Farewell, CES 2017!
That’s it! We spent all of last week in Las Vegas checking out what the world’s biggest companies and scrappiest startups had to offer. As you’d expect, the whole thing was equal parts exhausting and exhilarating, but now we’re (mostly) back home and ready to bring you a quick recap of the show’s biggest themes. Watch editor-in-chief Michael Gorman wax eloquent about Alexa and other voice interfaces taking over the world; TVs getting more exciting than ever; and the fascinating ways that cars and technology continue to collide. Enjoy the show, and seriously: Thank you for joining us on this wild ride.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Space Station gets its first African-American crew member
The International Space Station may be in its twilight years, but that isn’t precluding it from adding more to the history books. NASA has revealed that Jeanette Epps will be the first African-American ISS crew member when Expedition 56 reaches orbit in May 2018. It’ll be the Syracuse-born astronaut’s first spaceflight, but she has an extremely strong pedigree going in. On top of aerospace engineering and science degrees, she spent most of her pre-NASA career working as a CIA intelligence officer.
There has yet to be an African-American ISS mission commander, and the opportunity for that is limited given how few years the station has left without another extension. However, it’s still an important milestone. The ISS has long been a (partial) reflection of Earth’s cultural makeup, with visitors and crew members coming from the likes of Brazil, Japan and Malaysia in addition to spacefaring regulars such as the US and Russia. It’s only fitting that the US’ own crews eventually mirror the population you see back on terra firma.
Via: CNET
Source: NASA
Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 10.2.1 to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 10.2.1 update to developers, three weeks after seeding the second iOS 10.2.1 beta and nearly a month after releasing iOS 10.2, the second major update to the iOS 10 operating system.
Registered developers can download the third iOS 10.2.1 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed.
It isn’t yet known what features are included in iOS 10.2.1, but as a minor 10.2.x update, it appears to focus on bug fixes and performance improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. No new features were discovered in the first two iOS 10.2.1 betas, but we’ll update this post if any changes are found in the third beta.
iOS 10.2.1 follows the release of iOS 10.2, a significant update that brought Unicode 9 emoji, a new TV app, Messages Screen Effects, Music improvements, and a whole slew of bug fixes.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 10.1.1 to Developers
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, almost four weeks after seeding the first tvOS 10.1.1 beta and nearly a month after releasing tvOS 10.1, the first major update to the tvOS 10 operating system.
Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10.1.1 beta can be obtained by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, downloading and installing the software from a registered developer account via iTunes or Apple Configurator.
Once a beta profile has been installed on the device through iTunes, new beta updates will be available over the air.
We don’t yet know what features or changes are included in tvOS 10.1.1, but as a minor update, it’s likely to focus on bug fixes and other performance enhancements. No immediately visible changes or bug fixes were found in the first beta.
tvOS 10.1.1 follows tvOS 10.1, a significant update that introduced the new “TV” app, which serves as an Apple-designed television guide and TV watching hub.
Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of watchOS 3.1.3 to Developers
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.1.3 update to developers for testing purposes, three weeks after releasing the first watchOS 3.1.3 beta and four months after the launch of watchOS 3.
watchOS 3.1.3 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General –> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. watchOS 3.1.3 requires an iPhone running iOS 10 to install.
We don’t know yet what new features or bug fixes might be included in the watchOS 3.1.3 update, but no outward-facing changes were found in the first beta. watchOS betas are often rather minor in scale, focusing on small bug fixes and performance improvements rather than major interface changes.
The second watchOS 3.1.3 beta comes after Apple pulled the watchOS 3.1.1 release after it was found to be bricking some Apple Watch Series 2 devices. Apple has not re-released an updated version of watchOS 3.1.1 that fixes the bug, so many users are still running watchOS 3.1.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.3 to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.3 update to developers, three weeks after seeding the second 10.12.3 beta and almost a month after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.2, the second update to the macOS Sierra operating system.
The macOS Sierra 10.12.3 update is available for download through the Apple Developer Center or through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
According to Apple’s release notes, the 10.12.3 update “improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.” No specific changes, bug fixes, or feature additions were discovered in the first two betas, but we’ll update this post should any new features be found in the third beta.
Oftentimes, with bug fixes, it’s hard to tell what’s included until Apple supplies detailed release notes with a release. The previous update, macOS 10.12.2, introduced several important bug fixes to resolve battery life issues, fix graphics problems, and more.
Available since September, macOS Sierra is the latest Mac operating system. It includes Siri support, Apple Pay for the web, Universal Clipboard, Apple Watch auto unlocking, improved iCloud Drive integration, Picture-in-Picture multitasking, and dozens of smaller features that can be found in our macOS Sierra roundup.
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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Logitech G533 Wireless Gaming Headset Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Logitech G533.
Sean Hollister/CNET
Headphones are everywhere, and it’s not hard to find a great pair. But wireless surround sound headphones
you can use across the house from your PC, with a boom mic for voice chat, a comfy fit and long battery life? Not so easy — and typically pretty expensive.
But for the past several days, I’ve been using the Logitech G533: a wireless gaming headset launched at CES 2017 that does nearly everything brilliantly.
Sean Hollister/CNET
First and foremost, this headset, which costs $150, £140 or AU$200, sounds fantastic. Gaming headsets don’t have much of a reputation for audio quality, but I loved listening to music on the G533 all day long. I’ll sometimes notice a rough edge in the treble, but they’ve got clear mids and plenty of bass. They get loud, too, without much of the nasty distortion you’ll typically hear with cheaper cans — loud enough I can wear them around my neck like speakers.
Also — and this is key — Logitech’s wireless connection feels bulletproof.
The power switch, volume dial, Micro-USB charge port and one programmable button live on the left earcup.
Sean Hollister/CNET
Its predecessor, the Logitech G930, had a nasty, well documented habit of disconnecting for a few seconds at a time at random, or for certain every time I walked down the stairs to get a drink. The G533? The only way I could make the audio cut out was I had to walk outside of my house, across the parking lot to my car and get inside. When I drove back, 20 minutes later, it automatically reconnected as soon as I opened the car door.
The new headset uses the same “Pro-G” drivers and wireless tech as Logitech’s more expensive G933 headset, but that one has something of a reputation for pinching large heads. I’m happy to say the G533’s hinge tension is on the lighter side. It’s fairly comfy.
Above: You can retract the flexible end of the boom mic and flip it up into this groove, automatically muting it when you do.
More from CES 2017
- CES is finally open: Here’s what you missed
- Check out the smart home products at CES 2017 (so far)
- Razer’s new gaming laptop has three (!) screens
- Neon Museum is saving Las Vegas’ most beautiful tech
Plus, where my old Logitech G930 typically needed charging after a full work day, the new G533 gave me two work days worth of audio. (Logitech rated the G930 at 10 hours, the G533 at 15 hours, which sounds about right.) When it dies, you can plug in with a Micro-USB power cable and start using it right away, too.
And while the G533 doesn’t let you plug in a 3.5 mm audio cable to use it with an Xbox One or your phone (this is a wireless-only headset, folks) I found the included USB wireless dongle works just fine with a PlayStation 4, Steam Link or Nvidia Shield TV.
If there’s anything to complain about, it’s that the G533’s microphone isn’t quite top-notch — I needed to speak up for friends to hear me in games, and a quick Audacity recording was both quieter and noisier with the G533 than my G930. (I may also miss all the programmable buttons: the G533 only comes with one, plus a volume dial — though the mic automatically turns off when you retract it.)
Overall, I doubt you’ll find a better wireless gaming headset for the price. I just wish I didn’t look quite so ridiculous wearing it:
Sean Hollister/CNET
Which is why I’m also eyeing LucidSound’s latest headsets. Stay tuned.
Grab Aukey’s folding travel charger for just $6 right now!
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You can grab the charger in either black or white, but don’t forget to use coupon code AUKPAU32 for the full savings. This deal is only good for a few days, so be sure to grab one (or even two) if you are interested before they run out!
See at Amazon
The coolest discoveries from CES 2017
You probably won’t buy this stuff, but it’s just so damn cool.
Our team comes out to the Consumer Electronics Show every year in search of the things that happen next. We meet with companies eager to show us what they’re planning to announce, oftentimes months before the announcement actually happens.
It’s a great place to get a feel for what the industry is going to do over the next year, and what trends we should prepare for. It’s important stuff for us to do, but represents an impossibly tiny fraction of the sheer volume of things to see and touch at this event.
While we may all have different opinions on what the “best” things are from CES this year, this is a quick look at the things we stumbled upon that were just plain cool.
Game Boy Resurrected
My nephew opened a new Nintendo 3DS for Christmas this year, and it reminded me of opening my first Nintendo Game Boy. Because I did this reminiscing out loud, my kids took the opportunity to make me feel old by not even knowing what a Game Boy was. Fortunately for me, Retrobit not only remembers but is making a new one for me to enjoy.
Super Retro Boy is a color Game Boy that can play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advanced cartridges for $80. It’s the kind of thing that punches you in the nostalgia and is wildly more functional than Nintendo’s new NES by virtue of its design. We’ll see more of this Super Retro Boy this summer, and I’m pretty sure at least a couple of you will be debating over the Order button.
Astro-Photography for noobs
If you have $500 and a night sky nearby, TinyMOS wants to sell you a camera that will make you look like an expert space photographer the next time you feel the need to brag about something like that. This may seem unnecessary to those who haven’t tried to take a photo of the Milky Way from the park down the street, but those who know the struggle will look at this camera and be impressed.
It’s relatively inexpensive, incredibly compact, and has the coolest Sky Map software onboard. The software on the camera will guide your hand to the best place to take the photo, and includes presets for capturing different shots of the sky. Tiny1 can turn just about anyone into a decent astro-photographer, and every person thinking about taking a photo of the sky is a person refusing to believe the Earth is flat.
Nine Inked Nails
The ARTPRO NAIL from O’2 Nails is an inkjet printer FOR YOUR FINGERNAILS! 💅🏽💅🏽 #nailart #ces2017
A video posted by iMore (@imoregram) on Jan 6, 2017 at 3:11pm PST
An event of increasing frequency in my house is a gathering of pre-teens watching fingernail art videos on YouTube, and even I have to admit some of these creations are basically works of art. That having been said, there’s a reason you don’t see every woman with crazy awesome nails. It’s not easy to go from idea to execution, even with tutorial videos. Now, if you could go from idea to sticking your finger in a special printer to execute on your vision, that’d be something different altogether.
The Mobile Nail Printer takes any idea you’ve whipped up in the included app and paints that design on your nails for you. All you need to do is hold your finger still on the printer, which isn’t always as easy as it sounds. You get custom, identical nail designs without accidentally spilling a bottle all over the kitchen table. What could be better?
Game Cave Evolved
Razer has quickly become known for wild prototypes that change shape and become actual products after receiving some feedback. It’s one of the reasons they are considered done of the most innovative PC manufacturers out there today, and this CES they came out swinging. Strapping more displays on a laptop doesn’t excite me so much as leave me concerned for the poor soul sitting next to the owner of that machine on an airplane, but crazy lighting setups are something altogether different.
Project Ariana immerses you in your game without needing a VR headset, all thanks to smart lighting and projectors. The current demo extends the display onto your walls in a unique way, and uses special lighting to fill the room with accent colors from the game you are playing. It’s still pretty far from a real thing, and in its current form won’t work everywhere, but a setup like this will guarantee envy from everyone you know and that’s worth it no matter the cost.
All the bacon and eggs you have
Our final entry this year is not a product. It’s Nick Offerman, who you undoubtedly recognize from existing as the living breathing form of the Overly Manly Man meme more commonly known as Ron Swanson during Parks and Recreation. Nick is at CES this week showing off the latest in greeting card technology thanks to an arrangement with American Greetings, and he did a masterful job delivering quality entertainment in the process.
Anyone at CES fortunate enough to have caught Mr. Offerman delivering one of his presentations left with a smile on their face and possibly some deep concern about why they were at this massive event in the first place. This was far from the only celebrity sighting at CES, but watching that man deliver a dead serious explanation for why his greeting cards were superior was easily one of the coolest parts of CES.
AIVAnet 