Kalakshar US

Lenovo came to CES 2025 to prove that there’s still room in its ThinkPad family for fresh designs. It may seem sacrilegious to ditch the carbon fiber frames and Trackpoint nubs found in classic ThinkPads, but that’s exactly what the new ThinkPad X9 line does.

Lenovo may not admit it outright, but the goal with these new models is to entice younger buyers who might not have a ton of nostalgia for the company’s 30-year-old laptop line. That said, the X9 line (which will be available in both 14- and 15-inch variants) still delivers the same military-grade durability (MIL-SPEC 810H) you’d expect from a typical ThinkPad while boasting an even sleeker and more minimalist appearance.

The lid of the X9 line is made from a smooth sheet of aluminum with the only defining characteristic (aside from the ThinkPad logo) being the long communication bar that houses the laptop’s microphones and cameras. On the inside, Lenovo’s streamlined aesthetic reveals the complete absence of a Trackpoint nub, a redesigned keyboard with new keycaps and an even larger haptic touchpad than what you’d get from the X9’s siblings.

So even though I’m an elder millennial who has some fondness for old-school ThinkPads, I must admit that I find Lenovo’s break from tradition rather appealing. I never understood the Trackpoint nub, especially on modern notebooks with super responsive touchpads. Getting rid of it not only reduces distractions, but makes the keyboard easier to use. And even with its tweaked keycaps, there’s still plenty of travel to deliver a very comfortable typing experience.

On its bottom, Lenovo is using what it calls an Engine Hub to deliver great connectivity for its size including a Thunderbolt 4 port on each side, a full HDMI 2.1 jack, 3.5mm audio and USB-A, while still providing plenty of room for thermal management. The X9 line’s D-cover (the bottom panel) can also be removed by loosening just four captured screws, which gives you easy access to the laptop’s user-replaceable SSD and battery. Unfortunately, because the system is powered by up to Intel Core Ultra 7 processors, RAM is soldered on so you can’t upgrade its memory on your own.

Both the 14- and 15-inch versions of the X9 feature bright OLED displays with 2.8K resolutions and 400 nits of brightness (or 500 nits on the X9 15) and all models come with 80Whr batteries, Wi-Fi 7, 8-megapixel high-def webcams and dual noise-canceling microphones. I also appreciate a lot of the smaller design touches like the physical shutter for the webcam and what might be one of the smallest 65-watt power adapters I’ve seen from any major laptop manufacturer to date.

Finally, Lenovo’s Aura Edition branding is there to remind you that the X9 line includes a handful of AI-powered tools including Smart Share, dynamic power modes, enhanced security and more. And in case anything ever goes wrong, you’ll also have access to 24/7 live support that’s meant to deliver more of a white-glove experience compared to less premium machines.

The internals of the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14 and 15 can be accessed just by removing four screws. Unfortunately, while the SSD is upgradable, its RAM is soldered on.

All told, the new X9 line really does seem like a more modern approach to laptop design. Now, that doesn’t mean Lenovo needs to kill the classic ThinkPad (I still love those carbon fiber frames), but especially for younger customers, I feel like there’s plenty of room for both of these lines to live together happily.

Both models are expected to go on sale in February, with the ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition starting at $1,399 or $1,549 for the 15-inch version.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovos-new-thinkpad-x9-is-the-least-thinkpad-ever-160019926.html?src=rss 

I lived in New York City for many years and absolutely loved it, with one major caveat. Packages got stolen, like a lot. This was especially frustrating for a tech reporter waiting on review gadgets and the like. Hyve Security is looking to solve this problem with its self-named smart lockbox, which it brought to CES 2025 in Las Vegas.

The Hyve is being advertised as “the first branded smart lockbox” and can be secured to the front of a house or apartment via a quarter-inch carbon fiber tether. Carbon fiber is notoriously difficult to cut, so that’s one security measure.

The lockbox also ships with an accelerometer and a “shrieking” alarm that will go off if the device is moved or tampered with. The box’s owner will receive an alert in this instance. Neighbors, friends and family will also receive alerts if they opt-in to the community service. The Hyve app will integrate with many current smart home security systems for even more protection.

It’s weather-proof, which is handy for something that will likely be housed outside, and includes a photo window for drivers to snap a picture of the package nestled safely inside the pod. This is also useful for retailers, as they can be relatively certain that a package was successfully delivered to its intended owner. The app can even be used to send out pings to nearby delivery trucks in the case of a pending return.

It operates via a combination of battery and solar power. The company claims it can run for 18 months without requiring a charge.

The obvious use case here is to prevent porch-based theft, which is great. However, Hyve Security says that wide adoption of these lockboxes can eventually allow retailers to ship items without so much wasteful packaging. The Hyve costs $300 and officially goes on sale in June.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-hyve-package-security-box-should-protect-deliveries-from-dreaded-porch-pirates-170016213.html?src=rss 

Panasonic has debuted several sets of earbuds under its Technics brand at this point. At CES 2025, the company is adding one more, but this one has some more interesting tech inside than the others. The new Technics flagship earbuds, the EAH-AZ100, have newly-developed magnetic fluid drivers that the company says allowed it to significantly improve audio quality. The previous model, the EAH-AZ80, already sounded great, so Technics really had it work cut out for it in order to improve things even further. But after hearing them for myself, I can confirm the company managed to make yet another sonic leap. 

Technics says the 10mm magnetic fluid drivers inside the AZ100 produce “clean, high-resolution, low-vibration and low-distortion sounds,” which it further describes as “the most authentic, balanced audio that’s true to the original source.” The drivers utilize technology that has be miniaturized from the company’s EAH-TZ700 wired in-ear monitors. That magnetic fluid is an oil-like liquid that’s filled with magnetic particles before Technics injects it between the driver magnet and coil. The driver also has a free edge that enables 3Hz of deep bass, plus there’s an aluminum diaphragm that produces natural sound separation and details at high resolution.

Spatial audio is in play as well. The AZ100 supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking for a full 360-degree listening setup. You can also listen to LDAC content on these earbuds, but battery life takes a hit when you do. Robust adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), Voice Focus AI for calls, touch controls and three-device multipoint connectivity are all on the spec sheet. There’s a one-touch Conversation Mode too, allowing users to instantly pause content and activate transparency mode when needed. Auracast and Google Fast Pair made the cut as well.

You can expect up to 10 hours of ANC use on a charge, with another 18 hours worth of power in the case. That accessory supports wireless charging with Qi-certified devices and a 15-minute quick charge is enough for 90 minutes of playback with noise cancellation enabled. The AZ100’s updates also include a refined shape as well as size and weight reductions, all of which should lead to a more comfortable fit for the IPX4-rated earbuds.

Panasonic’s preview event was in a dark Vegas nightclub, so apologies for the image quality.

I was able to try the AZ100 for a few minutes at Panasonic’s preview event at CES. When doing a direct comparison with a set of AZ80 earbuds that were also available, the difference in sound quality was striking. The AZ80 was well-reviewed, and some outlets even picked them as the best option in terms of pure audio performance. The AZ100 blows them out of the water. 

The first thing I noticed was how much louder the AZ100 is at the same volume level. What’s more, all of the claims Technics made about the detail, clarity and deep bass from the new fluid drivers holds true. Across songs from Lewis Capaldi, Dua Lipa, Train and The Eagles (I didn’t pick the playlist), there was a wide, immersive sound stage that enveloped my ears with guitars, drums, beats and vocals. There was driving low-end tone when a dance track like “Don’t Start Now” called for it, and there was also pristine detail in softer acoustic guitar in “Hotel California.” I’ll note that Technics offered FLAC files for the demo, so I’ll be interested to see how the AZ100 fares with “regular” quality tunes from a streaming service.

ANC performance was also quite good during my short introduction. The noise-blocking tech was robust enough to silence most of the clamor from the showroom in a Vegas nightclub, though it struggled with the voices of the people closest to me. Transparency mode sounded pleasantly natural as well, but I’d like to test it in a less-crowded environment before I can say for sure how good it really is.

The AZ100 is available today for $300 is silver and black color options. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/technics-az100-earbuds-hands-on-ces-2025-173004465.html?src=rss