Choosing a broadband provider can sometimes be a gamble. CNET breaks down your options to help you find fast speeds and competitive pricing in Sin City.
In a world quickly becoming more reliant on artificial intelligence, spurred on by the immense popularity of ChatGPT and subsequent AI tools, a new Workday study has revealed a significant AI trust gap in the workplace.
Employees continue to see AI tools in a sceptical light compared with their bosses, who are more likely to value the opportunities when it comes to business transformation.
Even so, there’s still a large number of workers from all levels that still need convincing. Only six in 10 (62%) C-suite execs welcome AI, but that figure stands even lower among employees, at 52%.
AI trust gap calls for responsible implementation
The findings also expose the degree to which workers lack confidence in their employers when it comes to job security – one-fifth (23%) aren’t confident that their organization puts employee interests above its own when implementing AI, giving them the sense of being out of control.
Business leaders oppose this thought, though. Nearly three-quarters (70%) say that AI should be developed in a way that easily allows for human review and intervention. Clearly, bosses see artificial intelligence more as a human aid.
Workday CTO Jim Stratton its research, "shows that leaders and employees lack confidence in, and understanding of, their organisations’ intentions around AI deployment within the workplace.”
Stratton added: “To help close this trust gap, organisations must adopt a comprehensive approach to AI responsibility and governance, with a lens on policy advocacy to help strike the right balance between innovation and trust.”
Currently, four in five of the 4,000 employees from 15 countries surveyed by Workday say their company has not yet shared guidelines on responsible AI use.
Moving forward, it’s clear that policies need to be put in place that not only protect employees, but also cater to their wants and needs in the workplace. The research signals the importance of building ethical standards in AI, which forms part of a multifaceted approach to closing the trust gap that currently stands.
Job evalutation site Glassdoor has released its list of the "best places to work" for 2024, with a number of tech firms managing to break into the top spots.
There was particular interest for Nvidia, which was named as the second best company overall, and Apple, which managed to claim a spot in the list after falling out in 2023.
Management consulting giant Bain & Company took the top spot, but there were high rankings for other notable tech firms, including Service Now (#3), Procore Technologies (#5), VMware (#7) and Deltek (#8).
Glassdoor Best Places to Work
Outside of the top 10, there were also high placings for the likes of Adobe (#15), Microsoft (#18) and Google (#26), with 31 tech firms making up the top 100 in total - a fall from 41 in 2023.
9to5Mac noted that Salesforce, Intel, Netflix, and Yahoo dropped out of the top 100 list in 2024, and there was once again no place for Meta. Among the tech newcomers in the list were Lenovo and Samsara.
Nvidia took second place overall thanks to its average 4.7/5 rating over the past year, just 0.1 behind Bain.
“Worklife is rapidly changing, and professionals are turning to Glassdoor to share their experiences about working for some of the most competitive employers in the world,” said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor Chief Executive Officer.
“The Best Places to Work award is a stark reminder of the power of Glassdoor, from arming professionals with career insights and real-time conversations about all things work and life, to providing employers with feedback to improve. Glassdoor has evolved to make sure that transparency isn’t a fad, but rather, a foundational component in the future of work.”
The study comes following recent figures showing layoffs in the technology space have continued at pace. In 2022, around 165,000 tech workers were laid off, followed by over 262,000 in 2023, and more than 3,000 in the first two weeks of January 2024 alone (via layoffs.fyi).
At CES 2024, we tried on and learned about Nuance Audio glasses, which use a technology similar to AirPods Pro 2 to help people hear better without dedicated hearing aids.
Smart telescopes are all the rage in the stargazing world, and they're probably the future of astrophotography. Now Unistellar has cemented its position in this field with the dual launch of the Odyssey and Odyssey Pro at CES 2024.
They're strikingly similar to the Celestron smart telescope that was also announced at CES, and what’s neat about Unistellar’s Odyssey and Odyssey Pro is that they're controlled remotely using a newly developed Unistellar app.
From the comfort of your sofa you can view what your Odyssey telescope sees on your smart device, and control which part of the night sky it's aimed at, using the telescope’s ‘autonomous field detection technology’, which Odyssey also calls a ‘smart star finder’.
The makers say the new GPS-equipped smart telescopes can “autonomously point towards and track any desired celestial object from the moment they are turned on, so you can be admiring outer space in just a couple of minutes.“ In short, it’s stargazing made easy.
Unistellar innovation meets Nikon optics
Unistellar is a familiar name in the astrophotography world – it launched the Unistellar eQuinox 2 at last year’s CES, and also makes the mighty eVscope 2. This year’s models are much smaller and lighter and have a wider appeal, thanks in part to what Unistellar calls ‘Multi-Depth Technology’, which enables you to instantly switch between viewing nearby planets and faraway galaxies and nebulae.
You can easily choose what to look at via the Unistellar app for iOS and Android, with handy info about each of the 5000-plus planets and nebulae in the app database for newbies and enthusiasts to absorb, too.
Nikon has got in on the action with these new smart telescopes too, designing the high-precision autofocus optics used in both models, and the electronic eyepiece found in the Pro model only – ideal for those who prefer to get hands on with their telescope. On the technical front, both models have a field of view of 34 x 45 arcmin, an 85mm mirror diameter and a 320mm focal length. There's more info on the Unistellar website.
At 4kg, the Odyssey and Odyssey Pro are much lighter than Unistellar’s previous offerings, and come supplied with a sturdy tripod, although their five-hour battery life doesn’t compare. Both models are available from the Unistellar website or camera retailers – the Odyssey will set you back $2,499 / £2,199 (about AU$3,750) while the pricier Odyssey Pro costs $3,999 / £3,499 (about AU$6,000). That’ll count out most people, but Unistellar has nonetheless transformed the experience of getting lost among the stars.
We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.
And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!
Every year CES – the Consumer Electronics Show – introduces us to a treasure trove of innovative technologies, and that’s no truer than in the fitness and wearables category. CES 2024 has been no different.
At last year’s conference, we saw a displayless smartwatch, smart beds for athletes, and an at-home pee tester (kinda yucky, but potentially a handy health accessory).
This year we (thankfully) don’t have toilet-based gadgets we want to highlight, but there are plenty of other fitness and wearable gadgets we’ve loved finding out more about – and have even got hands-on time with to see if they can live up to the hype.
Here are some of the best wearables and fitness tech from CES 2024 including a glove that counters Parkinson’s tremors, fitness headphones with an in-built AI coach, and a smartwatch we could see surviving anything.
Smartwatches at CES 2024
The Garmin Lily 2 and Garmin Lily 2 Classic(Image credit: Garmin)
There’s usually a handful of smartwatches on display at CES, typically sleek sophisticated-looking things that combine fitness tracking with an elegant electronic timepiece.
That’s true of the newly announced Garmin Lily 2 which boasts a “petite, fashionable” smartwatch design – coming in at just 20.6g – and a hidden display that shows a patterned background until tapped. It’s also plenty useful with connected GPS – although no built-in GPS, which would have been a huge upgrade for runners and cyclists over the original Garmin Lily – as well as five days of battery life, sleep scores, menstrual cycle tracking, and a pulse oximeter for checking your blood oxygen levels. It’s available now for $249.99 / £249.99, with Australia prices TBC.
Garmin also launched the HRM-Fit heart rate monitor which has been tailored specifically for people who wear medium and high-support sports bras. It offers all the same real-time workout information tracking in a package that should be more comfortable for sports bra wearers than traditional Garmin heart rate monitors.
The Casio G-Shock Rangeman GPR-H1000(Image credit: Casio)
If you instead want a smartwatch that looks like it would survive a nuclear explosion there’s the Casio G-Shock Rangeman GPR-H1000. It features heart rate monitoring, a pulse oximeter, built-in GPS, and Casio's Triple Sensor for measuring altitude, compass bearing, and temperature. Casio’s smartwatch can also give you sunrise and sunset times, and global tide data making though it comes at a price. When it launches on January 20 it’ll set you back $500 / £449 (around AU$750).
Smart rings at CES 2024
Smart rings are becoming all the rage – they’re like fitness watches but pack all of their health-tracking sensors into a ring that’s a lot less bulky and distracting.
The 4g Amazfit Helio ring is coming to claim Oura’s crown at the top of our best smart rings list with its promises of detailed sleep tracking and readiness scoring that could help you improve your running and cycling workouts. Though to access its premium analysis features you’ll need to pay $69.99 (approx £75 / AU$105) per year.
The Evie smart ring(Image credit: Movano)
Conversely, the women-first Evie smart ring offers a one-and-done approach. The ring is not only packed with helpful trackers for sleep, blood oxygen, and heart health, but it also has an AI that can look at this info as well as logs related to your menstrual cycle, mood, and activity levels to provide insight on what has positive impacts on your health – such as noting that the days you log more steps than average are days your mood is higher.
It even has an open ring design to account for the changes in women’s finger sizes at different points in their menstrual cycle. The Evie smart ring launches later this January but only in the US for $269.
Fitness headphones at CES 2024
The Mojawa HaptiFit Terra headphones(Image credit: Mojawa)
Music can be a powerful workout tool with powerful tunes helping you to push through a workout, or distract you from how tired you’re feeling on your long run. But Mojawa’s new bone conduction headphones want to take things further with an AI sports trainer who can help you take your training further, apparently.
With vibration-based training guidance Mojawa’s HaptiFit Terra headphones’ AI “elevate workouts into complete training sessions with automatically generated exercise plans.” How this looks in practice is anyone’s guess but when it launches in the next couple of months – the official release date is Q1 2024 – we should find out.
The gadget is currently on presale for $199.99 / £239.99 – slightly cheaper than the $299.99 retail price (Australian and UK release prices to come in the future). On top of the AI you’ll get headphones with an IP68 water resistance rating and 32GB of on-board music storage that’s controlled by pressure-sensitive haptic controls.
Sennheiser also introduced a new set of Momentum Sport headphones, with built-in fitness tracking and PPG heart rate sensor, as well as the full range of Polar's impressive fitness metrics. The Sport buds go on sale on the 9th of April with a selling price of $329.95 / €329.99 / around AU$492.14.
Health wearables at CES 2024
The GyroGlove(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
By working to counter her tremors Roberta Wilson-Garrett – a person with Parkinson’s – told us that she can make herself a cup of tea, button her shirt, and eat something using utensils thanks to the FDA Class-1 approved glove. In a live demonstration, we saw a stark contrast between her ability to draw with and without the glove.
The GyroGlove is available to buy right now – though each hand will cost you $5,899 (around £4,600 / AU$8.800) – but CES is also a chance to see the future of health tech, like the Vixion 01 specs.
This sci-fi visor isn’t yet another Apple Vision Pro competitor. They’re glasses that can automatically correct your vision so whatever you’re looking at is always in focus. The clear advantage being you’d only need to buy one pair of specs for the rest of your life. If your vision changes the Vixion 01 will adjust itself so you can still see with perfect clarity. The only downside is we don’t know when it’ll release, or how much it’ll be at launch.
Check out our CES 2024 hub for all the latest news from the show as it happens. We'll be covering everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI, so stick with us for the big stories.
And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!
Oppo has announced the Find X7 Ultra, a new flagship phone that sports two periscope cameras; that's a world first.
While periscope cameras are now fairly common in some of the best phones, having a pair of them in a single rear-camera array is new, due to the components and lens stacking needed to get them to work while keeping telephoto camera modules from protruding too far out of a phone's rear.
Oppo's HyperTone Camera System (more on that in a moment) promises fast shooting, flexible optical zooming, AI enhancements and "pro-grade" Master Mode option as part of the brand's partnership with camera specialists Hasselblad.
Add a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a 5,000mAh battery with support for Oppo's SuperVOOC fast charging, and the Oppo Find X7 Ultra is shaping up to be a phone to challenge the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max .
HyperTone Camera System
With 50-megapixel sensors across all four cameras, Oppo’s HyperTone Camera System has specs that promise sharp and details photos from all manner of shots.
The primary camera is a large, 1-inch type Sony LYT-900 sensor that offers a 23mm focal length, f/1.8 aperture, with optical image stabilization. The Find X7 Ultra is the first phone of 2024 to use this sensor, and promises to cut light reflection by 50% while still capturing a detailed shots.
A untal-wide-angle camera using a LYT-600 sensor that provides a 14mm equivalent focal length and f/2.0 aperture, is touted to offer dynamic macro photography at 4cm and shots of expansive scenery at a 14mm equivalent focal length.
Next is a Sony IMX980 sensor which provides 3x zoom on the first periscope telephoto camera, and is the same camera found in the previous Oppo Find X6 Pro that impressed up. And a Sony IMX858 sensor offering 6x zoom and equivalent to 135mm, is the second periscope camera, and should be good at capturing long-range shots without losing too much in the way of clarity and sharpness.
These larger-than-standard sensors used in the camera system should also allow for overall improved low-light performance and image quality over previous Oppo Find flagships.
Ideally, this setup would create a smooth and seamless zoom photography that would remain consistent throughout the camera array's entire focal range.
The front of the camera uses a 32-megapixel f/2.4 camera for self-portraits and video calls.
Of course, camera specs and hardware are one thing in smartphones, the second part of the mix is in on the software side. Here Oppo touts is HyperTone Image Engine aimed at preventing HDR photography from over-processing images and overexposing mid-tones and over-sharpening details leading to an unnatural photos. In the past, we've found Oppo has been rather good at this, if not quite class-leading. So hopefully, Oppo can deliver some impressive results with the Find X7 Ultra.
There are also two Hasselblad modes. The Hasselblad Portrait Mode aims to bring a portrait shot style that echoes those of classic Hasselblad cameras by capturing shots at four focal lengths to produce cinematic bokeh with foreground and background depth.
The Hasselblad Master Mode offers a shooting mode designed to match the characteristics of the Hasselblad X2D 100C camera, with a host of manual controls. This mode enables RAW MAX, which not only captures full 50MP images but will also benefit from the computational photography chops of the Find X7 Ultra, with photo that have a 16-bit color depth and 13 stops of dynamic range. This feature sounds a lot like Apple's ProRAW mode on its recent iPhones, where RAW photos have some smart processing applied to then let people edit them further, rather than just start with a pure RAW image to manipulate.
Oppo Find X7 Ultra specs
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Oppo)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Oppo)
While the camera appears to be a point focus for the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, the rest of its specifications aren’t lacking either. It will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, supported by LPDDR5X RAM in either 12GB or 16GB configurations.
There are three configurations of the Oppo’s Find X7 Ultra, a 12GB RAM model paired with 256GB internal memory, a 16GB option with 256GB storage, and lastly, a 16GB paired with 512GB storage. Onboard storage uses the latest UFS 4.0 standard; there's no option for microSD expansion.
Oppo Find X7 Ultra's battery comes in at 5000mAh cell with support for the company's SuperVOOC 100W fast charging and 50W wireless charging.
The Oppo’s Find X7 Ultra has a 6.82-inch display with a 3,168 x 1,440 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate with up to 4,500 nits brightness that should make it sharp and bright for watching films, gaming, and viewing your best photos.
There are three color options for the Oppo Find X7 Ultra: Ocean Blue, Tailored Black, and Sepia Brown.
Not available outside of China
Sadly, just like its predecessor, the Oppo Find X7 Ultra is only available in mainland China at the moment with no plans for a global release on the cards.
Pricing for the Oppo Find X7 Ultra also reflects its flagship status starting at ¥5,999 in China or around $845 / £663 / AU$1,281 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage version and ¥6,999 (around $986 / £773 / AU$1,495) for the 16GB RAM paired with 512Gb storage.
But for smartphones you can buy right now, check out our round up of the best Android phones.
We know for certain that a new Samsung XR/VR headset is in the works, with the device being made in partnership with Google. But much of the XR product’s details (XR, or extended reality, is a catchall for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality) are still shrouded in mystery.
This so-called Apple Vision Pro rival (an XR headset from Apple) will likely have impressive specs – Qualcomm has confirmed its new Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chip will be in the headset, and Samsung Display-made screens will probably be featured. It'll also likely have an equally premium price tag. Unfortunately, until Samsung says anything officially, we won’t know exactly how much it will cost, or when it will be released.
But using the few tidbits of official info, as well as our industry knowledge and the rumors out there, we can make some educated guesses that can clue you into the Samsung XR/VR headset’s potential price, release date, and specs – and we’ve got them down below. We’ve also highlighted a few of the features we’d like to see when it’s eventually unveiled to the public.
Samsung XR/VR headset: Price
The Samsung Gear VR, you needed a phone to operate it(Image credit: samsung)
We won’t know how much Samsung and Google’s new VR headset will cost until the device is officially announced, but most rumors point to it boasting premium specs – so expect a premium price.
Some early reports suggested Samsung was looking at something in the $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,500 range (just like the Meta Quest Pro) though it may have changed its plans. After the Apple Vision Pro reveal, it’s believed Samsung delayed the device most likely to make it a better Vision Pro rival in Samsung’s eyes – the Vision Pro is impressive, as you can find out from our hands-on Apple Vision Pro review.
If that’s the case, the VR gadget might not only more closely match the Vision Pro’s specs it might adopt the Vision Pro’s $3,499 (about £2,725 / AUS$5,230) starting price too, or something close to it.
Samsung XR/VR headset: Release date
Much like its price, we don’t know anything concrete about the incoming Samsung VR headset's release date yet. But a few signs point to a 2024 announcement – if not a 2024 release.
Firstly, there was the teaser Samsung revealed in February 2023 when it said it was partnering with Google to develop an XR headset. It didn’t set a date for when we’d hear more, but Samsung likely wouldn’t make this teasing announcement if the project was still a long way from finishing. Usually, a more full reveal happens a year or so from the teaser – so around February 2024.
The Samsung Unpacked 2023 XR headset teaser(Image credit: Samsung)
Then there’s the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chipset announcement. Qualcomm was keen to highlight Samsung and Google as partners that would be putting the chipset to use.
It would be odd to highlight these partners if its headset was still a year or so from launching. Those partners may have preferred to work with a later next-gen chip, if the XR/VR headset was due in 2025 or later. So this would again point to a 2024 reveal, if not a precise date this year.
A lot of the new Samsung VR headset’s specs are still a mystery. We can assume it’ll use Samsung-made displays (it would be wild if Samsung used screens from one of its competitors) but the type of display tech (for example, QLED, OLED or LCD), resolution, and size are still unknown.
We also don’t know what size battery it’ll have, or its storage space, or its RAM. Nor what design it will adopt – will it look like the Vision Pro with an external display, like the Meta Quest 3 or Quest Pro, or something all-new?
The upshot is that this platform can now support two displays at 4.3K resolution running at up to 90fps. It can also manage over 12 separate camera inputs that VR headsets will rely on for tracking – including controllers, objects in the space, and face movements – and it has more advanced AI capabilities, 2.5x better GPU performance, and Wi-Fi 7 (as well as 6 and 6E).
What we want to see from the new Samsung XR/VR headset
1. Samsung’s XR/VR headset to run on the Quest OS
We'd love to see the best Quest apps on Samsung's VR headset(Image credit: Meta)
This is very much a pipe dream. With Google and Samsung already collaborating on the project it’s unlikely they’d want to bring in a third party – especially if this headset is intended to compete with Apple and Meta hardware.
But the Quest platform is just so good; by far the best we’ve seen on standalone VR headsets. It’s clean, feature-packed, and home to the best library of VR games and apps out there. The only platform that maybe beats it is Steam, but that’s only for people who want to be tethered to a PC rig.
By partnering with Meta, Samsung’s headset would get all of these benefits, and Meta would have the opportunity to establish its OS as the Windows or Android of the spatial computing space – which might help its Reality Labs division to generate some much-needed revenue by licensing the platform to other headset manufacturers.
2. A (relatively) affordable price tag
The Quest 2 is the king of VR headsets, because it's affordable (Image credit: Shutterstock / Boumen Japet)
Other factors (like a pandemic that forced everyone inside) probably helped a bit. But fundamentally, getting a solid VR headset for $299 / £299 / AU$479 is a very attractive offer. It could be better specs-wise but it’s more than good enough and offers significantly more bang for your buck than the PC-VR rigs and alternative standalone headsets that set you back over $1,000 when you factor in everything you need.
Meta’s Quest Pro, the first headset it launched after the Quest 2 that has a much more premium $999 / £999 / AU$1,729 price (it launched at $1,500 / £1,500 / AU$2,450) has seemingly sold significantly worse. We don’t have exact figures but using the Steam Hardware Survey figures for December 2023 we can see that while 37.87% of Steam VR players use a Quest 2 (making it the most popular option, and more than double the next headset) only 0.44% use a Quest Pro – that’s about 86 times less.
The Apple Vision Pro is too pricey(Image credit: Apple)
So by making its headset affordable, Samsung would likely be in a win-win situation. We win because its headset isn’t ridiculously pricey like the $3,499 (around £2,800 / AU$5,300) Apple Vision Pro. Samsung wins because its headset has the best chance of selling super well.
We’ll have to wait and see what’s announced by Samsung, but we suspect we’ll be disappointed on the price front. A factor that could keep this device from becoming one of the best VR headsets out there.
3. Controllers and space for glasses
We’ve combined two smaller points into one for this last ‘what we want to see’.
Hand tracking is neat, but ideally it’ll just be an optional feature on the upcoming Samsung VR headset rather than the only way to operate it – which is the case with the Vision Pro.
Most VR apps are designed with controllers in mind, and because most headsets now come with handsets that have similar button layouts it’s a lot easier to port software to different systems.
The Meta Quest 3's controllers are excellent, copy these Samsung(Image credit: Meta )
There are still challenges, but if your control scheme doesn’t need to be reinvented, developers have told us that’s a massive time-saver. So having controllers with this standard layout could help Samsung get a solid library of games and apps on its system by making it easier for developers to bring their software to it.
We’d also like it to be easy for glasses wearers to use the new Samsung VR headset. The Vision Pro’s prescription lenses solution is needlessly pricey when headsets like the Quest 2 and Quest 3 have a free in-built solution for the problem – an optional spacer or way to slightly extend the headset so it’s further from your face leaving room for specs.
Ideally, Samsung’s VR headset would also have a free and easy solution for glasses wearers, too.
