Kalakshar US

The CES conveyor belt of PCs doesn’t let up. Lenovo has been busy. Let’s start with its latest YogaBook, the dual-screen YogaBook 9i. Instead of folding like a conventional laptop, this… thing unfurls a screen atop another, with a slimline keyboard at the bottom. Thankfully, as well as the keyboard and stylus accessories, there’s a kickstand to ensure those two 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED displays stay in place. There’s an incredible amount of flexibility here. You can have the screens unfolded like a book, stacked atop each other or as a classic laptop, with the lower screen showing the keyboard.

Then there’s the $400 Smart Paper tablet. An unashamed stab at rivaling Amazon’s Scribe e-ink tablet, there’s a screen to write and annotate on and a battery-less stylus you can holster in the case. There are nine pen settings (such as pencil, ballpoint and marker) and over 4,000 pressure sensitivity levels to ensure your sketches come out as you intended. Lenovo’s Smart Paper can convert your handwriting into text, and you can use keyword searches to find what you’re looking for – something Amazon’s version lacks. Conversely, though, Lenovo won’t have the library of Kindle books to scribble notes on – these are two distinct offerings.

Oh, you wanted a twist? Well, Lenovo isn’t done: It also revealed a new ThinkBook Plus that twists and turns to switch between e-ink and OLED screens. In short, it’s a bit of both. Check out our full impressions and spec rundowns here. We’ll be back Monday with more CES coverage, including Engadget’s Best of CES winners.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Ring offers a first look at its home security drone

The Always Home Cam appeared at CES 2023.

Back in 2020, Ring showed off a concept home drone. Now it’s getting closer to patrolling the homes of anxious types. The mini drone zooms around your home, scouting for intruders when you’re not there. The entire device, including the dock, looks more like a kitchen gadget than a security drone. The Always Home Cam makes that drone-ish hum – don’t expect it to sneak up on any trespassers – and you train it by holding it (without obscuring the camera) and walking around your home in flight paths. There’s also the option to set multiple paths and waypoints. Ring still hasn’t announced a release date or a price.

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ThinkPhone hands-on: Moto’s attempt to woo big business

The main improvements are durability and security.

While Lenovo has been a huge force in the enterprise laptop space thanks to its long line of ThinkPads and ThinkBooks, Motorola is attempting to bring a similar aura to its newest mobile device: the ThinkPhone by Motorola. With an aramid fiber weave back, it certainly looks the part. The big question is: Do people want a phone that matches their work laptop? And will people be willing to choose the ThinkPhone over the usual Apple and Samsung suspects?

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Stellantis reveals its Ram 1500 EV concept truck

The concept will serve as a design template for upcoming production vehicles.

There’s finally an electric Ram truck – or at least a concept of one. Stellantis, an automaker with a stable of more than a dozen North American and European brands, including Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Maserati and Fiat, has extremely ambitious goals to make 100 percent of its European sales and half of its US sales fully electric vehicles. The company hasn’t revealed the battery size yet for this concept truck, but it did confirm the system will use an 800V architecture enabling it to add up to 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes on a 350 kW DC fast charger.

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Goodyear shows off 90 percent sustainable tires at CES 2023

The prototypes have reportedly passed Department of Transportation testing.

Goodyear is back with an improved sustainable tire prototype – 90 percent sustainable materials – a full 20 percent improvement over last year. The company says the 90-percent blend has already passed Department of Transportation testing, approving it for road use. The 90 percent tires reportedly offer a lower rolling resistance compared to the company’s reference tires, which translates as better gas mileage and longer EV ranges.

The company is still working with its supply chain partners to secure sufficient precursor materials to produce them at a commercial scale and even plans to have a fully sustainable blend by 2030. The new materials include four types of carbon black made of both organic and inorganic sources: soybean oil and rice husk silica, post-consumer polyester and bio-renewable pine tar resins.

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In a few days, the first orbital space flight taking off from UK soil might be launching from Spaceport Cornwell. Virgin Orbit has announced that the initial window for its historic “Start Me Up” mission will open on January 9th, Monday, at 22:16 UTC (5:15PM Eastern Time). If the launch needs to be pushed back due to technical issues or inclement weather conditions, the company has back-up dates lined up throughout the month. 

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved the licenses Virgin Orbit needs to perform launch activities in the UK back in December, following its approval of Spaceport Cornwall’s first launch license. Virgin Orbit is working with the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), Cornwall Council and the Royal Air Force for this mission. 

Seeing as Start Me Up is the “first” in several ways — it’s also the first international launch for Virgin Orbit, as well as the first commercial launch from western Europe — the private space corp said it will “maintain a conservative posture with regard to system health, weather, and all other elements of scheduling.” That ups the probability of a delay, unless everything falls into place for Virgin Orbit on Monday. Even so, the LauncherOne orbital launch vehicle that will be used for this mission is now attached to Cosmic Girl, the Boeing 747 aircraft that will serve as its first stage launch platform. The company had to transport LauncherOne, which was manufactured in Long Beach, California, to the UK to make the journey possible.

In addition to making history, the mission will ferry satellites from seven customers, both commercial and government, to orbit. Its payload include CIRCE (Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction CubeSat Experiment), which is a joint project between the UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the US Naval Research Laboratory, and two CubeSats for the UK Ministry of Defense’s Prometheus-2 initiative.

 

When Tesla started offering a yoke steering wheel in Model X and Model S EVs, CEO Elon Musk rejected the idea of a more conventional option. Now, the company has indeed brought back the round steering wheel as an option in the configurator, Electrek has reported. Selecting it doesn’t appear to change the price or delivery time.

If you already bought a Tesla Model S or X with a yoke and don’t like it, you have options, too. As pointed out by YouTuber and Tesla owner Marques Brownlee, the company is now offering a $700 option to replace the yoke with a round steering wheel. “This retrofit is only compatible with Model S and Model X vehicles configured with a Yoke Steering Wheel. Purchase price includes installation through Tesla Service,” Tesla notes. It adds that the wheel has “no stalks or shifters.”

The yoke divided Tesla fans, as many felt it wasn’t practical for one-handed use and that it was awkward when driving at slow speeds. It was also deemed potentially unsafe by some owners in case you needed to do quick maneuvers like a skid recovery.

When the yoke came along, Tesla also replaced all the stalks with force touch buttons, another thing some drivers weren’t crazy about. As mentioned though, the new wheel option doesn’t have any stalks or shifters either, and the design appears to be based on the yoke in terms of spoke positioning, buttons, etc. 

When asked in a tweet in 2021 if Tesla would offer a round steering wheel as an option to the yoke, he replied simply “No.” He went on to explain that “yet another round wheel is boring & blocks the screen. FSD in panoramic mode looks way better with a yoke.” Apparently, there were enough potential buyers who felt otherwise.

 

Delta is introducing free WiFi on around 80 percent of its domestic US flights starting on February 1st, 2023, confirming rumors from late last year. The service, available through a T-Mobile sponsorship, will come to 700 planes by the end of the year and on regional and international aircraft by the end of 2024. “It’s going to be free. It’s going to be fast. And it’s going to be available to everyone,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian at CES 2023.

Travelers will need to use their Delta SkyMiles information to log in for access, but getting an account is free. The company announced last year that it would be upgrading more planes using Viasat as a provider. It has been charging a $5 flat fee for WiFi to date. 

Apart from any profit motive, airlines have been slow to introduce free WiFi over concerns that the systems wouldn’t be fast enough to accommodate hundreds of people at once. Delta has been working on the system since 2018, with the eventual goal to offer free WiFi. 

“We didn’t just want free Wi-Fi to offer base-level service – we wanted it to be transformative for the entire onboard experience,” he said. “It is imperative all customers onboard can enjoy their favorite content just as they would at home, and we’ve put this system through meticulous tests to make that possible.”

Jetblue also offers free WiFi via corporate sponsorship, but Southwest, United, American and other airlines charge fees, usually in the $8 to $10 range. American has recently been trialing free WiFi for certain customers. 

Delta also announced that it will unveil new in-flight entertainment systems starting this summer, with user preferences traveling from “flight to flight… even where you left off on a movie,” according to the press release. 

 

Peugeot has presented its vision for the future of electric cars at CES 2023, where it previewed its latest concept sedan called the “Inception.” The car is all angles and sharp lines with panoramic glass windows that go all around its middle, paired with a glass roof. Peugeot says its body shade is made of very fine metal pigments, while the lights on the front bumper incorporate the brand’s three emblematic claws.

Inception — named after the Latin word “Inceptio,” which means the beginning — was built on one of Stellantis’ four future BEV-by-design platforms, specifically the one for low sedans. It uses an 800-volt, 100kWh battery technology that gives it the capability to travel 800 km or 497 miles on a single charge and can suck enough juice to travel 150 km (93 miles) within five minutes of being plugged in. The four-wheel drive vehicle can also be recharged by induction, eliminating the need for cables. When it comes to power, Inception’s two electric motors can generate 680 horsepower combined and give it the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100kmh in less than 3 seconds. 

The concept also marks the debut of the brand’s next-gen cockpit. It replaces the classic steering wheel with a rectangular one called the “Hypersquare,” which comes with a tablet-type screen at the center that displays information. There’s a circular recess at each corner of the screen that users can program to control certain aspects of their vehicle, so they can easily use their thumbs to access them without having to take their hands off the wheel. 

Peugeot says the Inception will inspire its future electric vehicles, including its most compact models. The first cars based on the design will arrive as soon as 2025. 

 

In years past, L’Oréal has shown up at CES with gadgets that deliver personalized beauty products to consumers. From the Perso custom skincare dispenser to the YSL at-home lipstick maker, the company’s tech lab has brought interesting gadgets to the show that have tangential inclusive benefits. But this year at CES 2023, it’s introducing an accessibility-minded device that can help those with limited hand or arm mobility apply lipstick. The system is called Hapta, and based on a quick demo I tried here in Vegas, is surprisingly refined.

It’s worth noting right off the bat that some assembly is required to use the system. There are three general parts to Hapta: the lipstick in a custom case, the gimbal on a mount and a grip. To set the device up, you’d need to have all three components set up on a stand. In this initial setup, the lipstick is in a custom holder that has a spring-loaded release. This makes it possible for someone to remove from the case with one hand. In theory, that is. In reality, at least on the version I saw at CES, the release is still a little too strong, and the lipstick shot straight out of the case and almost onto the floor. 

For now, if L’Oréal doesn’t refine the system, you’ll have to find a way to place a finger or obstruction behind the lipstick before pressing the button. Once you remove the lipstick, you have to place it in the ring attached to the gimbal, which didn’t take much effort. Then, you’ll have to pick up the grip, line up a symbol on its edge with a corresponding button on the gimbal mount, and slide the handle in. In about a second, the device chimes to indicate that the attachment is secure, and you can pick up the entire thing with one hand and bring it up to your lip. 

But first! As of the iteration I saw at the demo, you’ll still need to use two hands to twist the lipstick so that enough is peeking out for the application. L’Oréal told me after watching me struggle to make this happen with one hand that it would consider looking into ways to simplify this process. 

Once the lipstick is ready, you can put it up to your mouth and pause for a second to sort of calibrate the Hapta. It’ll understand what position is upright and maintain that by compensating against any motion while you move the grip around.

To be clear, for hygiene reasons, I did not apply this lipstick on my mouth, and because of that I don’t know how well the application process performs. But from my using it to hover over my lips as I moved my elbow and wrist, the gimbal felt sturdy enough to withstand some pressure, and the motors were very responsive. In general, the Hapta was quick to react to my motion and keep the lipstick level, which is important if you’re trying to draw a precise line near your cupid’s bow, for instance. For those who might not have the finger strength or dexterity to hold up something as small as a tube of lipstick, I can see Hapta being useful.

The Hapta will be available for between $149 and $199 starting in December, and L’Oréal said it will also be making a version that’s designed for people with tremors in their hands. In spite of the few quirks I saw at the demo, I was mostly impressed by what the company has made so far. This is by no means just a prototype. Everything felt polished, which makes sense as L’Oréal worked with utensil maker Verily that made utensils that level themselves for people with limited hand and arm movements. 

Also, L’Oréal said in a press release that Hapta will launch with Lancôme lipsticks in 2023, but that it will be “followed by additional makeup applications in the future.” It’s not only nice to see people with disabilities being included in beauty tech, but it’s also encouraging that a brand as big as L’Oréal is actively working on tools to enable independence in makeup application for everyone. 

 

In recent years, Google has used CES as a platform to showcase its vision of “Better Together” — the idea that all devices should play nice with each other. Typically, that means it makes announcements around features like Fast Pair and expansion of Cast compatibility to more third-party products. At CES 2023, the company shared that it’s working with Spotify to integrate the Connect streaming tool into the Android UI. It also teased a preview of an audio handoff feature that would suggest different devices to move your music onto depending on your habits and where you are. 

But CES is a big car show, and Google also has products for automobiles. Today, it also told us that its higher-resolution maps will debut on the Polestar 3 and, for the first time since its announcement at I/O 2022, showed off the latest Android Auto interface to the public. 

There were two vehicles at the Google booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s trailer lot — a BMW i7 with the new Android Auto experience and a Volvo EX90 with Google built in. This was our first look at the Volvo itself, and we’ll be putting up a separate hands-on about our experience with that in a bit. Our focus for this story (and video) is the new Android Auto.

Like we learned at I/O, the updated interface will adapt to bigger screen sizes and feature a split screen layout. Google’s removed the status bar, placing indicator icons in a small square to the top left, and added a row of shortcut keys below that. When we were in the car, the left panel housed the Spotify app, and with a swipe from the right side, we pulled in a list of suggested playlists. 

This left window also serves as a container for alerts that you don’t have time to deal with during your drive. For example, if a notification comes in, you can swipe right on it to send it to the dock, and it’ll wait there until you’re ready to deal with it.

For more of our experience with the revamped Android Auto in the BMW i7, check out the video above! And make sure to stay tuned this week for a ton of news coming out of CES 2023. 

 

I get it: On one hand, you want to be a resilient off-grid solarpunk freed from the yoke of your increasingly-unreliable power company. On the other, you’d still like to enjoy creature comforts both at home and when you’re on the road. It’s a problem EcoFlow understands, and has turned up to CES promising to help.

The company is showing off a new Whole Home Backup Solution, which ties in to its existing Delta Pro batteries. But that’s less interesting to me than the gizmos which are joining the ecosystem at today’s show. That includes Blade, a robotic lawnmower looking more like an RC car than its garden-shaving brethren, but the company says it’ll both trim your lawn and pick up fallen leaves, making “lawn care totally hassle-free.”

Then there’s Glacier, a portable fridge which comes with its own built-in battery and, crucially, its own ice maker. That way, you can keep the cocktails coming when the power is out, as well as keep vital medicines and other necessaries cold when the power’s gone. Rounding out the set is a new, updated version of its Wave, battery powered portable air conditioner, which can now do heating as well as cooling.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a timeline for when we can play with these products, or how much we can expect to pay for them when they arrive. But it does look as if there’s going to be a lot more people looking to add some energy independence to their homes in the future. And, I’m sure, plenty of them won’t want to abandon their creature comforts.

 

Peloton is ready to end its battle with regulators over Tread+ safety issues. The fitness equipment maker has agreed to pay just over $19 million to settle Consumer Product Safety Commission charges that it broke the law through its response to both injury reports and the ensuing recall. The company started receiving reports of people, pets and objects being pulled under the Tread+ as far back as December 2018, but didn’t “immediately” report them as required by law, according to the CPSC. By the time Peloton filed a report, there were over 150 known incidents that included a child’s death and 13 injuries.

The firm is also accused of knowingly distributing treadmills after the recall began in May 2021. Couriers delivered 38 units, according to the CPSC. On top of the payout, the deal requires that Peloton institute a compliance program and provide yearly 

In a statement to Engadget, a spokesperson said Peloton was “pleased” to settle with the CPSC and would cooperate on improving product safety. The representative added that the company was still seeking approval for a rear guard that would bolster Tread+ safeguards.

The settlement comes more than a year after a public fight over the Tread+ design. When the CPSC issued a warning against using the treadmill after reports of injuries, Peloton claimed the alert was “inaccurate and misleading” and insisted that customers could still use the exercise gear as long as they followed instructions. The company agreed to voluntarily recall its hardware weeks later, but that came after 72 reported incidents at the time.

Peloton has a clear incentive to call a truce. The brand had a terrible 2022, with plunging sales as the pandemic recovery saw would-be customers visit gyms or otherwise step outside. It turned to a number of tactics in a bid to trim costs and boost sales, including machine price cuts (offset by a subscription fee hike) and a switch to third-party manufacturing. The settlement both ends the threat of further legal trouble and lets Peloton focus on rebuilding its business, including the possible return of the Tread+ in question.

 

Zoom announced human avatars today for its video meeting app. Like Apple’s Memoji or the humanoid cartoons Mark Zuckerberg wants us to use in the metaverse, the customizable virtual characters mirror your movements and facial expressions. The idea is to inject zaniness into less formal meetings, letting you be present without appearing on camera as your (flesh and blood) self.

The human avatars follow Zoom’s release of animal avatars earlier this year. The company suggests using avatars when you are eating, don’t want to use a static profile pic or feel like livening up the mundane. The feature is available to beta testers, which requires a paid account. Zoom adds that it will roll out new facial features, hairstyles and customization options as the beta progresses.

Zoom also announced templates as shortcuts for various meeting types. You can now create your own templates or choose from three out-of-the-box setups. These include large meetings (automated captions and automatically recorded content), seminars (tighter crowd-control settings with screen-sharing disabled) and K-12 (enabled polls and quizzes while limiting distracting features). You can learn how to create templates by following these instructions.

The company is also soon adding threaded messages and reactions for in-meeting chats. Similar to what you’d see in Slack, Facebook Messenger or iMessage, message threads make it easier to figure out which message someone is replying to. Similarly, emoji reactions help clean up the chat and pair the response with the original message. Zoom says threads and emoji reactions will arrive later this month.

Finally, Zoom is adding Q&A in meetings. The idea is for meeting hosts to stay organized, confining group questions to one area of the app. The Q&A pop-out lets meeting hosts view, answer or dismiss queries. They can also choose whether participants can view all questions or only answered ones. However, hosts will need a premium plan to use the feature.