CES 2018 Day 1: the year in TVs starts here – The Verge

Polk Audio’s new sound bar is Alexa-enabled and compatible with 4K TVs

2018-01-09T20:00:02-05:00

Polk Audio has announced a voice-controlled sound bar with Alexa built-in. Polk envisions the Command Bar to be at the heart of the smart home theatre that provides "rich audio" for movies and music. Polk Audio's parent company is DEI Holdings (its sound division is known as Sound United), which also owns audio brands Definitive Technology and Marantz. Polk has previously introduced sound bars that work with Google Home while supporting 5.1 surround sound.

This new Command Bar features integrated far-field microphones on top that can control volume, mute, bass, sound modes, and source selection with voice commands through Polk's Connect Ski …

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Audio-Technica goes crazy for wireless with five new Bluetooth headphone models

2018-01-09T11:00:02-05:00

Audio-Technica ATH-DSR5BT | Photo: Audio-Technica

Japan's Audio-Technica is coming to CES 2018 with a big set of new wireless headphones to show off. The highlight among them is the DSR5BT. Its codename hints at the fact it has the same Pure Digital Drive tech as last year's over-ear DSR9BT and DSR7BT. The difference with this technology is that it skips the usual digital-to-analog converter required to turn binary data from your phone or laptop into a signal that a headphone driver can understand and play back - and Audio-Technica believes that leads to vastly reduced distortion and a purer music playback.

The DSR5BT pair is also intriguing because of its push-pull driver system inside: i …

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Sony is upgrading a bunch of older headphones to work with Google Assistant

2018-01-09T10:32:59-05:00

Sony announced a load of new products at CES this year, but it hasn't forgotten about the older stock either. Buried in the announcements for new wireless earbuds and open-ear headphones, was the news that old speakers and headphones would get support for Google Assistant via a software update.

As spotted first by AndroidPolice (and found in Sony's PR here), the older models getting the update are:

WF-1000X (noise-canceling truly wireless earbuds)
WI-1000X (noise-canceling neckbud earphones)
WH-1000XM2 (noise-canceling wireless headphones)
WH-CH700N (noise-canceling wireless headphones)
WF-SP700N (truly wireless fitness earbuds, new at CES th …

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Fisker’s ‘autonomous’ EMotion electric car promises 400 miles of range

2018-01-09T10:31:37-05:00

The Fisker EMotion is the second attempt from a designer of high-end luxury cars to make an electrified performance sedan. But unlike CEO and designer Henrik Fisker's previous attempt at making a car and car company, the EMotion is trying to leapfrog a whole host of startups.

And, at CES, that's sometimes a tall order. After all, there have been a lot of ambitious claims by various carmakers trying to shake up the automotive world when it comes to self-driving abilities, battery capacity, the use of touchscreens, and even audacious door designs. The EMotion is trying to do all of the above.

Henrik Fisker. | Photo by James Bareham / The Verge" data-portal-copyright="Photo by James Bareham / The Verge">

Fisker is now Fisker, Inc., the company Henrik Fi …

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Audio company Klipsch announces two mid-century modern speakers with Google Assistant

2018-01-09T09:54:32-05:00

The Three tabletop speaker. | Credit: Klipsch

Audio company Klipsch announced today that its next generation of Heritage Wireless speakers will have Google Assistant enabled. It's still pretty uncommon for higher-end audio companies to include Google Assistant, which is why seeing Klipsch incorporate it is notable.

While the new Heritage Wireless speakers - called The Three and The One - feature Bluetooth and Google Assistant, because they are based off mid-century modern design, they still don't quite look like they're from this century. They are made from wood veneer and have copper switches and knobs. The Three is a stereo tabletop with an integrated subwoofer to provide bass. It wi …

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The BeamPro 2 telepresence robot has wide-angle HD cameras and a 24-inch touchscreen

2018-01-09T09:02:54-05:00

Suitable Technologies, maker of the Beam range of telepresence robots, has unveiled the BeamPro 2, its latest high-end device. Like all telepresence bots, the BeamPro 2's main function is Skype on wheels: it lets employees call into their workplace remotely and trundle around it with the help of an app. It's fun, if not always practical.

The Pro2 adds a number of improvements and refinements to the original BeamPro, including a 24-inch LCD touch display and two "super-wide" 12-megapixel HD cameras with 12x digital zoom. It also comes with 3D depth sensors (optional on the original BeamPro), ambient light sensors (to automatically adjust scr …

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This Sennheiser gaming headset features high-end noise cancellation, and it won’t stick to your sweaty ears

2018-01-09T08:49:28-05:00

If you're looking for a gaming headset that's only a little bit goofy but does the job, consider the new Sennheiser GSP 600, which comes with a new speaker system, new ear pad design with deep memory foam, and improved aluminum voice coil speakers. The GSP 600 builds on Sennheiser's Game Zero gaming headset and comes with better performance, an improved mic, and increased comfort and durability. The company promises "an exceptional audio experience with an increased sub-bass range."

The newer headset looks to be a bit big and clunky, but Sennheiser says it's ergonomically shaped and provides improved noise insulation (with high-end noise ca …

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Peloton looks to transform another piece of home exercise equipment: the treadmill

2018-01-09T08:32:35-05:00

Peloton is getting into running for the new year.

The New York-based maker of a cultish, internet-connected indoor cycling bike has just revealed an internet-connected treadmill, one it says is "the most technologically advanced, innovative and immersive" treadmill on the market.

Like the Peloton cycling bike, the Peloton Tread will stream live daily classes - up to 10 a day, with 7,000 available on demand - on a 32-inch HD touchscreen attached to the treadmill. These running classes are led by real instructors, just like its current classes. But Peloton says the Tread isn't just about running; it's supposed to offer cross training-style …

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With the GH5s, Panasonic turns its mirrorless hybrid champ into a videographer’s delight

2018-01-09T06:13:48-05:00

The Panasonic DMC-GH5s. | Image: Panasonic

Panasonic has unveiled an update to its well-respected GH5 mirrorless camera that adds a handful of new features (like better low-light performance), but takes others away (like in-body stabilization). The resulting device, the mirrorless 4K GH5s, isn't really a direct upgrade to the GH5, which handled both stills and video with aplomb. Instead, it's set to appeal to pro and experienced videographers with a particular set of needs.

The biggest change in the GH5s is the new "dual ISO" 10.2-megapixel sensor. This is half the resolution of the 20.2-megapixel sensor in the GH5, but in return offers better performance in low light. Panasonic say …

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SanDisk shows off the world’s smallest 1TB USB-C flash drive at CES

2018-01-09T00:20:42-05:00

Every year at CES, among all the TVs and laptops and gadgets, is the ever-escalating competition of who can cram the most storage into a single flash drive. This year, SanDisk showed up with a prototype of what's supposed to be the world's smallest 1TB USB-C flash drive.

It's not the most storage we've ever seen in a flash drive - that title still goes to last year's 2TB Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT - but SanDisk should be commended anyway, given that its slimmed-down prototype is far smaller than Kingston's chunky zinc-alloy case. Plus, the SanDisk prototype fully embraces USB-C, instead of clinging to the past with USB 3.0, meaning t …

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