Lenovo’s lightweight ThinkPad X1 gets even slimmer

Lenovo is continuing its annual upgrade of its popular ThinkPad line of notebooks, and the higher-end X1 products within that series just got a small set of improvements. The most obvious of these is a new silver color option, which makes the previously matte black laptop appear far more modern (and less dated-looking). The newly updated X1 Carbon, X1 Yoga and X1 Tablet also boast new Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and some individual incremental tweaks each.

For starters, the X1 Carbon (starting at $1,349) is now more compact than before, squeezing a 14-inch IPS display into a 13-inch frame. It’s also 0.2 pounds lighter than its predecessor, and overall it looks sharper and cleaner. The Carbon also features a new infrared camera for facial recognition, so it can support Microsoft’s Windows Hello biometric login system. Like before, the new Carbon has a fingerprint reader for secure authorizations of online transactions or protecting sensitive materials, and its. Lenovo also bumped up the Carbon’s endurance, promising up to 15 hours of battery life now. I was most impressed by the new laptop’s lightweight, sturdy frame, although I wish its IPS display was richer. You can get an up to WQDH (2560 x 1440) screen and an up to seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, too.

The X1 Yoga ($1499) features a new version of the “rise and fall” keyboard that was on its predecessor. All of the old model’s keys are stuck on a tray that sinks when the display is folded all the way backwards, so that you have a flat, even surface to rest on your table when you’re using the convertible with its display propped up. The new Yoga does the same, except that its individual keys sink in, instead of the entire keyboard tray. This is not only better looking than before with an island-style layout, but also more durable, according to the company. I enjoyed watching the keys sink in when I flipped the screen all the way back, and appreciated not triggering button presses when I propped the laptop up with the keyboard facing down. Along with the typical performance upgrades, such as the option to get the seventh-generation Intel Core processors, the new X1 Yoga also has a redesigned rechargeable stylus.

For now, the biggest improvements to the ThinkPad X1 line appears to be its new color option, smaller frame and performance updates. Still, if the Carbon’s new battery bump delivers, the new ThinkPad could be an even better notebook for business users than it already is.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Lenovo’s new push into VR starts with this Legion laptop

Lenovo is taking its future in VR very seriously — after all, it just outed a new VR headset that won’t completely break the bank. Here’s the thing, though: we’re going to need a lot of content for these things, and that’s where Lenovo’s new Legion gaming notebook comes in. It’s set for a launch this coming April (which should be well before that new headset hits) and we just got up-close and personal.

The Legion Y720 retains the look of Lenovo’s Ideapad Y-series, but ditches that milquetoast branding in favor of something a little more fun — better for competing with other PC makers’ gaming brands, or so I’m told. The $1,399 base model comes with a 15.6-inch display and an Intel i5-7300NQ processor, with options for up to 16GB of RAM, up to 2TB of storage (if you’re down with traditional hard drives) NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1060. If you need more pixels, you can move up into a full 4K display too, though Lenovo didn’t mention how much more that upgrade would cost.. The list of add-ons are pretty fascinating, too: there’s an Xbox One controller receiver built-in so you can ditch that pesky dongle, and the Y720 is the first PC with Dolby Atmos sound, which isn’t a surprise if you’ve kept tabs on Lenovo’s tablets. And the pièce de résistance? You can shell out a little extra cash for multicolor backlighting for those excellent keys. (Those keys, by the way, have some seriously excellent travel.)

Throw in a trio of USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt/USB Type-C port and a 4-cell battery that’s rated for about five hours on a single charge, and you’ve got a nicely put together package. What makes the Y720 such a potentially great VR machine is what Lenovo calls the Entertainment Hub. Long story short, it’s a bit of software that acts as a media library where you can upscale movies and games for use in VR. I strapped on a Vive headset to put the Entertainment Hub through its paces, and the results were better than expected… even if the approach is a little unorthodox. Once you’re all strapped in, videos play in a virtual theater of sorts, where you’re surrounded by empty seats (complete with cup holders). Your “seat” is several rows back, offering a solid vantage point as the movie of your choice unfolds. The effect fits well enough when you’re watching proper films but I could see it being a little weird for other kinds of video.

Gaming through the Entertainment Hub is a little different: the non-final software took a few tries to launch Deus Ex: Mankind Divided properly, but I was dropped into Adam Jensen’s world without trouble after that. The thing is, Deus Ex wasn’t developed with VR in mind, so while I could move my head to take in the world around me, I also had to move my head to aim at enemies. Sure, I could’ve used the control stick on the Xbox One controller I was holding, but that required me to keep my head perfectly still as I lined up my shots. Dealbreaker? No, but Lenovo’s implementation means having to re-tune how you play your favorite games. Unfortunately, the list of games to test was limited so I didn’t have the chance to see if this head-tracking scheme works better for titles from different genres.

Lenovo still has plenty of loose ends to tie up before the Entertainment Hub launches alongside the Legion laptops. Spokespeople here at CES couldn’t confirm how or if users could import their own media — home movies and the like — into the Entertainment Hub. It’s also unclear whether you’d be able to purchase new content straight from within the Hub. Despite all that (and a handful of early glitches), the Hub might give Lenovo an edge over its rivals as VR continues to grow in prominence and importance.

Lenovo built its own Amazon Echo for some reason

Lenovo is best known for its popular ThinkPad laptops and Yoga convertibles, and you may even remember that it makes smartphones too. But the Chinese company is branching out from notebooks, handsets and wearables with a push into smart home gadgets, starting with an Amazon Echo clone. The creatively named Lenovo Smart Assistant offers Alexa in a taller, rounder and more colorful speaker than the Echo, and starts at a cheaper $130, to boot. The new device is available in basic and premium flavors, with the latter offering Harman Kardon audio enhancements for $50 extra. I checked out prototypes of both models here at CES, but despite being impressed by the volume of the music it pumped out, I’m otherwise struggling to see its appeal.

That may sound harsh, but it’s frankly difficult to imagine a scenario in which you’d pick the Smart Assistant over the Echo, Echo Dot or one of the plethora of devices that let you interact with a digital helper, even without a speaker. If you want a more affordable option than the Echo, you can choose the $50 Dot, which is cheaper than the basic Smart Assistant. If you want better audio quality, which is the clear selling point of the Harman Kardon-enhanced model, you can also get the Dot and attach it to a high end speaker you already own. So unless you’re a hardcore Harman Kardon fan or someone who doesn’t yet own a Bluetooth speaker and is considering one with Alexa integrated, the Smart Assistant probably won’t appeal to you.

I could see someone picking the Smart Assistant over the Echos thanks to Lenovo’s taller, skinnier silhouette, but even that is a matter of personal (ahem, bad) taste. The Smart Assistant looks like someone took the Echo, stretched it out, and slapped Google Home’s color scheme on it. Like Google’s smart speaker, the Lenovo offering also comes in a greater variety of color options. The basic model is white, with three interchangeable bottom covers in grey, brown and teal, while the premium version only comes in black. Those trying to quit smoking should probably avoid the white/brown combo, though — that thing looks exactly like a giant, chunky cigarette.

Another reason you might prefer Lenovo’s speaker is how loud it gets. During our brief demo, we asked Alexa to play the Star 107.9 radio station when it was set to top volume. The sounds of NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye were loud enough to hear from another room, and we needed to raise our voices to hear each other speak. People who have trouble hearing Alexa on their regular speakers might want to consider the Smart Assistant.

The audio on the Harman Kardon version gets muddled as the volume gets louder, but to be fair the devices we saw were pre-production units. Alexa was also several seconds slower to respond to commands than on similar Echo devices, but a Lenovo rep claimed that WiFi troubles and the fact that the devices were not production ready were the likely culprits.

In addition to the Smart Assistant, Lenovo also rolled out a new connected hard drive that it calls Smart Storage, which wirelessly backs up your mobile content and lets you access the data wherever you are. The two new devices are part of the company’s plan to move into the smart home category, and we’ll have more announcements to look forward to later this year. Meanwhile, Lenovo has proven that it is capable of making a smart speaker, even if it’s a pointless “me-too” device. Let’s hope Lenovo’s future products in this category are as well-designed as its ThinkPad laptops.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

The PowerRay underwater drone finds fish and films them in 4K

If you’re heading out to the coast or the lake for a spot of fishing, you can have the best gear and the perfect bait but you won’t land anything if you’re set up in the wrong spot. Experience can only guide so you so much, so PowerVision — the company behind the incredible PowerEgg drone we saw last year — has built an underwater robot called the PowerRay to help find and lure in your next catch.

The PowerRay can dive down to 30 meters (98 feet) underwater, where it can use an optional “Fishfinder” sonar component to detect fish another 40 meters below it. The drone’s WiFi system beams video and images captured by its integrated 4K camera and additional data on the underwater landscape and temperature up to the surface, which can then be viewed via the dedicated iOS or Android app.

It also features an “internal fish luring light” that will apparently attract fish with a welcoming “hue of blue” and an optional remote-controlled bait drop that can place tasty snares in your desired location.

If that’s not immersive enough, PowerVision wants to add a touch of virtual reality to proceedings. The PowerRay comes with an option to be controlled by a wearable device or via its own VR goggles. The PowerVision VR Goggles recognize both “gravity and gestures,” allowing you to control the robot by simply moving your head.

If you’re looking to be the envy of all your fishermen and women friends, the PowerRay will be available for pre-order from February 27th. PowerVision hasn’t yet announced a price, but judging from the company’s other robots, expect it to be a little on the high side.

Via: PowerVision (PRNewsWire)

Source: PowerRay

New BlackBerry with hardware keyboard to launch during CES

A new BlackBerry is coming.

We knew it was coming, but BlackBerry’s long-awaited ‘Mercury’ handset is set to be announced at CES.

A teaser of the keyboard-sporting BlackBerry handset, which is now designed, overseen and built by TCL, Alcatel’s parent company, was shown by Steve Cistulli, President of TCL, prior to the start of CES.

In mid-December, BlackBerry and TCL formalized their relationship, officially making the Canadian outfit a software company. TCL will still release BlackBerry-branded handsets, for which the former telecom giant will build the Android software.

According to previous rumors, the new keyboarded ‘Mercury’ will feature an unusual 1620×1080 resolution with a 420 ppi pixel density, which works out to a 4.63-inch display size. There’s also expected to be a Snapdragon processor of some sort (perhaps the 625), 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage.

Chrysler unveils its concept minivan for the selfie generation

The future of driving (or more likely, riding) has become less about speed and more about making sure occupants are comfortable and more importantly, entertained. At CES later today, Fiat/Chrysler (FCA) will unveil its Portal concept car. The electric vehicle will have face recognition and voice biometrics for what the automaker says is focused on millennials and will be “more than a tool — it’s an integral part of their lives.”

The SUV/crossover/minivan concept will have three rows of seating with doors that slide both forward and back like a fancy closet that opens into a social media future. To make sure the ride is as connected as possible, the Portal has selfie cam; a group setting that takes all the rider’s information and plans a trip accordingly; and a display for those sitting in the back that encourages them to post about their trip. And if the driver and someone sitting in the very back seat can’t hear each other, the car also has an intercom system.

Of course it’s not all just selfies and social media updates: The Portal has a range of over 250 miles. It supports DC quick charging and the battery will get an additional 150 miles after about 15 minutes on the juice. The car will operate semi-autonomously with Lidar, radar, ultrasonic and camera sensors keeping track of the road for the driver.

No word on when or if this glorious glowing vehicle will go on sale. Like nearly every concept car, it’s unlikely it’ll ever land in your garage, but what FCA shows off could potentially land in future Chryslers.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Lenovo’s new VR headset is coming, and it’ll cost less than $400

Let’s face it: With the way things are going, you won’t be able to dodge virtual reality forever. That’s exactly why Lenovo has been working on a relatively inexpensive VR headset for Windows machines, and we got the chance to strap one on and take it for a spin. Before we go any further, though, let us answer the question you’re surely asking: No, there’s no word yet as to when the headset will ship (aside from “later this year”). That said, Lenovo has said the device will cost less than $400 when it goes on sale.

So, what exactly will you get for the money? A surprisingly comfortable headset that manages to do room-scale VR on the cheap. See, existing headsets like the HTC Vive weigh around 550 grams, with most of that weight hanging off the front of your face. Lenovo’s approach is a little more elegant. The final model will be somewhere around 350 grams, and is designed to rest mainly on your forehead as opposed to the bridge of your nose. I only got to wear it for about a half hour, but I felt none of the fatigue that long play sessions with the Vive can leave people with. For those keeping track, Lenovo’s headset is also about 100 grams lighter than the Oculus Rift, though we’ll see if any of other partners building headset that work with Windows Holographic can beat that.

Beyond that, you’re looking at a pair 1,440 x 1,440 OLED screens floating in front of your face — too bad the version I played with didn’t actually turn on. More importantly, Lenovo’s headset is just as good at getting out of your face as it is as sitting in front of it. The main display assembly sits on a hinge that you can just swing up and out of your way, perfect for when you need to take a quick breather or check your phone for, well, whatever. Turn the headset around and you’ll find a dial that lets you adjust the fit with more finesse than the straps you’d usually find on a headset like this.

Ultimately, the most interesting bits might be the two cameras embedded right up front — they’re what allow Lenovo to provide room-scale virtual experiences without making you set up Vive-style light posts for tracking. As is usually the case, the most interesting parts are also the ones that offer up the most question marks. This is the first time we’ve seen this kind of self-contained setup in a proper, big-name, PC-based VR setup, but we can only guess how well it actually works. After all, Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro used a slew of cameras (along with a bunch of sensors and Google’s Tango software) to do some conceptually similar depth tracking, and it didn’t always work as well as I’d hoped.

It’s possible these cameras will also allow for live footage to stream to the pair of screens, offering users a view of what’s in front of them. From there, we have to wonder if HoloLens-like mixed reality applications are possible too. It’ll be a while before Lenovo’s headset hits store shelves (or even gets a proper name, for that matter) but man: Between the cost, comfort and potential, Lenovo might really be onto something here.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Snowden document suggests NSA could have proof of Russian hack

The FBI, CIA and President Barack Obama all agree that Russia hacked the DNC and asserted its will on the US presidential election — but the winner of that contest isn’t so sure. “It could be somebody else.” Donald Trump told reporters over New Years. “Hacking is a hard thing to prove.” Except, as it turns out, US intelligence has a pretty good track record of tracing security breaches back to the Kremlin. According to a new document leaked by Edward Snowden, the NSA has successfully traced a hack back to Russian intelligence at least once before.

According to The Intercept, a classified excerpt from page from the NSA’s internal wiki shows that the NSA once verified that Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s email account had been targeted by Russian Federal Intelligence Services a year before her 2006 murder. On the surface, that sounds about as vague as the current statements we have about the DNC hacks, but how its listed in the wiki reveals a lot.

The information is classified as “Top Secret Signals Intelligence” — a term that denotes the tracking of signals as they travel from place to place. In other words, the NSA knows Politkovskaya’s email was hacked by Russian operatives because they were able to trace the hack back to Russian intelligence. It’s still vague. The entry itself doesn’t specifically say how this trace was accomplished or provide the evidence — but the existence of the entry shows that the NSA is wholly capable of tracing such hacks back to their source.

It’s not hard proof that Russia interfered in the US election, but it’s certainly evidence that US intelligence agencies are capable of gathering such proof. Unfortunately, it’s also an indicator that such evidence is typically classified — and not something the company is likely to release if it risks showing its hand to foreign operators. Whatever evidence US intelligence officials may or may not have, the doubts of the President Elect will be either verified or strengthened soon. Donald Trump is scheduled to take the oath of office on January 20th.

Source: The Intercept

What’s on TV: ‘Always Sunny,’ ‘Man Seeking Woman’

To kick the year off, FXX returns two of its popular series, with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Man Seeking Woman (for cord-cutters, the last season of Always Sunny will be available on Netflix starting Tuesday.) There are also a few more bowl games trickling out, and a slew of TV series coming back from their winter vacations. Shows making their series or season premiere this week include Beyond, Sleepy Hollow, Bones, Nova and Unsung. Finally, the weekend wraps up as the Golden Globe awards air sunday night on NBC. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• Blair Witch
• Girls (S5)
• Jerry Maguire (20th Anniversary)
• Denial
• Gone in 60 Seconds
• Glitter
• Mozart: Le nozze de Figaro (4K)
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (S11) (Netflix – 1/3)
• Growing up Coy (Netflix – 1/7)
• Alpha and Omega 7 (Netflix – 1/7)
• Miss Sharon Jones! (Netflix – 1/7)
• Under the Shadow (Netflix – 1/7

Monday

• Cotton Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin, ESPN, 1PM
• Rose Bowl: USC vs. Penn State, ESPN, 5PM
• Kevin Can Wait (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM
• Shadowhunters (season premiere), Freeform, 8PM
• A Surrogate’s Nightmare, Lifetime, 8PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Oklahoma, ESPN, 8:30PM
• Man with a Plan (winter premiere), CBS, 8:30PM
• 2 Broke Girls (winter premiere),CBS, 9PM
• Beyond (series premiere), Freeform, 9PM
• The Odd Couple (winter premiere), CBS, 9:30PM
• Scorpion (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM
• The Wall: Chris and Katie, NBC, 10PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Tuesday

• Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin’?, Netflix, 3AM
• 60 Minutes Sports (season premiere), Showtime, 8PM
• NCIS (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM
• The Middle (winter premiere), ABC, 8PM
• New Girl ,Fox, 8PM
• The Wall (series premiere), NBC, 8PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• The Mick, Fox, 8:30PM
• Bones (season premiere), Fox, 9PM
• Bull (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM
• Chicago Fire (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM
• Fresh Off the Boat (winter premiere), ABC, 9PM
• Good Behavior, TNT, 9PM
• The Real O’neals (winter premiere), ABC, 9:30PM
• Inside the NFL, Showtime 9PM
• Chicago PD (winter premiere), NBC, 10PM
• NCIS: NO (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM
• Killing Fields (season premiere), Discovery, 10PM
• Sweet/Vicious, MTV, 10PM
• Shooter, USA, 10PM

Wednesday

• The Goldbergs (winter premiere), ABC, 8PM
• Blindspot (winter premiere), NBC, 8PM
• Lethal Weapon (winter premiere), Fox, 8PM
• Unsung: SWV (season premiere), TV One, 8PM
• Lucha Underground, El Rey, 8PM
• Speechless (winter premiere), ABC, 8:30PM
• Criminal Minds (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM
• Law & Order: SVU (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM
• Modern Family, ABC (winter premiere), ABC, 9PM
• Frequency, CW, 9PM
• Nova (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
• Star, Fox, 9PM
• NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 9PM
• Vikings, History, 9PM
• Black-ish (winter premiere), ABC, 9:30PM
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (season premiere), FXX, 10PM
• Match Game (season premiere), ABC, 10PM
• Blood & Fury: America’s Civil War, American History Channel, 10PM
• The Real World (season finale), MTV, 10PM
• Incorporated, Syfy, 10PM
• Code Black, CBS, 10PM
• Man Seeking Woman (season premiere), FXX, 10:30PM
• Are You the One? (sneak peek), MTV, 11PM

Thursday

• The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime, 7PM
• Superstore (winter premiere), NBC, 8PM
• The Big Bang Theory (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM
• The Good Place (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30PM
• The Great Indoors (winter premiere), CBS, 8:30PM
• Chicago Med (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM
• Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers, ABC, 9PM
• Alone, History, 9PM
• Mom, CBS, 9PM
• Life in Pieces (winter premiere), CBS, 9:30PM
• The Blacklist (winter premiere), NBC, 10PM
• Portlandia (season premiere), IFC, 10PM
• F*ck That’s Delicious (season premiere), Viceland, 10P<
• Pure Genius, CBS, 10PM
• Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM

Friday

• Coin Heist, Netflix, 3AM
• Degrassi: Next Class (S3), Netflix, 3AM
• Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan & Jane (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• One Day At A Time (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Mar de Plastico (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, CW, 8 & 9PM
• Grimm (season premiere), NBC, 8PM
• Last Man Standing (winter premiere), ABC, 8PM
• Macgyver (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM
• Rosewood (winter premiere), Fox, 8PM
• Dr. Ken (winter premiere), ABC, 8:30PM
• Emerald City (series premiere), NBC, 9PM
• Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
• Sleepy Hollow (season premiere), Fox, 9PM
• Blue Bloods (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM

Saturday

• D1-AA Football Championship: James Madison vs. Youngstown, ESPN2, 12PM
• Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, HBO, 8PM
• Ransom, CBS, 8PM
• Under the Bed, Lifetime, 8PM
• Life, Animated, A&E, 8PM
• The Great British Baking Show, PBS, 8PM

Sunday

• 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
• The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 8PM
• NCIS: LA (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM
• The Simpsons (winter premiere), Fox, 8PM
• The Librarians, TNT, 8PM
• Son of Zorn, Fox, 8:30PM
• Family Guy (winter premiere), Fox, 9PM
• Sherlock, PBS, 9PM
• To Tell the Truth, ABC, 9PM
• Bob’s Burgers, Fox, 9:30PM
• Elementary (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM
• Conviction, ABC, 10PM
• The Affair, Showtime, 10PM

BlackBerry users get reprieve from WhatsApp cutoff

Although WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps available, it will stop working for several users in the new year. 

Early last year, WhatsApp announced it would end support by late 2016 for WhatsApp Messenger on the following mobile platforms: BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7, and iPhone 3GS/iOS 6.

Now, in a quiet update to that same announcement, WhatsApp has confirmed it will extend support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60 until 30 June 2017. The company previously said it needed to begin focusing efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use – rather than all the different niche platforms that WhatsApp had supported since launch in 2009.

While BlackBerry and Nokia users have been spared from the initial cutoff date and now get to use WhatsApp for another six months, anyone with an iPhone 3GS or a device running iOS 6, Windows Phone 7, or Android 2.1 and 2.2 will no longer be able to use WhatsApp.

It’s not yet clear when the app is dropping support for older phone platforms, but the company had said it would do so by the end of 2016. Since it’s now 2017, we’re assuming WhatsApp has already been rendered unusable for users on those aging platforms.

• WhatsApp tips and tricks: Amazing features you never knew about