The ThinkBook line has sort of become Lenovos de facto testing ground for far-out ideas and ambitious concepts. See the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable we saw just a couple months ago at CES. But at MWC 2025, the company is pushing things further than ever through the new ThinkBook 16p Gen 6 and four of its display accessories which range from practical add-ons to something thats more like a Tamagotchi.
The ThinkBook 16P powering all of Lenovos crazy concept accessories isnt all that different from the company's previous 16-inch workstations. It sports up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 2785HX chip with as much as 64GB of RAM, 2TB of PCIe storage and an NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPU. You get the choice of either a 3.2K IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate or a slightly lower-res 2.5K IPS panel with a faster 240Hz refresh. Theres also plenty of connectivity including dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB-A jacks, a full-size HDMI 2.1 and a card reader.
Lenovo's Magic Bay 2nd Display Concept attached to the ThinkBook 16p Gen 6. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
One interesting addition is that Lenovo included a discrete NPU (separate from its main chip) that offers up to 32 TOPS of additional performance. This should provide a nice boost, particularly for anyone who needs to run demanding AI tasks locally. That said, for the rest of us lay folk, its largely unnecessary.
However, the real spectacle is Lenovos assortment of accessories. They all connect to the ThinkBook 16P using the companys Magic Bay docking system, which was first introduced to this product family a couple generations ago. For people who constantly yearn for extra space to multitask while traveling, Lenovo has two add-ons to choose from. The Magic Bay 2nd Display Concept is a small 8-inch screen that attaches magnetically to the ThinkBook 16P. It can be used simply as an external monitor or as an AI dashboard that displays widgets, messaging apps and other tools.
On the flipside, the Magic Bay Dual Display Concept adds not one but two additional 13.3-inch panels that flank the notebooks primary screen, giving you a huge amount of real estate for pretty much anything. In addition to using the laptops mounting system, this prototype also features a built-in kickstand to help keep the whole contraption stable. This is important because while it is rather complicated compared to most accessories, once you get everything set up, it really does a good job of recreating the multi-monitor workstations people have at home or in their office.
Lenovo Magic Bay Tiko Pro Concept displayLenovo
As for Lenovos remaining two concepts, they are so new the company wasnt able to show them off during my preview session. The Tiko Pro Concept looks like an even more streamlined take on 2nd Display, as its a slim panel with an extra-wide aspect ratio thats meant to sit across the top of the laptops display, sort of like an external notification shade. Meanwhile, the non-pro Tiko Concept is a circular screen that houses an AI companion with its own set of emoji-based faces, gesture-based responses and more.
In case thats not enough, Lenovo even teased a cat-themed headband that adds little ears to your robotic friend. At this point, you may be asking how the Tiko is supposed to increase your productivity? And for that, I can only guess that having a friendly face around might boost your mood and thus improve your productivity. Or at the very least, it could be a more charming way of seeing stuff like Slack reactions. Honestly, I have no idea, and Im not sure Lenovo does either.
Now I have to stress again that all of these accessories are concepts, so theres no guarantee that theyll ever officially go on sale. Lenovo says they are merely prototypes meant to help expand and explore how its Magic Bay docking system could be used in the future. But in a time when so many PC makers seem to be having trouble thinking up ways to innovate, its clear Lenovo isnt being shy about thinking outside the box.
Sadly, the ThinkBook 16P Gen 6 is not slated to be available in North America, but for those in Europe and Asia, keep an eye out for it to go on sale sometime this spring or summer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovo-gave-its-latest-16-inch-thinkbook-a-bevy-of-funky-concept-screen-accessories-230008238.html?src=rss
I love a game that screams things like neato! and godlike! while Im feverishly pressing buttons and darting my eyes around the screen, trying to make my fingers work as fast as my brain. My skills in the Playdate game XTRIS are definitely not godlike, but theres just something about that classic arcade announcer voice that makes me think each time, this is the one where Ill finally crack the leaderboard. (It never is).
XTRIS is a $3 game by Fletch Makes Stuff thatll have you chasing a moving X around a board made up of either four, five or six tiles. The timers set to 60 seconds, and in that time you have to land on the X as many times as possible. Each X you collect will go tumbling dramatically off the grid and be added to your score, which is faintly displayed in the background.
If it sounds easy, its not. The X moves fast, and as you race after your target using the D-pad to control the movement of a black square, things become increasingly intense. The music builds like an alarm thats telling you time is almost up, and flames start shooting up from the bottom of the screen. All the while, the announcer (voiced by Jordan Carroll) is shouting words of encouragement that start to feel a little ominous by the end. Its wonderfully chaotic. Despite the relatively simple presentation, XTRIS really lives up to its promise of being a juicy arcade action directly into the palm of your hand.
For each of the three levels Tetromino, Bridge and Squiggle youll be able to see how other players scored, and how you stack up against them. And once youve played a certain level a few times, youll be shown your own score trends to see how youre improving (or plateauing). I keep telling myself, just one more try when I finish a round, and we all know how that goes.
Theres a Zen Mode for each level as well, so you can work on your dexterity without the time crunch and with a chiller track playing. If you poke around in the menu, you can also find some unlockable characters and symbols to switch up the appearance of the game, swapping the X for something like a frog or a slice of pizza. XTRIS is available on the Playdate Catalog now for $3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xtris-is-a-fast-paced-arcade-style-playdate-game-you-wont-be-able-to-put-down-224738429.html?src=rss
According to Rolling Stone, employees with the Federal Aviation Administration were told on Friday to begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal, after The Washington Post reported that the FAA may cancel its $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to overhaul the USs airspace management systems and go with Elon Musks company instead. Whether the FAA has actually dropped its Verizon deal in favor of Starlink has yet to be confirmed publicly. In a statement posted on X in response to the initial report last week, the FAA claimed its been considering the use of Starlink since the prior administration.
Anonymous sources told Rolling Stone that the orders from FAA officials on Friday were delivered verbally to staff, in an unusual move. It comes a few days after Musk claimed on X that the situation around air traffic control communications is extremely dire, saying the existing system (which he wrongly attributed to Verizon before later adding a correction) is breaking down very rapidly. He went on to say that Starlink terminals are being sent at NO COST to the taxpayer on an emergency basis to restore air traffic control connectivity.
Bloomberg, citing sources close to the matter, previously reported that 4,000 Starlink terminals were being sent to help upgrade the FAAs networks, which the FAA confirmed. As recently as Wednesday, though, the FAA said in statements to The Washington Post and other publications that it had not made a decision about its Verizon deal. The agency is one of many that has been hit by layoffs led by Musks DOGE over the last few weeks, with hundreds of FAA employees fired in February.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/faa-reportedly-ordered-staff-to-find-millions-of-dollars-to-fund-starlink-deal-205236985.html?src=rss
Firefly Aerospaces first attempt at landing on the moon was a success. The company, which is working with NASA under the agencys Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, announced early Sunday morning that its Blue Ghost lander softly touched down on the moon, and its upright and communicating with the team back home. Blue Ghost landed at 3:34AM ET in a region known as Mare Crisium. While Fireflys lander isnt the first commercial spacecraft to land on the moon, it is the first to land properly Intuitive Machines Odysseus ended up on its side last year after a faster-than-planned descent.
Blue Ghost and the NASA instruments its carrying are expected to remain in operation for about 14 Earth days. After that, lunar night will begin. If all goes as planned, the lander will capture images in the leadup to lunar night and a few hours after darkness falls, getting high-definition imagery of a total eclipse, the lunar sunset and other moments to document the behaviour of levitating lunar dust. NASA is also testing instruments that can drill and collect samples from the surface.
Fireflys Blue Ghost Mission 1 launched on January 15 and reached lunar orbit about a month later. The team says its already sent over 27 GB of data back to Earth from its journey. Just through transit to the Moon, Fireflys mission has already delivered the most science data to date for the NASA CLPS initiative, Shea Ferring, Fireflys Chief Technology Officer, said in a statement, noting that the hardest part of the mission is over. On X, the company shared a photo showing the lander's shadow on the surface of the moon following its successful touchdown, and joked, The lander saw her shadow, 2 more weeks of ops!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/fireflys-blue-ghost-lander-successfully-touched-down-on-the-moon-155728834.html?src=rss
Practically every flagship phone can take a great picture. But that hasnt stopped Xiaomi from continuing its partnership with legendary camera maker Leica to produce a photo powerhouse in the new Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, it goes without saying that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has top-notch specs. It also has a huge 6,000 mAh battery, which is bigger than anything you get from Apple, Google or Samsung. Meanwhile, when it comes to charging, wired speeds go up to 90 watts or just a tad slower at 80 watts wirelessly, which is no mean feat. And unlike most phones sold in the US, it comes with a power adapter in the box.
Elsewhere, the 15 Ultra sports a gorgeous 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and up to 3,200 nits of brightness. Its also available in three colorways: a white model with an etched back, black with an almost rubbery textured finish and a special Silver Chrome edition that draws inspiration from some of Leicas old-school cameras. I appreciate that the white model I tested features subtle swerves carved into its back that shine in the sunlight. But lets be honest, that two-toned metal and black one is easily the most attractive of the bunch because it really leans into what this phone does best.
In back, theres a massive circular camera module that normally Im not a huge fan of when used on rival devices like the OnePlus 13. However, on this device, its more than just a showpiece because inside it is some serious photo hardware. The Ultra 15s 23mm equivalent main camera uses a massive 1-inch 50-megapixel Sony sensor. Then, for stuff like expansive landscapes, theres an f/2.2 50-MP ultrawide cam. But it doesnt stop there because theres not one but two zoom lenses: a 50MP midrange shooter with a 70mm focal length plus a super high-res 200MP periscope array with a 100mm focal length (which equates to a 4.7x optical zoom).
Now, I havent had a ton of time to fully put it through its paces, but from what Ive seen so far, the Xiaomi Ultra 15 has one of the most well-rounded photo toolkits around. Its got Leica optics along with big sensors and lenses that cover pretty much every focal length youd need on a daily basis. And on the software side, there are some preset Leica filters like Vibrant or Authentic to really drive home the collaboration between the two brands.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
That said, one of the things that impresses me the most is that Xiaomi even created a separate Photography kit that includes an add-on camera grip with a physical shutter button, an adjustable dial and a dedicated video button. Theres also a case that allows you to attach a standard 67mm filter adapter. This means, assuming you have the right gear, you can take some of the same glass you use on your real camera and use it with the Ultra 15. And this isnt just some half-hearted afterthought either, as the kit also comes with bonuses like a hand strap, a decorative lens ring and two different removable caps for its shutter.
Notably, unlike some Chinese phones like those from Huawei, Xiaomi handsets still have access to Google services, so you can download apps from the Play Store. Even the companys HyperOS 2 is a relatively minimalist Android skin that looks good and is easy to use. And while this model will be available globally starting at around 850, sadly there are no official plans to bring it to the US, which is a real shame because no one is really selling handsets like this in America anymore. (RIP to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1.)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-xiaomi-15-ultra-is-a-leica-powered-photo-showcase-143001055.html?src=rss
While I naively hoped to see the Galaxy S25 Edge ahead of MWC, that wasnt what I saw last week at Samsung's pre-show briefing. However, what I did see might intrigue many of you: a cheaper slice of Galaxy hardware in the form of the Galaxy A56. It will be available later this year, starting at $499 (or 499 in the UK), which is slightly cheaper than the Pixel 8a when it first appeared. Samsung also announced the Galaxy A36 and A26 today, and they'll start at $399 and $299 respectively.
Many of the A series upgrades this year match what we saw from the S25. The A56 is thinner than its predecessor, down to 7.4mm from 8.2mm, while packing a marginally bigger 6.7-inch screen. The bezels, which were usually one of the most prominent visual tells of an A series, have been shaved the devices bezels down further on the A56, too.
Photo by Mat Smith for Engadget.
The hardware has been tweaked, with a brushed metal frame and a minor design twist: a new slightly protruding bump on the side where the volume and power buttons sit. When I got to handle the A56 briefly, I liked this. Asymmetry aside, it was easier to handle, which was surprising since this was a 6.7-inch device, and Im more used to 6.3-inch phones. The A56 felt less unwieldy. (Did Samsungs designers read my unhinged editorial on the sides of phones and decide to muddy the waters further? Perhaps.)
It's a mixed bag on camera specs this year. The front of the A56 now has a lower-res 12-megapixel selfie camera, while on the back sits an upgraded 12MP ultrawide, 50MP main sensor with an f/1.8 lens and optical image stabilization. Theres still a 5MP macro lens for someone out there.
Those new cameras feature many of the latest upgrades on the S25 family, including improved image signal processing for better low-light performance, as well as a raft of AI features, including enhanced subject detection in portrait mode. Samsung says the A56 will better recognize sky, skin, faces, hair and grass for improved bokeh effects.
Regarding AI-powered image editing, theres also Object Eraser, auto trim for videos and Create Filter, where you can choose an existing image and apply its color and tone to a different photo. You'll also get Best Face, which lets you pick from multiple captures for everyone's best expression, as long as you have motion photos enabled. These aren't new features on smartphones, but their addition brings the midrange A56 closer to the Galaxy S25.
Through One UI 7, the A56 gets style flourishes and home screen improvements like the Now bar, notification panel changes and scalable widgets in different shapes and sizes. Samsung also promises six generations of OS updates (up from four on last years A55) and six years of security updates.
Photo by Mat Smith for Engadget.
As you can tell by now, there arent any surprises here. The 5,000mAh battery is the same size as the A55's, although the charging speed is now 45W. The company says you can charge the device fully in just over an hour. Samsung has swapped to its own 4nm Exynos 1580 chip, too, with CPU boosts of around 18 percent. The hardware, once again, inches closer to the quality and premium feel of what we typically see on Galaxy S devices.
It's peak midrange phone season. The Galaxy A56 goes up against the recently launched iPhone 16e, while rumors suggest Google's Pixel 9a could break cover very soon.
The Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A26
Samsung also announced the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G today, which both have 6.7-inch screens that get as bright as 1,200 nits and refresh at up to 120Hz. They come with One UI 7 as well, including features like Circle To Search that previously launched on pricier phones. Plus, they also feature triple camera systems on the rear with a 50MP main sensor, though their ultrawide setup camera is not as sharp as the A56 at 8MP. Some of the software features, like Best Face, are also reserved for the A56, though you'll still find the updated Object Eraser and Filters on the pair of cheaper handsets.
Finally, though the A36 and A26 have the same IP67 rating and 5,000mAh battery as the A56, they'll only pack 6GB of RAM and the A36 uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor instead of the Exynos 1580 in the A56.
Galaxy A56 price and availability
In the UK, the Galaxy A56 will go on preorder on March 2nd and launch on March 19th. It'll come in four awesome (Samsungs wording) colors, Graphite, Olive, Pink and Light Grey. Because nothing screams awesome like a lighter shade of grey. While we do have US pricing, Samsung hasn't shared more precise timing for availability than "later this year."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-midrange-galaxy-a56-has-ai-photo-editing-and-a-bump-for-its-buttons-230018254.html?src=rss
New releases we picked up this week that belong on your reading list.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-warm-fusion-brings-biotech-and-body-horror-to-a-gritty-nyc-of-the-future-170043844.html?src=rss
Side Quest, formerly called Mere Mortals, will premiere on March 26 on Apple TV+. It's the spin-off/expansion series for Mythic Quest, a comedy show on the streaming service about a video game studio developing an MMORPG of the same name. All four episodes of Side Quest will be available on the service on the same day the season four finale of Mythic Quest drops on the platform. Side Quest will revolve around the lives of the fictional studio's employees, as well as the players and fans impacted by the Mythic Quest game.
The show will take on an anthology format, with a bunch of actors taking on leading roles for each installment. It was created by Mythic Quest writers Ashly Burch, John Howell Harris and Katie McElhenney, who also served as executive producers. Burch plays the character of Rachel in the original show. Charlie Day, Megan Ganz and Rob McElhenney, who created the Mythic Quest series, served as executive producers for the spin-off, as well. Lionsgate, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ubisoft produced the show for Apple TV+.
In addition to announcing the show's premiere, Apple has also released the official trailer for the show, which gives you a pretty good idea of its tone and what you can expect if you watch it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apples-mythic-quest-spin-off-side-quest-debuts-on-march-26-160057451.html?src=rss
Alphabet has announced a new development for Taara's technology that could lead to low-cost, high-speed internet connectivity, even in far-flung locations. Taara's general manager, Mahesh Krishnaswamy, has introduced the Taara chip, a silicon photonic chip that uses light to transmit high-speed data through the air. The Taara chip is abut the size of a fingernail, far smaller than the technology the Alphabet division has been using. Taara Lightbridge, which is what its first-generation technology is called, is the size of a traffic light and uses a system of mirrors and sensors to physically steer light to where it needs to go. The new chip uses software instead.
Taara is a project under X, Alphabet's moonshot factory. The high speed wireless optical link technology underpinning the project was originally developed for X's Project Loon internet broadcasting balloons. Alphabet pulled the plug on Loon in 2021 and focused on Taara instead, using its technology to beam broadband across the Congo River and the streets of Nairobi. Even years before Loon shut down, Alphabet's X was already toying with the idea of using light to beam internet and tested the technology in India.
Taara's technology works by using a "very narrow, invisible light beam to transmit data at speeds as high as 20 gigabits per second, up to distances of 20 kilometers (12.1 miles)." It's like traditional fiber, in the sense that it uses light to carry data, except that light doesn't travel through cables. Instead, Taara's hardware emits beams of light. The beams from two units must be aligned with each other to be able to form a secure link that can transmit data, which is why Lightbridge was fitted with the parts needed to be able to physically steer the light. Taara's new chip doesn't need those components: It contains hundreds of tiny light emitters controlled by software with automatic steering
Krishnaswamy said Taara's light-beaming units will only take days to install instead of the months or years it can take to lay fiber. During tests in the lab, the Taara team was able to transmit data at speeds of 10 Gbps over a distance of one kilometer (0.62 miles) using two of the new chips. They're now looking to improve the chip's capacity and range by creating an "iteration with thousands of [light] emitters." The team expects the chip to be available in 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/alphabets-taara-chip-uses-light-beams-to-provide-high-speed-internet-140040922.html?src=rss
Amazons long-awaited update to its assistant is almost here. About 18 months after the company first previewed the next-gen Alexa built with generative AI, it unveiled Alexa+, and early access will be available starting in March. Alexa+ will exist alongside the older Alexa and will cost $20 a month, unless you have a Prime membership, which will make it free to use. The new assistant will come with all the modern upgrades that its contemporaries like the redesigned Siri or Gemini offer, like more conversational interaction, better contextual understanding and the ability to summarize complex topics and make suggestions based on your interests. But it does one thing differently, and its the way Amazon purports to integrate with third-party apps and the rest of the internet that could set it apart.
At the presentation, vice president of Alexa and Fire TV Daniel Rausch outlined three ways the new assistant can integrate with other services you use. Firstly, it already works with tens of thousands of integrations already available, with Uber, Sonos, Samsung and Xbox being a few of the many logos that were displayed when Rausch said this. Presumably, that means Amazon worked with these partners to get their apps to play nicely with Alexa+ through their APIs.
Secondly, for the large swath of the online world that doesnt have apps or the resources to code an API just for Alexa+, the assistant should be able to scour the internet for their website and navigate it on your behalf. During the presentation, Rausch demonstrated how Alexa+ was able to go to the Thumbtack website to hire a professional to fix his oven. Instead of having to whip out a phone or laptop to click through menus himself, Rausch could just verbally tell Alexa+ what he needed and what times he was available, and the AI did the rest.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
This example in particular struck me as very similar to Googles restaurant-reservation system Duplex, which, since way back in 2018, could call businesses on your behalf to book a table. All you had to do was tell Google what date and times you were considering, how many people were in your party and it would make the call for you, even speaking in a human-sounding voice to the restaurant. The way Alexa+ would click around websites on your behalf seems like Duplex on steroids.
Finally, Alexa+ can work with the AI agents on other sites, so you can talk to just one assistant instead of dozens of chatbots. In the presentation, Rausch got Alexa+ to work with the AI music generator Suno to come up with a country-style song about bodega cats.
After the companys presentation, I spoke with Rausch to get more clarity on how Alexa+ will work with the rest of the online world. For one, I wanted to know for sure if that third method would work with customer service chatbots from companies like Capital One, United Airlines and more. While Rausch said that he had no details to share on specific names or services, he did confirm that the SDK is all about integrations like that, saying its for people to use Alexa to connect with agents on their behalf to complete tasks.
Rausch is aware that any friction at all in the adoption and setup process can turn people away. To that end, upgrading to Alexa+ should not require any additional sign-ins or authentication. You should be able to have all your connected appliances, security cameras and home routines carry over without any effort.
The reason that customers love Alexa is it takes away all the complexity, Rausch said. People dont need to remember the brand of the WeMo plug they bought, for example, to be able to tell Alexa to turn off a lamp. We would never take that away, he said. When youre adding new services after upgrading to Alexa+, Rausch said youll either do so in the ways that you do it today or that itll get even easier, since Alexa can walk you through those setups in many more cases.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
According to Rausch, instead of having to dig around in the Alexa app, you just say Alexa, I want to set up a streaming account with Hulu' or something. Youll be presented with a QR code on an Echo device with a screen to facilitate that, and the assistant should guide users along the way.
We like to say Alexa is an expert, and now an expert on herself.
Amazon isn't the only company that has made its assistant perform tech support for users. This approach is very similar to how Siri can teach you how to, say, shoot a video in Cinematic mode or create a Genmoji. Where better to get help about a product youre using than the product itself? Why make me go to a different place for information?
From a customer experience perspective, customers just want the thing done, Rausch said. They dont have to be responsible or care about any of these things, right? He believes people just want the plumber or a reservation booked, and dont want to fuss around with websites and phone calls.
People do want their digital assistant to be helpful and easy to use, but isnt it equally important that these AI services are accurate and reliable?
When I asked Rausch how Amazon worked around the tendency of generative AI to hallucinate and sometimes spread misinformation, he said I actually think in the industry, theres been a mistake of thinking a model is a product. He also said LLMs are at the foundation of the architecture, but theyre not the only thing answering the question.
In other words, Alexa+ is using a combination of Amazons knowledge graphs, reliable sources on the internet and partnerships with authoritative outlets. Other products will simply give you an answer out of the LLM. If you're asking for an authoritative answer, that's not actually sometimes the way to get one. and I think that's what you're highlighting, he said.
Rausch added that Amazon has taken great care with Alexa. Will it make mistakes? Every piece of software makes mistakes, he said. But were working hard to ground it in knowledge.
Ive yet to try out Alexa+ for myself, and everything weve seen so far has been in highly controlled demos, so its hard to tell what real world performance will be like. But if the new Alexa is truly able to work with third-party services in a way thats seamless and effective, it would not only bring Amazon back into the consumer AI race, but could possibly give it an advantage over the likes of Google, Apple and OpenAI. Considering Amazon realy brought the idea of a virtual assistant into homes around the world, this could also have an impact that goes beyond the tech-savvy users of todays AI services.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-generative-ai-vision-for-alexa-is-appealing-but-unproven-140014416.html?src=rss
