CES 2019: Lenovo's X1 Yoga is first ThinkPad to receive aluminum enclosure

As competition in the premium laptop and notebook segment heats up, it is not enough for manufacturers to rely on processor and performance upgrades, bezel-reduced displays and thinner form factors to remain competitive. Lenovo gets this and has imbued its ThinkPad X1 Yoga line with aluminum enclosures. ThinkPads are premium devices and usually come with metal frames but polycarbonate plastic enclosures which, while sturdy, felt less than completely premium.

The skinny ThinkPad X1 PCs are the first aluminum ThinkPads which is quite surprising since there are more premium models geared towards enterprise that could have used the upgrade. 

“Creating the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Yoga required us to completely go back to the drawing board and develop all new approaches,” said Jerry Paradise, vice president, Commercial Product Portfolio. “The challenge of reimagining our engineering, design and materials while achieving the reliability, quality, and usability required of a ThinkPad was massive, but the end result will provide a delightful customer experience.” 

Source: NeoWin

CES 2019: Sony debuts massive 8K TV model

8K is the new big thing at this year’s CES. And the big manufacturers seem to all have their take on it. Sony’s model—the Master Series Z9G 8K LCD—is certainly a big one. It comes in two gigantic sizes—85 inches and 98 inches—and is updated with Sony’s Picture Processor X1 Ultimate image processor as well as X-Reality PRO optimized for 8K. This promise you get great-looking content no matter what the native resolution is, which is important as there isn’t any 8K content available at the moment. It also offers Netflix Calibrated Mode, which means the content is shown as the creators intended, and it’s also part of the IMAX Enhanced certification program. The Z9G comes with four front-firing speakers (two at the top and two at the bottom) to make it seem like the actors on-screen are speaking instead of the sound just coming through the speakers, which is what Sony tried to achieve with its OLED Acoustic Surface Audio. The tech couldn’t be brought to LCD, thus the use of speakers. This 8K model is also an Android TV model with Google Assistant and it’s compatible with Google Home and Amazon Echo smart speakers. No word on price or availability just yet.

Source: Digital Trends

CES 2019: Harley-Davidson release more details about its electric motorcycle, opens preorders

Harley-Davidson’s highly anticipated electric motorcycle gets a bit of exposure at CES. The motorcycle manufacturer announced the LiveWire is now available for preorder and will be delivered to those who preorder later in the fall. It’s going to cost a pretty penny, though, at US$29,799. The electric bike is capable of going from 0 to 60mph in under 3.5 seconds and it requires no clutch or gear shifting, making it simpler for new riders. Harley says it can travel 110 city miles on a single charge, but the company didn’t specify how this translates on the highway. It can be charged from a standard household outlet with Level 1 charger and power or riders can visit public Level 3 DC Fast Charge stations for a quicker top-up. The bike has seven riding modes to choose from—four are standard and three are customizable.

It has a tiltable, colour touchscreen above the handlebar. The LiveWire also comes with a telematics system called H-D Connect, which has data on the bike’s vital stats such as battery charging, service reminders, and even tampering. These data can be sent to the owner via Harley’s connected app, making this the brand’s first mass-market, cellular-connected electric motorcycle. It comes in vivid black, yellow fuse, and orange fuse.

Source: Geek.com

CES 2019: Nissan to demo tech that lets you ‘see’ around corners, find parking space

Nissan wants to make the invisible visible to you—like accidents in an unseen, upcoming corner or even a parking slot opening up near your destination. These are just a couple of practical implementations of what Nissan is calling its Invisible-to-Visible technology (I2V). And while it makes you think of uncloaking your car that’s hidden under an invisibility cloak, that isn’t what this future tech is about. Instead, what Nissan wants to achieve with this technology is to merge your physical and virtual worlds into a system you can use while on the road. It combines information from the sensors outside and inside the car as well as data from the cloud to help you see what’s happening behind a corner or street coming up so you can avoid traffic, watch out for pedestrians, and as mentioned, help you locate parking slots.

The automaker also introduces the idea of the “Metaverse,” which Wheels.ca describes as a “blockchain project that provides a foundational infrastructure for social and enterprise needs.” Through I2V technology and its access to the Metaverse, you can even have companions inside the car that are three-dimensional, augmented-reality avatars. These can be everyone from loved ones to local guides or professional drivers to help you while you’re on the road. The video above expounds what I2V hopes to bring to your future drives.