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Youve probably heard people say its impossible to go back and correct some error from the past. To those people, you should raise a middle finger in defiance (they are miserable, after all), and then point them to the tale of Pebbles unlikely revival. The smartwatch pioneers return was a surprise of 2025, and now the company has resurrected one of its last great triumphs. Its announcing the Pebble Round 2, and company founder Eric Migicovsky is looking to put right what once went wrong. The Pebble Round 2 is the successor to the Pebble Time Round, which debuted in 2015 to what can only be described as frustrated reviews. It was a truly thin smartwatch, with a glorious round display, but that came at the cost of battery life and durability. The fancier components also added to the cost which pushed it to an unreasonable-for-the-time $249. Its these flaws which the company has sought to address with the Round 2, as well as some of the issues that werent deal breakers at the time, but certainly werent ideal. For instance, the massive bezel around the display is now a thing of the past, with the Round 2s 1.3-inch color e-paper touchscreen now stretching to the edge of its case. The viewing angles have also been dramatically improved, enabling you to check the time without having to move your wrist. The display has also been bonded to the glass crystal, reducing reflectivity and glare which was another downside for the original model. Better still, the battery life is now more than two weeks on a single charge, giving it the sort of Pebble-esque longevity its users demand. And its retained that thinness measuring in at just 8.1mm which is far more elegant than the chunkier smartwatches from other manufacturers. Plus, theres dual microphones for interacting with AI agents and dictating messages, as well as step and sleep tracking. Migicovsky explained that the focus here isnt just to correct some of the more glaring issues from the first model. As he wrote back in 2022, Pebbles failure was down to its attempt to broaden its appeal beyond the users who had so warmly adopted it in the first place. Consequently, rather than include bulky features like a a built-in optical heart-rate sensor, the focus is on utility. Not to mention a desire to reintroduce some much-needed whimsy into hardware, and empowering users to tinker with their devices, enabling them to craft their own watch faces. Hopefully, well get some time in person with the Pebble Round 2 in the next few days, but in the meantime, its up for pre-order from today. Itll set you back $199, and will begin shipping in May. And if youve already put down cash for a Pebble Time 2, and want to change your mind, you can switch your order over, no questions asked. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/pebble-brings-its-round-faced-smartwatch-back-from-the-dead-150000172.html?src=rss
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Were gearing up for CES 2026! Engadget will be on the ground, once again, to dive into the latest TVs, wearables and other wild tech from the worlds biggest consumer electronics show. In this episode, we chat about some new products we expect to see, like Micro RGB LED TVs and AI devices, and peer into whats ahead for the rest of 2026.Subscribe!iTunesSpotifyPocket CastsStitcherGoogle PodcastsCreditsHosts: Devindra HardawarProducer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'BrienThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/engadget-podcast-everything-we-expect-at-ces-2026-144657955.html?src=rss
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Elon Musk's Grok AI has been allowing users to transform photographs of woman and children into sexualized and compromising images, Bloomberg reported. The issue has created an uproar among users on X and prompted an "apology" from the bot itself. "I deeply regret an incident on Dec. 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt," Grok said in a post. An X representative has yet to comment on the matter. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, CSAM includes "AI-generated content that makes it look like a child is being abused," as well as "any content that sexualizes or exploits a child for the viewers benefit." Several days ago, users noticed others on the site asking Grok to digitally manipulate photos of women and children into sexualized and abusive content, according to CNBC. The images were then distributed on X and other sites without consent, in possible violation of law. "We've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them," a response from Grok reads. It added that CSAM is "illegal and prohibited." Grok is supposed to have features to prevent such abuse, but AI guardrails can often be manipulated by users. It appears X has yet to reinforced whatever guardrails Grok has to prevent this sort of image generation. However, the company has hidden Grok's media feature which makes it harder to either find images or document potential abuse. Grok itself acknowledged that "a company could face criminal or civil penalties if it knowingly facilitates or fails to prevent AI-generated CSAM after being alerted." The Internet Watch Foundation recently revealed that AI-generated CSAM has increased by an increase orders of magnitude in 2025 compared to the year before. This is in part because the language models behind AI generation are accidentally trained on real photos of children scraped from school websites and social media or even prior CSAM content.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/elon-musks-grok-ai-posted-csam-image-following-safeguard-lapses-140521454.html?src=rss
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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
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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
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