Posts

Showing posts with the label 2018 at 08:00AM Cherlynn Low

Bathrooms are getting smarter, for better or worse

Image
Getting up from the toilet after a satisfying bowel movement, you walk right over to the sink and start washing your hands. "Alexa, flush my toilet," you say while reaching for your toothbrush. Your mirror starts displaying your schedule for the day, the weather update and latest news. Suddenly, there's a ping -- your toilet has detected an anomaly in your stool and recommends you increase your fiber intake. A dispenser built into your medicine cabinet whirs and spits out a fiber supplement. The futuristic bathroom I just described isn't that far away from becoming reality. In fact, at CES 2018, Kohler unveiled a new addition to its toilets and shower devices that let you ask Amazon's Alexa to assist you. Moen also added Alexa support to its smart shower line , promising Siri compatibility is on its way. Smart mirrors that tell you your daily agenda while assessing your complexion have already been available for months, too. It's a little strange to te...

The latest ASUS gaming tower adds more than just flashy lights

Image
ASUS didn't have many brand new computers to show off at CES 2018 , since it seemed to focus on unveiling unconventional routers instead. But it did release a new gaming tower via its Republic of Gamers sub-brand, which features a few updates. The ROG Strix GL 12 now comes with an overclockable eighth-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, NVIDIA GTX 1080 graphics and an easily swappable SSD tray that ASUS says is "eSports-ready". I'm not an eSports player myself, but during my time with the GL 12, I found it easy to pull out and insert the 2.5-inch SSD tray, which sits under a magnetic cover on the front of the tower. I don't know why eSports players would want to switch out SSDs quickly, since it doesn't seem like an integral part of competitive gaming, but if they need to they definitely can. If you want to make more in-depth upgrades to your system, you can remove the GL 12's transparent side panel, which has been reorganized to look neater. ASUS said it...

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 hands-on: A sleek showcase of firsts

Image
Last CES, Dell unveiled its first XPS convertible -- the XPS 13 2-in-1 . This year, the company is expanding its hybrid lineup. In addition to being the first convertible of its size for the series, the new XPS 15 2-in-1 is also the first laptop to pack Intel's Core processor with Radeon graphics . That chipset was teased in November, and incorporates an AMD Radeon GPU with dedicated RAM and Intel's CPU, allowing for smaller motherboards and thinner devices overall. Indeed, the XPS 15 2-in-1 is slimmer than its 15-inch competition -- its 16mm profile is thinner than devices from HP, Lenovo and ASUS. Since it's just 1mm less than the clamshell XPS 15, the new hybrid didn't strike me as noticeably skinnier than before, but it's still a pleasant device to hold and behold. Dell managed to whittle away at the profile not only because of the space gained from Intel's new chipset, but also because the XPS 15 2-in-1 has a maglev (magnetic levitation) keyboard. The s...

Kate Spade designed an Android Wear smartwatch

Image
Kate Spade, known for its colorful, bubble-gum aesthetic that draws girls from all over the world to its purses and accessories, has made its first touchscreen smartwatch . The Android Wear device was unveiled at CES 2018 , and doesn't have a name other than "Kate Spade scallop touchscreen". It was designed to fit in with the rest of the brand's "unapologetically feminine" look, according to CEO Mary Beech, and is one of the few smartwatches ever to specifically target women's wrists, and do so in an attractive way. Pictures don't quite convey how this watch looks in real life -- the case isn't as chunky as it appears. And that's part of the reason it took Kate Spade so long to release its first touchscreen wearable. "We needed to wait till the tech got to the point where we could have that slim case that we knew our customer would want," Beech told Engadget in an interview. The 1.19-inch watch face is surrounded by scalloped e...