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CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) is the biggest tech convention of the year. It helps set the stage for all the wonderful gadgets we're going to see over the next 12 months. However, among all the quadcopters, questionably benevolent robots and devices with fancy flexible screens, there's a lot of small things that go into making CES a one-of-a-kind event. To highlight some of the silly, stupid and occasionally wholesome things we encountered at the show this year, we humbly present the very unofficial Dumb Fun awards for CES 2025. Cutest digger - Komatsu PC01E-2 Sam Rutherford for Engadget Komatsus PC01E-2 looks like a childrens playground toy, except that it actually works and is really goddam cute. You almost want to walk over and pinch that little bucket until it turns pink. But its not all fun and games because this little digger is meant to help excavate things even in tight spaces. In fact, its small enough to fit in most elevators, so if you run into a situation where you need to get some digging done, say, on the roof, Komatsu's got you. Most likely to be vaporware - FX Super One Faraday Future We generally try to be optimistic about new tech. But ever since Faraday Future announced its first concept car back in 2016, the company has made less than 20 cars in total. And for the massive accomplishment of producing less than two dozen vehicles, Faraday Futures founder and CEO went and gave themselves raises. Now at CES 2025, the company is trying to make a comeback with its new line of FX EVs, except that it couldn't even be bothered to paint them. That special camouflage automakers use is usually meant to help hide a vehicles design before it gets announced, not make it look like a half-finished product at its own press event. That said, calling it 50 percent done is probably way too generous. So while there's always a chance a company turns it around, dont be surprised if you never see a FX Super One on the road. Most dapper (Dan) - EcoFlow Solar hat Daniel Cooper for Engadget If you ever need someone to sacrifice their sartorial elegance for a story, hes your man. And yet, even with a floppy photovoltaic-equipped, mess of a head ornament, theres still no doubt hes the most dapper Dan. Biggest bully - Unitree robot Everyone is always worried about when our robot overlords are going to come and conquer us. Except its the humans we should probably be worried about the most. Thats because during a demo for Unitrees robot, its homo sapien operator fumbled the controller, resulting in the robot basically tackling our very own Karissa Bell. Human or robot, thats just not OK. Most adorable - Mirumi Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget Originally this list was meant to highlight interesting things we saw at CES that didn't get a lot of praise (or hate) elsewhere, but then the Mirumi went and won an award. But I dont care. This robot is designed to do one thing, hold onto your arm and stare cutely at things as you walk around. It's basically a puffball with eyes and a clingyness that can't be denied. And I will protect and cherish it with my life. Biggest nightmare fuel: Sharks red light facemask Cherlynn Low for Engadget Look, taking care of your skin is important. Its the largest organ in your body after all! But if traditional moisturizers, creams and exfoliants arent enough for you, Im not convinced Sharks red light mask is the answer. If Im at home and my significant other comes out of the bathroom looking like goddam Doctor Doom, Im not getting in bed. Im running out the door and calling Reed Richards for help. Chillest booth: AARP Sam Rutherford for Engadget The AARP describes itself as "the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age." So instead of encouraging people to hustle around from booth to booth while checking out all the new-fangled gadgets during CES, the AARP went and decided to install a whole-ass pickleball court right on the show floor. Naturally, attendees both young and old stepped up to the net and causally batted balls back and forth with everyone seemingly having a relaxing time in the midst of the biggest tech convention of the year. Good on yall. Company with the most FOMO - Jackrabbit Las Vegas is an affront to Mother Nature. Its an unwalkable city in the middle of the desert filled with all manner of temptations and enough neon lighting to melt your brain. So when a company doesnt feel like flying in to attend CES, we get it. But that doesnt mean you can try to weasel your way into the spotlight by sending email pitches about being perfect for CES, but smart enough to skip it. Either stop fence sitting and suffer with the rest of us or shut up. So hey Jackrabbit, you say youre fine not being at CES. Thats cool, we feel the same way. Most reckless gadget: Rictor Skyrider Daniel Cooper for Engadget You know what sounds safe? An electric moped that turns into a quadcopter, but only if you position the propellers and arms yourself. The base model also only has about 25 minutes of flight time. While the company claims there are a number of built-in safety features, theres also a built-in parachute. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying we cant have air taxis and such in the future. But this thing does not inspire confidence. However, if you have more guts and than sense, please give it a try and let us know how it goes. Most fun PC component: MSIs CPU cooler with a built-in turntable Sam Rutherford for Engadget Not every computer part needs to be about pumping out higher framerates and MSI proved that this year by making a CPU cooler with a built-in turntable. Whats the point you ask? Well check out that happy little dragon sitting atop its throne. Just look at him. But really, it could be anything you want up there that makes you happy. The only sad part is that this water block is merely a concept and MSI has no actual plans to put it on sale. What a bummer. Most blasphemous branding: Dells new unified name scheme/Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Sam Rutherford for Engadget We couldnt decide which one was more outrageous, so we ended up with a tie for category. For Dell, its new unified branding is largely fine. After all, no one really cares about lines like Latitude, Inspiron and Optiplex. But killing off the XPS name, which is the only Dell sub-brand that has really ever meant something, is a step too far. Meanwhile, in an attempt to woo younger buyers who might not have an affinity for its classic black laptops, Lenovo went and made a ThinkPad with no carbon fiber or a Trackpoint nub. Thats downright sacrilegious. Admittedly, if youre younger than 50 you might not care, but any nerd who grew up using rotary phones is probably pissed. Horniest booth: Handy Sam Rutherford for Engadget CES is home to all sorts of sex tech, but even among all the vibrators and various toys, the Handy booth somehow managed to be hornier than any other. Thats because in addition to having a selection of kinky gadgets on display, the company had guests lining up to spin a wheel for the chance to take home a prize of their own. And if people eagerly awaiting a chance to take away a pleasure device so they can get their rocks off isnt horny, I dont know what is. Just maybe keep it in your pants until you get home.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/our-unofficial-silly-and-meaningless-ces-2025-awards-just-for-fun-210041744.html?src=rss
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Fortnite Festival will support local multiplayer starting Tuesday January 14, meaning youll be able to sit down in a room with your friends and jam out on plastic guitar controllers together just like the good ol days. Of course, most of us probably dont have those plastic guitars anymore, but regular controllers will work just fine too. The feature is coming to Xbox and PlayStation, and up to four local players will be supported at a time for the Festival Main Stage mode. Maybe its the nostalgia talking, but this kind of rules? GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER Local multiplayer is coming to Fortnite Festival on Xbox and PlayStation January 14! Stay *tuned* for more details pic.twitter.com/m5hzBmbCtw Fortnite Festival (@FNFestival) January 10, 2025 For those who arent aware, Fortnite Festival is a rhythm game developed for Epic by Harmonix (best known for Rock Band and the early Guitar Hero titles). It was first released at the end of 2023. In addition to normal controllers, the game also supports Rock Band 4 guitar controllers on Xbox, PlayStation and PC, as well as the recently released PDP Riffmaster. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-festival-adds-local-co-op-so-you-can-relive-the-glory-days-of-rock-band-and-guitar-hero-190528448.html?src=rss
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Samsungs big Galaxy S25 launch is right around the corner. The first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025 is confirmed for January 22 at 1PM ET in San Jose, CA, where Samsungs Next Big Thing (to borrow a 14-year-old marketing slogan) will be revealed. What exactly will be on tap? Well, apart from a few sure bets and some likely leaks, only those sworn to a blood oath under an NDA know for certain. But here are the most likely products and features well see. Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra Galaxy S24 UltraSam Rutherford for Engadget Much like Apple reveals its latest iPhones at its first fall event, Samsung typically launches its mainline Galaxy S flagships at its first Unpacked shindig of the year. You can bet the farm that there will be Galaxy S25 phones at this event. And given Samsungs recent trend of launching three tiers of flagships standard, Plus and Ultra you can bet well see that again. (Samsung could technically change the brand names, but the three-layered lineup is practically guaranteed.) Theres even an FCC certification (first spotted by 91Mobiles) to dispel any doubts. The degree of certainty falls sharply once we dig into the phones features. A subtle redesign with rounded corners, flatter edges and thinner bezels appears likely based on a leaked video posted to Reddit and images from reputable tipster Ice Universe. But this isnt expected to be the generation where Samsungs hiring of a former Mercedes-Benz designer will lead to drastic aesthetic changes. Qualcomm At least in the US, the phone is practically guaranteed to use Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which the chip-maker revealed in October. (Qualcomm even listed Samsung among the companies launching devices with that processor in the coming weeks.) Like just about every flagship processor these days, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is built for on-device generative AI, which aligns with Samsungs Galaxy AI blitz in recent models. We dont know whether the company will split its S25 processors between Snapdragon (US and other markets) and Exynos (everywhere else), but Ice Universe has claimed it will be all Snapdragon this generation. That would be a good thing, given whats often a glaring performance and battery life disparity favoring Qualcomm. The phone will run Samsungs One UI 7 on top of Android 15. We know this because Samsung said in October that its user experience (based on Android 15) will launch on the next Galaxy S flagships. Its already available in beta for Galaxy S24 phones. Samsung Samsung is rumored to stick with last-generation OLED displays (made with M13 organic materials) instead of the brighter and more efficient M14 OLED panels used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9. Logic suggests Samsung would want its best homemade screen in its best phones especially when its competitors are already using it. But it ould stick with the cheaper panels to keep the bill of materials down. Perhaps it calculated that better displays dont make for better generative AI (the obsession of nearly every tech company right now), while the latest Qualcomm chip does. Speaking of AI, expect Samsung to devote a perhaps agonizingly long portion of the event to generative AI features. The hit-or-miss DigiTimes reported last month that the Galaxy S25 series will include an AI Agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transport information. What that would look like in practice is anyones guess, but Im not sure I want to know. Galaxy S24 UltraSam Rutherford for Engadget On the camera front, Ice Universe claims (via Android Headlines) its confirmed that only the ultra-wide sensor will see an upgrade in the Galaxy S25 Ultra to 50MP from 12MP in last years model. The leaker says the S25 Ultra will stick with a 200MP main sensor, 10MP 3x zoom and 50MP 5x zoom. Samsung will add the Qi2 wireless charging standard to its new flagships and that comes straight from the horses (aka, the Wireless Power Consortiums) mouth. However, leaker chunvn8888 (aka yawn) says Samsungs phones wont have built-in magnets for Qi2s native MagSafe in everything but name charging. Instead, the leaker says Samsung will sell a first-party case with a Qi2 magnetic ring to enable that. (Gotta move those accessories, baby!) Rumors have buzzed about an alleged Galaxy S25 Slim with a you guessed it slimmer design joining the trio at some point this year. Thats something Apple is also rumored to be working on. However, given the FCC certifications only appear to cover the familiar trio of flagships, that phone (if its in the pipeline at all) may not arrive until later in the year. Galaxy Ring 2, Samsung XR and AR glasses Galaxy RingSam Rutherford for Engadget DigiTimes reported in December that Samsung would show off (or maybe just tease) the Galaxy Ring 2 and augmented reality (AR) glasses during its January Unpacked event. The Taiwanese publication says the Galaxy Ring 2 will add two more sizes to the nine from the original model, which only launched in July. The second-gen wearable health tracker is said to add new AI features (surprise!) and updated sensors for more accurate measurements. The Galaxy Ring 2 is also rumored to last longer than the current models maximum of seven days. Google DigiTimes also claims Samsungs AR glasses which the company has confirmed its working on will look like regular prescription glasses and weigh around 50g. It says the futuristic glasses would use Googles Gemini AI, which aligns with what we already know about Samsungs partnership with Google and Qualcomm on Android XR. But given the lack of supply chain rumors surrounding the glasses, its likely that any mention at the event would amount to little more than a teaser, a la its grand reveal of... a stinkin render for the first Galaxy Ring at Unpacked 2024. We also know Samsung is co-developing an Android XR (extended reality) headset codenamed Project Moohan alongside Google and Qualcomm. The lightweight and ergonomically designed headset will have a state-of-the-art display, passthrough video and natural multi-modal input. Googles renderings show a wearable reminiscent of Apples $3,500 Vision Pro. Project MoohanGoogle / Samsung Since Gogle only recently began offering a developer kit and API for the platform, any glimpse of it at Unpacked wouldnt likely include an imminent release or deep dive into its hardware. Engadget will have full coverage of Samsungs first Unpacked event of 2025. More to come on January 22!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/what-to-expect-at-samsungs-galaxy-s25-unpacked-event-182028420.html?src=rss
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