Fender Audio, the consumer electronics arm of the instrument maker, will introduce two flagship audio products at this year's CES in Las Vegas. These products were made under a licensing agreement with Singapore-based company RiffSound.
First up is a line of Bluetooth speakers dubbed the ELIE (Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive). The lineup includes two models, the E6 and E12. The speakers leverage a combination of DSP and system-on-a-chip processing, which Fender says can deliver more volume while maintaining greater power efficiency.
Each speaker can handle up to four audio channels at once, including a Bluetooth source, a wired XLR or 1/4-inch input and two additional wireless channels with compatible Fender Audio accessories. Users can also sync up two ELIE speakers in a stereo set-up. The announcement was light on specific differences between the E6 and E12, but in images shared with Engadget, the E12 appears larger. We'll be seeing these in person at CES for a more thorough evaluation.
Fender will also introduce the MIX headphones, a set of modular cans that the company says are designed to adapt to a user's sound and style preferences. The headphones include a USB-C transmitter that offers lossless, low-latency and Auracast transmission modes.
The headphones are powered by 40mm graphene drivers and feature active noise cancellation. They work in wired or wireless mode, with up to 100 hours of battery life, according to Fender. The company hasn't shared much about the modular aspect of these headphones, but we'll get a closer look at CES. Details on pricing and availability have not been shared.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/fender-audio-will-introduce-a-new-line-of-bluetooth-speakers-and-headphones-at-ces-130041696.html?src=rss
It's been known for months now that technology giant Lenovo is hosting its Tech World event at Sphere in Las Vegas during CES week. Like many other tech conglomerates, the world's largest PC manufacturer by units shipped will put its main focus on AI. Lenovo says it's a "Tech World experience unlike anything CES has seen before." We'll tell you where to livestream the event and what to expect so far.
How to watch the Lenovo CES 2026 event live
Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host the event on Tuesday, January 6 at 8PM ET. You can follow along to the livestream on YouTube once the event starts. (We've embedded the code below.)
What to expect
Lenovo is using the high-profile Sphere venue to share some of its tie-ins to the sports world, offering an exclusive look at how the company's technology has "revolutionized F1," Yang said in a press release. He'll also preview the plans for leveraging AI at this summer's FIFA World Cup, which takes place in the US.
After the event has wrapped up, pop singer Gwen Stefani will take the stage to perform.
As for real products, look for Lenovo to build on some of its successful launches from CES 2025. A year ago, we saw the portable Lenovo Legion Go S the first third-party SteamOS handheld gaming device as well as its "stretchy" laptop, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable that extends 2.7 inches taller with a touch of a button. To Lenovo's credit, both products were actually released and available for sale within months, unlike the vaporware that seems to comprise the bulk of many companies' CES announcements.
Lastly, don't be surprised if we see some new Motorola smartphones, given that Lenovo is the parent company of the phone manufacturer. Maybe a new Razr foldable? We'll find out either way on Tuesday evening.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/how-to-watch-lenovos-tech-world-event-at-ces-2026-130004053.html?src=rss
Instagrams top exec Adam Mosseri expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and discussed the implications for the platform and users.
Mosseri shared his thoughts on broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. Everything that made creators matter the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldnt be faked is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools, he wrote. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. He added: There is already a growing number of people who believe, as I do, that it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media.
Mosseri doesnt address the risk that this will alienate many photographers and other creators who have already grown frustrated with the app it looks like Instagram is leaning into the AI firehose. And hey: whatever keeps its users using it.
Mosseri suggests many complaints stem from an outdated vision of what Instagram even is. The feed of polished square images, he says, is dead. Instead of trying to make everyone look like a professional photographer, Mosseri says that more raw and unflattering images will be how creators can prove they are real not AI.
Or you could leave Instagram?
Mat Smith
The other big stories (and deals) this morning
Netflix releases finale trailer for Stranger Things
How to watch Samsungs First Look CES 2026 presentation
Meta buys startup known for its AI task automation agents
TCL introduces its own take on a color Kindle Scribe
CES 2026: What to expect
First up, Samsung.
LG
CES kicks off this weekend. Weve got a full preview that well update in the run-up to the full show, but the major tech announcements will likely center on chips (ah, AI) and new TV tech (ah, CES). Intel is finally taking the wraps off its Panther Lake (Core Ultra Series 3) chips the first to debut on the companys 18A process. With a promised 50 percent performance boost, Intel needs to prove it can still compete with NVIDIA and AMD. Meanwhile, NVIDIAs Jensen Huang will deliver a keynote at the Las Vegas show, while AMDs Lisa Su teases Ryzen 9000-series refreshes and more.
This years TV obsession is Micro RGB. Samsung is going big literally with a Micro RGB lineup spanning 55 to 115 inches. LG, meanwhile, has its own Micro RGB Evo panels, boasting over a thousand dimming zones for that elusive perfect contrast. Well be on the ground in Vegas to separate the legitimate, exciting new tech from the marketing fluff and AI assistant tchotchkes. And remember me mentioning the celebrity CES parade? Well, will.i.am is back at CES, this time curiously involved with LGs portable speakers. Check it off your CES bingo card.
Continue reading.
The era of foldable handheld consoles is coming
OneXSugar Wallet has a 4:3 foldable screen and a terrible name.
OneXSugar
OneXPlayer is quickly establishing itself as a company unafraid to get weird as hell. (Take, for example, its pseudo-foldable dual-screen console). This time, while it initially appears to be another standard dual-screen model, the Android-powered OneXSugar Wallet instead uses a single foldable screen. The OneXSugar Wallet was teased in a 54-second video on the Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili. Retro Handhelds reports the Wallet uses an 8.01-inch OLED with a 2,480 x 1,860 resolution. Thats a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded, making it very retro-gaming friendly.
Given the foldable screen tech, the price might not be. OneXSugar hasnt shared that detail yet.
Continue reading.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121544371.html?src=rss
The Swiss minimal phone pioneer Punkt is back with another model, the MC03. The new handset continues Punkt's focus on privacy, security and digital minimalism.If you've never seen Punkt's MP01 and MP02, the company's gorgeously minimal dumb phone line, they're something to behold. (The MP01 is quite literally a museum piece, in New Yorks Museum of Modern Art.) Meanwhile, this new MC03 is the company's second stab at a more practical touchscreen smartphone, following 2023s MC02. What you lose in physical beauty and tactile buttons, you gain in flexibility.As before, the smartphone runs the privacy- and security-focused AphyOS, based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The fork on the MC03 appears to borrow a page from the Light Phone line. Its UI includes a Light Phone-adjacent row of text for the most common shortcuts, like mail, contacts and calendar.Punkt MC03PunktThe MC03 splits data into two sections. There's The Vault, a secure enclave for apps Punkt has vetted for privacy and security. The second, Wild Web, gives you the freedom to install any Android app. To protect you while using that section, there's Ledger, which Punkt describes as "strict, visible safeguards that allow easy privacy controls." Much like Android's Permission Manager, Ledger lets you define which data, sensors and background resources each app can access. In exchange for the tediousness of approving and denying permissions, you get more gradual control over your data.All the apps from another Swiss company, Proton, are available in The Vault. (That includes Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Proton VPN, and Proton Pass.) Proton founder and CEO Andy Yen said he hopes the collaboration can "inject a little more choice into the marketplace, giving users more ways to take control of their data and regain their privacy."Folks buying the MC03 aren't doing so to get cutting-edge hardware. The phone has an OLED display with a high (120Hz) frame rate, great for showing off that clean, black UI. The MC03 has a removable 5,200mAh battery and a 64MP camera. The device is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.Shipments for the Punkt MC03 begin this month in the European market. The phone costs 699 / CHF699 / 610. As with its previous models, the MC03 requires a subscription. (Punkt frames this as paying to retain your data, rather than paying with your data.) One year of the subscription is included with your purchase. After that, you'll have to pay 9.99 / CHF9.99 / 8.99 monthly. However, paying ahead for a long-term subscription lets you save up to 60 percent. You can learn more on the companys website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/minimal-phone-pioneer-punkt-is-back-with-a-new-privacy-focused-model-at-ces-110000705.html?src=rss
Starlink will lower the orbits of roughly 4,400 satellites this year as a safety measure, according to engineering VP, Michael Nicolls. In a post on X, Nicolls wrote that the company is "beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation," in which all satellites orbiting at around 550 kilometers (342 miles) will be lowered to around 480 km (298 miles). The move is intended to reduce the risk of collisions, putting the satellites in a region that's less cluttered and will allow them to deorbit more quickly should an incident occur. "Lowering the satellites results in condensing Starlink orbits, and will increase space safety in several ways," Nicolls wrote, also pointing to the coming solar minimum a period in the sun's 11ish-year cycle when activity is lower as one of the reasons for the move. The next solar minimum is expected to occur in the early 2030s. "As solar minimum approaches, atmospheric density decreases which means the ballistic decay time at any given altitude increases - lowering will mean a >80% reduction in ballistic decay time in solar minimum, or 4+ years reduced to a few months," Nicolls wrote.A screenshot of an X post by Starlink VP of engineering Michael Nicolls announcing that satellites orbiting at around 500 kilometers will be lowered to 480kmThe announcement comes a few weeks after Starlink said one of its satellites had experienced an anomaly that created some debris and sent it tumbling. Just a few days earlier, Nicolls posted about a close call with a batch of satellites he said were launched from China seemingly without any attempt to coordinate with operators of existing satellites in the space. With his latest announcement, Nicolls added that lowering Starlink's satellites "will further improve the safety of the constellation, particularly with difficult to control risks such as uncoordinated maneuvers and launches by other satellite operators."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/starlink-is-lowering-thousands-of-satellites-orbits-to-reduce-risk-of-collisions-030509067.html?src=rss
Samsung has upgraded its Freestyle portable projector for 2026. The company announced a new model, the Freestyle+, ahead of CES, touting twice the brightness of its predecessor at 430 ISO lumens, and AI-powered screen optimization features. As with Freestyles past, the Freestyle+ offers 180-degree rotation and 360-degree audio. This one also supports Q-Symphony so it'll work with some Samsung soundbars. Samsung hasn't revealed much else in the way of specs or pricing, but it'll be showing off the Freestyle+ at CES 2026, so we're likely to learn more details soon. While previous iterations of Samsung's compact projector offered automatic screen adjustment features, like auto focus and auto leveling, the Freestyle+ uses AI to take optimization a step further. With AI OptiScreen, as the company is calling it, the projector offers 3D auto keystone to fix distortion on uneven or non-flat surfaces, real-time focus when the projector is moved, automatic screen fit for compatible accessories and wall calibration to reduce visual distractions from the projection surface. It'll also support Samsung's Vision AI Companion. The company hasn't announced a specific release date yet for the new projector, but says it's targeting the first half of the year. It'll be released in phases globally. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsungs-latest-freestyle-portable-projector-is-brighter-and-smarter-014026804.html?src=rss
A look at Hyundai's Holographic Windshield Display. (Hyundai)
While it often feels like a full-on auto show, the car vibes feel somewhat lessened at CES 2026. Yes, the Afeela electric vehicle from the Sony-Honda joint venture will be back on the floor, but with the Trump administration yanking most EV incentives from the market, the industry isn't offering a full-court press of new vehicles in Las Vegas this year. That said, there's still plenty of in-cabin car tech on display, including Hyundai's Holographic Windshield Display.
Indeed, the company's Mobis subsidiary will present "more than 30 mobility convergence technologies" during CES. And we'll also get to see Hyundai's AI Robotics Strategy, which will showcase its new Atlas robot fresh out of the lab.
How to watch Hyundai's presentation at CES 2026
Hyundai's presentation takes place on January 5 at 4PM ET, and you can livestream it on either its HyundaiUSA YouTube channel or its global YouTube channel. We'll embed the stream here once it's available.
What to expect
As mentioned above, Hyundai will have its Holographic Windshield Display for viewing. It's essentially a next-gen heads-up display that projects key data from the vehicle's dash on the windshield for less distraction, and without obstructing the driver's view. It's a vertically expandable 18.1-inch large display, and passengers can even watch videos without being visible to the driver.
Hyundai Mobis collaborated with German optics specialist Zeiss to develop the "world's first system to utilize holographic film to transform the entire front windshield into an ultra-large display surface." It says it will begin mass production in 2029, so don't expect to see this on the market anytime soon.
Beyond automotive, though, we'll also get a first-ever look at the company's new Atlas robot. In the teaser image shown in the press release, Atlas looks rather dog-like, which makes sense when you remember that Boston Dynamics was purchased by the Korean multinational back in 2020.
"This next-generation Atlas represents a tangible step toward the commercialization of AI Robotics, highlighting the Groups commitment to building safe and adaptable robotic co-workers," the company said in the same press release.
Hyundai said it will also discuss its other tech areas, including electronics and chassis system safety, as well as an AR head-up display, low-power display solutions and EV drive systems.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/how-to-watch-hyundais-ces-2026-presentation-live-190051181.html?src=rss
One of the many concerns about artificial intelligence these days is how the rush to build data centers is impacting local communities. Data centers can create a drain on resources, and some utility companies have already said customers can expect to see their electricity bills growing as these facilities increase demand. There have been some discussions of what other power sources could support the AI engine, and wind power specialist Airloom is one company that's looking to address the problem. Ahead of the business' upcoming appearance at CES, we've learned a bit about what Airloom has accomplished this year and what it is aiming for next.Rather than the very tall towers typically used for this approach, Airloom's structures are 20 to 30 meters high. They are comprised of a loop of adjustable wings that move along a track, a design thats akin to a roller coaster. As the wings move, they generate power just like the blades on a regular wind turbine do. Airloom claims that its structures require 40 percent less mass than a traditional one while delivering the same output. It also says the Airloom's towers require 42 percent fewer parts and 96 percent fewer unique parts. In combination, the company says its approach is 85 percent faster to deploy and 47 percent less expensive than horizontal axis wind turbines. Airloom broke ground on a pilot site in June for testing out its approach and confirming how those figures work in practice. Its not feasible to bring a wind farm, even a small one, into CES, but Airloom will have a booth at the event with materials about its technology and engineering. While the business isn't in a consumer-facing field, the impact of Airloom's work could have a future positive impact on people if the data center boom continues.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/airloom-will-showcase-its-new-approach-to-wind-power-at-ces-160000063.html?src=rss
For a tech writer, being very offline is sort of like being a marathon coach who doesnt run. So in 2025, I tried to reverse years of studied avoidance towards the most ubiquitous technological phenomenon on earth I got back on social media. The change was short-lived. My first exodus from the feeds took some work disabling notifications, removing apps from my homescreen and then deleting accounts entirely. This time, the phone put itself down. The whole thing has simply lost its luster.I started with Instagram. Every experience went like this: Id see a single post from one of the rare family members or IRL friends who are active on the platform. Next, I was fed a sponsored post, followed by suggestions to follow randos. After that, a series of influencer videos that, admittedly, appeal to my taste (funny/absurdist women and dissertations on urban planning). That was followed up with more sponsored posts, mostly from brands Id looked up for work. Then itd circle back to the influencers. My eyes glazed over and I tossed the phone aside. Years back, the platform gave off a jolt of quasi-social connection that Id spend hours sucking up. I fed on pointless thoughts from an ex-coworker, vacation reels from a college roommate, a half-baked loaf of bread that an old friend dropped on the floor but took a picture of anyway. Now its a bare sliver of that stuff, shoehorned between towers of sponsored content and posts from people who make or promote their living on Instagram. The real people have left. The connection is gone. The FOMO is no more. I experienced some variation of the same disappointment on every platform I rejoined. When I got back on TikTok a few months after the ban, it felt like a frenzied shopping mall. Every video seems to be about four seconds long and most are promotional and/or shoppable. YouTube Shorts is drowning in AI-generated videos, and I dont hit up social media to watch fake footage of desperate wild animal babies clambering onto the boats of helpful humans. My life has no need for simulated toddlers admonishing their pets. Occasionally, Id hit on something compelling: a clip from late night TV, a stupidly decadent dessert recipe, people from other countries explaining cultural subtleties. But for me, these social media platforms are no longer velcro for the eyes. I remember losing focus, spending long hours on YouTube Shorts and IG. Id look up bleary-eyed and shame-faced after hours scrolling TikToks For You Page. Now, after a few minutes, a bored ickiness sets in. I feel like Im trapped in a carnival of bots hawking shampoo at me and I just want to go home. Its not a mystery how or why things feel different; The answer is always money. These billion- and trillion-dollar companies have shareholders who prize year-over-year performance over anything else. So we get more sponsored posts on Instagram. TikTok purposefully, enthusiastically overloads itself with shoppable content (which isnt going to change no matter who owns it). YouTube is obsessed with engagement so it ends up rewarding people who flood the platform with AI slop. These platforms arent about human connections and the spread of creativity the stuff that used to draw me in theyre thinly varnished ecommerce sites sprinkled with brute-forced AI oddities. Id be sadder about the whole thing if I thought it could be any different. These companies are among the most valuable in the world. The fact that I cant connect with my fellow common people using their services is not surprising. The change isnt even driving everyone away. Instagram reported more users than ever this year, to the tune of 35 percent of the panet. Billions of users still scroll TikTok and watch YouTube Shorts. So maybe its just a me thing. And I have options. Over-monetization may have made me not want to engage with a few social media behemoths, but things arent so dire everywhere. Bluesky reminds me of Twitter before X. I take comfort in seeing posts that prove most people are as dismayed as I am over a government and wider economic system that are nakedly uninterested in serving the public. The hot takes arent quite as funny as they were on Twitter years back maybe its just all been said before or perhaps things have gotten too dire for levity. I still dont end up spending a lot of time on the platform, however. Its not as weird as it was before the defection and I get tired of the stream of news headlines contextualized with tut-tutting and handwringing Im perfectly capable of doing that myself. Itd be easy to say that social media just isnt my thing, but thats not true because I cant quit Reddit the shining exception to my social media ennui. It feels filled with actual people. Ads exist, but in a subdued, manageable way. And every contributor, commenter and moderator Ive come across on the app is militantly vigilant against the onslaught of artificially generated content. I also like the organizational structure. I know my Home tab will only expose me to my chosen subs and I derive great joy from happy cows, greeble-chasing cats, enigmatic night feelings and freaky abandoned spaces. I use my local subreddit r/Albuquerque daily to answer questions and keep tabs on the world (directly) around me. Sadly, Reddit is an outlier, a misfit exception to the rule, and now that its gone public, it may follow a similar monetization push. Bluesky is tiny, new and not yet profitable, so who knows where its financial journey will lead it (though the world without Caesars shirt gives us some hope). Theres something lamentable about the loss of the connections we gleaned from platforms that were once compelling, engrossing and rife with the creativity of our fellow humans. Ultimately, any public-facing company that prioritizes profits over everything else has no incentive to look out for its users. So I dont expect any of the larger social platforms to pull back on their monetization marches. For now, Ive decided Im comfortable with my admittedly narrow interaction with the world of social media. As a Gen-Xer, online-first wasnt how my relationship to the world started out. And Im pretty confident I know enough about other tech-related stuff to be useful to my editors and readers without a black belt in social. (Ed. note: She is.) Besides, Karissas got us covered. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/in-2025-quitting-social-media-felt-easier-than-ever-140000374.html?src=rss
You may know Bosch as a home appliance brand (via its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational is generally more focused on providing underlying technology and engineering solutions to auto, home and manufacturing partners across the globe. It's fitting, then, that much of what it's showing off at CES 2026 is more intended to be licensed to other companies versus Bosch-branded products you'll be seeing on store shelves.
Case in point is Bosch's automotive plans at CES. The company will present "AI in the car," or more specifically, in the cockpit of the car. "Bosch's AI-powered cockpit makes driving more comfortable, intuitive, and safer for all occupants," Bosch board member Markus Heyn said in a press release. We'll get into all the details below, as well as how to tune in to the press conference on Monday.
How to watch Bosch's CES 2026 presentation
You can livestream the event on Monday, January 5 at 12PM ET via the Bosch press page. (If the stream is embeddable, we'll also include it here.)
What to expect
Bosch will be setting up shop in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth 16203), where the company will be focusing on its three big themes mobility, smart home integrations and manufacturing all of which will include hardware, software and AI solutions.
Like many other CES 2026 exhibitors, look for Bosch to emphasize its partnerships with the big dogs of the AI space at the show. For instance, that AI-powered car cockpit mentioned above will feature integrations with both Microsoft and NVIDIA. For instance, Bosch is touting the ability to use voice commands to join a Teams call, while the car's system will automatically activate adaptive cruise control. And it's noting that NVIDIA's software suites will help manage "real-time sensor processing and vision-language models."
Here's a glimpse of what the booth will look like:
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/how-to-watch-the-bosch-ces-2026-press-conference-live-130020898.html?src=rss
