LG's cheaper 4K OLED TVs are on the way

Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | iHeart Radio

It's Wednesday, January 13, 2021.

The second day of CES, after a rush of news from the likes of AMD and NVIDIA, concluded with the announcement of the finalists for the Best of CES 2021 awards.

As we note in the full rundown, we weren't sure how this year's CES would turn out, online-only and in the midst of a pandemic. However, our online briefings and investigations lead to nominees across 14 categories and several heated discussions in direct messages and video conference calls. Who knew we'd get so passionate about laptops? (We did.)

From the best wearables to the most innovative transport announcements, take a look at all the finalists right here. They're a combination of heavy-hitters, like Samsung and Intel, and smaller teams, like Wearable Devices Ltd (I wonder what they make… ) and Vanguard Industries' furry creation.

While we're deciding the eventual winners, you can have your very own say in the People's Choice Award. Vote right here. The polls will close just ahead of our award ceremony, today at 4:30pm ET.

— Mat Smith

LG's entry-level A1 OLED TVs should be its cheapest yet

With Vizio selling OLEDs for less, it looks like LG is responding.

Buried in LG's CES 2021 presentation, Forbes points out, the company announced a new line of OLED TVs. The A1 series will slot in as an even cheaper option than the C1 (pictured above) and B1 models, but potential buyers should be aware of some features they'll lose compared to more expensive versions.

We don't have prices for any of the 2021 TVs yet, but on these there's no 120Hz display, no variable refresh rate and no HDMI 2.1. We anticipate they'll still have the incredible black levels and contrast ratio we've come to expect from OLED, so they're really better set up for movie lovers on a budget than new-gen console owners who want to tick off every possible feature box.
Continue reading.

One start-up's wearable might be able to monitor blood sugar without needles

Quantum Operation Inc's prototype could be a big deal, if it works.

One in 10 Americans are diabetic. To maintain their health, diabetics either need to take regular finger-prick blood tests or wear an implanted glucose monitor. One startup claims its new prototype can track blood sugar levels without the need for needles.

Quantum Operation Inc, exhibiting at CES, says its prototype wearable can accurately measure blood sugar from the wrist. It uses a small spectrometer, which scans the blood to measure for glucose. The wearer simply needs to slide the watch on and activate the monitoring from the menu, and after around 20 seconds, it gives a blood-sugar read out.
Continue reading.

Razer made a smart mask concept

And a gaming chair with a wrap-around OLED screen.

Razer loves to go silly at CES sometimes, announcing concepts that never make it to the real world. This year, Project Hazel is a timely attempt to reimagine a smart mask, with a bunch of Razer-styled flourishes and high-tech upgrades. It has RGB lights, naturally, a transparent front cover to let people see your mouth and a built-in microphone and speaker that amplifies your voice. Oh, and active air ventilation that would be as effective as an N95 medical mask.

Razer also teased Project Brooklyn, a gaming chair with a huge 60-inch curved OLED screen that folds into the back of the seat like a pair of wings. Chances of this ever going on sale are slim — rollable OLEDs are insanely expensive.
Continue reading.

Moflin is the AI emotional support pet we all need right now

Shhh, shhhh.

Moflin is an AI pet robot that looks like someone spilled water on a Mogwai boom mic. Moflin, like many of the softer robots we've seen in the past, comes with "emotional capabilities" and the ability to learn. Niche? Oh, most definitely. But have you seen the egg-shaped nest it 'sleeps' in to recharge? Adorable.
Continue reading.

NVIDIA's RTX 30 series GPUs are heading to laptops later this month

Say hello to the RTX 3060, RTX 3070 and RTX 3080.

NVIDIA has confirmed it's RTX 30 series GPUs are making their way to laptops. As of today, the company's Ampere notebook lineup has three GPUs: the RTX 3060, RTX 3070 and RTX 3080. NVIDIA also added a new RTX 3060 GPU for desktop PCs, which will be slightly cheaper than the Ti version: $329 compared to $399.

According to NVIDIA, the laptop version of the RTX 3060 can deliver performance in the ballpark of 90 fps at 1080p and ultra settings in games like Fortnite, and will be available in laptops that start at $999. NVIDIA says its top-of-the-line laptop GPU, the RTX 3080, can render games at more than 100 fps at 1440p. It also showed off a 3080-equipped version of the Razer Blade 15 outputting Microsoft Flight Simulator to three displays.

The first RTX 3080- and RTX 3070-equipped laptops will be available to buy starting January 26th, with RTX 3060 laptops to follow later. The desktop RTX 3060 graphics cards will launch in late February.
Continue reading.

YouTube suspends Donald Trump, deletes some videos and blocks new uploads

Receiving a strike blocks uploads to the channel for at least a week.

After being suspended on Facebook, banned on Twitter and ejected from Twitch, Donald Trump still had access to social media via YouTube. Until yesterday, when the company responded to videos posted early in the day by deleting them and placing a strike on the president's account for violating its policies against inciting violence.

At least one of the deleted videos featured the president saying things like "There is always a countermove," which social networks see as compelling followers toward repeating the violence seen January 6th after a Trump rally and march turned into an assault on the chambers of Congress while it was in session. What the president thinks of this is unknown as he has not regularly addressed the media since receiving a ban from Twitter.
Continue reading.