The ASUS Chromebox 3 is destined for businesses

The vast majority of machines running Google’s Chrome OS are laptops, but that hasn’t stopped some companies from trying to put the lightweight software into tiny desktop boxes. ASUS has been making a Chromebox since 2014, and they’re announcing a new one at CES 2018. Unfortunately, details are rather limited: we know it’ll run an “8th generation Intel Core processor” with an untold amount of DDR4-2400 RAM. There’s no mention of storage space, either. What we do know is that the Chromebox 3 will include USB 3.1 via a type-C port and Gigatbit ethernet, a logical choice for something you won’t be moving around as much as a laptop (don’t worry, it still has WiFi, too).

The tiny computer might make a decent living room streaming box, too, with DisplayPort and HDMI output — ASUS says it can handle 4K video playback. But let’s be honest, this Chromebox is likely destined for light work computing in corporate settings. Chromebooks may have made big inroads in the consumer market, but we’d be surprised if many people buy one of these for the home. If you’re still curious about it, ASUS says it’ll be on sale sometime in the first half of 2018. In the meantime, we’ll see if this little computer is lurking around the CES show floor this week to pry a few more details loose.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

ASUS’ latest ZenFone and its big battery will hit the US next month

ASUS’ ZenFone line is still pretty fresh in our minds, but that didn’t stop the company from showing off yet another new smartphone here at CES 2018. The awkwardly named ZenFone Max Plus (M1) — yes, ASUS is insisting on the parentheses — is set to launch in the US next month for $329, and its claim to fame is its 4,130mAh battery. Sure, it might not be quite as capacious as ASUS’ own ZenFone 3 Zoom from last year, but that battery is still bigger than any you’d find in a normal flagship phone. Not bad at all, considering the asking price.

Beyond the battery, the ZenFone Max Plus (M1) also packs a 5.7-inch, 2160×1080 display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, along with an octa-core MediaTek chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. Around back you’ll find a fingerprint sensor and, above that, a dual camera that combines a standard 16-megapixel sensor with a 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view. For those keeping track, that’s very similar to the setup used by the LG G5 a while back. Even better, both the main and front-facing camera (which also shoots 16-megapixel stills) have f/2.0 apertures to help suck up as much light as possible for landscape shots and selfies. Squeeze all of that into a handsome, if slightly generic-looking, metal body and that’s the ZenFone Max Plus (M1).

So far the Max Plus feels like one hell of a value smartphone, but not everything here is ideal. Most notably, it runs an older Android 7.0 Nougat build painted over by ASUS’ hit-or-miss ZenUI. The idea of running software that’s over a year old is pretty problematic, and we’ve reached out to ASUS to see why exactly the ZenFone Max Plus (M1) is stuck in this position. Despite the Nougat situation and the inherent oddness of its name, we’re still glad to see the ZenFone Max Plus (M1) wrapping up a few flagship features into a sleek-looking body. Stick around — we’re going to go track one down for a little hands-on time soon.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Whirlpool plugs Alexa and Google Assistant into its appliances

Whirlpool’s smart appliances have already had some voice assistant control, but they’re about become particularly AI-savvy. The company has unveiled a 2018 lineup where many appliances support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, letting you control most of your home using the smart speaker (or mobile app) you prefer. You can check the time left on the washing machine, start the dishwasher or change the temperature of your fridge without lifting a finger.

Certain appliances have extra perks. The Smart Front Control Range and Smart Over the Range Microwave tie into Yummly’s recipe app to help you cook — you can send instructions directly to the appliance, complete with images and video. You can scan UPC barcodes on some frozen food to get directions as well. Amazon Virtual Dash can restock connected refrigerators, while the Smart All-in-One Washer and Dryer can send laundry alerts to your Apple Watch. Even the Smart Energy Star Certified Dishwasher can talk to your Nest devices and hold the washing cycle until you’ve left for work.

Whirlpool hasn’t discussed pricing, but you should see its 2018 roster arrive sometime in the spring. However, this clearly reflects how pervasive smart home tech has become — you can now buy most vital appliances and assume you’ll get smart controls that adapt to whichever devices you have in your home.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: Whirlpool

ASUS’ latest laptop embraces eSports with help from a top team

ASUS has partnered with SKT T1, one of the biggest teams in eSports, on its latest iteration of the ROG Strix laptop line. The ROG Strix SKT T1 Hero Edition is a laptop designed to play Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games like League of Legends, featuring an Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Graphics and a wide display with 100 percent sRGB color gamut. These details have been floating around since November, so here’s the new bit: The ROG Strix SKT T1 Hero Edition costs $1,700 and will be available in Q1 of 2018.

SKT T1 happens to be a big deal in League of Legends — it’s won three of the seven world championships in the franchise’s eSports history and it’s home to the most famous player in the game, Faker. Sang-Hyeok Lee, who plays by the name Faker, is regarded as the most skilled League of Legends player around, and this year he picked up the award for Best eSports Player at The Game Awards.

The ROG Strix SKT T1 Hero Edition features the logos for SKT T1 and ROG on the lid, plus Faker’s signature on the bottom right side of the keyboard palm rest (so players can try to absorb some of his powers, probably). The laptop also comes with a jersey and mousepad branded with SKT T1 and ROG logos, plus posters of Faker and the entire team.

ASUS is also updating its gaming desktop line with the ROG Strix GL12, which includes a factory-overclocked 8th Generation Intel Core processor with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics, plus an expansion bay and easy-swap SSD tray. The front panel features Aura Sync lighting effects, allowing players to customize the tower’s appearance. In fact, from here on out, all ROG desktops and laptops will include Aura Sync support. The ROG Strix GL12 will be available in April for an as-yet-undisclosed price.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

ASUS continues its glorious tradition of spaceship routers with the RT-AX88U

it wouldn’t be CES if we didn’t have some crazy new routers to check out. Enter the ASUS RT-AX88U. Unlike some past ASUS routers, this one is a bit of a sleeker, perhaps more dangerous beast. But let’s get beyond its stealth fighter looks and dig into the specs. As ASUS first announced back at IFA last fall, the RT-AX88U will be its first 802.11ax WiFi router, with wild theoretical speeds of up to 6,000Mbps. Of course, you’ll need a home connection capable of pushing that bandwidth and 801.11ax-compatible hardware, but that’s besides the point. This beast also has eight wired Ethernet ports for your devices that don’t need to be mobile. Sadly, we still don’t have pricing or availability behind “1H 2018.” In the meantime, just enjoy the style.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Insta360 Nano S does ‘multi-cam’ video with 4K spherical capture

Before the Pro, One and Air, Insta360 was already known for its relatively affordable 360 camera dongle, Nano, for iOS devices since 2016. For this CES, the Chinese startup brought out a Nano S which makes use of the same form factor (so it’ll work with existing Nano accessories), but with upgraded guts to capture 4K video and 20-megapixel photos — a notable jump from the previous 3K video and 4.6-megapixel stills. There’s also a new matte black option in addition to the original silver offering.

On top of this unsurprising refresh, Insta360 took one step further by adding a couple of practical features: “MultiView Shooting” to output a conventional video clip with two or three camera angels, and 360-degree video chat that gives any recipient — even those without an Insta360 device or app — a live spherical view on the caller’s end. For the latter, the caller just needs to share a link from the app to the recipient. As a bonus, each Nano S comes bundled with a small foldable stand that lets you prop up your iPhone for the occasional 360 video calls, if not selfies.

While Insta360 was still fine-tuning the software ahead of launch, I could already appreciate the vast improvements in image quality between the Nano and the Nano S. Not only does the new device deliver significantly sharper images, but it also has much less noise in darker environments. My only complaint at this stage is that the auto white balance for my indoor shots with the Nano S is biased towards green, but that should be an easy fix in software.

Here’s a shot taken with the Nano S:

And here’s one taken with the original Nano:

As with all Insta360 cameras, the Nano S comes with gyroscope image stabilization, meaning even if the iPhone is slightly tilted or gets a light bump during recording, you’ll still get a “buttery-smooth” capture in the end. Similarly, you can use FreeCapture mode in the app to reframe any 360 video as if you’re holding a conventional camera back then, but with the added ability to zoom in or out for special visual effects in the new clip.

While I have yet to get around to trying 360 video call with the Nano S, I did quickly play with MultiView Shooting with several templates — each with two or three angles — available for both live streaming and post capture. Each angle can be manually adjusted by a simple swipe, and when sharing in post, you can also set your desired aspect ratio.

As for the damage, the Nano S is asking for $239 and is immediately available for purchase on Amazon plus Insta360’s own online store. For comparison’s sake, the original Nano is currently priced at $199 and is being phased out, whereas the more powerful One costs $299. Personally, I’m all for the higher performance on the One, but then again, the Nano S does have its charm with its portability.

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Source: Insta360

Wireless charging nears unification as Powermat cedes to Qi

Consumers have been living with multiple wireless charging standards for six years, but those annoying times are nearly over. Powermat, the only contender to the dominant format Qi, has joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and now backs its rival. “Qi has become the dominant wireless charging standard on the market and the recently launched Apple iPhone lineup is evidence of this success,” Powermat said in a statement. “[We] will share technology innovation to further unlock wireless charging potential, and will expedite the growth of the wireless charging infrastructure.”

Powermat was barely hanging on as a standard, but as it mentioned, Apple’s support of Qi for its upcoming chargers pretty much sealed its fate. The company was forced to upgrade its chargers to support Qi at Starbucks locations, for instance, so that Apple’s Qi-supported iPhone X- and 8-owning clients could juice up.

Until a few years ago, there were essentially three standards, the Alliance for Wireless Power, the Power Matters Alliance (no joking), and Qi, which was already the dominant player. The first two merged to form the Airfuel alliance in 2015, of which Powermat was the main player.

Powermat says it will to work on developing future tech that allows for “higher power and expanded special freedom,” while maintaining backwards compatibility with the Qi ecosystem. That will greatly simplify the market, making it infinitely easier for consumers — especially uninformed ones — to get products that work with their devices.

“By joining WPC, it further unifies the wireless charging ecosystem behind the Qi global standard, which will accelerate wireless charging adoption and make it more convenient for consumers to use wireless charging wherever they go,” Powermat wrote.

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Source: Powermat

Aurasens’ lounger is a haven of haptic chill inside tradeshow chaos

Tradeshows can grind you down. Yes, CES 2018 hasn’t even started, but I can always do with a little moment of chill, however fleeting. Aurasens’ “visceral, trans-sensory journey” beckoned me with its offer of a little lie-down, free eye-mask (sell-out, I hear you cry) and rhythmic vibrations.

I donned said mask, put on some noise-canceling headphones and let 32 different vibro-haptic points massage, shock and tingle my body from head to toe, if only for three minutes. Combining a stirring symphonic track with some staccato electro, it worked as a showcase for all the different feelings possible, tightly synchronized with musical crescendoes and flourishes.

For a brief moment, I wasn’t in the crush of CES — until a bumbling but beloved colleague smacked into my foot and wrenched me out of it. I was pleasantly surprised how refined the experience was — I’d certainly try to test it out again.

The eye-mask does its best to avoid any visual distraction, but can also be substituted for a VR headset. The team behind the high-tech lounger explained that there’s a second experience to be found when the CES showfloor opens in earnest later this week, and it sounds like a logical extension of these fancy chairs. 20,000 euros ($24,055) certainly puts it out of the range of Joe Consumer, but puts in within the remit of splashy tech companies with relaxation rooms, plush airport lounges and glitzy event launches — all of which were mentioned briefly by co-founder and CEO Olivier Zeller.

The company is already working with movie companies and other content makers to attach the Aurasens experience to forthcoming releases. The aural experience at this early stage might have been a little generic, but once it finds the perfect showcase, high-tech chill could get even better.

Source: Aurasens

CES 2018: ‘U by Moen’ Smart Shower System Adding Support for Apple HomeKit and Siri Voice Controls

One year after being announced during CES 2017, faucet brand Moen is back at CES this year with a new announcement for its “U by Moen” cloud-based, Wi-Fi enabled shower system (via CNET). The company this week revealed that the smart shower will add support for Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa AI assistants in the first half of 2018, letting you control water temperature and more with voice commands on connected smartphones and speakers.

For the HomeKit integration, you’ll be able to speak to your iOS devices and begin your shower ahead of time, like saying, “Hey Siri, start my shower.” If you have saved water temperature presets within the Moen app, the shower will then begin to reach your desired temperature and notify you when it’s ready. Siri will only work with Moen’s next-generation smart shower controllers, so anyone who purchased last year’s device will have to buy the new system if they want Siri controls.

This is because the new U by Moen includes a specific MFi chip for HomeKit compatibility, despite Apple last summer updating its HomeKit specifications so that compatible smart products no longer have to include a hardware authentication chip. A Moen representative told CNET: “We are launching with the Apple Authentication Coprocessor (MFI chip) in the controller to meet the current Apple HomeKit protocol that still requires the chip.”

Besides Siri voice control, U by Moen’s new system is visually similar to the first and connects to an iPhone app so you can set up to 12 customized settings for a shower. The in-shower “digital valve” includes a five-inch LCD screen and various buttons for manual temperature control, and still requires professional installation.

There are two different versions of the next-generation U by Moen shower system, including a two-outlet model for $1,160 and a four-outlet model for $2,200.

Tags: Moen, CES 2018
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CES 2018: First Alert’s New HomeKit-Enabled Smoke Detector Doubles as AirPlay 2 Speaker and Assistant

First Alert at CES 2018 has introduced the Onelink Safe & Sound, its latest smoke and carbon monoxide detector for smart homes.

iPhone and iPad users can control the Safe & Sound with Siri or Apple’s Home app thanks to HomeKit compatibility. The two-in-one detector can also be controlled with First Alert’s own Onelink Home companion app.

What makes the Safe & Sound interesting is that it doubles as a ceiling-mounted virtual assistant, with built-in speakers and noice-canceling microphones and support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

First Alert said the speakers will support Apple’s upcoming AirPlay 2 protocol when available, enabling multi-room audio and Siri control for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users, all through Apple’s Home app.

AirPlay 2 support means that a homeowner could install a few Safe & Sound smoke detectors around the house and eventually use Siri to play or pause Apple Music or other audio on a room-by-room basis.

First Alert did not reveal pricing and availability information in its press release, but AppleInsider says the Safe & Sound is expected to ship in April for a suggested retail price of $249 in the United States.

Tags: HomeKit, First Alert, CES 2018
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