Sony expands its Extra Bass headphone and speaker line

Sony debuted its MDR-1000X high-end wireless noise-cancelling headphones back in September, but here at CES the company is adding a truckload of new mid-range options to its Extra Bass line. First, there are two wireless models, the MDR-XB950N1 and MDR-XB950B1, with the key difference being the addition of noise-cancelling tech on the N1. Both use NFC to make Bluetooth pairing a breeze with AptX and AAC on board to keep that connection strong.

While the MDR-XB950B1 offers 18 hours of music, the addition of noise cancellation for the MDR-XB950N1 doesn’t mean less listening time. Expect to use them for up to 22 hours before needing to recharge. What’s more, with the Sony Headphones Connect app, you can set these to emulate listening environments like an arena, club, concert hall or outdoor stage. The software also allows you to adjust the bass level to suit your personal preference. For the MDR-XB950N1, the app is where you can turn off the noise cancellation, should the need arise.

Sony also revealed a wired on-ear option with the MDR-XB550AP. It comes in five colors and includes a customizable in-line remote. There’s also a sports in-ear model, the MDR-XB510AS, that’s both waterproof and sweat resistant, so you shouldn’t have to worry about damaging them when things get moist during a workout. Unfortunately, Sony isn’t announcing pricing and it’s only offering the vague availability of spring 2017.

If Bluetooth speakers are more your thing, there are some new Extra Bass options for those as well. Sony is feeding a bigger trend we’re seeing at CES this year: speakers with built-in “lighting effects.” Other companies have been including visual expression for quite some time, but that’s not stopping a number of speaker makers from adding lights to 2017 models.

The SRS-XB40, SRS-XB30 and SRS-XB20 all feature lights, they’re just more elaborate as the speakers get larger. The party tools don’t stop there as you can mix and match up to 10 of the speakers (all three models) to create a louder setup. Sony’s SongPal app is where you link all the speakers together as well as control a number of other features, including turning the lights off. With the SRS-XB40, a separate Fiestable offers DJ-like controls of the lights and colors, but it’s only available on that model.

For folks who are looking for something a little more compact, Sony has the SRS-XB10. It’s a tiny 3-x-3-inch speaker that the company says still has plenty of that Extra Bass sound, even with its small size. And yes, two of the diminutive speakers can be paired together for stereo mode. Just like Sony’s new headphones, the company isn’t revealing pricing or availability beyond “spring 2017.”

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

Intel’s VR headsets could be ready as early as next year

Today at CES, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced that the company is planning to take its all-in-one Project Alloy VR headset into productization by year’s end. To do so, it’s working with some of its “top OEM partners.”

“We’re committed to really making Project Alloy an open platform,” he said. So, open source is a given. The question is if any of its hardware partners actually will makes the headset.

It could turn into a quagmire very quickly; OEMS can make these, but they have to want to first. A quick, hypothetical example: ASUS not supporting the headset because Acer might make one. That’s before taking into account that people already own proven hardware like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive setups.

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

Netgear’s smart baby monitor is more than a walkie-talkie

After decades of success in the networking market, Netgear is taking its first steps into infant security. Following the release of its Arlo surveillance cameras, this year will see the company producing its first baby monitor, the Arlo Baby.

While baby monitors are traditionally little more than fancy walkie-talkies, Netgear’s smart monitor manages to cram in more tech than your average laptop. It’s a pretty serious bit of kit, boasting two-way audio, motion and sound alerts, remote access to its 1080p video feed (with night vision, naturally) and sensors that monitor air quality, temperature and humidity. That’s not to mention the built-in music player with pre-loaded lullabies and the programmable LED nightlight.

The Arlo Baby will cost $250 when it goes on sale this spring, but throw in an extra hundred dollars and you can get a 7-inch dedicated LCD viewer to go with it. This isn’t just to free up you smartphone or tablet for other things, as it also connects directly to the camera in the absence of a WiFi network. When the Arlo Baby is online, it’ll store the past seven days of recordings in the cloud on a rolling basis. Lastly, the device has a rechargeable battery if you can’t set it up near a wall socket.

Netgear is also planning to sell a camera stand for $40, and $20 accessories that turn it into a “friendly kitten” or “charming Dalmatian,” which should make the all-seeing eye look a little less alien in the crib setting.

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

Source: Arlo

The da Vinci Nano is a plug-and-play 3D printer that only costs $230

XYZprinting is known for offering a variety of 3D printers, some of which rival the likes of Makerbot’s Replicator line and other high-end hardware. But, the company has also been making some that are both portable and affordable, as was the case with its sub-$300 da Vinci Mini. At CES 2017, it is going one step further by introducing the da Vinci Nano, a full-fledged 3D printer priced for only $230. And although the machine is designed for people who are new to the technology, XYZprinting says the idea is to not compromise on the features and overall quality of the product.

Since the da Vinci Nano is being pitched as a plug-and-play 3D printer, Windows 10 PC users won’t have to worry about installing any drivers to get it up and running. XYZprinting also made things easier by adding auto calibration and auto leveling, which should simplify dealing with the PLA filaments. Unfortunately, the da Vinci Mini Nano won’t be available until later this year, but it’s worth keeping in mind in case you’ve been looking for a 3D printer that won’t break your wallet.

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

CES 2017: SanDisk Launches 256GB Flash Drive With Read/Write Transfer Speeds Up to 420MB/s

Western Digital today announced the launch of its latest SanDisk-branded product, a 256GB SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive, which it says is the fastest, highest capacity USB flash drive the company has ever made.

Designed to provide the speed and reliability of a solid state drive in the form factor of a small USB flash drive, the SanDisk Extreme Pro can reach read speeds of up to 420MB/s and write speeds of up to 380MB/s. According to Western Digital, a full-length 4K movie can be transferred to the drive in less than 15 seconds.

“The combination of SSD performance and a compact USB form factor offers the ultimate performance and convenience for moving files easily and quickly,” said Sven Rathjen, vice president of marketing, Client Solutions Business Unit, Western Digital. “With its increased capacity and blazing speeds, the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive is our sleekest, most powerful SanDisk USB device yet.”

Western Digital plans to begin offering the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive in late January from retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy. It will be priced at $179.99.

Western Digital is also debuting a new SanDisk-branded A1 microSD card at CES, which offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s. With read IOPS (input-output access per second) of 1,500 and write IOPS of 500, it can open apps and process files more quickly. SanDisk’s Ultra microSD card with A1 will be available in January of 2017 for $199.99.

Tags: SanDisk, CES 2017
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ZTE’s insane, crowdsourced eye-tracking phone is called Hawkeye and is coming in September for $199

ZTE is bringing its crowdsourced, crowdfunded Project CSX phone to market this September, and it’s called Hawkeye.

ZTE has announced that its long-awaited (by some) crowdsourced phone will go up for pre-order starting January 4 and will be delivered nine months later, in September, barring any unforeseen delays.

The device, born under ZTE’s ambitious Project CSX, which stands for Crowd Source X, gleaned suggestions from people around the world, integration the two most viable into the finished product: eye-tracking navigation, and adhesive properties .

The eye tracking comes from the combination of a high-resolution camera and specialized software.

The former comes from an iris scanning camera on the front that, working with the Android software, scrolls up, down, left and right using decisive movements of the eyes. While this is not a new concept, ZTE says that it has improved the experience considerably: “The software interprets eye motion and replaces these gesture commands in any application that supports these standard Android commands.” It appears, then, that the integration leverages Android’s existing accessibility APIs, making compatibility fairly wide. For instances where eye-tracking is limiting — page-turning in a book, for instance — voice commands will replace hand touches.

The other unique feature, which for obvious reasons couldn’t be built into the Hawkeye itself, is a self-adhesive property. ZTE says that people clamoured for a way to stick their phones to various objects in lieu of actually holding them, so they’ve developed a case that adds that very feature. It’s unclear to which surfaces the case will stick, or how long the adhesive will last, but we’ll find out in the next few months.

In most other respects, Hawkeye is a typical Android smartphone: it has a 5.5-inch Full HD display, two SIM slots, dual rear cameras with variable focal lengths, a high-quality amplifier and speaker, a rear fingerprint sensor, a “large” battery with quick charging, and expandable storage, running on Android 7.x Nougat (whatever’s the latest at the time).

Obviously these are ambitious goals for a phone that will, at least for Kickstarter backers, retail for $199 USD. Yes, you heard that right: the company is following through on its “crowdsource” theme by selling the device on Kickstarter. Technically, the Hawkeye project requires $500,000 in support to go to market, but that’s likely a formality at this point. ZTE has the resources and the impetus to sell this on its ecommerce store even if it doesn’t reach that admittedly modest target goal.

The question is, aside from the two gimmicky features, will the Hawkeye project turn into a decent Android phone? While we don’t know the eventual retail cost of the phone — likely $250 to $300 — at $199 the device seems to have enough of a draw to interest the average fan of unlocked hardware, but without carrier support sales will be lackluster at best.

ZTE has a lot going for it these days.

ZTE has a lot going for it these days. The Axon 7, its unlocked flagship, was well-received in the U.S. and seems to have sold relatively well given its market segment. Not only that, the Chinese company seems to understand what North American audiences want in a phone, and while the Axon 7’s software was far from perfect, it certainly lived up to its $399 price.

So we’ll have to see how the Hawkeye is received. The name alone places it squarely in front of a particular demographic, evoking images of patriotism and, of course, the eponymous Marvel character, but it’s possible that we’ll learn more of the story between now and September when it ships.

It is available for pre-order now and ships anywhere in the world for $199.

See at ZTE

Lenovo Smart Assistant preview: Transformers, Alexa in disguise

Here’s something we didn’t expect: an Amazon Echo that’s, well, not an Amazon Echo at all. It’s a Lenovo Smart Assistant.

But the Lenovo uses Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant and, for all intensive purposes, is functionally identical to Echo. So you can ask questions, receive answers, add to your lists, order Amazon products, and control various smart products using your voice.

• What can Alexa do and what services are compatible?

So what has Lenovo done that’s different? Despite looking similar, the Smart Assistant’s design has a texture-covered base – available in grey, orange or green – and a 5W speaker and 10W woofer pairing for supposedly better sound than Amazon’s equivalent. There are also eight microphones for supposedly superior voice pick-up.

Pocket-lint

It couldn’t exactly be called a rival product to Amazon as the purpose is the same and it’ll work with your Amazon Prime account too. Interestingly the $129 price point – around £105 by conversion – makes it the more affordable proposition. So perhaps the more sensible one to buy.

• Alexa tips and tricks: Getting the most from the voice assistant

There’s also a Harman Kardon all-black edition that costs $179 (£145) if you want even better sound when it comes to your music. Sounds like a top idea. However, we have a soft spot for Alexa proper, in her original skin, even if Lenovo makes an enticing and unexpected propsect. 

Where will Alexa come from next? Is there an, um, echo in here? Amazon’s world-dominating plans to be the planet’s go-to shopping service seem to be going well.

Samsung Family Hub 2.0 refrigerator preview: Spotify and sausages

Samsung revealed its new Family Hub refrigerator line-up immediately prior to CES but we got to see one of them in the flesh at the company’s main press conference.

The concept is similar if not identical to last year’s CES sensation, but there are a few changes.

For a start, the 21.5-inch touchscreen LED display, housed on the right door, will now be available across multiple fridges in Samsung’s range. Indeed, every American style refrigerator the company will make in 2017 will also be available with Family Hub 2.0.

The range of apps and interface have been improved, with family members now able to create their own unique profiles, with different avatars. And they can send pictures and other content to the fridge’s display using the Family Hub application on their smartphone or tablet.

Pocket-lint

Spotify is now available as one of the third-party services, while the fridge can still play music and mirror a TV screen over Wi-Fi as before.

Another major new feature is voice control, using Samsung’s own proprietary system. We’re interested in testing that out against LG’s latest rival refrigerator which boasts Amazon Alexa integration.

LidL is also offering grocery shopping through the fridge in certain European territories. We wonder if that will extend to the UK.

There’s no indication yet on price or actual release date, but hopefully, the wider line-up will start off more affordable than the current Family Hub fridge – which costs several grand.

Certainly the new flagship model, pictured, looks the part.

Vine as we know it shuts down on January 17th

Take a deep breath, Vine fans. We knew this was coming. In a tweet, the team confirmed today that Vine will be closed down on January 17th, clarifying the “January” timeframe it gave out last month. On that day, the app will become Vine Camera, a stripped back piece of software that lets you shoot and export six-second loops to Twitter or your camera roll. As promised, the Vine website will remain untouched, acting as an archive for older uploads. You can watch classic clips, covering comedy, music and art, just don’t expect anything new to come through the pipeline.

Vine was a much loved service among a handful of Engadget employees. The six-second loop was an inspired restriction, forcing artists to get creative with their shots and editing. These shots will still be possible through the Vine Camera app and Twitter, but it won’t feel the same. Vine’s community was special, whereas now the concept will exist as a tangental part of a much larger social platform. If you’ve been saving a great Vine idea, now’s the time to shoot and post it. While its viewership is down — people are clearly migrating to Instagram and YouTube — it’s a chance to make one final mark on the service.

Update – the Vine app will become the Vine Camera on Jan 17. Please download your Vines before then! More here: https://t.co/zrE1oDTx48

— Vine (@vine) January 4, 2017

Source: Vine (Twitter)

BMW uses Google’s augmented reality tech to preview your i3

It’s difficult to get a feel for what a personalized car will look like in real life. You can’t get a realistic perspective by customizing a car on the web, but visiting the dealership frequently means having to guess what your color choices look like. BMW doesn’t think you should have to choose. It’s testing a BMW i Visualizer app that uses Google’s depth-sensing Tango technology to help you preview your ultimate i3 or i8. If you visit dealerships in several countries (including the US and UK) over the weeks ahead, you’ll get to configure and walk around a virtual car in augmented reality. You can’t sit in it, unsurprisingly, but you can poke your head inside to see if the layout is as posh as you thought it would be.

You won’t have to go to a dealership (and face the inevitable pressure to buy) in the future. BMW plans to release the necessary app on Google Play later in 2017, so you might one day use this to picture an i3 in your driveway. The challenge, of course, is getting a Tango-equipped device. While your options are expanding, you’ll have to be fairly picky about your next phone if you want to conduct an in-depth investigation of your dream car.

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

Source: Google