Tuesday’s top tech news: CES kicks off 2023 with a bang – The Verge

Asus’ convertible gaming laptops return with new hardware and more staying power

2023-01-09T10:58:16-05:00

The ROG Flow X16 is just one of three convertible laptops Asus showed off at CES 2023. | Image: Asus

The hits from CES 2023 just keep coming. Asus is rolling out a bevy of new hardware announcements for its ROG gaming brand, and among those are refreshed models of its Flow lineup. The Flow X13, X16, and Z13 are all getting hardware improvements, including the latest processors and mobile GPUs - but perhaps the most notable improvement with one of these gaming laptops is its larger battery.

Asus' Flow line is relatively unique among gaming laptops, sporting 2-in-1 displays and - in the case of the X16 and Z13 - compatibility with an Asus-made external GPU to boost gaming performance. However, the most recent iterations of these laptops suff …

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Razer’s Blade 16 and 18 laptops feature taller, brighter screens and faster guts

2023-01-05T13:00:00-05:00

The screens on the Blade 16 (left) and the Blade 18 (right) appear to have taller aspect ratios than what I’ve seen on Razer’s previous gaming laptops. | Image: Razer

Razer announced the Blade 16 and Blade 18 gaming laptops two days ago at CES 2023, but it shared much more information today on the two new sizes. This is the biggest shake-up to Razer's popular, well-designed Blade lineup in a while, going well beyond processor and GPU spec improvements. Their screens are taller with a 16:10 aspect ratio, so you're getting more screen real estate, plus the display "chin" near the bezel is significantly smaller. This change has some positive knock-on effects, such as allowing Razer to fit in bigger batteries compared to last year's Blade 15 and 17. More on that below.

Every configuration comes standard with …

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Samsung’s 2023 TV lineup bets everything on picture upgrades and AI tricks

2023-01-03T22:00:00-05:00

Last year, Samsung radically shook up the TV market with the introduction of its first OLED model in many years. And it used a new QD-OLED (quantum dot) panel that produces superior color brightness compared to popular OLED sets from LG.

2023 is going to be decidedly low-key by comparison. Instead of introducing yet another flashy new TV to its portfolio, Samsung is focused on improving everything down the line. And most of the refinements in this year's Neo QLED (Mini LED in Samsung parlance), QLED (standard LCD sets), and OLED TVs are centered around AI and enhanced picture processing. Things like a greater and more three-dimensional sens …

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Samsung announces bigger, even brighter 77-inch QD-OLED TV

2023-01-03T22:00:00-05:00

The S95C will be released later this year in three screen sizes. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Last year's S95B QD-OLED (quantum dot) TVs from Samsung were an exciting shakeup for the consumer market and gave LG and Sony some long overdue competition. But the S95B series was limited to just 55-inch and 65-inch models - because those are the only TV sizes that Samsung Display manufactured QD-OLED panels for. It's brand new technology, after all.

But only a year later, we're going bigger. Samsung's just-announced S95C QD-OLED TV will add a larger 77-inch model in addition to the previous sizes. Every TV maker claims that consumers are increasingly opting for larger and larger sets, so this was the obvious thing to do as Samsung builds …

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Qi2: how Apple might finally harness MagSafe by giving it away

2023-01-03T21:44:44-05:00

Apple’s MagSafe puck, wirelessly charging an iPhone 12 Pro | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

It's safe to say that Apple's MagSafe magnetic charging pucks for iPhone have not created the amazing snap-on accessory ecosystem we'd hoped. Instead of freely allowing manufacturers to create gadgets that power and / or communicate with an iPhone, the company chose its traditional tight licensing stranglehold. But this time, manufacturers realized they didn't need to play Apple's game because the two main components of MagSafe - a Qi wireless charging coil and an array of magnets - were freely available. The result: a wide array of "MagSafe-compatible" accessories of varying quality.

But now, Apple's trying something different. With the bl …

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Samsung’s recall fix for overheating washers is a software update — and a dongle

2023-01-03T20:59:53-05:00

Put it in the museum of unique dongles. | Image: Samsung

As companies have announced smart appliance after smart appliance, some people (myself included) have questioned why on earth you'd want to connect something like a washing machine or refrigerator to the internet. Samsung, however, has come up with a very compelling, if admittedly niche, use case: the company announced in December that it's issuing an over-the-air software patch as part of the recall for some top-load washing machines that "can short-circuit and overheat, posing a fire hazard."

It'll even send some customers a dongle in case their washers can't connect to Wi-Fi.

Welcome to the "first-ever over-the-air software recall remedy …

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L’Oréal’s new makeup applicator uses AR to give you the perfect brow

2023-01-03T20:07:46-05:00

The Brow Magic is a type of “brow printer” with an AR component. | Image: L’Oreal

L'Oréal is no slouch when it comes to gadgets. Like Dyson, L'Oréal has been pushing the game in beauty tech for the past few years, announcing neat gizmos like wearable UV and pH sensors. This year is no different. For CES 2023, the company is announcing two makeup gadgets: Brow Magic, which uses AR to create and draw your perfect brow, and Hapta, an accessible lipstick applicator prototype.

Brow Magic was developed with Prinker, which makes a temporary tattoo printer. Brow Magic works similarly. It's got 2,400 tiny nozzles that can print up to 1,200 dots per inch. And when you think about it as a tattoo printer, it makes sense given popula …

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Nanoleaf’s new lighting kits sync up with the action on your TV

2023-01-03T20:00:00-05:00

The 4D TV Smarter Kit can be linked with other Nanoleaf products for a truly immersive experience. | Image: Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf is expanding its lineup of addressable smart lighting along with some new tech aimed at providing a more immersive viewing experience for your TV. The Nanoleaf 4D TV Smarter Kit is a series of RGB light strips designed to reflect the colors on your TV with the aid of a small camera that remains pointed at the screen.

The TV lighting kit is just one of the new products Nanoleaf is showing off at CES 2023, expanding its lineup of intelligent lighting and Matter-compatible products. The 4D Kit will be available in two sizes, one for TVs 55 to 65 inches and another for TVs 70 to 80 inches. What separates the 4D Kit from other light str …

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Nanoleaf’s new light switches will learn when you need them

2023-01-03T20:00:00-05:00

Nanoleaf Skylight will light up your ceiling. | Image: Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf is finally bringing its whole-home smart lighting ambitions to fruition with the launch of its first-ever smart switches - and they come with a twist designed to make them smarter than that of the competition. The smart lighting company announced the Sense Plus Smart Light Switch and Sense Plus Smart Wireless Light Switch at CES this week, both with built-in sensors designed to learn your lighting habits. (Think Nest Learning Thermostat but for lighting.)

These Matter-enabled, Thread-powered lighting controls have built-in motion and ambient light sensors. They're designed to work with another new product, Nanoleaf's Nala Learning …

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Withings wants you to pee on its latest device

2023-01-03T20:00:00-05:00

The U-Scan is a noninvasive urinalysis test that you stick in your toilet. | Image: Withings

Withings is generally known for its sleek smartwatches, but it also shows up at CES each year with ambitious health gadgets. Last year, it was a smart scale that could also take EKGs and segmented body composition readings. This year, it's the U-Scan, an at-home, hands-free "urine lab" that you stick in your toilet.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The U-Scan consists of two parts: a reader and a replaceable cartridge. The reader itself is the part you pee on, while the cartridge is inside. It has a thermal sensor to differentiate between pee and toilet water as well as low-energy radars to detect who is urinating by identifying the movement …

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