Motorola will reportedly introduce satellite messaging service on its upcoming Defy rugged smartphone. The company has partnered with Bullitt to bring Satellite connectivity to Android devices. The feature is currently available on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models.
Ring security cameras are taking to the sky – or at least, the ceiling – as the company publicly reveals its first autonomous indoor drone, the Always Home Cam, at CES 2023. It's main purpose is to deliver a direct live feed of your home while so you can keep an eye on things while you're away. The drone takes off whenever a Ring Alarm is triggered or when you activate via the official app.
The drone has been in the works for a couple of years now and made its last appearance back in 2021. So it’s been a while since we’ve last heard of the Always Home Cam, and by the looks of it, not much has changed.
Potential users will first have to “train” the device by holding it in the air (without blocking the camera) and walking around their house to create a preset flight path. Equipped with four rotors, the Always Home Cam will fly along that path so long as there aren't any obstacles. If it detects something's in the way, it'll turn around and return to its charging dock.
A live feed from the drone’s camera is available on the app too. The footage will have a resolution of 1440 x 1440 pixels and offer a wide field of view at 120 degrees horizontal and 120 degrees vertical, so you get a decent-sized, high-quality picture.
Restrictions
As cool as it is, the Always Home Cam does have some limitations on what it can do. Owners will be able to create up to 50 different flight paths, but the drone can only fly on one as it can’t switch to another mid-flight. To fly another path, the device will have to return to its charging dock, recharge if necessary, and then change fly that other path. They also have to be pretty short paths as the drone only gets five minutes of flight time before needing a recharge.
The Home Cam is also restricted to “operating on a single story of a home at a time.” Apparently, it has a hard time with stairs. So if your house has multiple stories, you’ll have to purchase another drone for the other floors.
It’ll be pretty loud as well. According to the drone’s FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), “it is about as loud as a vacuum or a blender during flight.”
Availability
Despite its first public appearance, it’ll still be a while before the drone officially takes off. In an interview withTheVerge, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff said the Always Home Cam will become “widely available” sometime in 2024 for $249.99. This delay is due to persisting issues. According to that same interview, the device apparently has a hard time “detecting mirrors and windows.”
We asked Ring if it could tell us what else it’s working on for the Always Home Cam. Will the drone eventually gain the ability to go up a flight of stairs so people won’t have to purchase another drone for the second floor? Do they have plans to increase its current battery life? This story will be updated once we hear back.
Preorders are open for Day1 Edition, however, if you’re interested. It’s only available through invitation on Amazon’s website since quantities are limited at this time. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated recommended list for the best beginner drones for the new year.
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Giving your work laptop an extra boost could soon be a whole lot easier thanks to a new launch from Lenovo.
At its recent CES 2023 event, the company revealed details on the fourth generation of the Lenovo ThinkBook 16p, including some pretty hefty updates and a unique feature that sets it apart from almost every other laptop currently available - but it’ll come at a price.
The fourth-generation version of the ThinkBook 16p is powered by the latest Intel Raptor Lake-H processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4000 Series graphics, along with up to 16GB of DDR5 memory and a maximum of 2TB of storage split across a pair of SSDs.
Lenovo ThinkPad 16p Gen 4
It’s also set to come with a 3.2K 120Hz 16-inch mini-LED display, capable of 400 nits that covers 100% DCI-P3, or an optional 2.5K 60Hz 16-inch IPS display that can cover 100% of the sRGB color gamut, rendering it a powerful tool for on-the-go creators and designers.
Connectivity comes in the form of upgraded Wi-Fi 6E, a pair of USB-C ports, a further pair of USB-A ports, an SD card reader, audio jack, and HDMI 2.1 port, while further upgrades have been made to the battery with a larger 80Whr unit capable of fast charging and a neat fingerprint reader for quicker access.
Alongside its strong performance is the Magic Bay: a handy mount on top of the display for adding optional accessories. Examples include an LTE modem for on-the-go connectivity ($99.99), and a 4K webcam attachment with auto-framing, automatic ambient light adjustment, and a 270-degree hinge ($149.99). There’s also a 200-lux, adjustable brightness webcam light accessory ($19.99) for frequent video callers.
In isolation, the accessories seem on the reasonable end of expensive, however many buyers may be reluctant to spend so much on accessories that, for now at least, only work on one device. Then there’s the laptop’s price, which is set to start at $1,349 when it eventually goes on sale in May 2023.
Overall, the fourth-generation Lenovo ThinkBook 16p is a feature-packed laptop that’s well-suited for business professionals who often find them on the road. While it’s no budget laptop, its features do, for now at least, give it an edge over competitors.
Asus has announced the world's first glasses-free 3D OLED displays as part of its new range of laptops at CES 2023.
Dubbed ASUS Spatial Vision, the technology will be available on laptops aimed at creatives, and integrates with the ASUS Spatial Vision Hub software so 3D videos and 3D games can be enjoyed without needing additional wearable tech.
Additionally, the OLED displays feature a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 0.2 ms response time and 120Hz refresh rate.
New dimensions
Asus says its new ProArt Studiobook, Zenbook Pro and Vivobook Pro laptops will feature these displays, with Spatial Vision technology using the device's built-in camera's lenticular lens and eye tracking features to create separate images for each eye, resulting in a autostereoscopic 3D image.
What's more, Asus claims that users can switch between 2D and 3D images with ease, which it says will allow product designers to understand how their 3d models look in space without needing to create physical prototypes.
The Spatial Vision hub also provides support for simulated Reality applications, with development tools and guidelines on using things such as gesture control and interactive learning in the pursuit of building for 3D ecosystems such as the metaverse.
The devices are also loaded with Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40 series of GPUs, aimed at content creators who demand heavyweight performance.
(Image credit: ASUS)
Asus also announced its updated ProArt Creator Hub 2.0 - available for all Studiobook, Zenbook, and Vivobook models - which now has a new interface and a new feature called Colour Control, which Asus claims "combines all the colour solutions specific to creators".
The ASUS Dial and ASUS Control Panel also have updates, allowing for new customizations in Adobe applications, Microsoft Office, Spotify and YouTube and web browsers.
Asus has also partnered with Panatone, the industry standard for digital colour technology, so that users of the ProArt Creator Hub 2.0 have access to thier databases like the Pantone Libraries, Colour Space data, Colour Harmonies.
In the vanguard of the new laptops is the redesigned Zenbook Pro 16X OLED, with a specially designed Intel Core i9-13905H processor using the latest ASUS Supernova System-on-Module (SoM) design to reduce the motherboard core area by nearly 40%, resulting in better cooling and freeing space for GPU power components to give it a boost in performance. The laptop also comes with 32 GB of LPDDR5X DRAM.
All of this combined means that ASUS claims that the new Zenbook Pro "will noticeably enhance video-editing performance and 3D rendering capacity — drastically shortening processing time."
The screen is a 16:10 3.2K 120Hz OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreen, as well as an auto-tilting keyboard to find the right typing angle for you.
Ah, CES 2023 is a strange and surprizing beast. Here I was expecting invisible headphones, glass speakers, screen-free smartwatches and intelligent in-car audio sensations, and what I actually got was the re-release of a 40-year-old inexpensive Audio-Technica analog turntable.
And it's a bit of kit that apparently sold out in days when it came back to market last November…
It's not the first piece of updated history to be a smash-hit at CES either: Naim is on a 50th anniversary nostalgia trip, updating a 1975 power amp, JBL is releasing a CD player and a turntable (albeit with Bluetooth connectivity), and Focal used the huge Las Vegas expo to showcase a range of stunning passive stereo speakers.
Audio-Technica says it was utterly wowed by the response to its limited-edition release of the Sound Burger portable turntable last November. I have to agree – who knew there was such demand for it? But now I see it, I too want one.
The back story is that to commemorate the company’s 60th anniversary, Audio-Technica released a limited-edition Sound Burger portable turntable last November – four decades after its original debut. But the company never imagined the overwhelming response the release would generate.
That limited-edition AT-SB2022 £200 (around $350) retro red Sound Burger sold out in a matter of days worldwide – faster than anyone projected.
Inspired by the response and acknowledging the loud chorus of fans who were not able to purchase their limited-edition model (but were still hungry for Sound Burgers), the company has announced that the product will return in the spring of 2023.
Analysis: vinyl's resurgence continues apace, and Audio-Technica's smash-hit Sound Burger proves it
Get ready for the re-return of A-T's retro smash-hit(Image credit: Audio-Technica)
“The response to the 60th anniversary limited-edition model of the Sound Burger portable turntable was nothing less than extraordinary,” said Gary Boss, Director of Marketing, Audio-Technica US, adding, “While the new model coming in the spring will not feature the 60th anniversary numbered badge, color and packaging of the limited-edition version, it will be more widely accessible. We hope Sound Burger fans will be just as excited about this new model and that it will inspire the next generation of analogue enthusiasts.”
Love at first listen, then? Well, although it might not offer the warmth and sonic prowess of some of the best turntables on the market, the Sound Burger is an affordable entry-level machine in terms of both features and price.
For those new to vinyl records, it is a doorway to a deeper knowledge of analog music too – and thanks to its new Bluetooth connection and compact, lightweight design, the Sound Burger is the perfect partner for parties, picnics, or condensed living spaces.
Bluetooth, you say? Yes, it easily connects to Bluetooth headphones or speakers for up to 12 hours of wireless record listening.
The Sound Burger offers a belt-driven system that plays 33-1/3 and 45 RPM records. To achieve both portability and stability, the tonearm employs a dynamic balance system in which stylus pressure is applied via a spring. In addition, a "high-precision DC motor" promises to maintain stable rotation. Accessories include a 45 RPM adapter, RCA audio cable (3.5 mm male to dual RCA male), and USB cable for charging (USB Type-A / USB Type-C).
The stylus on the Sound Burger can be replaced with the ATN3600L (sold separately) too, so it's a thing built to last.
Although I'm still not sure how much this new unlimited edition will cost, I'll be honest: if I could take one item home with me from the top audio tech CES, it'd be this…
Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2023 coverage. We're bringing you all the breaking tech news and launches, everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
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LastPass has been threatened with legal action following a months-long data breach that began in August 2022 and led to the leak of potentially millions of users' private information.
A statement by the password manager CEO Karim Toubba at that time claimed a lack of evidence that any customer data was at risk, though a leading cybersecurity and forensics firm was deployed.
A December 2022 notice announced that “an unknown threat actor accessed a cloud-based storage environment leveraging information obtained from the incident”.
LastPass August 2022 leak
According to the class action complaint filed in a Massachusetts court, names, usernames, billing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, and even the IP addresses used to access the service were all made available to wrongdoers.
The final straw in the hat could have been the leak of customers’ unencrypted vault data, which includes all manner of information ranging from website usernames and passwords to other secure notes and form data.
According to the lawsuit, “LastPass understood and appreciated the value of this Information yet chose to ignore it by failing to invest in adequate data security measures”.
The case’s plaintiff claims to have invested $53,000 in Bitcoin since July 2022, which was later “stolen” several months later, leading to police and FBI reports.
More recently, Toubba took to the company’s blog to announce that “some source code and technical information were stolen from [LastPass’s] development environment”, leading to an attack on an employee’s account that saw credentials and keys being stolen. The company has since that it is “decommissioning that environment in its entirety and rebuilding a new environment from scratch.”
While the case plaintiff has demanded a jury trial with regards to the leak and their subsequent losses, it remains to be seen what (if any) action shall be taken against LastPass.
The smart home has been one of the biggest themes of CES over the past decade – and that's proving to be the case again at CES 2023. Why? A big reason is because a new smart home standard called Matter has finally arrived – and it promises to be the glue that binds all of our new smart home tech together.
Now that CES 2023 kicked off, we'll be rounding up all of the latest smart home announcements that are worth knowing about here. The early headlines include some exciting new smart light automation from Nanoleaf, an AI Oven from Samsung and an LG Artcool air conditioning system that's disguised as, you guessed it, a piece of wall art.
We'll no doubt see another wave of security cameras, robot vacuums and more flood into CES 2023 soon – and we'll be there to separate the winners from the vaporware. For now, though, here's the best smart home tech we've seen at this year's CES so far. Plus a new 'shower pod' system from Kohler, just because the aromatherapy accessory was a little too bizarre to leave out.
Smart appliances
Samsung Bespoke AI Oven
(Image credit: Samsung)
If there's one area where we need some help from our new AI overlords, it's with cooking – and Samsung's new Bespoke AI Oven is promising to be that virtual chef. The oven's smart camera is capable of food recognition and burn detection, which means it can recognize up to 80 different dishes and recommend cooking settings for each of them. Alternatively, the European model can also send you panicked message to say that your lasagne is approaching charred territory.
If you use Samsung Health or SmartThings Cooking (which lives in the SmartThings app), this new smart oven also promises to recommend meals based on your workout stats, diet goals and the ingredients you have at home. Although it could struggle with our fridge's current stash of beer, double cream and onions. The Bespoke AI Oven is currently available in Europe and will launch in North America in the third quarter of 2023, although pricing isn't yet known.
Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator
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(Image credit: Samsung)
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(Image credit: Samsung)
The internet fridge has been a CES staple for the past 15 years and Samsung's just taken the concept to a new, and strangely compelling, extreme. The Bespoke Flex Refrigerator with Family Hub features a 32-inch vertical touchscreen, which is twice as large as previous models.
You can use this screen to view or shares snaps your Google Photos library, control your SmartThings devices and make digital shopping lists for Amazon deliveries. Naturally, you can also use it to watch TV thanks to the 190 free channels (in the US) found in the Samsung TV Plus service. Although the vertical orientation is perhaps best suited to TikTok videos.
This refrigerator-to-rule-them-all will launch in North America in the first half of 2023, although we sadly don't yet know pricing. Until then, we'll have to make do with taping an iPad to our fridge.
LG ArtCool Gallery air conditioner
(Image credit: LG)
We've already seen IKEA and Sonos build a speaker into a piece of wall art, and now LG has pulled the same trick with a wall-mounted air conditioner. Its new ArtCool Gallery has a 27-inch LCD screen, which can display any photos you pick in the accompanying LG ThinQ app. That certainly makes it a bit more attractive than your average metallic rectangle.
While this extra tech will likely make the ArtCool Gallery pricier than your average air con unit (pricing isn't yet known), it does promise to deliver some compensatory savings thanks to a dual invertor compressor, which apparently uses up to 70 per cent less power than standard AC products.
Even more importantly for your sleep, it also operates at noise levels as low as 20 decibels. Which is good news, otherwise you'd likely end up hurling a tea cup at your new humming painting.
Kohler Sprig
(Image credit: Kohler)
In the future, we won't just be buying pods for our coffee machines – if Kohler has its way, we'll also be picking them up for its Kohler Sprig system, which brings aromatherapy to your existing shower.
The Sprig connects to your showerhead and infuses the water with scents, oils and other skin-boosting ingredients via Kohler's Sprig Shower Pods. And yes, only Kohler's pods, which will initially be available in six different scents, will work with the system.
Still, if you fancy a blast of lavender, chamomile or eucalyptus (alongside other skin-friendly ingredients like hyaluronic acid) in your morning shower, the Sprig could be one to look out for when it hits shelves in the first few months of 2023. The system will cost $119, not including the pods, which will set you back $21 for a six-pack of single-use pods.
Withings U-Scan
(Image credit: Withings)
Automated urine analysis might not be quite as alluring as some new Nanoleaf lights, but it's a lot more useful for health-tracking. The Withings U-Scan is a puck-like sensor that attaches to your toilet and can analyze your pee for its nutritional balance, thanks to its ability to read PH, carbohydrate and vitamin C levels. It can also be used for female cycle-tracking, too.
If you share a home with someone, fear not – thanks to a thermal sensor, it can apparently automatically detect when someone is using and even identify 'stream signatures' using a low-energy radar sensor. All of this toilet tech doesn't come cheap, with the U-Scan starting at $499.95 (around £410 or AU$730, although pricing for the UK and Australia has yet to be confirmed). You'll also need to pay a $30-a-month subscription.
Still, if the idea of home urine analysis is up your smart home street, the U-Scan should arrive in the second quarter of this year in Europe, and will ship in the US once it's received the FDA approval that Withings has applied for.
Ever wish that your old roller blinds were a bit more smart? Well, Eve's new MotionBlinds Upgrade kit is promising to get them connected to your smart home setup without the need to splash out on some new voice-controlled window covers.
The kit includes everything you need to bring your standard roller blinds into the 21st century, including the all-important USB-C rechargeable motor. This will apparently last for around a year between charges and you also get a series of adapters to help it fit into your particular roller blind.
Once fitted, you'll be able to control your blinds using Eve's app or the Apple Home app. It'll also connect to your smart home setup via Thread and will soon get Matter support, too. You'll be able to buy the Upgrade Kit in the US for $199 from late March.
Robot vacuums
Roborock S8 series
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(Image credit: Roborock)
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(Image credit: Roborock)
No CES show is complete without the faint hum of robot vacuums – and Roomba-rival Roborock delivered three new ones in the form of its promising S8 series.
The top two models – the S8 Plus and S8 Pro Ultra – come with auto-emptying powers that see the vacuums empty their collected debris into the docks. Because the Ultra version combines a vacuum and mop, its dock also washes the mop and refills the vacuum's water tank. The standard S8 is the more affordable base model.
Roborock says the S8 series offers its most powerful suction yet, which is promising as we've already been impressed by the talents of the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra. Its latest robo-cleaners also have dual roller brushes, which should help them pick up more dirt and avoid pet hair tangles.
The series will start at $749 for the S8, with the S8 Plus ($999) and S8 Pro Ultra ($1,599) a fair bit more expensive due to their superior docks. They should be available to buy from April and we're looking forward to seeing if they deserve a spot in our guide to the best robot vacuums.
Smart lighting
Nanoleaf Sense+ Control and Skylight
(Image credit: Nanoleaf)
Nanoleaf makes some of the best smart lights around and we reckon its new Sense+ control system is one of the most exciting announcements of CES 2023 so far.
The system comprises three products – the Sense+ Smart Light Switch, Sense+ Wireless Light Switch and Nala Learning Bridge – which can learn your routines and adjust the brightness and color of the lights depending on your tastes. This is thanks to Nanoleaf's learning assistant, Nala, which is built into the bridge and can act as your smart home hub.
While the likes of Philips Hue let you create lighting automations based on your routine, these are generally done manually in the app. So we're interested to see how well the Sense+ system learns our lighting habits when it lands in the third quarter of 2023, particularly as it's compatible with both Matter and Thread.
That wasn't the end of Nanoleaf's CES 2023 announcements, either. It also revealed the rather lovely Skylight (above), which is a set of wall panels that you can mount on your ceiling to create some app-controlled ambiance. And for those are looking to recreate the effect of Philips Ambilight on their non-Philips TVs, there's the Nanoleaf 4D system, which uses a camera to synchronize your Nanoleaf lights with what's happening on your TV for some boosted immersion.
There's currently no pricing for Nanoleaf's new smart lighting products, but we're expecting to get that closer to their arrival in the third quarter of 2023.
GE Lighting Cync Dynamic Effects
(Image credit: GE Lighting)
The likes of Nanoleaf Lines and Philips Hue have dominated smart lighting for the past few years, but GE Lighting has been making some increasingly impressive alternatives. At CES 2023, it's announced some new additions to its Dynamic Effects lineup that look like a temptingly affordable way to bring some color to your study or YouTube channel backdrop.
The four new smart lighting products include Smart Hexagon panels, which will take on Nanoleaf's equivalents, and Smart Neon-Shape Lights that can be bent or shaped any way you like. GE Lighting has also launched new Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs that come in Aline versions or for its indoor floodlights.
These new lights are competitively priced, starting at $19.99 (around £17 / AU$30) for the A19 Aline bulbs, and will be available in the US from March 2023. You also don't need a bridge or hub to use them, as they're instead controlled over Wi-Fi using the Cync app. But on the downside, these new products won't support Matter, with GE Lighting instead bringing support for the standard to some new products over the coming year.
Smart security
Lockly Flex Touch Pro
(Image credit: Lockly)
Most smart locks require the removal and replacement of your existing deadbolt, which isn't always convenient or possible. But Lockly's Flex Touch Pro is shaping up to be a better option for renters or Airbnb owners – it helpfully brings a fingerprint reader to your existing lock.
The downside is that you'll need to install a pretty hefty housing on the inside of your door, as that's where the Flex Touch Pro's AA batteries and smarts live. But on the outside of the door you get a pretty elegant fingerprint reader, which can apparently store up to 99 prints.
Because it comes with a Wi-Fi hub, you'll also be able to remotely grant or deny people access to the door, or also check up on it using the likes of Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The Flex Touch Pro will be available in the US from the Spring of 2023 for $229 (£190 / AU$340).
Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2023 coverage. We're bringing you all the breaking tech news and launches, everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
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Asus unveiled the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED laptop at CES 2023. The company also announced the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition, along with next-generation TUF Gaming F15/F17 and TUF Gaming A15/A17 laptops.
Asus has introduced new laptops under Vivobook, Zenbook and Chromebook series for content creators and gamers at CES 2023. The new laptops come with new Intel processors and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40 series graphics. Asus has packed new 3D OLED displays on the machines. Image:
