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What TCL announced at CES 2024

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It’s CES 2024 this week, in case you haven’t noticed, and most of the major players in consumer tech are hosting their own shiny press events. TCL is no exception. The manufacturer is holding a livestream event on January 8 at 2PM ET. You can watch it on the company’s website or YouTube, just in case you aren’t anywhere near Las Vegas.

What we expect

TCL is a huge company that manufacturers a wide range of devices across multiple product categories, though it’s most famous for its TVs. The company promises to showcase over 100 “cutting-edge products” throughout CES, including QD-Mini LED TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, mobile devices, commercial displays and much more.

More specifically, TCL plans on unveiling “one of the world’s largest” QD-Mini LED TVs during the press conference. It already announced a 115-inch behemoth at IFA back in September, so this one would have to match or exceed that size.

It also promises a spate of new home theater products and a new device ecosystem that’s being advertised as “one of the industry’s first smart connected mobile device entertainment solutions.” TCL's being cagey on this one, though the company did say the tech would integrate with smartphones, tablets, smart glasses and other gadgets.

TCL also tends to announce one or two quirky things, like last year’s RayNeo X2 AR glasses. The company has teased something regarding this product for CES, though it remains to be seen if it's a full hardware refresh or just a system update. The company did make an off-hand mention about “powerful AI capabilities.”

Finally, there’s a promise to show off the “latest breakthroughs in display technology.” This likely refers to the company’s NXTPAPER tech, which optimizes displays for the human eye. This platform got a refresh back in February, but it looks like the color paper-like screen technology will be getting even more bells and whistles. In any event, we don’t have long to find out.

What TCL announced

TCL unveiled the NXTPAPER 14 Pro, a large-format device that's both a tablet and giant e-reader. Our own Mat Smith got hands-on ahead of CES and his first impressions are now live. Separately, on a much different note, TCL also debuted a 115-inch TV, which it says is the largest MiniLED with Quantum Dot technology. The announcement is notable in that it better positions TCL (normally best known for budget TVs) to compete with premium brands like Sony, Samsung and LG.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-tcl-unveil-its-latest-devices-at-ces-2024-190011437.html?src=rss

How to watch Hisense ‘unveil the future of display tech’ at CES 2024

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CES 2024 is off and running, filling Las Vegas with more tech than a giant LED dome. Consumer electronics giant Hisense is holding its own press conference this year, starting on January 8 at 12PM ET. The company will be livestreaming on YouTube.

What we expect

What will Hisense discuss at the presser? The company says it’ll “showcase a range of groundbreaking innovations that redefine the way we interact with screens,” with the official tagline being "See. Connect. Experience." In other words, expect plenty of info regarding next-gen display technology.

To that end, Hisense says it’ll be unveiling a bunch of new products, teasing new laser TVs, ULED TVs and more. David Gold, President of Hisense Americas, is hosting the event and the company promises TVs that offer “unparalleled clarity and contrast, transforming living rooms into cinematic havens.” We could all use some more havens, cinematic or not.

The press conference won’t just be TVs, however, as Hisense is a multi-faceted company with a stake in many market segments. It also teased the reveal of new smart home products, offering a “myriad of options to get more done.” There’s also the possibility of a surprise reveal or two, as Hisense tech is present in everything from modern vehicle dashboards to ultrasound devices.

Last year, Hisense announced the gorgeous UX OLED smart TV. This 85-inch beast boasts 20,000 Mini LEDs, 5,000 local dimming zones and the industry’s first-ever 16-bit light control algorithm. It also represented the beginning of the ULED X line of televisions, so we'll likely get a new model or two this year. Reports indicate the company has been prepping a massive 110-inch ULED X TV, according to Sound & Vision.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-hisense-unveil-the-future-of-display-tech-at-ces-2024-170034199.html?src=rss

What NVIDIA announced at its CES press conference

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It’s that time of year again. The annual CES trade show in Las Vegas is upon us and NVIDIA is holding a major press conference that will offer details regarding “a spectrum of cutting-edge technologies.” It goes down on Monday, January 8, at 8AM PT / 11AM ET, the day before CES 2024 officially kicks off. You can watch it directly on NVIDIA’s website, or you can hit up the company’s YouTube page or Twitch channel.

What we expect

So what’s on the agenda for CES 2024? It’s the two most beloved letters in all of tech: AI. NVIDIA will be focusing primarily on “its latest advancements in artificial intelligence,” including generative AI. NVIDIA has been open about AI taking center stage at the event, but it’s been cagey regarding specific announcements. The company has become something of a juggernaut in the space these past couple of years, so there will likely be plenty of new information about its next-gen AI supercomputer chips.

There will also be announcements involving “consumer technologies and robotics", so AI won’t be the only star of the show. NVIDIA, after all, is a multi-tentacled behemoth of a company. It’s involved in industrial digitization, maintaining data centers and much more. Oh yeah. It also makes GPUs.

In addition to the primary press conference, NVIDIA will be maintaining a robust presence throughout CES 2024. The company says its tech will be the focus of 14 other conference sessions, with titles like “Reshaping Retail – AI Creating Opportunity” and “Cracking the Smart Car.” To that end, NVIDIA promises demos with a diverse lineup of companies, from Samsung to Mercedes-Benz.

NVIDIA spent a lot of time on AI during last year’s keynote, but the company also unveiled new hardware like its updated Geforce GPUs and a refreshed lineup of RTX 40 series laptops. It also went into more detail regarding new and improved cloud based productivity software, among other announcements. In other words, there will very likely be some hardware reveals hidden amongst all of that AI bluster. Engadget has a large team on the ground in Las Vegas covering the event — follow along for all of our coverage.

What NVIDIA announced

Now that the press conference is in the books, we have a sub-10-minute recap video live on our site. Key among the announcements: NVIDIA revealed its RTX 40 Super GPUs, including the $999 4080. The company also said it would offer streaming day passes to GeForce Now subscribers. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-nvidias-ces-press-conference-130008106.html?src=rss

Amazon knocks $200 off the OnePlus Open foldable phone

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The recently-released OnePlus Open foldable smartphone is already available at a discounted price. Amazon has knocked $200 off the total cost, bringing the device’s price to $1,500. This represents a savings of 12 percent, for those keeping score. If you’ve got a hankering for a flagship foldable, this could be the kick in the pants you need to smash that purchase button.

$1,500 is still a whole lot of cheddar, but this is a whole lot of phone. The OnePlus Open ships with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. This particular model comes unlocked, so you aren’t tied to any particular provider. It also boasts a fantastic Hasselblad camera and a pair of 120Hz displays. The exterior display is 6.3-inches, while the foldable interior screen is 7.8-inches. That’s a lot of visual real estate and one of the primary reasons this model made our list of the best foldable phones.

In our official review of the OnePlus Open, we praised the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, the large battery and the comprehensive Open Canvas software that allows for tile-based multitasking. We also liked the slim form factor and relative lightness when compared to rival flagship smartphones. The folding hinge is solidly built and barely perceptible, unless you’re looking for it.

This isn’t a perfect phone. It’s slightly lower in price than other foldables, like the Google Pixel Fold, but there’s no wireless charging option, which is an oversight for devices launched in 2023. Also, you only get an IPX4 water-resistance rating, which is far short of the IP68 classification on the aforementioned Pixel Fold and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Despite these caveats, this is a great foldable for the money.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-knocks-200-off-the-oneplus-open-foldable-phone-194314636.html?src=rss

Microsoft Teams finally coming to Android Auto, nearly a year after being announced

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Microsoft Teams is finally coming to Android Auto — an app that allows Android phones to connect to the car’s pre-existing infotainment system — next month, nearly a year after being announced by Google at I/O 2023. This is according to a Microsoft 365 roadmap that details future releases.

While the app launches in February, we still don’t have too many details regarding how it’ll be used. Microsoft has stated that you’ll be able to “join meetings and make calls” from the calendar view. There’s no information as to whether or not it’ll integrate with messages from the service or engage in some of the other Teams-specific features, like file and data collaboration. Of course, driving down a highway is probably not the best time to be fiddling with random work files.

Neither Microsoft or Google have offered up any information as to why Teams took so long to release for Android Auto. Google also announced Android Auto integration for Zoom and Webex at I/O 2023. Both software suites launched on the platform back in September. Android Auto also recently got apps by The Weather Channel and YouTube. The platform even offers games for passengers or when the car is parked, including a version of Solitaire and a simple racing game called Beach Buggy Racing 2.

Google says Android Auto currently integrates with 200 million cars, so the addition of Microsoft Teams is certainly a welcome one. Meanwhile, the company has also suggested that the adoption rate of Android Automotive — the similarly named but distinct product which is, unlike the Android Auto app, a full-fledge infotainment operating system — has exploded in the past year, as automobile manufacturers have begun to phase out internal infotainment systems in favor of Google’s operating system. Companies like Chevrolet, Volvo, Polestar, Honda, Renault and even GM have all announced the adoption of Google’s platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-teams-finally-coming-to-android-auto-nearly-a-year-after-being-announced-181847262.html?src=rss

Tesla lowers Model Y range estimates by around 20 miles

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Tesla has lowered range estimates for two Model Y vehicles, the Model Y Long Range and the Model Y Performance, by six percent. This brings the range of the Model Y Long Range down to 310 miles from 330 miles and the Model Y Performance to 285 miles from 303 miles. The recently-launched and budget-friendly Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive was not affected and retains its 260-mile range rating, according to reporting by Electrek.

A range estimate for Model Y.
Tesla

There’s no official reason why Tesla lowered the range estimates, but it’s long been something of an open secret in the industry that the company tends to exaggerate these metrics. As a matter of fact, South Korea issued a hefty fine to the company for just that reason. There have also been accusations that Tesla keeps a “diversion team” on staff to cancel or minimize range-related service complaints.

In other words, the company likely made this move so its range estimates more accurately reflect reality and not some pie-in-the-sky thinking. It’s not that the old estimates were flat-out lies. The range calculations just assumed perfect weather conditions with a perfect driver operating the vehicle with maximum efficiency. In the real world, that’s very rarely the case.

The EPA conducts many of these tests and acknowledges that the pristine driving conditions will very rarely match up to real-life variables. To that end, the agency gives manufacturers some leeway with raising or lowering range estimates after conducting their own tests. Many manufacturers choose to voluntarily lower the range estimate to better match driver expectations. It looks like Tesla went in the other direction.

Even Tesla’s algorithms acknowledge these inaccuracies. If you fully charge a Model Y and set a destination that’s 260 miles away, the navigation algorithm will automatically route you through a Supercharger, as indicated by Electrek. If the range was truly, say, 330 miles, it wouldn’t have to do that.

For now, these changes only apply to the Long Range and Performance Model Y releases. We don’t know if Tesla’s other vehicles will get revised range estimates. The company doesn’t have a PR/communications department, in typical Elon Musk fashion, so there’s not really anyone to reach out to for more information.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-lowers-model-y-range-estimates-by-around-20-miles-165640710.html?src=rss

Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon premieres globally on Apple TV+ on January 12

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Set your calendars. Martin Scorsese’s latest and greatest, Killers of the Flower Moon, is premiering globally on Apple TV+ in just over a week. The film drops on January 12. It was originally released in theaters on November 20, which means it’ll be 12 weeks before arriving on a streaming service, which has become fairly standard in recent years.

We knew this would drop on Apple TV+, as Apple Studios financed the film and arranged for theatrical distribution. We just didn’t know when, and now we do. Incidentally, this is the first Apple-financed film to get a wide theatrical release.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a great match for streaming, as it's well over three hours long, which made for some frantic trips to the theater bathroom once the credits rolled. The movie stars Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons and is set in 1920s Oklahoma. The narrative is based on a true story and follows the serial murders of members of the Osage Nation tribe. There’s a lot more than that, but we ain’t about to start handing out spoilers like candy. Watch the movie. It’s good.

To that end, Killers of the Flower Moon has been nabbing up award nominations left and right, including 12 Critics Choice nominations and seven Golden Globe nominations. It was also named to the American Film Institute's list of Motion Pictures of the Year. Oscar nominations don’t drop until later this month, but it’s likely to make several appearances across multiple categories.

This is the biggest film to come from Apple Studios, but not the only notable release. Coda, another Apple original, actually won Best Picture at the 2021 Academy Awards. Apple is also behind Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and forthcoming releases by directors Jon Watts and Matthew Vaughn, among others.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scorseses-killers-of-the-flower-moon-premieres-globally-on-apple-tv-on-january-12-165918214.html?src=rss

The 2023 Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is cheaper than ever in a one-day sale

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Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale for just $80 for today only from QVC. This is the latest iteration, originally released in 2023, and ships with 32GB of storage. You also have your pick of various colorways, including green, lavender and black. The regular price on this tablet is $140, so this represents a discount of $60. Incidentally, the sale price of $80 matches what was found on Black Friday, so consider this a bit of a holiday extension.

This isn’t the lowest price ever for the Fire HD 10 tablet, but it's the lowest for the current eleventh-gen device. We’ve seen this tablet go on sale for $75, but that was for the 2021 release.

The Fire HD 10 is a capable tablet, considering the price, and is a great device for viewing streaming content, browsing the web and playing simple mobile games. It has a USB-C port, which is always nice, and a 2GHz octa-core processor. The HD touchscreen boasts a 1920x1200 resolution, there’s 3GB of RAM and a pair of HD cameras on the front and rear. You can also expand the storage via a microSD slot.

Is this an iPad Pro? Nope. Not even close. But it gets the job done. I used a Fire HD 10 as my primary content streaming device for years and it was just fine. The Wi-Fi was snappy, Alexa was helpful and the actual headphone jack made it so I didn’t have to go digging for an adapter just to have some privacy while I watched Netflix in bed. Again, this deal ends today.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-2023-amazon-fire-hd-10-tablet-is-cheaper-than-ever-in-a-one-day-sale-160446037.html?src=rss

Qualcomm’s improved Snapdragon XR2+ chip for VR headsets will debut at CES 2024

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Qualcomm will be bringing a new VR/MR chip to CES 2024 in Las Vegas next week. The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 is an update to the standard XR2 Gen 2 that was revealed back in September. The chip is intended for use in virtual reality headsets, mixed-reality headsets and other wearables. 

The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 supports 4.3K per eye resolution, compared to 3K per eye with the previous version, and can integrate with up to 12 cameras at once, up from 10, for passthrough and body tracking. To that end, Qualcomm promises that devices with this chip will be able to enter full-color passthrough in less than 12ms.

All of the various specs of this chip.
Qualcomm

As for standard specs, the XR2+ Gen 2 will be able to handle content up to 90 fps. This chip also represents an improvement in raw power, with an approximate CPU speed increase of 20 percent and a GPU increase of 15 percent compared to last year’s chip. It’s worth noting that all of this is on one chip to preserve space. There’s not a lot of room for this stuff in many VR headsets.

Qualcomm is bringing just the chip to CES and hasn’t announced any devices to go along with it. It has, however, said that it’s working on something with Samsung and Google that will involve the XR2+ Gen 2. The previous XR2 Gen 2 chip powers the recently launched Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset, so this upgrade should allow for even beefier standalone headsets in the near future. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomms-improved-snapdragon-xr2-chip-for-vr-headsets-will-debut-at-ces-2024-140047958.html?src=rss

LG Display plans to debut an ultra-fast 480Hz OLED panel for gaming at CES

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LG just announced that it will bring a brand-new 27-inch 480Hz QHD OLED gaming display to CES 2024 in Las Vegas, which the company is calling an industry first and a “new era of OLEDS.” This panel was developed by LG Display, so it won’t actually be available for purchase. Rather, the tech will be sold to other companies for use in forthcoming gaming monitors.

480Hz is a blazingly fast refresh rate, and may also be something of a bummer if you bought into last year’s 240Hz displays. This latest OLED monitor boasts QHD (2560x1440) resolution and a response time of just 0.03ms, which LG says is the quickest of “any panel on the market today.”

LG also promises enhanced image quality via the company’s proprietary META technology, not to be confused with that other Meta. This tech incorporates a micro lens array to maximize the emission of light from the OLED panel and minimize external reflections. This should be especially helpful when navigating darker-than-average gameplay environments.

The company says this display emits the “lowest level of blue light in the industry”, at around half the amount emitted by standard LCDs. This is useful to minimize eye fatigue, of course, but also works to reduce flicker.

LG Display says this panel will begin showing up in products during the first half of the year, though partner companies have yet to be announced. This isn’t the only 480Hz panel that LG is showing off at this year’s CES. There’s a new monitor that runs at 480Hz in HD and 240Hz in 4K.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-display-plans-to-debut-an-ultra-fast-480hz-oled-panel-for-gaming-at-ces-010059437.html?src=rss