Go Here to Read this Fast! Elon Musk says the world is running out of data for AI training
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Elon Musk says the world is running out of data for AI training
Grok, the AI assistant that’s for some reason baked into X, is now available as a standalone app. Like the version that exists as a tab on the social media platform, the Grok app can be used to generate images, summarize text and answer questions, with a conversational tone xAI, the AI assistant’s creator, calls “humorous and engaging.”
The app was first tested with a limited set of users in December 2024, right around the same time X debuted a free tier of Grok that’s available to anyone. Prior to that, you needed to pay at least $8 a month for X Premium to have the privilege of using the AI.
The limitations of that free access — 10 requests every two hours, three image analysis request per day — may also apply to the Grok app. You can use the app without signing in, or sign-in with an Apple account, X account, Google account, or a plain old email. It’s not clear whether an X Premium subscription gets you added benefits in the Grok app in the same way it does X.
Grok has struggled with similar issues around accuracy and bizarre image generation choices as other AI assistants like Gemini and ChatGPT. The chatbot mainly stands out from its competitors because xAI pitched it as being able to answer “spicy questions” other AI assistants avoid, and a version of the Grok AI model is open source. You’ll have to see for yourself how “spicy” the Grok app ultimately is, but at least you don’t have to go to X to use it now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/xs-grok-ai-assistant-is-now-a-standalone-app-225151579.html?src=rss
Amazon shared the latest list of video game titles that Prime members can snag for free this month. Members can pick up a code for BioShock 2 Remastered right now, and if you’re patient, you can also grab a free copy of Deus Ex GOTY Edition or Super Meat Boy Forever later in January.
The cloud-based Amazon Luna gaming service has also shared its current lineup of titles that Prime members can play. Airhead, Guacamelee! 2 Complete, The Magical Mixture Mill, Metro Exodus and Super Meat Boy are in the rotation for that service this month alongside Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, Fortnight, LEGO Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, Fortnite Battle Royale, Rocket Racing and Trackmania.
Some of Prime Gaming’s freebies last for longer than 30 days, so you’ve also got some time left to pick up a copy of some of the December titles if you haven’t already loaded up on those deals. But if you’re looking ahead, here’s the full lineup of upcoming free Prime Gaming titles this month and when they’ll be available.
BioShock 2 Remastered (GOG)
The Bridge (Epic Games Store)
Eastern Exorcist (Epic Games Store)
SkyDrift Infinity (Epic Games Store)
Spirit Mancer (Amazon Games App)
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader (Epic Games Store)
GRIP (GOG)
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (GOG)
Deus Ex GOTY Edition (GOG)
Spitlings (Amazon Games App)
Star Stuff (Epic Games Store)
To the Rescue! (Epic Games Store)
Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Epic Games Store)
Blood West (GOG)
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights (Epic Games Store)
Super Meat Boy Forever (Epic Games Store)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/pick-up-bioshock-2-remastered-and-deus-ex-in-prime-gamings-january-freebies-215515330.html?src=rss
I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s been dethroned, but Mirumi — the clingy fluffball with a staring problem — now has some serious competition for the title of cutest robot at CES 2025. I just met Ropet, a wide-eyed companion robot with warm, soft fur, little flapping arms and big feelings. And damn is that thing adorable.
Ropet’s sole mission is to love and be loved. Think of it like a living plushie; it has a personality, will listen to your deepest darkest secrets without judgment, and will reach out to hug you when you’re sad. Its appearance is customizable and it has optional ChatGPT integration, so it’s there if you want it for advanced conversations with the robot but you’re not forced into it. Its little button nose is a camera that it uses for face and object recognition; Ropet can identify and bond more closely with its owner, but it will remember other people too. All of this data is stored and processed locally, meaning it never leaves the device itself.
If you don’t trust that (fair), you can keep Ropet entirely disconnected from the internet, and it’ll still be capable of performing all of its functions minus ChatGPT. That includes reacting to audio, touch and gesture inputs. If you pet or cuddle it, its expression will change to visible happiness. Or, it might look grumpy if you shake it around. (What are you, evil? Don’t do that). Show it one of the few dozen objects it knows, like a hotdog or a banana, and you’ll see an emoji of that pop up in its eyes. You can give it the “shush” sign to quiet it down, and it’ll dance along if you’re listening to music.
We’re at the point of CES week where we’re all running on fumes, and Ropet brought unexpected childlike glee to this burnt-out gremlin for a few minutes. Emotional companion robots are a ubiquitous presence at CES, but the ones that actually have some degree of smarts are not usually so snuggleable. And the ones that are snuggleable usually aren’t very smart, tending to come across more like animatronics. Ropet looks kind of like a fluffy baby seal — but not realistic enough to dip into uncanny valley territory — and its body gives off heat to simulate the feeling of holding a living creature.
It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Furby, which is probably the best-known example of a robotic creature pet that responds to voice and touch commands. But Ropet takes the whole idea to another level. You can change the color of its eyes in the app, and buy different face plates and furs if you want to mix things up or just can’t decide how you want its appearance. There are also little outfits you can purchase.
A Kickstarter campaign for Ropet managed to pull in $228,091, wildly surpassing its $1,285 goal, so I’m definitely not the only one who thinks this little guy seems pretty promising. There are two purchase options for anyone who is interested: Ropet Basic ($299), which comes with a case and a USB-C charging cord, and Ropet Pro ($329), which comes with those things plus a charging base that has light effects and lets Ropet rotate a little. The Kickstarter doesn’t end until January 21, so if you catch it before then you can get it for significantly cheaper. Early bird orders are expected to begin shipping in March, and the rest will be unleashed upon the world later this year.
Now we sit back and see whether Ropet will follow in the footsteps of Furby to develop its own mildly sinister lore that endures for decades to come.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/ropet-is-the-cute-as-hell-emotional-robot-at-ces-2025-that-the-modern-furby-wishes-it-could-be-214046211.html?src=rss
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Ropet is the cute-as-hell emotional robot at CES 2025 that the modern Furby wishes it could be
CES 2025 is coming to a close, and team Engadget is ready to leave Las Vegas. Our reporters and editors have scoured endless carpeted convention halls, braved lines of chain smokers and fielded thousands of emails a day to find the best and most credible products at the show.
As expected, the vast majority of things we saw this CES had an AI component, with a noticeable uptick in AR glasses, hearing aid earbuds, solar-powered tech, emotional support robots and robot vacuums. Apparently people really like robovacs that can pick up socks. Our team was encouraged to see more growth in tech built to improve the lives of those with disabilities and mobility issues, too.
Our list of CES 2025 winners covers a variety of categories, ranging from typical areas like home entertainment, transportation and smart home to theme-based topics like sustainability and accessibility. After our team shortlisted nominees and voted on the best for various categories, we then conducted another round of voting to decide on the best product of the show.
That said, here’s the full list of our picks for the Best of CES 2025.
The ASUS Zenbook A14 feels impossibly light, weighing between 2.2 and 2.4 pounds, and it has a gorgeous 14-inch OLED screen and a decent array of ports (USB-C, USB-A and HDMI)! What else ccould you want in a MacBook Air competitor? After years of basically copying Apple’s MacBooks, ASUS proves it can out-innovate Apple without resorting to gimmicks like dual screens or flashy lights. The Zenbook A14 is simply a tiny laptop that feels great in your hands, thanks in large part to ASUS’s unique Ceraluminum case material. ASUS claims it can last up to 32 hours while playing video, well above the 18 hours Apple estimates for the MacBook Air. It may seem odd that the least flashy laptop of CES 2025 is one of our favorites, but sometimes pure practicality is undeniable. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior reporter, reviews
We’re always looking for brand new, never-seen-before stuff at CES, but sometimes it’s the clever reinterpretation of existing tech that catches our attention. That’s the case with Backup by Biolite. It’s essentially a cross between a universal power supply (UPS) and a whole-home backup battery, but improves on both.
The thin, 40-pound 1.5 kWh battery lives between a wall outlet and your fridge (or any other plug-in device) and keeps those things running in the event of a power outage. It doesn’t require professional installation, just a user-installed wall mount, and it’s thin enough to hide behind your fridge or tuck under a counter. Though if it were on display, the matte-silver finish wouldn’t spoil any aesthetic.
The Backup Complete includes two units that supply up to 3 kWh, which is enough to power a fridge, microwave, lights, as well as refill phones and a laptop. The 3 kWh capacity and the fact that it’s an installed battery currently qualifies it for a 30 percent federal tax credit, which would bring the cost down to $2,100 for the Complete. The single-unit Backup Core packs 1.5 kWh and goes for $2,000. Both are available for pre-order now and should ship this summer. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter, buying advice
Jackery is already an established name in domestic solar generator systems, and its latest product fills a wavy gap in its product lineup. Jackery’s XBC curved solar roof shingles mimic some of the most common house styles in the country, and they come in terracotta or obsidian colorways for optimum HOA appeasement. These are the first curved solar tiles to hit the United States market and they deliver a cell conversion efficiency of more than 25 percent. They can withstand extreme weather conditions, including temperatures between -40 degrees F and 185 degrees F, and they’re designed in line with traditional roofing installation practices, featuring a modular setup that allows for flexible maintenance. Jackery’s new wavy solar tiles connect with the company’s existing solar generation and storage products, making them an accessible and attractive option for whole-home sustainability. — Jessica Conditt, Senior reporter
The plight of the modern handheld-PC gamer is trying to decide which OS to use. There are a ton of Windows 11-based devices that offer unparalleled compatibility and strong graphics support. But all that comes on a platform that isn’t optimized for smaller gadgets with attached controllers. Alternatively, SteamOS offers a much more cohesive experience with a better UI and less performance overhead. The problem is that Valve’s operating system was basically only available on a single device — the Steam Deck. That changes now with the Lenovo Legion Go S, which will be available in two flavors: a Windows version and for the first time on any handheld not made by Valve, a model powered by SteamOS.
Aside from the choice of platforms and different colored shells, we appreciate that the two variants feature almost identical specs including an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and a decently large 55.5Whr battery. Its 8-inch touchscreen looks great too, as it offers a 120Hz refresh rate with support for VRR, 500 nits of brightness and a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. And with prices starting at $600 (or $500 for the SteamOS model), it’s rather affordable too. Perhaps the biggest downside is that while the Windows model will be out later this month, we’re going to have to wait until May for the one powered by SteamOS. But with the latter sort of finally making good on the nearly decade-old promise of Valve’s Steam Machines, holding out for a few extra months doesn’t seem so long. — Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter, reviews
LG’s Best of CES crown is safe for another year. The company is consistently at the top of the best TVs we see each year in Las Vegas, and it frequently comes out the winner. For this year’s OLED evo M5, the company managed to further improve its most premium displays, adding the latest α (Alpha) 11 AI processor Gen2 to improve the look of lower-resolution content and power advanced features.
For gamers, there’s a 165Hz refresh rate, alongside both NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium certifications. This should smooth things out and keep lag to a minimum. The company’s new Brightness Booster Ultimate can achieve levels that are three times brighter than “conventional OLED” models, according to the company. Plus, the feature contributes to a UL Solutions’ “Perfect Black” and “Perfect Color” verification on the M5. It’s truly stunning picture quality.
Lastly, LG’s Zero Connect Box that’s been available on the M-series for a while now is finally available on screens below 77 inches. This device allows you to connect all of your consoles and streaming gear without running multiple HDMI cables to the TV. LG now says it doesn’t need line-of-sight clearance either, and that it can be hidden in a wooden cabinet near the M5. — Billy Steele, Senior reporter, reviews
Gadgets made for relaxation shouldn’t be complicated. Moonbuddy has one purpose — to make guided breathwork accessible and appealing to children — and it nails the execution with no unnecessary frills. The company behind it first made a similar stress relief device for adults, and Moonbuddy simplifies that experience and puts it into a cuter package. Moonbuddy is an egg-shaped device with a soft area that expands and contracts in set rhythms, so kids can follow along and sync up their own breathing. It fits into an animal themed sleeve, so it looks like a toy. There are four different breathing modes, each lasting a few minutes and designed to promote a state of calmness.
The whole thing is tactile and screen-free, which is especially good considering many parents may want to incorporate it into the nighttime routine. And as much as I love the little animal outfits as a person who gravitates toward cute things, I also like that if your kid gets to that stage where they reject everything babyish, they can take the sleeve off and keep using it in its more nondescript form. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editor
The MCON by OhSnap basically transforms any smartphone into a modern Xperia Play, complete with modern conveniences like Hall effect analog sticks, silent buttons, flip-out grips, and a full bumper and trigger layout. It’s a mobile gamepad that can slide into your pocket without the sticks or handles getting caught on anything, and it works with pretty much every smartphone on the market today. The MCON uses MagSafe to snap onto the back of any recent iPhone and it comes with an adapter for Android devices to join in on the fun. It even works with the Galaxy Z Fold, and its creator, Josh King, is working on a solution for the Z Flip, too.
The mockup that King brought to CES 2025 felt lightweight yet solid and comfortable to hold, and the phone-snapping action was supremely satisfying. After gaining a bit of viral fame with his idea, King partnered with established MagSafe accessory manufacturer OhSnap to push the MCON into full production, and it’s due to hit the market in August for $150. — Jessica Conditt, Senior reporter
Robot vacuums got a bunch of new — and sometimes strange — powers at CES 2025. But none made a bigger impression than Roborock’s Saros Z70, which comes with a mechanical arm that can pick up socks, lift cords and grab other objects.
The OmniGrip arm can pick up objects up to 300 grams (a little more than half a pound) in order to clean under them or deposit them in the location of your choice. Functionality of the arm is controlled via Roborock’s app and is extremely customizable so you can program it to pick up loose trash and cat toys, but lift up cords to clean underneath.
When we saw it in action at CES, it deftly picked up socks and placed them in a basket. But Roborock promises it can do much more. The vacuum will automatically recognize 108 different objects — yes, like seemingly every other gadget we saw at CES, it uses AI — but you can also teach it to detect up to 50 additional items so it will know how to handle obstacles it’s most likely to encounter in your home.
Surprisingly, the Saros Z70 wasn’t the only robot vacuum with an arm we saw at CES, but it will be the first that you can actually buy. — Karissa Bell, Senior reporter
Technics’ new Magnetic Fluid drivers have garnered a lot of headlines this week, but all you really need to know about the EAH-AZ100 earbuds is that the sound quality is massively improved. Powered by those new components, there’s more clarity, detail and bass, all of which are upgrades from the already impressive AZ80. Technics revised its earbud shape for the AZ100 in the name of comfort and fit, while also making the buds smaller and lighter. Features like touch controls, multipoint connectivity for three devices, spatial Dolby Atmos audio and LDAC support are here as well. And unlike most of what we see at CES, these new earbuds are already available to purchase. — Billy Steele, Senior reporter, reviews
Since the pandemic, e-bikes, not electric cars, have been at the forefront of the EV revolution, and it’s easy to see why: Electric bikes are a lot more affordable than their four-wheeled counterparts. Plus, here at Engadget, we’re all for devices that promote healthier living, and for many, getting an e-bike can be transformational.
So when Urtopia showed up at CES 2025 with a concept e-bike that features a novel motor design, I was excited. As my colleague Daniel Cooper notes in his writeup, e-bike motors have traditionally come in two form factors, each with their own set of considerations. The custom-designed Quark DMI.2 mid-drive motor Urtopia showed off alongside its Titanium Zero e-bike offers a third path. It’s not as powerful as traditional mid-drive motors, but it still features more power output than even the best hub motors. Best of all, the motor is small enough to fit inside a bottom bracket and weighs just 2.6 pounds.
Urtopia hasn’t said when it will start manufacturing the Titanium Zero, but it’s easy to see a scenario where the design of the Quark DMI.2 inspires other bike makers and pushes the industry forward. — Igor Bonifacic, Senior reporter
Of all the products at CES 2025 that had AI stuffed into them, WeWalk’s Smart Cane 2 stood out. The smart cane for people with visual impairments got an update this year that not only adds AI, but also addresses the original’s shortcomings. It brings more advanced sensors, and best of all, still works as a conventional folding cane when these technological features aren’t engaged. The Smart Cane 2 can detect obstacles and offer turn-by-turn navigation, and it has a ChatGPT-powered assistant that can provide answers to questions while someone is walking, without the need to reach for a smartphone. WeWalk also refined the actual cane by making its handle slimmer, replacing the original’s touchpad with tactile buttons and shaving a bit of weight off.
Sure, you might not be able to trust ChatGPT to give you correct answers to every question imaginable yet, but at least in this implementation, the product isn’t likely to harm users even if the AI fails. Plus, it has useful hardware, including time-of-flight and motion sensors to improve navigation, speakers to provide answers and feedback, as well as a flashlight to make the visually impaired more noticeable at night. And again, if the battery dies, you can still use this as a traditional, albeit pricier, cane. — Cherlynn Low, Deputy editor, reviews
One of the most memorable robots at CES this year was the one that arguably does the least. We found ourselves powerless against the heart-melting charm of Mirumi, a tiny, fluffy robot made by Yukai Engineering that literally just stares at people and looks around like a baby discovering the outside world. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but even better than that, it has long posable arms that allow it to hang onto objects. So if you put it on your bag strap, it will stare down everyone you encounter, and maybe become a little shy when they return the attention.
Mirumi has no purpose other than to spread joy, and I love it for that. Yukai previously brought us the weird Qoobo pillow (the one with the tail) and the cat that nibbles your finger, and this is another case in which it did not miss with one of its odd creations. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editor
At CES this year, AI was unsurprisingly everywhere, often in places it didn’t really seem like it needed to be. But the WeWalk Smart Cane 2, a high-tech version of the mobility cane for people who are blind, struck me as an application where it could actually be really helpful. With a new voice assistant that’s powered by GPT, users can speak directly to the cane to get detailed navigation guidance and on-demand information, like public transportation options and menu items. The smart cane is also packed with sensors that allow it to alert the users of upcoming obstacles. It does this with haptic feedback in the handle and by calling out a verbal warning.
WeWalk co-founder Kursat Ceylan, who is blind, gave a demonstration of the cane in the chaotic environment of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it was impressive. The voice assistant responded quickly and accurately to his prompts, and the obstacle detection alert was loud enough to be heard over the buzz of the CES crowd. It can also pair with headphones or earbuds via Bluetooth. Since the cane can handle things like turn-by-turn navigation, users don’t have to worry about also holding a smartphone while they’re trying to get around.
The smart cane takes an existing tool that people are already familiar with and enhances it. Importantly, it also seems like the company heard the feedback of users who had the first version of the cane and improved the design to better meet their needs. It has a slimmer handle than the first model and tactile buttons, and weighs about the same as a traditional white cane. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editor
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-of-ces-2025-211535752.html?src=rss
Go Here to Read this Fast! The best of CES 2025
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The best of CES 2025
CES is known for splashy TV and laptop launches, but in 2025, there were more than a few companies trying to make waves with robot vacuums, too. After years where it seemed like vacuuming, mopping, and self-emptying might be the peak of a robot vacuum’s abilities, this year’s show introduced home robots with whole new functionality — and appendages.
Here’s the robot vacuums that caught our eye at CES 2025, many of which you could invite to clean your living room later this year.
Roborock’s flagship vacuum for 2025 is the Roborock Saros Z70, a circular robot vacuum on the outside, that hides a retractable “OmniGrip” arm that can pick up and move objects on the inside. The arm is capable of five axis movement and is only able to carry around 300 grams, which makes it better at moving clothes and cables than anything truly heavy. Roborock claims the Saros Z70’s precision sensors, LEDs, and camera will be able to identify 108 objects that it can move or avoid, with the ability to learn up to 50 custom objects, too.
The only missing pieces are a price and launch date. Roborock plans to start selling the Roborock Saros Z70 later this year, but hasn’t shared what the price of the new robot will be. It might turn out that a robot arms don’t come cheap.
Dreame is one of Roborock’s rivals, and it had its own new flagship robot vacuum at CES. Rather than an arm, the Dreame X50 Ultra has tiny wheeled legs for climbing (admittedly shallow) stairs. Dreame calls the feature its “ProLeap System” and it currently says that the X50 Ultra can handle stairs that are 6cm (around 2.4 inches) tall. That’s a lot shorter than the average household stairs, but it does still mean Dreame’s robot vacuum can reach places competitors can’t.
The Dreame X50 Ultra is available to be reserved now for $39, which locks you in to a lower $1310 price and secures a longer warranty and free accessories. The robot vacuum will officially go on sale on February 4 for $1700.
Robot vacuums are convenient, but they’re not yet great at reaching every corner of your home, which usually means you have to also own some kind of handheld vacuum. The Eufy E20 could eliminate that two-vacuum conundrum. It’s a 3-in-1 robot vacuum that you can program to clean your house on its own, or pop out its vacuum component and use as a stick or handheld vacuum for hard to reach spots.
The goal is owning one vacuum that can adapt to all of your needs, while still offering the benefits of a robot vacuum, like a base station for automatically dumping debris. It seems like Eufy might have pulled it off, and at a relatively affordable price, too. The Eufy 3-in-1 E20 Vacuum will be available on February 10 and start at $550, with all of its accessories included.
Swithcbot is known for smart home accessories like robotic curtain movers and button pushers, but the company has also been offering its own affordable robot vacuum for the last few years. The Switchbot K20+ Pro is its latest model, but also a whole new way to combine the Switchbot products you might already own.
The K20+ Pro looks a bit like normal robot vacuum, just with a rolling platform mounted on top. It can hold up to 18 lbs and you can connect Switchbot’s air purifier, security camera or fan to the top and get a vacuum that doubles as a more of a general home robot. Switchbot says it’s also designed to be easy to mod if you want to create your own weird attachment to go on top. The K20+ Pro is definitely equal parts goofy and clever, but it still has plenty of unknowns. There’s no price or launch date beyond later this year. Switchbot plans to sell the K20+ Pro solo, and in bundles with some of the compatible accessories.
Roborock wasn’t alone in showing off a robot vacuum with an arm. Dreame’s unnamed prototype robot vacuum isn’t ready to go on sale, but does includes its own claw-shaped arm for grabbing things, and wheeled “legs” for getting over ledges like the Dreame X50 Ultra.
It’s not clear when this prototype will become a real product or how much it’ll cost when it does, but it serves as a good example that if Roborock can pull off the Saros Z70, others will certainly follow.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-new-robot-vacuums-that-caught-our-eye-at-ces-2025-210358124.html?src=rss
Go Here to Read this Fast! The new robot vacuums that caught our eye at CES 2025
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The new robot vacuums that caught our eye at CES 2025
At CES last year, Sony teased an AR/VR headset prototype focused on “spatial content creation.” And at the same time, Siemens announced it was working with Sony to use that same hardware, including the two new controllers it developed, for something it was calling the “industrial metaverse.” That’s a lot of buzzwords, but at CES 2025 both Siemens and Sony showed the headsets and associated software in action which helped clear up a lot of what the companies are trying to do here.
During Sony’s CES press conference, it announced its XYN brand of software and hardware solutions, with the headset being a key part of the equation. The XYN “spatial capture solution” uses mirrorless cameras to scan and make photorealistic 3D objects. Using the XYN headset, you can see those objects in 3D production software for animation, video games and other potential uses.
I got a chance to try the XYN headset on, as well as see some samples of the 3D objects that were scanned and manipulated. The demo itself was a little rocky, as so many VR demos can be, but essentially I was placed inside an animated world that had already been constructed. From there, I was able to import a geode / crystal-like object that had been scanned using the spatial capture tools. I could move it all around the virtual space, scaling it up to massive size or shrinking it down to a tiny pebble.
The headset itself felt well-constructed and sturdy for a prototype — the display flips up so you can get back into the real world quickly, and the headband was pretty comfortable and secure. As usual, though, it’s hard to evaluate how it’ll feel after an hour or two around your noggin. The controller wand felt a little fiddly to me — its somewhat unusual shape makes it well-suited to pointing, but figuring out how to “grab” down on things took me a bit. I can’t say how steep the learning curve is, but at least everything felt responsive and well-made.
While the demo itself wasn’t ground-breaking, it was a good example of showing the whole XYN pipeline, from capturing a 3D object to manipulating and using it to build out a virtual environment. Sony says the XYN headset and its controllers are still in the prototype phase, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we find out more about public availability sooner than later.
That’s because Siemens announced this week that what appears to be the exact same headset and controllers are now on sale, albeit with a very different focus. Siemens coined the “industrial metaverse” phrase last year, and I got a chance to learn more about just what that means. It turns out that Sony originally built the headset for internal use for designers and engineers to build things in 3D space. They were already using Siemens software, so the companies started working together to optimize both sides of the experience — and now Siemens thinks they’re at a point where they can sell the headset and software bundles to enterprise customers.
Siemens highlighted its AR capabilities a bit more, showing off how you could pin its NX Immersive Designer and use the headset as a virtual workspace — but one that lets you enlarge and manipulate the 3D objects you’re designing. You can also jump into VR mode and see the objects at full size and move around them using the headset’s controller. In this demo, I got to fly around massive 3D reproductions of a few airplanes, and while they weren’t the most detailed objects, the utility was clear.
I also used the second controller Sony developed in the Siemens demo. In addition to the pointer-style device, I had a ring over my index finger on my left hand. I used that to move around the virtual space; holding and turning my hand a specific direction moved me forwards and backwards or up and down. As always, it took a minute to get my bearings, but I was getting right up close to the virtual planes and “flying” up to check out their details before long.
Siemens is definitely further along in the quest to bring this product to end users: the XR HMD is up for pre-order now for $4,750, and the company says it’ll begin shipping next month. So the hardware is definitely beyond the prototype phase — in Sony’s case, it’s probably more a matter of making sure the whole pipeline of XYN software and hardware works together before making it widely available.
Sony and Siemens definitely face a challenge showing people how these tools can be useful — a four-minute demo doesn’t really do the trick, and I’m neither an engineer nor a “content creator” who might use the XYN tools. But what I find most intriguing about this strategy is that Sony is recognizing that its headset isn’t a broad consumer product; instead, they’re finding different places and industries where it might be useful. At this point, that’s probably a smart strategy, given that consumer-grade AR and VR remains very niche outside of the gaming sphere. But assuming Sony’s headset hardware is up to snuff, it wouldn’t surprise me to see other companies adopt it for their specific needs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/sonys-xyn-xr-headset-is-being-used-in-very-different-ways-at-ces-2025-204020872.html?src=rss
TripAdvisor has entered into a partnership with Perplexity to offer a human touch to the AI company’s hotel information. Through this deal, listings for hotel searches on Perplexity will now include summaries of information from TripAdvisor explaining why they were included in the results. Ratings, perks and images from TripAdvisor will also appear on Perplexity.
“From the Tripadvisor side, they provide an up-to-date trustworthy source of information that we sync regularly,” Perplexity cofounder Johnny Ho told The Verge. “On the fly, we’ll index and retrieve the right results depending on the user intent of the query.”
The results of this partnership are live now on Perplexity’s website and will roll out soon to the company’s mobile apps. According to the press release, the pair of businesses will continue to make improvements to their collaboration over the next three years. A lot of money probably changed hands for this deal, but no financial details were shared.
Last summer, Perplexity announced plans to add an ad revenue program to its AI-powered search engine. The company has drawn accusations of plagiarism and copyright infringement from several publishers, including The New York Times, Condé Nast, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexity-will-now-show-hotel-information-from-tripadvisor-202923788.html?src=rss
Go Here to Read this Fast! Perplexity will now show hotel information from TripAdvisor
Originally appeared here:
Perplexity will now show hotel information from TripAdvisor
Go Here to Read this Fast! This haptic vest might be my new favorite Meta Quest 3 accessory
Originally appeared here:
This haptic vest might be my new favorite Meta Quest 3 accessory