Category: Tech News

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the remote parking features in some Tesla vehicles. The tools in question are Smart Summon and the unfortunately acronymed Actual Smart Summon, which uses cameras in the car to automatically control the parking process.

The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation has received 12 complaints of alleged crashes from the Smart Summon feature and one complaint about Actual Smart Summon use allegedly resulting in a crash. It has also reviewed three media reports of seemingly similar collisions involving Actual Smart Summon where the driver did not have the time to react to avoid a crash. The remote parking feature is available in an estimated 2.6 million vehicles, including the 2016-2025 Model S, 2016 Model X, 2018-2025 Model Xs, 2019-2025 Model 3s, and 2019-2025 Model Ys.

Tesla reported its first ever drop in deliveries at the start of the month. The company reported about 1.78 million vehicle deliveries over 2024, compared with 1.81 million in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/nhtsa-opens-investigation-into-tesla-remote-parking-features-194559802.html?src=rss

As it did last year, TCL is showing off a new generation of NXTPAPER tech this week at CES. The new NXTPAPER 11 Plus tablet is built around the also new NXTPAPER 4.0 screen which uses a “nano-matrix lithography” to improve clarity and sharpness. The color accuracy is better as well, with the new output measuring just one on the Delta-E scale (the metric measures how the human eye perceives color differences and any value of one or lower is said to be imperceptible to the human eye).

Since its launch in 2021, the goal of NXTPAPER tech has been to create a screen that’s easier on the eyes and now, unsurprisingly, AI is here to help with that. The NXTPAPER 11 Plus has an AI-powered Smart Eye Comfort Mode that adjusts output based on different usage scenario and the Personalized Eye Comfort Modes let users adjust eye-comfort settings to their liking. Features like NXTPAPER’s paper-like matte finish and blue light purification technologies go further to help make the screen easier to look at for longer periods. 

The new tablet will support Google’s Circle to Search feature and the Smart Voice Memo function will transcribe and summarize recordings. There’s a Smart Translator to handle language from voice, text and images and AI Subtitles offers real-time dialog transcription.  

TCL’s NXTPAPER tech is relatively unique in the display industry, providing something that looks almost like E-Ink, but with the speed, resolution and sharpness of a traditional LCD display. Pricing and availability for the NXTPAPER 11 Plus are still forthcoming. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/tcl-announces-the-nxtpaper-11-plus-tablet-at-ces-2025-featuring-a-new-nano-etched-display-190042475.html?src=rss

At a surprisingly star-studded event this morning, BMW showed off the final form of its long-awaited and long-teased Panoramic iDrive system. It’s a combination of an oddly angular touchscreen, a windshield-spanning heads-up display, and an LLM-powered AI assistant. The big news? It’s coming to every future BMW.

Comedians Tim Meadows and Ken Jeong welcomed the assembled crowd into a studio designed to look like an oversized interior of the company’s upcoming Neue Klasse. They did their best to goad BMW’s Bavarian executives into a series of jokes and bits that mostly fell as flat as the central touchscreen that now dominates the iDrive experience.

Thankfully, it’s not comedy that brought us to Las Vegas this week, and the good news for BMW is that the interface looks good. The software behind the scenes is called BMW Operating System X, and it powers a new iDrive that combines screens and voice commands to create a familiar but far more comprehensive interface than anything we’ve seen in a BMW before.

It all starts with that central touchscreen, but even that is different. Rather than being square or curved like in other BMWs, the new panel is rhomboid-shaped, a slanted polygon whose leaning posture doesn’t seem to really augment the experience but does at least look distinctive.

The panel is also tilted slightly towards the driver and is running software that is at least familiar to anyone who’s used the current iDrive interface. A static bar along the bottom provides quick access to the most important things, like controls for the heating system. Above that, a stylized, 3D view of the world makes sure you’re always situated.

Things get more interesting when you move up the dashboard. Running along the base of the windshield is what BMW calls Panoramic Vision. It spans the width of the car, with the left-most portion handling typical gauge cluster duties like displaying current speed, active safety controls, and even warnings.

Tim Stevens for Engadget

The rest of the Panoramic Vision display is customizable, with six widgets that you can drag up from the central touchscreen covering things like outside temperature, navigation ETA, and even another widget showing you turn-by-turn information. It’s much that we’ve seen in demos from BMW before, but now nearly ready for prime-time with the cars shipping at the end of this year.

Given the Panoramic Vision’s importance in the overall in-car experience, I asked the guy who oversaw the development of all this, BMW’s SVP of connected company technical operations Stephan Durach, whether there were any visibility issues in the bright sunlight.

“This technology is a little bit different than a traditional heads-up display… we’re using black print on the bottom. In bright sunlight, it’s even performing a little bit better,” he said. “You’ll not have any issues at all.”

If that’s not enough displays for you, there’s another HUD situated on the left, up above the Panoramic Vision, which gives 3D navigation information for the driver. Yes, between the touchscreen, the Panoramic Vision display, and the HUD, you can get three separate feeds of turn-by-turn directions.

In other words, if you miss a turn in this thing, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

BMW

BMW also quickly demonstrated a new in-car LLM that, for now at least, is only for navigation. It was all pre-recorded, so it’s anyone’s guess how well this will work in reality, but in the demo, at least, it quickly found “the best beach” and navigated there. When our pretend driver left the city, the car even asked whether to automatically engage Sport Mode, which was a nice touch.

BMW’s Durach confirmed that Android Auto and Apple CarPlay will still be supported. He also teased that there are some more fun tricks to come that will get passengers more involved in the experience.

BMW ended the presentation by confirming that Panoramic iDrive will not only be coming to the Neue Klasse when it finally hits the market at the end of this year but will be the standard interface for all new BMWs that launch after that. That means the days of the rotary iDrive controller are now officially numbered.

I asked Durach if he had any parting words for this once-revolutionary vehicular interface.

“We take a look at all of our data and usage… you can really see that the usage of our rotary controller is declining dramatically,” he said. “People don’t even touch it.”

It’s a harsh send-off, but these days you just can’t cry over progress.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ces-2025-bmws-vision-spanning-panoramic-idrive-will-make-sure-you-never-miss-another-navigation-prompt-192022046.html?src=rss

The futuristic looking concept electric vehicles that Honda had introduced at last year’s CES are now much closer to becoming models you can actually buy. Honda has unveiled prototype versions of the 0 Series Saloon sedan and the 0 Series SUV at CES 2025. It also revealed that it will launch their production models next year in North America followed by Japan and Europe. The Honda 0 SUV will be introduced in the first half of 2026 and will be the first model in the lineup to enter production. It’s a mid-size SUV that was originally presented as the Space-Hub concept and will be based company’s newly developed dedicated EV architecture. 

Meanwhile, the production version of the flagship Honda 0 Saloon EV, characterized by its low height and wedge-shaped design, will be launched late next year. Both models will be capable of Level 3 automated driving, which means they can steer, brake and accelerate by themselves, though the driver will have to be ready to take over anytime needed. They will also be equipped with ASIMO OS, the new operating system Honda developed for its next-gen EVs. It is, of course, named after the Asimo humanoid robot the company introduced at CES over two decades ago and will power both its automated driving and infotainment systems. 

The Honda 0 Series vehicles will come with a North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, so they’ll be able to access Tesla’s charging stations. Honda is working on building a charging network with other automakers, as well, under a joint venture called IONNA. The initiative, which aims to build a nationwide network of over 30,000 charging stations by 2030, was founded by Honda, BMW, GM, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Toyota. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/hondas-saloon-and-space-hub-ev-concepts-are-now-prototypes-190047136.html?src=rss

NVIDIA’s Reflex technology just got a massive upgrade, as announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The company’s Reflex 2 kicks things up several notches, thanks to some software wizardry. The end result? A promise to further reduce gaming latency by up to 75 percent. In this case, latency refers to how quickly a game displays the reaction from a player’s inputs.

Here’s how it works, and it’s pretty wild. Reflex 2 combines the pre-existing Low Latency mode with something called Frame Warp. This tech tasks the CPU to calculate the position of the next frame as the current frame is being rendered by the GPU. The CPU uses player input, typically via mouse, to calculate the upcoming camera position.

The tools then sample the upcoming camera position and graft it onto the current frame, waiting until the “very last moment to ensure the latest input is shown on screen.” This glimpse into the near future should “allow players to improve their aim and tracking of enemies.”

But how can a pre-rendered image exist on top of the current frame without creating all kinds of visual inaccuracies? NVIDIA developed a “latency-optimized predictive rendering algorithm” that uses data from prior frames to fill in any obvious gaps, so players will see a new frame with the updated camera position without any weird holes. It is, quite literally, warping the frame (thus the name.)

The company showcased this technology with Embark Studio’s The Finals, which will be one of the first games to support the toolset. The proof is in the pudding. With the game running on an RTX 5070 GPU at 4K with max settings, the latency was 56ms. The first iteration of Reflex reduced the latency to 27ms, while Reflex 2 dropped it all the way down to 14ms.

In addition to The Finals, NVIDIA says that Valorant will soon support the tech. The company notes that it has used Reflex 2 with Frame Warp to reduce the latency to an average of under 3ms. Reflex 2 will debut as part of the forthcoming GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs, with support for other RTX GPUs coming sometime in the future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidias-reflex-2-predicts-milliseconds-into-the-future-of-competitive-games-182213650.html?src=rss

As always, one could confuse CES with a full-on auto show. Among the brands showcasing in Las Vegas this year are Volvo, Toyota, BMW, China’s Zeekr and, of course, the Afeela (Sony’s and Honda’s joint venture). Honda, meanwhile, has its own dedicated keynote coming up and you can watch it right here. The automaker is continuing to showcase its 0 Series EVs after debuting two concept models at CES 2024. Next up is a look at two prototypes ahead of Honda starting to ship these vehicles in 2026.

What to expect at Honda’s CES 2025 press conference

Last year, we got a look at two Honda 0 Series concept vehicles — a sedan that the company called the Saloon and a minivan-style Space-Hub. Honda’s mantra for 0 Series development is “thin, light and wise,” and its CES 2025 keynote will focus on the latter.

Honda says it will unveil the 0 Series operating system and automated driving tech, while spilling the beans about the SoC that will power the EVs. In addition, it will reveal details about an energy service that it will roll out alongside the 0 Series vehicles.

The big draw of the keynote, however, will be the two prototype 0 Series EVs that Honda will show off. The company plans to start shipping those in 2026. A teaser image (above) indicates that it Honda has a sedan and a minivan or SUV ready to discuss.

Watch the Honda CES 2025 livestream

You can watch Honda’s CES 2025 press conference live below. The stream will start Tuesday, January 7 at 1:30PM ET.

Follow real-time CES updates on our liveblog

For a recap of the Honda event as well as other news coming out of Las Vegas this week, check out our main CES 2025 liveblog.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/honda-ces-2025-keynote-watch-honda-reveal-its-0-series-ev-prototypes-live-here-160037969.html?src=rss

I knew I had found my favorite computer of CES 2025 early last December, long before I had a chance to see what most other PC makers were cooking up. It comes from ASUS and it’s the new Zenbook A14, a system that the company had joked about calling the Zenbook Air.

To be fair, the name would have been fitting: the notebook weighs less than 2.2 pounds (or 1kg), a half a pound lighter than Apple’s most svelte MacBook Air. In almost every respect, the ZenBook A14 outclasses Apple’s ultraportable, with specs like a 14-inch OLED screen and up to 32 hours of battery life. The only catch is that it runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X and X Elite chips, which limits compatibility with older Windows apps (along with some devices).

What’s most remarkable about the Zenbook A14, though, is that it simply feels great to hold. The light weight is a big part of that, but its also covered in ASUS’s unique Ceraluminum material, which feels markedly different than a typical metal case. ASUS has deployed Ceraluminum across its premium lineup for years, but this is one of the first times we’ve seen it on practically every surface of a laptop (the top lid, keyboard desk and bottom).

The Zenbook A14 also features plenty of thoughtful design elements. It’s easy to open up one-handed, thanks to a refined hinge that counter-acts the laptop’s tiny frame. It also has a surprising amount of ports, including one USB Type A connection, two USB C ports, HDMI 2.1 and a headphone jack. That’s all connectivity we’ll never see on a MacBook Air.

In my short time with the Zenbook A14, its keyboard and trackpad also felt relatively comfortable. ASUS says the keys offer 1.3mm of travel, and while they could always be deeper, they seemed fine for casual typing. The laptop also sports a 1080p IR camera, speakers with Dolby Atmos support and Wi-Fi 7. Basically, it has everything we’d want in a premium laptop in 2025.

The ASUS Zenbook A14 starts at $900 with a Snapdragon X Plus CPU and 16GB of RAM (in a slightly chunkier 2.4 pound case). The lightest 2.18 pound model is available for $1,100 with a Snapdragon X Elite chip and 32GB of RAM.

ASUS

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/asus-unveiled-the-zenbook-a14-at-ces-2025-and-its-the-macbook-air-competitor-ive-been-dreaming-of-173026277.html?src=rss

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.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

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.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

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