Apple’s Siri-connected speaker, the HomePod, is arriving Feb. 9, and details on how it works have emerged this week. Whether or not you find the idea of Apple’s take on the smart speaker appealing, its control scheme shows a lot of promise… for AirPods. Here are the basic controls. It’s not a big shock: There’s a …
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If you fear trying virtual reality and getting tangled in cords, you’re in luck: 2018 could be your year. The last vestiges of tethered cables may finally be going away. But being wireless isn’t the same thing as being hassle-free. What’s the big deal about wireless VR, you ask? Maybe you have a phone-connected Gear VR, Daydream View or even …
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Two years ago, Naughty America made waves at CES with its debut of VR porn — or, to be specific, 180-degree 3D videos viewable on VR headsets. Riding the coattails of upcoming VR hardware like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, it was a return to the risque days when CES overlapped with the adult-themed AVN (Adult Video News) show, making …
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When wandering around with a VR headset on, I’m afraid of going too far without someone to spot me. The reason is simple: I can’t really see where I’m going. Odds of tripping over a chair or a table are extremely high. One company seems to have tried to solve that problem, and I tried out the result deep in …
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Will we ever be able to power electronics with body heat? Matrix Industries is pushing for it to happen, starting with watches and internet-of-things (IoT) sensors. I remember being wowed by the idea of the Matrix Industries PowerWatch a year ago. It was one of the wilder ideas I’ve seen at CES: a perpetually powered fitness watch charged by body …
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You can stick Amazon’s Alexa into all sorts of things: speakers, cars, phones, watches, robots and even refrigerators. Add smartglasses to that list. Vuzix, makers of various smartglasses and Google Glass-like head wearables for years, are now making smart eyewear compatible with Amazon’s Alexa. Bloomberg broke the news ahead of CES, but I got to wear the glasses in Las Vegas. Smartglasses, …
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When VR first made its major CES reemergence via Oculus Rift years ago, it was jaw-dropping. Those moments, since, are harder to come by. After a 2017 where VR hardware sales flagged and buzz quieted, AR started to gain steam via phone apps from Apple and Google. Meanwhile, the dream of some next-level “mixed reality” — a holographic blend of …
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It’s already hard to keep track of how many Android Wear-powered smartwatches exist in the world. Fossil Group makes many of them: Misfit, Fossil, Diesel, Michael Kors, Emporio Armani and others. Kate Spade and Skagen now join the fold, too. Continuing Android Wear’s push to fashion watch brands last year, these models seem to promise extra style over new function. …
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I’m in a little Blade Runner world. Rain’s falling, at least as far as I remember. I see a noodle shop in the dystopia. I lean forward to the man behind the counter, the world getting closer to me, and suddenly my chest pops in pain: In real life, I’m seated in a Las Vegas conference room and I’ve just …
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Why would anyone want a modular smartwatch? Well, maybe the better question is: Who could use a modular smartwatch? A concept kicking around for years has enterprise and developers in its sights. And maybe that’s where this idea could work. Blocks, a gadget concept, has been crowdfunding and pitching its idea for years. The watch is like one of those …
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