Sony’s CES headphone lineup covers hi-res audio, sports earbuds and more

Sony isn’t just showing off its latest TVs and soundbars here at CES, the company usually reveals a lineup of headphones and Bluetooth speakers in Las Vegas. This year is no different. The company’s group of products this time around covers a lot of bases, including hi-res audio, sports earbuds and mega bass. Here’s what Sony is debuting in the desert.

First up, the MDR-1AM2 is a revamped version of the MDR-1AM that Sony debuted back in 2014. The company says the new model features improved audio. More specifically, the wired headphones are compatible with up to 100kHz frequencies and pack in a new 40mm HD driver. Aluminum-coated liquid crystal polymer diaphragms handle the fine details while design elements should help with high frequency ranges and prevent signal loss. The MDR-1AM2 will ship this spring for $300.

If you prefer your headphones to able to handle a more active lifestyle, Sony has three wireless options it’s showing off at CES. The $180 WF-SP700N totally wireless and $150 WI-SP600N in-ear models both offer active noise cancellation. In terms of battery life, you can expect three hours on a charge with the WF-SP700N and an additional two full charges from an included case for nine hours total. With the WI-SP600N, the company says you can expect up to six hours of playback on a charge. There’s also an $80 WI-SP500 model that touts up to eight hours of battery life. All three are IPX4-rated options, so you don’t have to worry about sweating on them at the gym. What’s more, all thee are set to ship this spring.

In terms of Bluetooth speakers, Sony is adding three models to its Extra Bass line with the SRS-XB41, SRS-XB31 and SRS-XB21. All three have a Live Sound mode that creates what the company calls a 3D audio experience with a focus on bass — in keeping the name of the product line, of course. The trio also pack in multi-color lights that change based on the music you’re playing. Basically, Sony thinks these are ideal party companions, especially due to the fact you can pair up to 100 of them together. The SRS-XB41, SRS-XB31 and SRS-XB21 are priced at $250, $150 and $100, respectively. And all of them are slated to arrive this spring.

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

Sony’s 2018 4K TVs keep the focus on OLED, HDR and Android

Last year Sony kicked off the year by adding OLED and HDR to its lineup, then later pushed Google’s Assistant AI as an upgrade for its Android TV platform. In 2018 the company is sticking to those basics on its latest 4K TVs with a few tweaks. It will once again offer OLED TVs in 55- and 65-inch sizes, this time with an updated version of its technology that broadcasts sound directly from the display itself.

Now dubbed “Acoustic Surface,” this A8F series appears to pack the upgraded version of Crystal Sound that LG Display is showing off, with support for 3.1 channels of audio instead of the A1E’s 2.1. There’s no word yet on price, but last year’s models launched at $5,000 and $6,500, and currently sell for around $3,000/$4,000.

If those OLED TVs are a little too expensive, then Sony is still offering LCD options as well, with the X900F series. Inside these local dimming LED screens is the same X1 Extreme Processor Sony’s using in the A8F, however, it says that new “X-Motion Clarity” tech is in play to reduce blur during fast motion without losing brightness. The X900F will be available in 49-, 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch sizes later this year.

All of Sony’s high-end TVs are still Dolby Vision HDR-ready, run Android TV and will ship with Google Assistant built-in. Just like previous models, its voice command service is not always listening but can be activated by a button on the remote. Hands-free control is possible if you have an Amazon Alexa device, Google Home or one of Sony’s own smart speakers.

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

Source: Sony

Google Assistant wants to be everywhere you are in 2018

Google is at CES in a big way this year — no, seriously — and it’s mostly centered around one product: Google Assistant. The search giant is incorporating its personal assistant AI into more devices than ever. They run the gamut from smart speakers (some of which have displays), smart earbuds and yes, even cars. If CES 2017 was the Alexa show, then CES 2018 just might very well be the Google show.

“We think Assistant is more useful if it’s available across all devices and contexts,” said Scott Huffman, Google’s VP of Engineering in charge of Google Assistant. “It’s not just phones or speakers or laptops; it’s all kinds of things.” To that end, Google is focusing on incorporating Assistant in three major categories at CES: the home, the car and mobile — which, in the case of the latter, means smarter pairs of earbuds.

Perhaps the most notable of the three categories is the home, which is where Google is really giving Amazon a run for its money. A few days ago, it announced that it sold tens of millions of Google Home devices last year, with nearly 6.4 million of them sold in the last quarter alone. Now, at CES, it’s expanding its portfolio of partners. According to Google, it’s announcing even more Google Assistant-powered speakers from the likes of Altec Lansing, Anker Innovations, Bang & Olufsen, Braven, iHome, JBL, Jensen, LG, Klipsh, Knit Audio, Memorex, RIVA Audio and SoLIS.

Through partnerships with JBL, Lenovo, LG and Sony, Google is entering the smart display category, going right up against Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Spot. That means these devices are more than just smart speakers — they have touch screens that let you make video calls, look up step-by-step recipes and, of course, watch YouTube videos (which, incidentally, you can’t do on any of the Echos).

“[The third-party devices] go through the same rigorous testing that we do on our own devices,” said Chris Turkstra, a director for Google Assistant. When asked if he was afraid the third-party devices would cannibalize the sales of Google’s own Home and Home Mini products, he said that the goal here is to get more diverse products. “What we want is to create an ecosystem,” he said. “Google products will still get features and updates earlier than others, and they’ll be able to compete more directly with Amazon’s products as well.” But, he continued, partner products will offer a far wider variety of hardware than Google alone can offer.

Next up are TVs. Sure, Google Assistant is already on NVIDIA’s SHIELD TV as well as Sony’s Android TVs, but why stop there? The company announced today that Assistant will roll out to even more Android TVs from the likes of TCL, Skyworth and Xiaomi. More Android TVs from Changhong, Element, Funai, Haier, Hisense and Westinghouse will also debut this week with Google Assistant on board. And, not to be left out, LG will also be rolling out several Assistant-integrated TVs later this year.

As for cars, Google Assistant will be coming to automobiles in the way that makes the most sense: through Android Auto. Yes, Android Auto already has a voice interface, but it was kind of a vanilla experience. With Google Assistant, however, you can do a lot more. In addition to telling you the weather and reading out your text messages, you can also ask Assistant to control your Nest and bring up your playlists on Spotify. Basically, everything you can already do with Assistant on your phone, you will also be able to do with the Android Auto interface in the car.

There are a few caveats of course. The Android Auto interface is designed to reduce distraction, so you won’t be able to bring up YouTube videos. You’ll also only be able to listen to the scores of last night’s game instead of seeing them on the screen.

The third category that Google is focusing on at this year’s CES is mobile. Not in terms of phones — you can already get Google Assistant on Androids and iPhones — but in terms of headphones. So far the only ones that have it are Google’s Pixel Buds as well as Bose’s QuietComfort 35 II. But today at CES, Google announced even more Assistant-integrated headphones from companies such as Jaybird, JBL, LG and Sony. In many cases, you trigger the Assistant just by pushing a button on the side of the headphones. From there you can tell it to play your favorite music, read you your appointments for the day, or just anything you’d like Assistant to do.

With all the things that you can do with Google Assistant, it can be a little confusing to know what they are. That’s why Google is introducing a new way to talk about them. As teased at last year’s I/O, Google will start calling them Actions, in the same way that Alexa calls them “skills.” Plus, it’s also rolling out a whole new directory of Actions that you can explore on your phone — there’ll now be a blue icon in the corner of the Assistant app that’ll lead you to directly to it. What’s more, as you use Assistant, the directory will learn to give you suggestions that are tailored to your tastes and interests.

“We really think of Google Assistant as bringing Google’s investments into AI,” said Huffman. “There’s speech recognition, language understanding, even vision. It makes it even more possible to have natural human-like conversation with users.”

Google Assistant is already on more than 400 million devices, and in 2018, that number is to escalate even further. “What’s driven the growth is all the third-party devices,” he continued. “We allow third parties to tap into all the information that Google can provide.”

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

Source: Google

Take a good look at the HTC Vive Pro and VR wireless adapter

The Vive Pro is a beefed-up version of HTC’s original VR headset, adding integrated 3D audio and high-res OLED screens displaying 2880 x 1600, with a pixel density of 615 pixels per inch, an upgrade from 1080 x 1200 and 448ppi. The headset also addresses some of the first iteration’s fit issues, adding a new headstrap with a sizing dial that helps redistribute weight, so it’s not all collected at the front of the headset.

The attached headphones flip up on either side like wings, but when they’re actually in use, they create a snug and immersive VR environment. The Vive Pro features dual front-facing cameras and two microphones, too.

The Vive Pro works with existing HTC VR systems, including the original base station and SteamVR tracking 1.0 (and their updated versions, of course). Players will be able to pair up to four base stations to create a play area of 10 ft x 10 ft.

HTC has a clear market in mind for the Pro: hardcore VR enthusiasts and businesses that want the most powerful experiences possible. The Pro will be on sale as a standalone headset, no tracking equipment included, this quarter. A package complete with base station 2.0 and controllers will be out later this year. HTC doesn’t plan to stop selling the original Vive in 2018 — the Pro is simply a more powerful option for serious users.

Edgar Alvarez / Engadget

In line with this vision of a dual-Vive future, HTC also revealed a wireless adapter that works with both of its VR headsets. This thing uses Intel’s WiGig technology to make the headsets wireless, and it’s due out in the summer.

Pricing for the Pro and the wireless adapter will be announced closer to launch.

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

Watch Intel’s CES 2018 keynote event right here at 9:30 PM ET

The first official keynote speech of CES will come courtesy of Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, who will surely discuss “how data is transforming the world around us,” autonomous vehicles and AI, but there’s a significant elephant in the room. This speech comes just days after the Meltdown and Spectre CPU exploits were revealed, and surely the exec will want to address his company’s response. Watch what happens with a live video stream embedded below (or read along on our liveblog) that starts at 9:30 PM ET.

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

Live from Intel’s CES 2018 keynote

Once again, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich is ushering in the beginning of CES with a major keynote. This year, the big focus is on data and it’s “power to transform the world.” But we also hope that he says more about how Intel plans to tackle the fallout from Meltdown and Spectre. We also expect to hear plenty about how Intel is using data in its artificial intelligence initiatives. And of course, the company will likely highlight some of its upcoming products. In particular, we hope to see Krzanich demo machines using the new 8th generation Core CPU with AMD RX Vega M graphics. Join us at 6:30pm PT/9:30pm ET when the keynote kicks off.

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

CES 2018: Philips and Razer Team Up for Game-Activated Hue Lights

Philips and Razer today announced a new collaboration that allows Philips’ Hue line of lights to integrate with Razer Chroma-enabled devices.

When using a device that features Razer Chroma, which includes everything from the Razer Blade line of laptops to Razer Chroma keyboards, gaming controllers, and mice, allowing your Philips Hue lights to react to whatever game you’re playing.

You can choose to set each bulb to a preferred color or sync all of your lights with one touch using Razer’s Synapse 3 hardware configuration software.

With Chroma Studio, you can also create different lighting effects across all Synapse-enabled devices that extend to Hue lights or use pre-configured effects like cascading waves or fire.

Razer says that its Razer Chroma devices and Hue lights are able to provide a fully immersive gaming experience, activating with game cues. When there’s a flickering lamp, for example, the lights in the room will flicker, or when you score a kill, you’ll be rewarded with a unique lighting scene.

Game developers can use Razer’s Chroma SDK to built lighting effects that will impact Hue and Chroma devices, and many games have already adopted support, like Overwatch, Quake Champions, Factorio, Killing Floor 2, and more.

Tags: Philips Hue, Razer, CES 2018
Discuss this article in our forums

Whill’s new electric wheelchair is fast, light, portable, and available now

Power mobility device maker Whill is kicking the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) off in style with the debut of its stylish new Model Ci electric wheelchair — a newer, lighter, more versatile model of its already impressive accessibility vehicle. Called the Model Ci, Whill’s stylish new personal electric vehicle is about as far from the antiquated scooters and wheelchairs of yesteryear as a Tesla Model X is from a box cart.

The Model Ci packs a lithium-ion battery allowing it to travel 10 miles on a single charge, with top speeds of five miles per hour, meaning the equivalent of a gentle jogging speed. Navigation is primarily carried out using a joystick in the right armrest, although you can also make like you’re James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies and drive it using a smartphone. (You can additionally use your smartphone to check how much battery you have left.)

It’s not just the control mechanism that’s smooth, either. The Model Ci features specially designed “omni-wheels” which employ multiple rollers for a powerful drive its creators describe as a “glide,” letting you navigate proficiently whether you’re on undulating city streets, off-road terrain, or just maneuvering in the comfort of your own home.

“With its modern design, the Model Ci challenges today’s conventions with a product that, due to its futuristic appeal, eliminates the stigma and adverse psychological impact that affects people who use mobility devices,” Satoshi Sugie, CEO of Whill and a former Nissan designer, said in a statement. “The result is not just freedom of mobility, but freedom from the self-consciousness often associated with a wheelchair or scooter.”

Another impressive feature of the lightweight Model Ci, which tips the scales at just 115 pounds, is its ability to easily break into three modular components for easy packing in the back of a car. Last but not least is the fact that, unlike so many of the exciting products and innovations we cover at CES each year, there is no lengthy wait for the Whill Model Ci. It is available now for $4,000.

With that combination of pluses in its corner, it’s no wonder the Whill Model Ci has already scooped up a 2018 Best of CES Innovation Award.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Honda’s Clarity will come in electric, hybrid, and hydrogen flavors
• Chinese Nio ES8 electric SUV takes aim at Tesla with optional battery swapping
• Wait up, Jaguar! Land Rover wants to launch an electric vehicle, too
• 2018 Zero Motorcycles: release date, prices, specs, and features
• Raleigh Electric gears up for big on- and off-road bike releases in 2018

Cortana gets an unexpected roommate on Windows 10 PCs: Alexa

Well, this is awkward. Looks like Amazon’s Alexa isn’t content to be only on  TVs, smart speakers, smartphones, and even earphones. Now she’s got her sights set on some new digs, and this time it will mean vying for users’ attention with another virtual assistant: Microsoft’s Cortana.

Just how bad this cat fight will be remains to be seen, but here’s what we do know. Alexa will be making an appearance this year on Windows 10 PCs made by HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer, in the form of a stand-alone app. She’ll be able to listen for her wake word (Alexa, Computer, or Echo) and respond to queries just as she does via Amazon’s Echo, and the myriad devices that already support its assistant.

While it’s true that Microsoft and Amazon have discussed the possibility of Cortana and Alexa being friendly enough toward each other to have a conversation now and then, that’s a far cry from the two assistants actually occupying space on the same device.  Some have speculated that this move is matter of survival for Windows device makers, who desperately need a way to control smart home devices, something which Cortana hasn’t really mastered. Alexa, on the other hand, has seldom met a smart home gadget she couldn’t whisper commands to. Yep, she’s got mad skills in that department.

Where will Alexa be showing up first? “Select Acer Aspire, Spin, Switch, and Swift notebooks,” according to PCWorld, “as well as Aspire all-in-one PCs beginning in the first quarter of 2018. Asus will add Alexa to select ZenBook and VivoBook notebooks in 2018. HP will add Alexa to its $549 Pavilion Wave, a compact, small-form-factor desktop with Alexa built right in.”

This surprising news should make Apple a bit nervous, too. Apple’s way ahead of Microsoft in terms of home automation thanks to its HomeKit efforts, but that’s largely been an iOS-specific implementation. If Siri doesn’t show herself to be as good a listener as Alexa, will it be long before Amazon builds Alexa yet another new home, this time on MacOS?

Editors’ Recommendations

• Harmon Kardon Invoke review
• Amazon Echo Dot review
• After a quiet year, is Microsoft ready to wake up, or settle down?
• Amazon Echo (2017) review
• Amazon Echo Plus review

MIT’s new ultrafine, ultrastrong fibers could make future body armor tougher

Right now, materials like Kevlar are the gold standard when it comes to tough textiles used in applications such as body armor. But materials scientists are busy searching for its possible successor. Previously we’ve covered some innovative ultra-strong materials such a foil-thin graphene shield which can repel diamonds and artificial spider silk able to absorb the majority of an impact.

Now researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed their own next-generation tough material: polyethylene nano-fibers, which possess astonishing levels of strength and toughness, despite being just billionths of a meter thick.

“Stiff, strong, and tough ultrafine polethylene fibers that rival the best high performance polymer fibers, but with diameters less than one micrometer, [have been fabricated by us] for the first time by a new process called ‘gel-electrospinning,’” MIT professor of chemical engineering Gregory Rutledge told Digital Trends. “Currently available high performance polyethylene fibers like Spectra and Dyneema are already among the stiffest and strongest fibers, on a per weight basis. However, these new fibers are one to two orders of magnitude smaller in diameter and, pound for pound, can absorb even more energy without breaking.”

The nano-fibers were created by modifying an already existing technique called gel spinning. This involves extruding a polymer gel through a die and then mechanically drawing it in a second, heated stage. In the case of the new “gel-electrospinning” process, this extrusion and drawing is carried out in a single stage using electrical forces, rather than a mechanical approach.

Courtesy of the researchers, MIT

At present, it’s still too early to demonstrate real world applications, although Rutledge said that these may include lightweight, flexible, wear-resistant textiles and clothing, as well as soft body armor for military or civilian uses, or possible components for lightweight composites. In all of these applications, the benefit is from the inherent low density of the new fibers and their exceptional toughness, alongside their high stiffness and strength. “The performance of composites are enhanced by the high surface area of the fibers, which can improve bonding to the matrix, and the small distances between the fibers, which further promotes toughness,” Rutledge continued.

The first-of-their-kind fibers have been produced only in Rutledge’s lab at MIT, currently in very small quantities. “We have many challenges to solve before they can be scaled up for commercial production, but we are working on it,” he said. “The gel-electrospinning process is an important step in this direction.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the Journal of Materials Science.

Editors’ Recommendations

• SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer review
• ‘Pokémon Ultra Sun’ and ‘Ultra Moon’ Review
• ‘Pokémon Ultra Sun’ and ‘Ultra Moon’ review
• SVS SB16-Ultra Subwoofer Review
• Travel Beyond Alola in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon!