 2023. Bird Buddy seemed to agree when it announced its own prototype for one that year, but it hasn’t started shipping that yet according to an update on its Kickstarter page. Birdfy has its own bird feeders, including the also newly announced Birdfy Feeder Metal, a metal-housed smart bird feeder with similar features to the Bath Pro.

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This big ol’ smart display fits right into an electrical box and controls your home

Image: Shelly Group

Shelly introduced the Wall Display X2 at CES 2025, a new smart panel designed to fit into a wall electrical box that you can use to control your smart home.

The display makes it easy for anybody in the household to control smart lights, thermostats, and more by simply tapping its 6.95-inch touchscreen. It also has built-in temperature, humidity, and light sensors.

The Shelly Wall Display X2 stands out from rivals with its built-in relay functionality, which means you can add smarts to switches, outlets, fixtures, and more. So, for example, it will add smart capabilities to an existing circuit if you wire it up where there was a light switch.

The panel can also be used to create customizable scenes, play music, and show information like real-time power usage and the weather.

The Wall Display X2 works with all Shelly devices and Home Assistant. It supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Shelly didn’t announce pricing or a release date but said that the Shelly Wall Display X2 should be available internationally in Q1, with US availability to follow.

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Aqara’s new seven-inch home control tablet can replace a light switch

The Aqara Panel Hub S1 Plus is a touchscreen smart home controller that can replace an existing light switch. | Image: Aqara

I’m a big fan of different ways to control your smart home outside of using your phone or relying on voice, so I was very excited to see that Aqara is launching three touchscreen controllers at the CES tech show in Las Vegas this week — and one has a wheel!

The new Panel Hub S1 Plus, Touchscreen Dial V1, and Touchscreen Switch S100 can be installed in place of a regular light switch. They can control the existing circuit and wirelessly manage devices connected to the panel through the Aqara smart home app. This lets you — and anyone in your home — use touch to adjust lights, thermostats, blinds, and more without needing a phone or knowing the right voice command. The Panel and the Switch can also control Matter devices, exposing six wireless buttons to Matter.

Aqara is also launching new non-touchscreen smart switches that can connect over Thread or Zigbee. The Aqara Light Switch H2 and Dimmer Switch H2 come in several switch configurations and don’t require a neutral wire. The Light Switch H2 can also control Aqara’s wired smart lighting products, such as its T1M ceiling light, giving you an option for physical control that doesn’t cut off the device’s smart features. They’re slated for release in Q1 2025.

Image: Aqara

The EU version of the Panel Hub S1 Plus dispenses with the speaker grille at the bottom.

I first saw several of these products showcased at the IFA tech show in Berlin, Germany, last year, and now Aqara is debuting US versions. The Panel Hub works over dual-band Wi-Fi, has a 6.9-inch touchscreen with a 1440 × 720 resolution, and can be installed in a regular light switch outlet. It can connect to two lights on a wired circuit to automate them, including Aqara smart lights such as the T1M ceiling light.

The customizable display can show several widgets to control devices connected to an Aqara smart home, such as lights, locks, thermostats, and curtains, as well as trigger scenes and routines. It can also act as a display for viewing live camera feeds from an Aqara camera and as a video intercom for an Aqara doorbell — such as the new G410 Aqara Doorbell that’s also launching at CES.

A proximity sensor can turn off the screen when it’s not in use, and you can upload photos and custom wallpapers. The Panel Hub also doubles as a Zigbee hub for connecting the company’s Zigbee accessories like sensors and locks and can bridge those devices into Matter.

Image: Aqara

The Dial V1 has a tactile ring that can be used to adjust lights and control shades or blinds.

The Touchscreen Dial V1 is a compact tactile rotary dial that looks and feels a bit like a mini Nest thermostat with a 1.32-inch touchscreen inside. I got to play with the European version at IFA, and it was easy to swipe through the touchscreen to choose a device to control and then turn the dial for fine-tuned adjustments, such as dimming lights, adjusting a thermostat, or opening or closing curtains or shades. Unlike the Panel and Touchscreen Switch, the Dial is not Matter-compatible.

The Dial V1 can be wired to an existing light fixture. It has a temperature and humidity sensor and a presence sensor for screen activation. The Dial V1 and the Panel Hub will launch in Europe later this month and in the US later this year.

Image: Aqara

The S100 has two physical switches and a touchscreen. It’s also a Thread border router.

Finally, the Touchscreen Switch S100 US combines the physical and digital in one device. A smart switch with two physical buttons and a 1.3-inch touchscreen, the S100 can control an existing light fixture and wirelessly control smart devices and scenes.

Like the touchscreen on the Dial V1, you can use the touchscreen to dim lights or adjust a thermostat. Unlike the other two touchscreen devices, the S100 includes Thread as well as Wi-Fi and can work as a Thread border router and through Matter over Wi-Fi. Aqara hasn’t provided a launch date for the Switch.

Image: Aqara

As a battery-powered presence sensor, the FP300 offers more versatile installation options than Aqara’s wired mmWave sensors.

If switches aren’t your thing, Aqara is launching a new smart sensor that can control your lights automatically. The battery-operated Presence Multi-Sensor FP300 packs five sensors: PRI, mmWave, light, temperature, and humidity.

A follow-up to Aqara’s wired mmWave-powered presence sensors, the FP2 and FP1E, the FP300’s mmWave sensing can detect presence in a room with precision down to someone’s chest rising and falling when they breathe. This should ensure your lights never turn off when you’re quietly working on your laptop or reading a book.

One of the first wireless mmWave sensors, the FP300 can operate on two CR2450 batteries for up to two years over Thread and three years using Zigbee and a connection to an Aqara hub, according to the company. (You can pick your protocol.)

Image: Aqara

The Climate Sensor W100 has programmable buttons that can control a connected Aqara thermostat.

The company also announced an updated climate sensor. The Climate Sensor W100 has the option of Thread or Zigbee and features an integrated display that can show room temperature, humidity, and more. Three wireless buttons can be programmed to control any connected smart device, including a thermostat.

Image: Aqara

The Hub M100 is a small, discreet way to add a Matter, Zigbee, and Thread hub to your smart home. It plugs into an outlet.

Finally, Aqara is adding a new entry-level smart home hub, the Hub M100. The small device includes Wi-Fi, Thread, and Zigbee to enable connections for all of Aqara’s smart devices as well as third-party Matter devices. It can act as a Thread border router and a Matter bridge for Aqara Zigbee devices.

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This tiny button pulls off the wall and controls your lights and music with gestures

Image: Flic

On Monday, Flic announced the Flic Duo, a wall-mountable smart button you can pick up to control other gadgets using customizable gestures.

The dual-button remote allows users to create over 30 programmable motion-based commands, so you could, for instance, program the smart button to play a specific music playlist with a swipe. You could even configure the Duo to perform different tasks based on its location, so it turns into a light switch when mounted to the wall and functions like a music controller in your hand.

Flic’s also added other conveniences designed to make it easier to integrate with other smart tech. It’s compatible with Matter, for example, which means it works with all major smart home platforms, and offers up a replaceable battery that should last up to three years. And if you were to ever lose the button, you can easily keep tabs on its location via the companion Flic app.

In addition to being a smart home controller, the Flic Duo also includes safety features targeted toward senior adults and “lone workers.” These include fall detection capabilities and the ability to use it as a personal alarm via a built-in speaker. Flic says the remote should last for three years off a single coin-cell battery.

The Flic Duo will be available to preorder on January 28th at an “early bird price” of $49. It will ship sometime in the second quarter of this year.

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This sleek doorbell camera is also a smart home hub

The Doorbell Camera Hub G410 is a new video doorbell from Aqara that doubles as a smart home hub for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee devices. | Image: Aqara

Aqara revealed the long-awaited update to its Video Doorbell G4 at CES this week, and it looks like it’s been worth the wait. The Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 adds 2K video quality, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and end-to-end encryption on live and recorded video. It is also one of the first doorbells to use an mmWave sensor for more accurate person detection.

The G410 works over dual-band Wi-Fi and has Thread and Zigbee radios on board. So — yes — it’s a full-on smart home hub. It can connect to and integrate both Aqara accessories and third-party Matter devices into your smart home.

Aqara is also adding Real-Time Streaming Protocol support so you can send its feed locally to a third-party client such as Home Assistant. And this is all in addition to features carried over from the G4, such as Apple Home compatibility (including HomeKit Secure Video support), on-device facial recognition, local storage, and the ability to work on battery (six AAs) or be hardwired to your home’s wiring. When hardwired, it offers 24/7 continuous recording to a microSD card.

The doorbell also supports Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings to stream to compatible smart displays. It works with Aqara’s new Panel Hub S1 Plus, which can act as a video intercom inside your house.

Image: Aqara

Aqara’s new Panel Hub S1 Plus, which installs in place of a regular light switch, can act as a video intercom for the G410 video doorbell.

There are a few disappointments, though. The field of view is wider than the G4’s, at 172 degrees on the diagonal, and it now offers a top-to-bottom 4:3 aspect ratio, but the G410 doesn’t have HDR imaging, which means it may be harder to see faces in some lighting. Its weather rating is still IPX3, meaning it really needs to be mounted under a porch or something similar to protect against heavy rainfall.

The doorbell’s smart alerts are limited to people and motion — there are no package, animal, or vehicle alerts (but you can get them through Apple Home). It also only records clips for up to 12 seconds at a time. Like the G4, the G410 won’t ring your existing chime and still requires that you plug in a small chime repeater to a nearby power outlet. This can house a microSD card for local storage.

The G4 offered free cloud storage, but the G410 will require a subscription. Local storage is free, though, and you can also use Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video service for recorded video. There’s no pricing or release date yet, but the G4 was $150, so this will likely land somewhere around that price.

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Honeywell Home’s first Matter thermostat costs just $80

Honeywell Home’s latest smart thermostat isn’t sexy, but it promises simplicity and significant savings. | Image: Resideo

Sadly, not all smart thermostats are things of beauty like the latest Nest Learning Thermostat, but that doesn’t mean they can’t save you some cash.

This week, Resideo announced the Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat, an entry-level smart thermostat that looks utilitarian but costs just $79.99 and works with Matter. This means it supports Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and other systems for smart home and voice control of your HVAC system.

Launching this spring, the X2S is designed to be simple, straightforward, and deliver big energy savings. It features a big, bright screen and large, spongy push buttons for controlling the temperature. It’s compatible with existing Honeywell Home thermostat wiring plates — so you might not have to do any wiring at all to install it. Resideo says that if you use the app’s recommended set points, the X2S can save you an average of 22 percent on heating and 17 percent on cooling.

Image: Resideo

The X2S is the first Honeywell Home thermostat to support Matter.

The X2S is the first Honeywell Home thermostat to work with Matter, which allows you to control the temperature and mode from any compatible ecosystem. It also works with Resideo’s First Alert app for more advanced features, such as scheduling and setting up an automatic away mode that uses geofencing to set the thermostat back when you leave home, helping save energy.

The Energy Star-rated thermostat requires a C wire and is compatible with up to two heating and cooling stages on conventional systems or up to two heating and one cooling stage on heat pump systems. It can also monitor humidity and offers air filter replacement reminders, but it won’t work with Honeywell Home’s room sensors.

According to Resideo, close to 80 percent of homes still don’t have connected thermostats, and this product is designed to be a simple, inexpensive way to upgrade. The addition of Matter, which should simplify the process of connecting to any smart home platform, is also something that would help push broader adoption of the technology.

“The Honeywell Home X2S’s price point and feature set make it the ideal upgrade from a non-connected to a connected thermostat, and Matter compatibility helps unlock other smart home benefits across other ecosystems,” said David Kaufman, director of strategic initiatives at Resideo.

In terms of competition, Google’s non-learning Nest Thermostat supports Matter but costs more at $129.99, and Meross just announced a Matter thermostat for $99. Both have more style than the X2S and rely on touch-sensitive interfaces rather than big buttons. Amazon has a similarly priced Smart Thermostat, but it only supports Alexa.

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JBL’s Tour One M3 headphones wirelessly connect to older devices using a touchscreen transmitter

The JBL Tour One M3 can be connected to almost any audio source using an optional wireless transmitter. | Image: JBL

JBL announced a pair of premium headphones at CES today that can be purchased with an optional transmitter that allows the Tour One M3 to be used wirelessly with audio sources like a plane’s in-flight entertainment system. The headphones will be available starting on April 13, 2025 in black, mocha, and blue for $399.95, but can also be purchased without the transmitter.

The option to connect to audio devices without wireless connectivity is a feature borrowed from JBL’s Tour Pro 3 wireless earbuds which incorporates the functionality into a charging case. With the new JBL Tour One M3 headphones, it’s offered through a small touchscreen accessory called the Smart Tx audio transmitter that connects to devices with a USB-C or a 3.5mm audio cable.

Image: JBL

The JBL Tour One M3 headphones will be available in black, mocha, and blue color options.

The Tour One M3 can connect to devices over Bluetooth, but the Smart Tx audio transmitter uses a “direct proprietary wireless connection” that JBL says offers reduced latency and improved stability. The Smart Tx’s touchscreen can also be used to adjust headphone settings like ANC and EQ, control music playback, answer phone calls, and broadcast audio “to an unlimited amount of Auracast enabled devices.”

The headphones feature “newly developed 40mm Mica Dome drivers” that JBL says are “precisely tuned to deliver deep bass, balanced mids, and crystal-clear highs.”

They reduce noise using JBL’s True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 technology which relies on eight microphones that are also used to boost ambient sounds when you want to be more aware of your environment. And in addition to offering EQ adjustments that can be customized for each ear, you can take a hearing test through JBL’s app to tailor the sound of the Tour One M3 to your liking.

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Aptera shows off a new solar-powered car that it swears will go into production

Image: Aptera

Aptera is aiming to get a little more time in the sun.

The once-dead and now-resurrected startup unveiled a new “production-intent” solar-powered electric vehicle that it made with a little help from legendary Italian automotive designers Pininfarina. And much like the last go-around, the new prototype is an ultra-efficient three-wheeled electric vehicle powered, in part, by embedded solar panels.

Aptera insists the partnership with Pininfarina is providing necessary resources, like access the company’s wind tunnel located in Turin, Italy, to refine its design “to achieve one of the lowest drag coefficients of any production passenger vehicle, setting a new standard for energy efficiency in the automotive industry.” But the biggest hurdles will likely finding enough funding to go into production.

Aptera didn’t include the exact drag coefficient for the new vehicle, but has claimed that past prototypes were able to achieve one of 0.13, as compared to 0.23 for Tesla’s Model 3.

The vehicle is equipped with 700W of integrated solar cells, allowing most drivers to drive every day without ever needing to plug in to charge. The cells can provide up to 40 miles of solar-powered range each day, and the ability to travel up to 400 miles on a single charge.

Aptera’s previous attempts to be one of the first companies in the world to mass produce a solar-powered car were derailed when it failed to qualify for the US Department of Energy’s advanced technology loan program. The company shut down in 2011, but reopened in 2020 after successfully raising enough money through crowdfunding and other means.

It’s unclear if the work is enough to get its weird, three-wheeled solar powered vehicle off the ground. Aptera isn’t the only company squinting at the sun for inspiration. German startup Sono Motors was working on a solar-powered electric car, but now its betting on solar buses. Mercedes-Benz’s Vision EQXX concept includes a solar roof array of 117 cells. And Toyota has promised an optional solar roof for its recently released BZ4X electric SUV.

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OpenAI’s Sam Altman says ‘we know how to build AGI’

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that the company is confident that it knows “how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it,” referring to the tech industry’s long-sought benchmark of artificial general intelligence. And he predicts that AI agents capable of autonomously performing certain tasks may start to “materially change the output of companies” this year.

Altman made the announcement in a blog post published on Monday, where he discussed the past and future of OpenAI. The company’s next goal is “superintelligence in the true sense of the word,” he says.“We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future. Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity.”

Altman’s description of superintelligence, broadly defined as AI agents that surpass human intelligence, sounds much like how OpenAI once described AGI: “AI systems that are generally smarter than humans.” OpenAI has repeatedly stated that its foundational goal is to develop an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system that “benefits all of humanity.” But Altman tried to lower expectations for AGI last month, saying it would “matter much less” than people thought.

Downplaying its previous definition of AGI may work in OpenAI’s favor, since the company is tied to Microsoft via exclusivity deals it made in 2023 until OpenAI officially declares that AGI has been achieved. But reports that Microsoft itself classifies AGI as a system capable of generating $100 billion in profits may prove that loophole ineffective. And while The Verge has heard that OpenAI plans to blend its large language models together as an “AGI” offering, potentially to hit this goalpost faster, the company isn’t turning a profit. Altman also says it’s currently losing money on its $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro subscriptions.

“People use it much more than we expected,” Altman wrote across several posts on X. “I personally chose the price and thought we would make some money.”

Altman doesn’t directly address OpenAI’s tight profit-sharing arrangement with Microsoft in his blog post, but he does lament about the confusing events that led to him being fired as CEO of OpenAI, hired by Microsoft, and subsequently returning to OpenAI in November 2023. Altman has since consolidated power at OpenAI, which aims to transition from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit one this year.

“The whole event was, in my opinion, a big failure of governance by well-meaning people, myself included. Looking back, I certainly wish I had done things differently, and I’d like to believe I’m a better, more thoughtful leader today than I was a year ago,” Altman said. “Good governance requires a lot of trust and credibility. I appreciate the way so many people worked together to build a stronger system of governance for OpenAI that enables us to pursue our mission of ensuring that AGI benefits all of humanity.”

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Microsoft is using Bing to trick people into thinking they’re on Google

Image: The Verge

Microsoft is pulling yet another trick to get people to use its Bing search engine. If you use Bing right now without signing into a Microsoft account and search for Google, you’ll get a page that looks an awful lot like... Google.

It’s a clear attempt from Microsoft to make Bing look like Google for this specific search query, and other searches just list the usual Bing search results without this special interface. The Google result includes a search bar, an image that looks a lot like a Google Doodle, and even some small text under the search bar just like Google does. Microsoft even automatically scrolls down the page slightly to mask its own Bing search bar that appears at the top of search results.

Image: Tom Warren / The Verge

The Bing search result for Google right now has a special interface.

While Bing still surfaces search results for Google underneath this spoofed Google UI, a lot of people will see this interface when they configure a new PC and search for Google in the address bar of Microsoft Edge. As 9to5Google points out, it’s a sneaky move from Microsoft to try and keep people using Bing instead of switching to Google.

Microsoft has a habit of this kind of behavior, too. We’ve been cataloging every trick Microsoft has used to convince people to switch to Bing or Edge instead of Google and Chrome over the past few years. Microsoft has modified Chrome download sites, added pop-up ads into Google Chrome on Windows, injected polls into Chrome download pages, and even used malware-like popups to get people to ditch Google.

Google also has its own notifications on its websites to encourage people to download Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge, but they’re nowhere near as aggressive as Microsoft’s use of operating system-level popups and website modifications.

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Schlage’s sleek new smart lock ditches keys for UWB

The Sense Pro is Schlage’s first lock to support Matter; it will also work with a new UWB-powered auto-unlocking feature. | Image: Schlage

It’s a bit of a moment for the humble door lock. Schlage, one of the oldest lock makers in the US, just launched its first-ever smart door lock without a keyway. But that’s not the most exciting part: the Schlage Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt is the company’s first lock to support the new smart home standard Matter and one of the first ever to use ultra wideband technology (UWB) for hands-free unlocking.

Along with the Sense Pro, Schlage also announced a new entry-level smart lock. The $199 Schlage Arrive Smart WiFi Deadbolt does have a keyway, along with a push button keypad for the touchscreen-adverse. The new locks join the company’s existing Encode smart lock line.

Image: Schlage

The Schlage Sense Pro is a new design for Schlage locks and comes in two finishes: satin nickel (pictured) and matte black (above).

While it’s nice to see a more affordable smart lock option from Schlage (its Encode deadbolts start at $274), the Sense Pro is the headliner. A radical redesign for the company, the new touchscreen lock has a completely smooth face and no keyway. While there are plenty of smart locks without keyways, this is a first for the 100-year-old Schlage. There’s also no fingerprint reader — a technology Schlage seems to have skipped over entirely.

Instead, it appears to be betting on UWB as the best option for seamlessly unlocking your door. Along with a numeric code and NFC-powered tap-to-unlock (similar to Apple’s Home Key), the Sense Pro can open automatically as you approach your door. Here’s how Schlage says it works:

This feature uses Ultra Wideband and the user’s paired and authorized personal device to intelligently calculate speed, trajectory and motion, ensuring seamless, intuitive entry that understands intent to enter and unlocks precisely as the user reaches their door.

Your phone or smartwatch will need to have UWB technology to support the hands-free unlocking, and Schlage said details on which specific models will be compatible with Schlage’s implementation will be announced closer to its retail launch.

While, initially, the lock will work over Schlage’s new Schlage Converge technology, Schlage has said that the Sense Pro will support Aliro. The open standard, which is due to be released this year, will add support for NFC and UWB unlocking across ecosystems and hardware. Theoretically, any Aliro lock will work with any Aliro-enabled smartphone — Apple, Samsung, and Google are all involved in developing Aliro.

Speaking of ecosystem support, the Sense Pro is Schlage’s first lock to work with Matter, which means it’s compatible with any Matter ecosystem, including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Home Assistant.

Matter support is over Thread, a low-powered, low-latency smart home protocol designed for battery-operated devices like locks. It should ensure the Sense Pro gets decent battery life, although the company hasn’t released details yet. Thread is used in the Schlage Encode Plus, but that model doesn’t support Matter. As with the Encode Plus, the Sense Pro will also work with built-in Wi-Fi to connect to the Schlage Home app.

Schlage says the Sense Pro will launch this year but hasn’t provided a date or price.

Image: Schlage

The Schlage Arrive comes in three styles: Camelot, Century, and a new design, Remsen. It will be available in satin nickel and matte black.

The entry-level Arrive doesn't have any of the bells and whistles of the Sense Pro, but it is Schlage’s first push-button keypad deadbolt equipped with built-in Wi-Fi. You can program up to 250 codes in the newly updated Schlage app or unlock it with a physical key. It also works with Amazon Alexa or Google Home — but there’s no support for Matter. Schlage says it will be available in late spring 2025.

Image: Schlage

The Arrive in the new Remsen style.

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Ring is upgrading its outdoor cameras with 2K resolution (even if you already own them)

The Floodlight Cam Pro is our pick for the best overall outdoor floodlight camera. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Ring is doing something rare for a technology brand: upgrading devices that customers have already purchased. The company is updating its outdoor cameras to boost video resolution, but it’s not just new customers who will benefit — existing owners of the floodlight and spotlight cams will get the upgrade, too.

Ring’s series of outdoor cameras currently support 1080p video. The Floodlight Cam Pro and the Spotlight Cam Pro are getting the boost to 2K video, while the Plus versions of those cameras will remain at 1080p. It’s a significant jump in resolution for the Pro models considering that most other Ring cameras top out at 1080p, with the exception of a few doorbells that do 1440p and 1536p.

Across Ring’s product line, these outdoor cameras are good candidates for a resolution bump. Since they’re typically mounted higher and farther away from the subjects they’re meant to record, a little extra resolution can make a significant difference in image detail. Digital zoom, which was already pretty good on the Floodlight Cam Pro, should get a little sharper, too.

Existing Floodlight and Spotlight Cam Pro owners will be able to upgrade their devices through the Ring app when the update starts rolling out on January 8th.

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Microsoft would really like you to stop using Windows 10 this year

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

It’s 2025, and Microsoft is kicking off the year by reminding everyone that support for Windows 10 ends in October. While the company has been trying to entice Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 with full-screen prompts throughout 2024, it’s now calling 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh.”

Last year, Microsoft kicked off 2024 by declaring it was “the year of the AI PC,” before launching a range of Copilot Plus PCs several months later. As Microsoft edges closer to the end of Windows 10, it’s making its presence at CES felt this week by declaring that refreshing a Windows 10 PC will be more important than buying a new TV or phone in 2025.

“As CES 2025 begins, showcasing the latest innovations in technology, we are excited for the advancements our industry will offer to people around the globe,” says Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft. “And we believe that one of the most important pieces of technology people will look to refresh in 2025 isn’t the refrigerator, the television or their mobile phone. It will be their Windows 10 PC, and they will move forward with Windows 11.”

Mehdi believes that “Windows 11 is available at a time when the world needs it most” and that “the forefront of AI innovation will be realized on Windows.” 2025 should be a bigger year for Windows AI features, particularly after Recall was delayed enough times that it didn’t launch fully in 2024. Microsoft also hasn’t delivered its improved AI-powered Windows Search features to Insiders yet after unveiling them in October.

Microsoft isn’t at CES this week in the traditional sense of having a booth on the show floor or even announcing product news, but its influence will be felt in the myriad laptops that get announced this week, and even unusual announcements of its Copilot AI assistant coming to LG and Samsung TVs. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some Microsoft executives jump onstage during CES press events this week. Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s vice president of “next generation,” is already confirmed to appear at Lenovo’s handheld gaming PC event, and Windows chief Pavan Davuluri has been appearing at partner keynotes in recent months.

With Windows 11 adoption still lagging behind Windows 10, it’s no surprise to see Microsoft dedicating the year to making sure people upgrade to Windows 11 or buy a new PC. Windows 11 is now the most popular OS for PC gaming on Steam, but with Microsoft offering Extended Security Updates to consumers for the first time ever later this year, it will be interesting to see how many opt to pay $30 for an extra year of updates instead of moving to Windows 11.

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This home security camera can also monitor for falls and call for help

The camera uses AI to help identify falls even when the subject is partially obscured. | Photo: Kami Vision

Home security company Kami Vision is introducing a new camera that’s designed especially for seniors living on their own. The Kami Fall Detect Camera monitors for falls and can alert families or caregivers to take action. The company has been offering similar fall detection systems for senior living communities, but this is its first product designed with private homes in mind.

The Fall Detect Camera offers an 87-degree view and can rotate 360 degrees. The owner can authorize other users to receive alerts if a fall is detected or access the camera’s live view to check on them — there’s even two-way audio communication built in. Kami Vision claims the camera detects falls with 99.5 percent accuracy and uses AI to identify a fall even if the person is partially obscured.

Kami Vision offers a subscription service at $45 per month that includes professional monitoring to verify falls and automatic calls to emergency services if there’s no response to a fall. The camera itself costs $99 and can be used on its own, but the subscription is required to get the fall detection features.

Kami isn’t the first company to introduce tech to help people age in place. Both the Apple Watch and Google Pixel Watch include fall detection features that allow the wearer to call for help when a fall is detected. But those devices need to be on your body to work and need to be kept charged, which might not be practical for someone whose age or condition puts them at risk for falls. As baby boomers reach their senior years, something like Kami Vision’s approach will probably look awfully appealing to caregivers and those wanting to age in place alike.

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This $400 Brisk It smart grill has generative AI

Image: Brisk It

Barbecue tech startup Brisk It has unveiled its latest smart grill at CES, which uses generative AI to automate cooking and create personalized recipes. The $399 Zelos 450 electric wood pellet smoker features 450 square inches of cooking space and Wi-Fi connectivity for remotely adjusting settings and monitoring food as it cooks via a mobile app.

That’s pretty affordable for a smart wood pellet grill — the cheapest Wi-Fi-controlled offering from Traeger starts at $800, and that doesn’t include any generative AI cooking features. The Zelos is also substantially cheaper than previous AI-powered grills from Brisk It, which start at $849.99.

Whether you actually want AI to get in between you and your grilling is the bigger question. Brisk It says its Vera AI can “monitor, control, and automate the cook for you” at the push of a button, sending users notification updates on the cooking progress and reminders to do things like wrap or spritz ribs with water. If these prompts are missed or ignored, the AI will automatically adjust the grilling temperature to prevent food from being ruined. Ridiculous as it sounds, the company’s earlier models have received some positive reviews for their helpful automation.

Image: Brisk It

The Vera 2.0 AI model provides a variety of generative AI features for automating cooking and recipe creation via Brisk It’s smart phone app.

The latest Vera 2.0 model on the Zelos 450 includes new features like Smart Image Recognition, which uses photos of ingredients to generate recipes, and Recipe Re-creation, which can turn existing recipes into versions that can be automated on the grill.

The Zelos 450 has a temperature range of 180–500 degrees Fahrenheit that supports both slow cooking and high-heat grilling. Brisk It says it’ll be available to purchase at Amazon, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, and the Brisk It Grills webstore sometime in Q1 2025.

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Ring is making a smart smoke alarm

Kidde’s new smart smoke and combination smoke + CO alarms with Ring work in the Ring app and don’t require a Ring Alarm system. | Image: Ring

Ring has announced a new partnership with fire safety brand Kidde to launch smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that connect to the Ring app via Wi-Fi and send alerts to your phone when the alarms are triggered.

The Kidde Smart Smoke Alarm with Ring ($54.97) and the Kidde Smart Smoke and CO Alarm with Ring ($74.97) are hardwired alarms with battery backup. They will launch this April at The Home Depot and come to more retailers later in 2025, according to Kidde.

Image: Kidde

The Ring-powered Kidde smart smoke alarm works with the Ring app and costs $55.

The alarms connect to the Ring app and, as well as sending alerts when triggered, will notify you about a low battery to help avoid those 2AM chirps. But the Ring alarm can’t hush an active alarm, you’ll have to do that manually. If you have other compatible hardwired Kidde smoke alarms in your house, adding one of these Ring-powered alarms will enable your existing alarms to also connect to the Ring app.

Unlike the First Alert Z-Wave smoke and CO alarms that also work with Ring, the Kidde alarms do not need a Ring Alarm hub to connect to the app and don’t require a subscription to receive alerts. Ring will offer the option go 24/7 professional monitoring of the smoke alarms for $5 a month; if you already have Ring Professional Monitoring for your Ring Alarm, smoke alarm monitoring is included. (Ring also sells a $35 smoke alarm listener that can alert the Ring app if it hears an alarm in your home, which also requires a Ring Professional Monitoring subscription.)

Smart smoke alarms are critical devices, as they can alert you to danger at home when you’re not there. There really aren’t many choices on the market today. While Amazon, Apple, and others offer services through smart speakers and home security systems that listen for your existing smoke alarms and send alerts to your phone, actual connected alarms are few and far between.

Google’s Nest Protect is one of the best options, but at $149, it's very expensive. While it has some excellent features, including a motion-activated nightlight, voice alerts, and the option to silence the alarm from the Nest app, the product hasn’t been updated in several years. Google also doesn’t offer professional monitoring. First Alert’s OneLink smart alarm line has been discontinued. Kidde sells a stand-alone line of Wi-Fi-connected smart smoke alarms that work with its app to send alerts and integrate with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. According to Kidde, these new alarms will only work with the Ring app at launch and will not integrate with Amazon Alexa or any other smart home systems.

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Intel’s new Core Ultra 200HX series CPUs are ready for next-gen gaming laptops

Image: Intel

Intel is announcing the rest of the Arrow Lake family of CPUs at CES today, with options for thin-and-light laptops all the way up to gaming notebooks. These mobile processors will appear in many of the computers being announced at CES this week, with the 200HX series being paired with next-gen GPUs we’re expecting Nvidia to announce later today and the 200H and 200U series of chips destined for thin-and-light and premium laptops.

While Intel will continue to supply Lunar Lake CPUs for its range of Copilot Plus laptops, the Arrow Lake mobile family won’t be ditching memory sticks after Intel confirmed in October that the Lunar Lake chips were a one-off experiment.

Image: Intel

Intel’s Core Ultra 200HX series of processors.

The new Core Ultra 200HX series will be targeted at gaming laptops and should deliver around 5 percent better single-thread performance and 20 percent multithread performance improvements over previous Raptor Lake-H Refresh processors.

Intel says new gaming laptops with the “latest discrete GPUs” (read that as Nvidia’s RTX 50-series) will be coming in late Q1. The flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX has 24 cores (8 performance and 16 efficiency cores), can boost up to 5.5GHz, has 4 GPU cores, and a 13 TOPS NPU. That’s enough to meet Intel’s definition of “AI PC” but not enough for Microsoft’s Copilot Plus features.

Consumer laptops that aren’t gaming-focused will come with Intel’s 200H or 200U series of processors. The H variants have a base power of 28 watts, apart from the flagship Core Ultra 9 285H that pushes the power requirements up to 45 watts. These H-series CPUs have a new Intel Arc GPU inside that delivers around 15 percent better graphics performance over previous Meteor Lake chips.

Image: Intel

The Core Ultra 200HX series lineup.

CPU performance on these H chips should be around 15 percent better, too, for single-thread tasks. There are five chips available for laptop makers here, including the flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 285H with 16 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency, and 2 low-power efficiency cores), a boost clock of 5.4GHz, and 8 GPU cores.

Intel will also release the U series of its Core Ultra 200 processors for laptops that are much more focused on battery life and thin-and-light designs. These chips have a base power of just 15 watts and only turbo up to 57 watts. The top Intel Core Ultra 7 265U processor includes 12 cores (2 performance, 8 efficiency, and 2 low-power efficiency cores) and can boost up to 5.3GHz.

While the 200HX series of chips won’t appear until late Q1 in gaming laptops, the 200H and 200U chips should start shipping in thin-and-light laptops in the coming weeks.

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This portable security camera has a week of free cloud recording

Image: Xthings

At last year’s CES, we heard from the company behind Ultraloq and U-tec about the $69 Ulticam Dot, a portable security camera that was supposed to launch over the summer. But according to Xthings chief strategy officer Matthew Brown, it delayed the launch until Q1 2025 in part to work on what it considers a “disruptive” feature: giving every Ulticam product seven days of free cloud storage for recordings and offering all features without a premium subscription.

Is that truly disruptive? Well, there aren’t many security camera manufacturers we know of that offer free cloud storage for any meaningful stretch of time, let alone a full week. (Arlo did before removing the option for new customers, and Nest still offers three hours.) Xthings isn’t exactly promising such generosity forever, but Brown says the company is committed to “deliver that experience for as long as we possibly can.” The company is also looking into an optional subscription that would extend cloud storage retention beyond seven days.

Free cloud storage will be available for every Ulticam, starting with the Dot, a battery-powered security camera that leans into its portability. It has a magnetic base that could make it more convenient than other options for travel. While it’s magnetically attached to the base, you can pan and tilt the camera to get the angle just right. You can attach the base to any vertical surface using screws or adhesive for more permanent installation or just set it upright on a flat horizontal surface.

The Dot otherwise follows a proven formula. The weather-resistant 2K camera supports night vision and offers real-time person and motion alerts with configurable detection zones. You can also engage visitors with two-way audio or a siren. It has 8GB of onboard storage for saving clips locally, and it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Xthings says the Dot can last up to nine months in standby mode on four AA batteries (though battery life can vary based on usage).

The brand is also readying high-end wired home security cameras designed to cover your home’s exterior. The previously announced Ulticam IQ ($169 or $199 with 4G LTE connectivity) will come in Q1 2025, while the newly announced Ulticam IQ Floodlight ($199 or $239 with 4G) arrives in Q2. Both start with 2K resolution, but 4K versions will arrive in Q2.

Image: Xthings

The Ulticam IQ has a built-in motion-activated spotlight, while the upgraded model adds two floodlights for better illumination and color night vision. Both IQ cameras also have AI-powered motion detection of vehicles and specific faces with four configurable zones, all processed on-device. Like the Dot, they’ll come with seven-day cloud storage and 8GB of onboard storage, but you can expand that with an SD card up to 128GB.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

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This outdoor security cam adds a second camera that moves and zooms

The HybridCam Duo security camera system. | Image: Tapo

Home security cameras are usually good at getting a wide shot of your yard and whatever’s passing through it — but a new camera can help you get a close-up on your visitors, too.

Tapo’s new HybridCam Duo camera sticks two cameras together: a more traditional security camera with a wide-angle lens, plus a second camera that can pan, tilt, and zoom in to capture details.

Image: Tapo

The HybridCam Duo and the “Dual-Lens 4K Solar” kit.

Both cameras capture 4K footage that gets stored locally and processed using an on-device AI system for person, vehicle, and pet detection. The cameras are battery-powered, and they can be paired with a solar panel to keep them running indefinitely, so long as you’ve got the weather for it.

Tapo didn’t share many details beyond that, so pricing and availability are still TBD.

Other companies offer pan-and-tilt cameras with zoom lenses for tracking movement and capturing detail. Other companies also offer dual-lens security cameras to put zoom and wide-angle capture into a single unit. But companies don’t usually stick two cameras together quite as literally as Tapo has done here.

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Tapo’s palm-scanning door lock promises a full year of battery life

The PalmKey door lock from Tapo has a fingerprint reader and a camera for scanning your palm. | Image: Tapo

Tapo is the latest brand trying to let you open your front door with just a wave of your palm. The company announced the PalmKey smart door lock today, which lets you enter the house with a PIN, a fingerprint, or a palm scan.

The palm scanner requires your hand to be roughly four to 10 inches away from the reader, and according to Tapo, it’ll work if your hand is wet or dirty or if you have worn-down fingerprints. The system allegedly uses AI to assess the vein patterns within your palm.

Image: Tapo

The PalmKey lock’s indoor and outdoor units.

Tapo’s lock has a removable, rechargeable 10,000mAh battery that’s supposed to last a full year on a charge, which should make upkeep fairly low-effort. There’s also support for a physical key backup, according to the press release, though Tapo didn’t detail where that sits on the unit. It also works with Alexa, SmartThings, and Google Home.

Details are limited beyond that — Tapo didn’t share pricing or a release date.

Palm scanning is one of the newer trends we’re seeing in smart locks. Philips already has a palm-scanning model on sale, and Eufy announced a model in December. What this Tapo model misses out on is some of the truly hands-free tech that’s likely to start hitting the market this year. Those locks will rely on ultra wideband in your smartphone to automatically open the door when they sense you’re approaching, no need to raise your hand at all.

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Apple, Google, and Samsung will accept Matter certification of smart home products

Illustration: The Verge

Buying a smart home product today means checking which ecosystems it works with by looking for the little “Works with Apple Home” or “Works with Google” badge on the package. Matter was supposed to get rid of those because if a product works with Matter, it should work with all the big smart home platforms. That hasn’t happened yet, and now we have one more badge to look for: the Matter badge.

Getting all those badges is about to get simpler for manufacturers, though. The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), which runs Matter, announced today that Apple, Google, and Samsung will all accept its certification for their “Works With” programs:

The Alliance is excited to share that Apple has begun accepting Alliance Interop Lab test results for Matter devices for Works With Apple Home, and that Google and Samsung will be doing the same for their respective Works With Google Home, and Works With SmartThings certifications later this year, underscoring the credibility and reliability of the Alliance’s testing programs.

This means device makers won’t have to put their gadgets through a separate testing program for each platform to wear its “Works With” badge. If they get certified as a Matter Device by the CSA, they can show their results to the other ecosystems and get those badges, too, without doing any more testing. This makes it much easier for device makers and gets us one step closer to just one badge to rule them all. (Notably, Amazon has not announced participation for Works with Alexa.)

The CSA also announced a new FastTrack Recertification Program and a Portfolio Certification Program that lets companies certify multiple products more efficiently. A complaint I’ve heard frequently from smart home companies is that getting devices certified and recertified by Matter when they make a change or an update is a laborious and expensive process that slows down their development work. The CSA says these two new programs simplify both processes and make them less costly and complicated.

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