Tech

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CES 2026 spotlights extreme TVs, new AI platforms, robots and odd gadgets

CES 2026 is underway and ZDNET reporters are tracking launches from major consumer electronics brands including Samsung, LG and Hisense, alongside concept devices and unusual gadgets from smaller companies. On the TV front, TCL showed the X11L with a Super Quantum Dot Mini LED panel that the company says hits

Tech

CNET Group names 22 Best of CES 2026 winners; ZDNET highlights top picks

CNET Group, selected in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association, has announced its Best of CES 2026 winners after in-person evaluations at CES in Las Vegas, where ZDNET reporters went hands-on with hundreds of products. The awards were based on live demos and expert evaluation, and eligibility required that a

Tech

Top VPNs to stream soccer and sports in 2026

On Jan 08, 2026 Goal published a guide to the best VPN services for streaming soccer and other sports from anywhere in the world. The guide explains that a VPN routes internet traffic through external servers to bypass geo-restrictions, protect data and can be cheaper than subscribing to multiple services.

Tech

CES 2026 spotlights battery-free smart locks, generative AI on Google TV and smarter vacuums

At CES 2026, companies highlighted smarter, more autonomous smart-home devices, including battery-free smart locks, new generative-AI features for Google TV, and an AI-enabled robot vacuum and mop. Lockin showed the Veno Pro deadbolt and the V7 Max Mortise lock, both designed to avoid removable batteries by using Lockin AuraCharge — an

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Ars Technica lists the eight best board game apps of 2019

Ars Technica’s Ars Cardboard column published a ranked list of the eight best board game apps of 2019, highlighting digital adaptations of tabletop titles that the author judged worth players’ time. The piece says tabletop games continued pushing into electronic devices in 2019, with at least a dozen digital

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Google adds AI Overviews, Proofread and new AI inbox to Gmail

Kicking off 2026, Google introduced three AI upgrades for Gmail: AI Overviews, a Proofread tool and a redesigned "AI inbox" interface aimed at boosting personalization and integrating its Gemini technology into the email experience. AI Overviews, previously used in Google Search, has been embedded into Gmail and responds

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Generative A.I., smart glasses and robot taxis poised to shape consumer tech in 2026

Generative artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how people use their devices and browse the web, and is driving experiments with new gadgets and an expansion of self-driving taxi services, The New York Times technology columnist Brian X. Chen writes. Voice assistants from Apple, Google and Amazon have long failed to

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Anthropic reportedly seeking $10B financing at $350B valuation

Anthropic is preparing to raise about $10 billion at a $350 billion valuation, according to The Wall Street Journal. TechCrunch has separately confirmed the raise and valuation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Claude maker last raised a $13 billion Series F round at a $183 billion

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Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm) drops to $299 at Amazon

As of Jan. 8, the Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm) is on sale at Amazon for $299, its lowest-ever price and $100 off the $399 list price. A few different models have been marked down to the $299 price, including the jet black aluminum case with a black sport

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Seven standout laptops at CES 2026, led by the Dell XPS 14

ZDNET highlighted seven laptops at CES 2026 that stood out for unique features, performance upgrades and forward‑thinking designs. Notable entries include LG's Gram Pro 17, which the outlet said uses a new material called Aerominum (also described as Aeronium in the article) to cut weight while keeping

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ChubbyCable Tri-Flex 3-in-1 cable consolidated a traveler's charging kit, ZDNET says

A ZDNET reviewer said the ChubbyCable Tri-Flex 3-in-1 cable replaced every other cable in their travel bag after a month of traveling in Europe. ZDNET described the cable as 4.1 feet long and siliconized, calling it soft, tangle-free and thicker than a regular cable. According to the manufacturer, the

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Disney+ to add vertical, mobile-first video feed in U.S.

Collider reports Disney+ will roll out a vertical, swipeable, mobile-first video feed in the U.S. later this year, shifting the platform toward an experience more like a phone home screen after the announcement at Disney’s Tech & Data Showcase at CES. Disney said the new vertical feed will

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Asus previews icosahedron-shaped ROG NeoCore Wi‑Fi 8 router at CES 2026

Asus previewed the ROG NeoCore Wi‑Fi 8 router at CES 2026, showing a proof-of-concept device meant to demonstrate the company's approach to the next wireless generation. ZDNET's Kyle Kucharski saw the NeoCore in person; it has a striking icosahedron (20-sided) shape and reportedly includes a

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Ohsnap starts shipping $150 Mcon magnetic phone controller after CES demo

Ohsnap is finally shipping its $150 Mcon Bluetooth controller after about a year of tweaks, a device that was spotted in the CES halls and magnetically mounts an iPhone or Android phone. Kerry Wan at ZDNET described using the Mcon as placing a phone on a magnetic pad and flicking

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Asus ZenBook Duo (2026) refines dual-screen design and adds a bigger battery

At CES 2026, ZDNET's Prakhar Khanna got hands-on with Asus' new ZenBook Duo (2026), a dual-screen laptop the writer said looks ready to replace their M4 MacBook Air. The laptop features two 14-inch OLED touchscreens with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution (2.8K), a 144Hz refresh

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Euhomy Ice Leopard X1 makes nine ice cubes in five minutes, debuts at CES 2026

Euhomy debuted the Ice Leopard X1 at CES 2026; ZDNET's Alison DeNisco Rayome said the company claims it is the world's fastest portable ice maker, producing nine bullet ice cubes (about one cup) in five minutes. Rayome described the machine as surprisingly slim, with a countertop

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Six Samsung TV settings to change for better picture and performance

ZDNET author Adam Breeden outlines six settings Samsung TV owners can change to improve picture quality and system responsiveness. First, Breeden advises disabling Eco Mode, which reduces brightness and contrast to save power; a recent study found Eco Mode can save as little as $7 a year. To turn it

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OpenAI announces ChatGPT Health to centralize user medical conversations

OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health on Wednesday, saying it will offer a dedicated space for users to have conversations with ChatGPT about their health. The company said more than 230 million people ask health and wellness questions on the platform each week. ChatGPT Health will silo those conversations away from users&

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ZDNET highlights CES 2026 products you can buy or preorder now

ZDNET's shopping and advice editors rounded up nine notable products from CES 2026 in Las Vegas that are available to buy or preorder, covering TVs, gadgets, gaming accessories, beauty tech and chargers. Among the picks, reviews editor Kerry Wan called TCL's X11L TV "the model

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Lenovo unveils rollable concepts and repairable ThinkPad at CES 2026

Lenovo announced more than a dozen new computers at CES 2026, including laptops, desktops, all‑in‑one PCs, mini PCs and several proof‑of‑concept rollable laptops alongside redesigned flagship models. One headline device is the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition, which uses a new "space frame&

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OpenAI introduces Health mode in ChatGPT to link personal health data

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Health, a dedicated health-and-wellness mode in ChatGPT that lets users combine medical records and wearable data to "ground conversations in your own health information," according to OpenAI. OpenAI said roughly 40 million people a day rely on ChatGPT for medical questions. The company said

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Anthropic in talks to raise $10 billion at about $350 billion valuation

Anthropic, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence start-up that makes the Claude chatbot, plans to raise $10 billion in funding that would value it at roughly $350 billion, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Talks over the financing are said to be led by Coatue Management, GIC and

Tech

Google and Character.AI agree to settle suit over Florida teen’s death

Google and Character.AI agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused their chatbots of contributing to the death of a 14-year-old in Florida, according to a legal filing on Wednesday. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in October 2024 by Megan

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Asus updates ZenBook A14 with Snapdragon X2 Elite and long battery life

At CES 2026, Asus unveiled updates to the ZenBook A14 lineup, adding a 16‑inch option and a new 14‑inch model (UX3407NA) powered by the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor. The Snapdragon X2 Elite configuration uses an 18‑core CPU with 12 Prime cores and six Performance cores, and includes

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Ford to debut AI assistant in app in early 2026, bring in‑car integration in 2027

Ford announced at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show that it is developing an AI assistant that will arrive first in its smartphone app and expand into vehicles in 2027, and it also teased a next-generation BlueCruise driver assistance system. The company said the digital assistant is hosted by Google Cloud