Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Netflix’s sci-fi adaptation 3 Body Problem finally gets a full-sized trailer

Posted on by

Netflix’s long-anticipated sci-fi series 3 Body Problem finally has a full trailer, following a short teaser released last year. This new trailer is over two minutes long and absolutely filled with exciting moments and tantalizing clues. Watch it below.

The show’s based on a hit book series by Chinese author Liu Cixin. The showrunners include David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, formerly of Game of Thrones. Yes, everyone hates them because of the ending of HBO’s fantasy epic, but here’s the thing. 3 Body Problem is the first novel in the finished Remembrance of Earth's Past series, and the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones, when working from pre-existing material, were absolutely iconic. So this could be very good, though it has suffered from delays.

As for the plot, well it’s complicated and hard to even discuss without getting into spoilers. The books are out there if you can’t wait until the show’s March 21 release date. As a clue, the clunky title actually refers to a common problem with both classical physics and quantum physics involving Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation. In other words, it’s hard sci-fi, but the books have plenty of action and mystery set-pieces, and the show looks to follow suit. Expect plenty of advanced technologies and otherworldly weirdness.

3 Body Problem stars Benedict Wong, Eiza González and several Game of Thrones alums including Jonathan Pryce and John Bradley. Besides Benioff and Weiss, screenwriter Alexander Woo is on-board as a co-showrunner. Woo’s best known for his work on True Blood and The Terror, among other well-regarded series.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-sci-fi-adaptation-3-body-problem-finally-gets-a-full-sized-trailer-200027248.html?src=rss

Cinematic mystery game Immortality comes to PS5 on January 23

Posted on by

The modern classic mystery game Immortality is finally coming to PS5 on January 23 and it’ll cost $20, which is in line with the price on other platforms. It already exists on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Android and iOS. The game was originally released back in 2022.

For the uninitiated, Immortality is more of an interactive film trilogy than a video game, recalling full-motion titles from the 1990s. The surreal narrative tasks you with solving the disappearance of an actress named Marissa Marcel. You do this by scrubbing through video clips and gathering clues. Creator Sam Barlow has likened the gameplay to a “mental Metroidvania”, in that you return to previously-viewed clips once you have a new understanding of some aspect of the mystery.

We loved the title upon release and it made our list of the best games of 2022. The script, penned by writers behind films like Wild at Heart and TV shows like Mr. Robot, is not just good for a video game, but engaging throughout. The atmosphere is moody and tense, recalling the cinematic stylings of Alfred Hitchcock and, especially, David Lynch. Immortality is geared more towards cinephiles than mainstream gamers, so don’t expect a lot of action. The acting performances, however, are excellent.

Sam Barlow made a similar game called Her Story, which was also well-received, and the less popular Telling Lies. He’s been involved with several entries in the Silent Hill franchise, including Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cinematic-mystery-game-immortality-comes-to-ps5-on-january-23-191054771.html?src=rss

The Mandalorian (and Grogu) are coming to theaters, with series creator Jon Favreau directing

Posted on by

It’s official. The Mandalorian and his little green buddy are coming to the big screen, and before Dave Filoni’s long-anticipated crossover film event. The movie, appropriately titled The Mandalorian & Grogu, will be helmed by Jon Favreau, who created the Disney+ streaming TV show.

Fans have been speculating why there hasn’t been a renewal announcement regarding a new season of The Mandalorian, and this could be why. The film’s going into production this year, which is likely when a new season of the show would have been created. Beyond Favreau, the producers include franchise luminaries Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni. There’s no plot synopsis, but Kennedy says the “new story is a perfect fit for the big screen.”

Director Jon Favreau not only created The Mandalorian TV show, but kickstarted the entire MCU when he directed a little film called Iron Man. He also helmed Elf, Swingers and live-action remakes of The Lion King and The Jungle Book.

Disney has offered no information regarding where in the timeline this film would take place, but one assumes it would be set directly following the events of both The Mandalorian season 3 and the first season of Ahsoka. This means that Mando and his ridiculously cute ward could become involved with Grand Admiral Thrawn’s attempts to rebuild the empire.

In a short span of time, we’ve gone from wondering if there would ever be another Star Wars movie to there being, well, a whole bunch of them. The Mandalorian & Grogu will likely lead to Dave Filoni’s unnamed crossover movie that features characters from across ‘The Mandoverse’, including Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Ezra Bridger, CGI Luke Skywalker and more.

There’s also a movie in the works chronicling the further adventures of Rey, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and a film exploring the origins of the Jedi and Sith directed by James Mangold. On the TV side of things, Ahsoka has been greenlit for a second season. Before that, however, there’s the Jude Law vehicle Skeleton Crew and a show set hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga called The Acolyte. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is also getting a third and final season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-are-coming-to-theaters-with-series-creator-jon-favreau-directing-174732996.html?src=rss

Amazon and BMW are replacing the driver’s manual with AI

Posted on by

Vehicle-based voice assistants are the next great frontier, incorporating artificial intelligence into the driving experience. At CES 2024, Amazon and BMW announced a partnership to significantly improve the pre-existing experience, marrying a large language model (LLM) with Alexa and the actual driver’s manual. The end result? You can ask the Alexa-powered chatbot anything about your car and receive accurate real-time information. That’s right. That thick and unwieldy manual can stay in the glovebox, for good.

Amazon says this tool offers a “more natural way of getting to know your new car.” You can ask how various features work, like the parking assistance system, and get conversational answers. Both companies suggest that this voice technology will “strip away complexity and minimize distractions in the car.”

It’s not just an information delivery system. You can also ask the bot to take actions on your behalf, like entering a specific drive mode. Additionally, this will fully integrate with the infotainment system, so you’ll be able to ask the assistant to turn on music, navigate to a destination, change the internal temperature and just about anything else.

BMW has been using Amazon Alexa in its infotainment systems for years, but this is a significant step forward. The companies previously announced a partnership to build a custom BMW in-vehicle voice assistant that used Alexa as a framework, and this looks to be part of that effort.

There’s something of an arms race with this tech. Volkswagen announced something similar in Las Vegas this week. It plans on merging ChatGPT with its current IDA voice assistant, and this feature will begin showing up in forthcoming vehicles. Mercedes also made an announcement regarding ChatGPT integration last year.

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/amazon-and-bmw-are-replacing-the-drivers-manual-with-ai-173031770.html?src=rss

Amazon won’t support AirPlay or Chromecast, but will adopt Matter Casting instead

Posted on by

Amazon is the first big company to add support for the Matter open casting standard, it announced at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Matter Casting is an open protocol that lets you send videos and related content from an app to a hardware device, just like Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast. The feature just launched for the Prime Video app and will allow casting to various Amazon hardware devices.

For now, you can only cast to the Echo Show 15 smart display, but the company says it’ll soon offer support for Fire TVs, including Panasonic models with Fire TV built in. As for content streaming partners, it’s just Prime Video for now, but the company promises more options later this year, including Plex, Pluto, Sling TV, Starz and many more.

This works just like AirPlay. You open the Prime Video App, tap the cast button and look for an appropriate hardware device. However, Matter cast isn’t tied to a particular smartphone operating system and is available to every app and hardware maker, if they want to implement the feature.

This is part of the open-source Matter smart home protocol, which is backed by Amazon, Apple and Google. However, it’s unlikely Google and Apple will jump onboard this particular feature set, as each company has its own casting standard in place. Google took to CES this week to announce that Chromecast will be built into all new LG TVs, giving no mention of Matter cast.

Amazon would prefer that each of the big tech companies adopt an open casting platform instead of the current glut of competing models. “We believe in open standards,” Chris DeCenzo, a principal engineer at Amazon, told The Verge. “It simplifies things for developers.”

In the meantime, major players have begun adopting other aspects of the Matter smart home standard. Google’s smart home devices integrate with the protocol, and the same goes for Amazon devices like Echo speakers.

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/amazon-wont-support-airplay-or-chromecast-but-will-adopt-matter-casting-instead-161933813.html?src=rss

ASUS debuts its first homegrown NUC at CES 2024 with Core Ultra 9 chips and RTX 4070 graphics

Posted on by

ASUS just announced a brand-new mini PC at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. The ROG NUC mini gaming PC comes after Intel revealed it would stop making first-party NUC systems, instead relying on companies like ASUS.

For the uninitiated, NUC stands for Next Unit of Compute and refers to a line of ultra-portable desktop PCs and barebones computer kits. These are complete systems that you can hold with one hand, and the ROG NUC is no different. This mini PC, originally codenamed Scorpion Canyon, comes with your choice of Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 processors and NVIDIA RTX 4060 or 4070 GPUs, allowing for four simultaneous 4K display outputs.

The whole system is designed for speed and multitasking, thanks to the proprietary Performance Hybrid Architecture that distributes additional E-cores to handle intensive tasks. ASUS promises a tool-less chassis design that lets users integrate upgrades and complete maintenance tasks in under 10 minutes.

An image of the chassis.
ASUS

As for connectivity, you get a HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C Type-C port and a USB 2.0 port. It also supports WiFi 6E and is compatible with both Windows 11 and Linux. Operation system flexibility is always nice. ASUS also says the system has been built to ensure seamless integration with the ROG Raikiri PRO controller and comes with the ROG Armory Crate app for creating unique RGB lighting schemes.

This is only the beginning. ASUS promises more mini PCs in the near future, saying that this release “heralds a new era in NUC gaming.” There’s no pricing or availability information for the ROG NUC, but that should come soon.

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/asus-debuts-its-first-homegrown-nuc-at-ces-2024-with-core-ultra-9-chips-and-rtx-4070-graphics-000146547.html?src=rss

Alienware teases a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor at CES

Posted on by

Alienware is following up its 34-inch ultrawide QD-OLED display with a pair of upgraded models that promise to deliver enhanced in-game visuals: 4K QD-OLED and 360Hz QD-OLED monitors. The company unveiled them at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, and is touting each as a “world’s first” in some regard. 

First up, there’s the Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED (AW3225QF), which the company calls the “world’s first 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor.” This display has Dolby Vision HDR, a curved panel and a peak luminance up to 1000 nits. The AW3225QF also boasts a 240Hz native refresh rate, a 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time and NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility.

You can expect inky dark black levels and lots of color coverage. In fact, Alienware promises blacks that are 10 times darker than a standard picture. It also claims you’ll have access to “colors never seen before on a screen," which seems like a lofty promise, but hey, we won’t have long to find out. It'll be available on January 11, with a list price of $1,200.

A monitor front and back.
Alienware

Alienware also announced the AW2725DF 360Hz QD-OLED gaming display. As you can tell from the name, this screen boasts an astounding 360Hz native refresh rate. Alienware touts another record being smashed here, calling this the “world’s first” 360Hz QD-OLED display.

The screen also features a 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time for “near instantaneous pixel response” and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400. The monitor comes with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdapativeSync tech. The stand is fully adjustable to suit different setups and the minimal hexagonal base allows for added real estate on the desk for accessories.

The 27-inch AW2725DF will also be available on January 11, coming in at $900. Both of these monitors come with a 3-year limited warranty for OLED burn-in, which is certainly handy given the increased risk of this issue with OLED displays.

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/alienware-teases-a-32-inch-4k-qd-oled-gaming-monitor-at-ces-230045701.html?src=rss

Lenovo announces new gaming laptops at CES that feature proprietary cooling tech and performance-enhancing AI chips

Posted on by

Lenovo just announced a handful of new gaming laptops at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Each of these computers features the company’s proprietary Legion Coldfront: Hyper cooling technology that keeps temperatures low while making sure the fans don’t get too loud. They're also packed with AI chips for improved speed and performance. These laptops ship with Windows 11 and come with three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

The Lenovo Legion 9i is the flagship model with the most features and the highest asking price. This is a refresh of the similarly named laptop that was released back in September, but this one packs a 14th-gen Intel CoreTM Gen i9-14900HX CPU and up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTXTM 4090 GPU. It also features the company’s upgraded LA3-P AI chip, which automatically adjusts power to the CPU and GPU based on what you’re doing with the computer.

Additionally, the AI chip enables Lighting Audio Sync, which matches up the laptop’s RGB lights with sound to increase immersion. You get a 16-inch Mini-LED display panel with 3.2K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a snappy 165Hz refresh rate. You can choose up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of Gen4 PCIe internal storage. It also features a nifty-looking forged carbon top cover, which sets the aesthetics apart from similar gaming laptops. The Lenovo Legion 9i releases later this month, with a starting price of $4,400.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i boasts the all-new Intel Core 14th Gen i9-14900HX CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU in top-end models, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of internal SSD storage. There’s a 16-inch IPS display that supports refresh rates up to 240Hz and 500 nits of brightness. This upgraded PureSight panel features 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage. In short, this thing is a beast. The Legion Pro 7i will be available this March with a starting price of $2,700. There’s also the lower-powered Legion Pro 5i, which is available this month for $1,500.

A laptop.
Lenovo

In addition, the company announced standard Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i models. They don’t boast the “Pro” moniker, but should still be sufficient for modern gamers. These laptops are available in a variety of colorways, which is neat, and can be outfitted with up to the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX chips and up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. Both models include 16-inch displays, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The Legion 7i releases in March with a starting price of $2,100, while the 5i launches in April with a starting price of $1,400. There’s also a smaller and lighter version of the 5i coming in April that starts at $1,500.

Lenovo didn’t just announce gaming laptops. This is CES, after all. The company also unveiled a fair amount of gaming peripherals and accessories. The coolest of the bunch is the Lenovo Legion K510 Pro Mini Keyboard. This compact gaming keyboard is packed with mechanical key switches and 16.8 million color per-key RGB support. It’s expected this June for $70.

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/lenovo-announces-new-gaming-laptops-at-ces-that-feature-proprietary-cooling-tech-and-performance-enhancing-ai-chips-230035119.html?src=rss

Peregrine spacecraft experiences ‘anomaly’ that could threaten moon landing

Posted on by

The Peregrine spacecraft has experienced an ‘anomaly’ that could endanger its planned moon landing, as reported by the BBC. Astrobotic, the private company behind the project, says this anomaly prevents the spacecraft from pointing its solar panels at the sun. In other words, the vehicle can’t charge its battery. Without power, the planned lunar landing for February might have to be canceled.

Astrobotic engineers are working the problem and will provide updates as they become available. The launch itself went off without a hitch early this morning, as the issue popped up during post-launch checks after communications had been established. The team behind the launch suggest the most likely cause of the anomaly is a problem with propulsion. Unfortunately, the engineers have a limited window of time to troubleshoot and fix the issue, as the spacecraft’s battery is currently “reaching operationally low levels.” There was a short comms breakdown, but it looks like that issue has been resolved.

The company has also stated that the propulsion issue led to a "critical loss of propellant." Astrobotic has planned for a wide variety of fault scenarios and could get everything squared away before too long, but it's looking less likely by the minute. The company says it's still trying to stabilize the propellant loss, but is investigating "alternative mission profiles" and trying to save as much science and data as it can. 

Peregrine is supposed to be the first American lunar lander to visit the moon in over 50 years. The United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket carried the craft out of the atmosphere. If it manages to touch down on the moon, Peregrine will become the first commercial craft to land on any planetary body outside of Earth.

Though not directly affiliated with NASA, the Peregrine launch is part of the space agency’s new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. To that end, it’s supposed to deliver five payloads to the moon for NASA to help prepare for the upcoming Artemis missions. It’s also carrying a number of payloads for commercial clients at a cost of $1.2 million per kilogram. This cargo includes everything from mini rovers and science instruments to art collections and physical representations of cryptocurrency.

There’s also human remains on board, including the DNA of science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. Peregrine is scheduled to land on the moon’s nearside, which faces Earth, on February 23, though that timeframe could change or disappear altogether. Ahead of the launch, CLPS Program Manager Chris Culbert acknowledged that a lunar landing was not guaranteed, stating that “landing on the moon is extremely difficult.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/peregrine-spacecraft-experiences-anomaly-that-could-threaten-moon-landing-191221991.html?src=rss

Waymo’s driveless cars are hitting Phoenix’s freeways at long last

Posted on by

Waymo just announced it’s ready to start testing driverless vehicles on highways and freeways. The experiments start in and around Phoenix in the next few weeks and include the autonomous Jaguar I-Pace SUV. The company had already partnered with Uber to offer driverless taxis throughout the city, but the vehicles were restricted to city streets at low speeds. Now, these robo-taxis will be careening down the highway, bringing us one step closer to a world where we won’t have to sully ourselves with the task of driving.

Unlike the Waymo One service, which is available to regular customers, these autonomous highway tests will only be available to company employees and their guests. This will change when the vehicles have been on the road for a while without any serious incidents. Waymo says the data collected during these tests will be used to provide faster routes throughout the area, with a particular emphasis on Phoenix airports.

The company’s cars had already been allowed on highways, but only with a specialist in the front seat to handle any issues. This next step removes the specialist, for a true self-driving experience. Waymo says it has been incrementally ramping up testing on freeways throughout the past year to get ready for this move.

The company touts the speed of highway driving over local streets, saying that a trip to Sky Harbor Airport from the northern parts of Scottsdale will be twice as fast on AZ-101 compared to local routes. This is obvious and the reason why highways exist in the first place. Still, customers have long been unsatisfied with autonomous vehicles’ penchant for side streets and slow speeds.

To that end, Waymo hasn’t announced any speed limits for highway driving or if there are any maximum distance limits. Engadget reached out to Waymo for more information and will update this post when we hear back. The company has been offering driverless rides in Phoenix since 2020. It also has quite a sterling reputation when it comes to safety. Waymo's own safety data, as reported by Ars Technica, indicated its driverless vehicles traveled over seven million miles in California and Arizona, with only three minor injuries.

Driverless rival Cruise hasn’t been so lucky. In October, a Cruise robotaxi was involved in an incident in which a woman was dragged underneath a vehicle. There have also been reports that the self-driving algorithm had trouble recognizing children. This all led to the CEO resigning, multiple layoffs and, eventually, a hiatus of the service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymos-driveless-cars-are-hitting-phoenixs-freeways-at-long-last-180009825.html?src=rss