<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Amazfit Active 2 is available in a premium package for $129.99 and standard for $99.99 It will start shipping to customers in mid-January The watch is small, lasts up to 10 days, has a brilliant AMOLED display, measures an extensive amount of data, and is inexpensive The small size is […] More
Sony/ZDNETNew year, new headset. Sony just launched its latest virtual reality headset, XYN, alongside software applications of the same name, the Japanese brand announced on Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show. The headset is made for creatives seeking to build a new frontier of spatial content. The XYN headset will take real-world objects, motion, and backgrounds and recreate them in virtual reality using 3D graphics, according to the press release. Headsets like XYN are how creative industries get one step closer to streamlining the creation and product development process through digital twins, which are virtual versions of physical products, or creating 3D and XR entertainment, such as movies and games. Also: ZDNET and sister sites to award Best Of CES, and you can submit your entry nowSony’s headset includes 4K OLED microdisplays and a video see-through function, designed for creative work in the spatial content realm. 3D production software applications will be supported in the headset for animation character modeling, among other operations. Sony mentioned that a proof-of-concept experiment using the prototype is in the works with Sony Pictures Animation, suggesting a new dawn of VR-created entertainment could be coming soon. More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETSamsung is everywhere in January, from Las Vegas for CES to San Jose for the upcoming Unpacked event, where we expect to hear more about the company’s plans for Galaxy AI and the latest S series of smartphones. The phone maker confirmed today that the San Jose event will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 22 — only two weeks after CES.Also: The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 phones may come with this major AI upgrade for free”Get ready for AI that is more natural and intuitive. The next evolution of Galaxy AI is coming, and it’s going to change the way you interact with the world every day,” says Samsung in its Monday press release. What exactly the new AI features will entail is up for grabs, but the idea of a more burdenless, meet-you-where-you-already-are approach to software sounds promising.What we can make an educated guess about has to do with Samsung’s continuous partnership with Google in popularizing Android. As previously reported, the search giant is rumored to give Samsung users a year’s worth of Gemini Advanced access for free when they preorder the upcoming Galaxy S25 series. That’s $200 in value alone. More
Hisense Today at its CES 2025 press conference in Las Vegas, Hisense announced a big-screen TV with a new twist on Mini LED technology. The company says its 116-inch TriChroma LED TV (aka, the 116UX) signals a new benchmark among large consumer model screens due to RGB local dimming technology, which serves as “a bridge between today’s […] More
SanDisk Smartphones have proven invaluable tools for making videos, music, or other forms of content. They’re widely available and possess the necessary hardware and features to help people succeed in various pursuits. These devices are also cheaper than studio-grade tech, but they have a flaw — storage. Also: CES 2025 ICYMI: The 6 most impressive products […] More
Swift Go 16 AI Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETToday at CES, Acer announced a handful of updated laptops across its flagship Swift, Swift Go, and Vero lines, including new all-in-one desktop computers and additional Copilot+ PCs.Also: This Thunderbolt 4 cable alternative offers the same speed and longer sizes for 40% lessIt’s broadening its offering of Copilot+ PCs, introducing an Intel device (the Acer Aspire 14 AI) and an AMD device (the Acer Swift Go 16 and 14 AI). Both feature updated external designs and come with sleeker, more lightweight form factors and additional OLED display options — all in the mid-range price point to round out Acer’s accessible product portfolio. Along with the laptops, it also announced a few connectivity accessories, including a dongle that lets older devices connect to Wi-Fi 7, and a portable 5G hotspot that you can bring with you anywhere and use as a connection for your laptop. Here’s a summary of what was announced. Acer Swift Go 14 and 16 The Swift Go 14- and 16-inch with Intel’s Series 2 Core Ultra 9 processor brings a new level of performance to the lineup, matched with an Intel Arc GPU and the improved battery performance we’ve seen from the processor family. Additionally, Acer upped the ante with 3K OLED displays and support for Wi-Fi 7. More
Circular/ZDNETFrench tech brand Circular is stepping up its smart ring game with the unveiling of its Circular Ring 2, the brand announced on Sunday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.Also: CES 2025 ICYMI: The 6 most impressive products so farThe second-generation smart ring is all-in on heart health monitoring and upgrades many of its features to keep up with the industry competition. There’s an FDA-cleared Atrial Fibrillation detection algorithm to monitor arrhythmia included within the ECG capability for “real-time heart health insights,” according to the press release, and improved sensors that reportedly boost the accuracy of data captured. More
Getty Images/Stefano Madrigali The HDMI Forum, responsible for developing HDMI technology standards, has officially revealed its new HDMI 2.2 specification at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The new specification will feature new display transfer wizardry that should provide higher bandwidth and a wide range of higher resolutions and refresh rates. For example, […] More
