Technology
The latest in technology news, from advanced robotics to smartphones, digital cameras and home entertainment gear.
nVidia's new text-to-video AI shows an insane rate of progress
April 23, 2023
"Will Smith eating spaghetti" made text-to-video generative AIs look like a bit of a joke just a month or two ago, but nVidia has now demonstrated a new system that blows previous efforts out of the water. The pace of progress here is astonishing.
Photography
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Starry skies and scenery steal the show in Milky Way photo competition
May 31, 2023Our gorgeous galaxy is again the focus of an astrophotography collection. Travel photography blog Capture the Atlas has published its Milky Way Photographer of the Year gallery for 2023, including some astonishing shots of the starriest of night skies. -
Canon launches new PowerShot series with dedicated 4K vlogging videocam
May 12, 2023Canon has announced the first product in its new PowerShot V series. The V10 4K vlogging camera is aimed squarely at mobile YouTube and TikTok creators looking to "level-up their creative content and step-up from using a smartphone." -
Nikon crams flagship features into compact Z8 full-frame mirrorless
May 11, 2023Nikon has announced the successor to 2017's D850 full-frame DSLR camera, in the shape of the mirrorless Z8. The new pro-focused model inherits many features from the flagship Z9 but crams them into a more compact body.
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Military
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DARPA launches program in quest for "Red October" silent submarine drive
June 04, 2023Taking a plot point from the 1990 Sean Connery movie thriller The Hunt for Red October, DARPA is working on a super-silent submarine drive that has no moving parts and provides propulsion through the water using magnets and electricity. -
F-550-based Senator MRAP armored car built to survive road blasts
June 01, 2023Roshel Smart Armored Vehicles has rolled out its Senator Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicle at CANSEC. Based on the Ford F-550 pickup truck, it's been specially modified to withstand mine blasts and ballistic rounds. -
US, UK, and Australia test AI drones in world-first exercise
May 30, 2023The US, UK, and Australia have field tested drones equipped with jointly developed autonomy and artificial intelligence systems capable of not only detecting and tracking military targets, but that are also able to retrain themselves in flight.
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Mobile Technology
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LG crams 27-inch smart display and sound system into a rugged briefcase
June 07, 2023Folks wanting to watch a movie at camp, listen to music at a picnic or play board games at the beach will likely have to haul a bunch of different gadgets. LG proposes an all-in-one solution with a smart display in a briefcase called the StanbyME Go. -
Motorola hopes you'll flip over the large cover screen on the Razr+
June 02, 2023Back in the mid-2000s, Motorola scored a massive global hit with a high-style flip-phone called the Razr. The fashion icon was revived for the smartphone age in 2019, and now the company has out-flipped the competition with the Razr Plus. -
Samsung rolls with a scroll for expanding OLED laptop display
May 24, 2023Samsung Display is at SID Display Week with a bunch of OLED innovations including a future laptop screen that expands to offer five times the display real estate, and a sensor-packed panel capable of reading fingerprints and checking blood pressure.
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Drones
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Swiss drone takes the perilous plunge so divers don't have to
June 02, 2023Searching for human bodies or other submerged items can be dangerous for divers due to factors such as strong currents, deep waters and low visibility. That's where the Tethys One underwater drone comes in, as it's designed to do the job itself. -
Bee-inspired flying robot gains yaw control via angled wings
June 02, 2023Robotic versions of flying insects hold a lot of promise for numerous applications, but controlling their yaw axis while in flight has proven challenging. A new bee robot, however, addresses that problem with a clever design. -
Hover Camera X1 drone can be used without an app or a remote
May 29, 2023Perhaps you like the idea of using a drone to take selfies, but you don't want a big, expensive quadcopter. That's where ZeroZero Robotics' Hover Camera drone comes in, and the latest version – the X1 – is claimed to be easier than ever to use.
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Home Entertainment
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Tri-color laser engine launches in N1 series smart projectors
June 05, 2023Back in March, Shenzhen's JMGO launched a successful crowdfunding effort for a 4K smart projector that was mounted on an adjustable "gimbal-like" stand. Now the N1 Ultra is being joined by two other models to make up the new N1 series. -
Adorable portable projector sports bendy legs for flexible placement
May 31, 2023Though projectors can certainly be described as stylish, they can rarely (if ever) be seen as cute. But that's exactly what we have with a portable laser projector called Mimono, with its alien-minibot looks, bendable legs and soft outer body. -
LG throws 4K movie magic on wall or ceiling with latest CineBeam projector
May 23, 2023Ahead of last year's CES expo, Samsung launched a "one-of-a-kind projector" called the Freestyle that ditched the familiar boxy housing for a stylish cylinder. Now LG has joined the party with a new CineBeam that goes 4K instead of 1080p.
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Deals
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Jump start Father's Day with this portable jump starter, now only $110
June 08, 2023Autowit SuperCap 2 is a battery-less portable jump starter that can be a lifesaver for vehicle owners, on sale now for only $109.97 (reg. $149.99). -
Gift Dad with 4 apps that make travel more affordable, now $160
June 07, 20234 great apps, 1 low price—together designed to make traveling abroad less expensive and a whole lot more enjoyable. Lifetime subscriptions to Travel Hacker, Rosetta Stone, Dollar Flight Club, and Real VPN can be yours for only $159.99 (reg. 2,327.09) -
This intro course to ChatGPT will help enhance your customer service
June 06, 2023This Introduction to ChatGPT course is going to teach you how to use artificial intelligence to keep your customers happy and your business growing, now only $19.99 (reg. $80)
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3D Printing
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Shell Wall tech claimed to reduce weight of concrete walls by over 70%
April 03, 20233D concrete printing (3DCP) technology is already known to offer a more efficient approach to constructing buildings. A new type of 3DCP is said to be better, resulting in walls that are a claimed 72% lighter than their conventional counterparts. -
Cheap, fast induction tech enables unlimited-size 3D metal printing
March 24, 2023Arizona company Rosotics says it's ready to revolutionize large-scale 3D metal printing, with a new "rapid induction printing" approach that can print parts of enormous size – with radical advantages in speed, cost, safety and energy efficiency. -
Engineers 3D print record-breaking 7-ingredient cooked cheesecake
March 23, 2023We might soon replace our stovetops, ovens, and microwaves with 3D printers after mechanical engineers from Columbia University successfully created a cooked slice of cheesecake made from a record-breaking seven ingredients.
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Computers
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Apple announces better, stronger, faster Mac Pro and Mac Studio
June 05, 2023Today at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has announced what it says are the most powerful Macs ever made. One is the revamped Mac Pro, while the other is the latest and greatest take on the Mac Studio. -
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air is billed as being the thinnest of its kind
June 05, 2023Although the MacBook Air has long played second fiddle to the better-spec'd Pro model, it's certainly no slouch. That's particularly true of the new 15-inch MacBook Air, which Apple has just announced at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. -
Nvidia unveils AI supercomputer that will put you out of a job much faster
May 29, 2023While AI systems amaze and alarm the world in equal measure, they’re about to get even more powerful. Nvidia has announced a new class of supercomputer that will train the next generation of AI models, and put us all out of work far faster.
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Games
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GoChess brings online opponents' moves to a robotic chessboard
May 18, 2023Whether you've just started playing chess or are a seasoned pro, it can be difficult finding people of your skill level to play against. GoChess allows you to do so online, via an actual physical chessboard with robotically moving pieces. -
Infinity Game Board crams oodles of board games into a dedicated tablet
April 13, 2023Although video games are more popular than ever, there's still something to be said for good ol' board games. The Infinity Game Board gives them the high-tech treatment, by providing access to over 100 of them on a system-specific touchscreen tablet. -
You can now talk to video game NPCs, and frankly it's incredible
March 29, 2023A wild new tech demo from Inworld makes conversation trees and scripted dialogue instantly obsolete – you can now create your own AI-powered game characters, with fully-formed personalities, and talk to them verbally. The experience is astonishing.
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Laptops
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Spacetop AR laptop puts the screen on your face
May 19, 2023Seeking to free laptop users from small displays that limit functionality, Sightful has unveiled a laptop with no screen. Instead, AR glasses project a 100-inch virtual screen anywhere, transforming any space into a screen-filled portable office. -
Framework previews modular gaming laptop with upgradeable GPU
March 24, 2023Back in early 2021, a Californian startup revealed plans to launch a 13-inch laptop that users could upgrade, repair and customize. Now the company is about to launch the Framework Laptop 16, which will allow users to upgrade discrete graphics. -
Acer sheds the pounds for world's lightest 16-inch OLED laptop
October 07, 2022As I know from painful experience, hauling a heavy brick of a laptop around on work assignments can be an energy zapping strain. Acer's Swift Edge model could help, launching as the lightest 16-inch OLED laptop in the world.
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Music
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Fender goes oddball on a budget with Squier Paranormal guitars
June 05, 2023Like Fender's Parallel Universe guitars, the Squier Paranormal series explores bizarre model combinations and "what if?" oddities, but at more budget-friendly price points. -
Mashups made easy: AI powers new remix app
May 31, 2023Ever wondered what it would sound like if Michael Jackson, Cardi B and Jay-Z made a song together? Now you can find out with a new app that uses AI to help you make a mashup of your favorite songs – no DJing experience required. -
Aerodrums 2 system takes air-drumming to the next level
May 30, 2023Drum kits take up a lot of space, and are very noisy. The Aerodrums 2 system, however, allows drummers to practice in silence using just a camera module, foot markers, and a special set of drum sticks – no actual drums are involved.
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Robotics
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Student-designed robot gives crop-eating insects' eggs the brush-off
June 08, 2023The spotted lanternfly is a serious invasive pest, causing considerable damage to crops such as apples, grapes and hops. That's why it's important to destroy the insect's eggs – which is exactly what the TartanPest robot is designed to do. -
Oceanbotics' newest ROV seeks and destroys sea mines
June 08, 2023Oceanbotics' SRV-8 underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) is certainly no slouch, nor is its more capable sibling, the SRV-8X. The latest version of the vehicle, the SRV-8 MDV, takes things even further – it blows up sea mines. -
AI and humans collaborate on first ChatGPT-designed robot
June 07, 2023Is there anything ChatGPT can’t do? Researchers have now used the large language model to help them design and construct a tomato-picking robot. They say that while it demonstrates the great potential in human-AI collaboration, there are risks.
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Smartwatches
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Coros PACE 2 review: A lightweight, long-lasting smartwatch
July 04, 2021If you want a wearable to track workouts, runs, sleep and plenty more, then there's no shortage of devices to pick from – and after a couple of weeks of testing we can tell you that the Coros PACE 2 has a few features that might make you choose it. -
The budget TicWatch E3 shows off Wear OS at its best
June 16, 2021Google has promised big improvements for its Wear OS wearable platform later this year, but in the meantime Mobvoi has launched a new device that could be the best value smartwatch on the market right now: the TicWatch E3. -
The newest Casio G-Shock smartwatch is the first to run Wear OS
April 01, 2021Google's Wear OS platform could certainly use some more actual smartwatches to run on, and Casio has obliged with the GSW-H1000 – the first G-Shock smartwatch from the brand to come with Wear OS on board.
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Telecommunications
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Holoportation box is a sign of things to come for ASL learning
April 24, 2023At a teaching symposium earlier this month, the world's only liberal arts university for deaf students explored the potential for remote learning by testing out a life-size holoportation device called the Epic from Proto Inc. -
Logitech debuts Project Ghost videoconferencing booth prototype at ISE 2023
February 03, 2023Video chats came into their own during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing an audiovisual lifeline for fragmented families and remote colleagues in touch. But they seem rather flat compared to Project Ghost presented by Logitech at ISE 2023 this week. -
Laser satellite shatters space-to-Earth data transmission speed record
December 01, 2022A small satellite developed by MIT engineers has set a new record for data transmission between a satellite and Earth. The TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) system used a laser to beam huge amounts of data at up to 100 gigabits per second.
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Wearables
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Rugged TicWatch Pro 5 smartwatch first to run with Snapdragon W5 Plus
May 30, 2023We were pretty impressed by the smartwatch experience offered by Mobvoi when the original TicWatch Pro launched in 2018, and now the company has moved into a new generation with its "most powerful TicWatch to date." -
iFi Go pod wearable BT DAC/amp makes high-end corded IEMs wireless
April 21, 2023The UK's iFi Audio has announced the Go pod, a pair of Bluetooth-enabled DAC/headphones amp modules designed to transform any in-ear monitors with detachable cables into high-performance wireless earphones. -
Garmin military-grade Fortex GPS units keep data out of enemy hands
April 20, 2023Garmin has released two wrist-mounted tactical GPS navigators that can not only make complex ballistic calculations for rifle shooters, but come with Stealth and Kill Switch features to prevent location data from falling into the wrong hands.
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Virtual Reality
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Face-worn tech could help bring smell-o-vision to the world of VR
June 06, 2023While we've seen multiple attempts to produce real-world odors in VR environments, many have involved cumbersome wearable devices. Chinese scientists have developed a much more streamlined system, which is applied to the skin below the user's nose. -
Apple enters the AR arena with Apple Vision Pro system
June 05, 2023After months of speculation, Apple has finally announced its house-brand augmented reality system. Known as Apple Vision Pro, the setup is described as being the company's first "spatial computer." -
Meta announces Quest 3 as Apple prepares to drop its VR/AR headset
June 01, 2023With Apple dropping hints that its much-awaited AR/VR headset will drop at next week's WWDC event, Meta has attempted to steal its rival's thunder. The new Meta Quest 3 is smaller, much more powerful than its predecessor, and designed for next-level AR.
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