Business Articles

TCL claims to have practically soaked up the industry recognition and accolades as a result of its CES 2024 exhibition. The OEM showcased a wide variety of products that have subsequently been showered in awards, not the least of which are its new flagship 115-in mini-LED TV. TCL's latest AR glasses, NXTPAPER tablets and other displays have also attracted potentially meaningful appreciation during the Las Vegas event.

Tesla Inc. experiences a rocky start to 2024, with a significant plunge in market value. The electric vehicle titan is battling supply chain disruptions and escalating labor costs. A slowdown in demand for EVs further compounds the company's difficulties.

With his channel "The Game Theorists", MatPat is one of the most well-known faces on YouTube. What fans have suspected for some time is now a sad certainty: the YouTuber is calling it quits. But MatPat doesn't plan to leave the scene completely.

TCL's CSOT R&D division has indicated that it might help build the 14-inch laptop displays of the future based on some of its current OLED prototypes. Some of these PCs might have improved outdoor visibility thanks to high-brightness Ultra Tandem technology, while others might be high-res with rich colors and 120Hz VRR technology. TCL has also developed a Frequency Division Display for smartphones that might be able to exhibit 2 or even 3 different refresh rates simultaneously.

BOE's latest Las Vegas outing demonstrates its latest cutting-edge display prototypes, and is also the first to draw attention to the brands under which it will be selling such products in markets such as the United States. For example, its line of foldable OLED products - such as the new ambi-sliding flexible display - will be handled by f-OLED, whereas others such as the curved 27-inch 4K Mini LED monitor is part of the OEM's α-MLED division.

The display tech OEM BOE has a 2024 car as part of its Las Vegas exhibition, and for good reason. The Geely Galaxy E8 boasts the world's first 45-inch 8K borderless smart dashboard, rated to cater to the most pressing need of both driver and front-seat passenger simultaneously. Furthermore, BOE is also demonstrating the screen's even higher-res, more responsive Oxide Mini LED successor with custom curved glass from Corning.

Does it still make sense to buy a 2-in-1 Windows device with (overly) timeworn hardware (Amber Lake) in 2024? Well, it depends. The reasonably attractive price does help: the base model Surface Go 2 is available now for as low as €266 (US$291) – Windows 10 Pro included. We took a chance on it.

Vuzix has debuted the ultralight Z100 smart glasses for enterprise customers. These are designed for corporate developers to create custom applications for their businesses to optimize staff workflow with information, AI-assistance, work progress, and more.

HP claims that its latest Chrome OS convertible can last the course as a rugged work PC. The Fortis x360 G5 is also touted to be as adapted to writing by hand as it is to typing, thanks to its Gorilla Glass 3-enhanced screen and option of using the HP USI Garaged Pen accessory. The G5 is also backed to stay mobile with a "long-lasting" battery and charging that might not take that long.

The Fortis 11-inch G10 Chromebook is another new HP PC "purpose-built" to "stay productive" regardless of what it encounters at work, spills and drops included. It is also equipped with a Titan C chip for security as well as "responsive" Intel platforms for advanced, optionally independent, connectivity. The G10 also has "fast" USB-C charging and the option of a touchscreen.

HP asserts that its new Pro Fortis-series Windows 360-degree convertible is built to withstand any professional or educational environment in 2024 with a MIL-STD-810-tested chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 screen. It is also equipped with the OEM's Wolf Security software suite for potentially improved peace of mind among the IT managers invited to start deploying it from now.

With its long-range, high-payload design, DJI's latest drone is definitely not intended for normal recreational use. The global version of the FlyCart 30 (or FC30) is rated to fly for nearly 10 miles while "intelligently" carrying nearly 70 pounds (lb) in either Cargo or Winch mode. DJI also asserts that it can do so at high altitudes in extreme conditions, and can be monitored and controlled easily.

Hollyland claims to have packed all the tech for a "top level consumer-grade" lavalier- or lapel-style microphone into an "all-in-one button" with its latest Lark-series release. The M2 is rated to eliminate unwanted background noise with environmental noise cancellation (ENC) to product "accurate" recordings in "studio-grade" quality. Hollyland also claims that its receiver can pick up from a "remarkable" distance away or right through obstacles like the user's body.

Electric vehicle (EV) chargers with MSI logos might become a thing in 2024, as part of the brand's bid to become as well-known for automotive or industrial smart tech as it is for gaming laptops. Some of the MSI tech for cars support standards including NACS, whereas others employ AI to enhance driver or charge point operator (CPO) safety.

The Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition, Acer's creator-centric laptop, has been announced at CES 2024. It supports Acer's suite of SpatialLabs software and can even use AI to make 3D models out of 2D images.

MSI has announced the Stealth 18 AI Studio laptop at CES 2024. It features an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, a 4K 120 Hz mini-LED screen and a RGB keyboard.

HP has previewed its next-gen consumer-grade monitors as revamped displays with "thin and light" designs, and the bezels to match. The Series 5s will also have increased refresh rates and contrast ratios compared to some of their predecessors, and may be able to connect to more devices, those with HDMI included.

HP has made some big claims for its latest consumer-grade peripherals, the new 960 Ergonomic Wireless Keyboard included. It is joined at the latest CES event in Las Vegas by "the world’s most customizable Bluetooth mechanical keypad", a mouse with wireless charging, a dock with all the "essential" ports and another keyboard that is sanitizable as well as backlit.

HP present the new Poly Voyager Free 20 earbuds as part of its CES 2024 peripherals showcase. They feature hybrid adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) alongside the brand's "legendary" smart voice-boosting and noise-reduction technology for calls. The Free 20s are also backed to deliver "all-day" battery life and conferencing app compatibility.

XREAL (formerly Nreal) has declared itself "the largest player in the augmented reality (AR) industry", having captured just over half of that market according to its latest sales report. The brand also claims to have shipped over 300,000 units of its Air-brand glasses to date, a new generation of which might be unveiled during CES 2024.

The French antitrust office has accused Sony of abusing its dominant market position and putting competing companies at a disadvantage on the controller market. At the core of the accusation is the claim that PS4 controllers from third-parties could have worked just as well, if not better. The electronics giant is now paying a fine in the millions.

The leading processor manufacturer for smartphones unveiled the Snapdragon XR2+ chip, which will be utilised in mixed and virtual reality headsets produced by Google and Samsung.

General Motors confirmed that it will match the US IRA tax incentives for its Chevrolet Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicles that will no longer be eligible for the tax reduction after the January 1 rule changes. The regular Tesla Model 3 also lost eligibility, and Tesla has not yet commented on whether it will compensate, as it did in Germany in December.

The shares of the Chinese chip foundry SMIC fell after it became clear that it is not the one making modern 5nm processors for Huawei. After the 7nm scare, the new 5nm Huawei chip doesn't come from mainland China, either.

Costco has installed Trinity Structures off-grid solar capture and charging stations at their key distribution center in California where recent passage of CARB and WAIRE mandates are forcing trucking operators to convert from diesel to electric vehicles. Installing solar energy capture and storage on-site will bypass current headaches connecting EV chargers to a strained electrical grid.

Manufacturing tech giant Siemens has announced that it will fulfil its sustainability and carbon-neutrality resolutions by augmenting its company's portfolio of vehicles with more and more new ID.4s from Volkswagen over time. The marque hails the move as another step closer to the more complete electrification of mobility, industrial and otherwise.

Following Tesla, the two largest car brands in Norway in 2023 were Volkswagen (10.8%, down from 11.6%), and Toyota (12.4%, up from 8.0%). As of 2023, 82.4% of newly sold vehicles were electric, up from 79.3% in 2022, according to data from the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV).

An in-development version of the Porsche Taycan beat both the previous Taycan Turbo S and the Tesla Model S Plaid with Track Pack around the infamous Nürburgring by over 15 seconds. The new Porsche was driven by Porsche Development driver Lars Kern and fitted with a roll cage and bucket seats for safety purposes.

The Chinese firm sold 526,409 fully electric cars in the last quarter of 2023, challenging Tesla in the global EV race. Out of the three million, 1.6 million were fully battery-powered.

Reliable Robotics has created aviation history with the world’s first flight of a Cessna controlled entirely by smart software, not humans. With nobody on board, the self-flying Cessna is able to taxi, take off, fly its scheduled route, land, and taxi back to the gate all by itself. For safety, a remote pilot monitoring the flight can take over at any moment.

Mini-PC OEM Geekom's latest financial performance report has revealed a "remarkable surge" in its takings for the third quarter of 2023 (3Q2023), a year in which the company began to broaden its reach and sales in the small form-factor market. Geekom attributes its growing success to a number of decisions intended to improve its business.

Lenovo differentiates the ThinkPad T14 G4 into Intel and AMD variants. One difference: Completely soldered RAM on the AMD model. To us, this is a mistake.

A Tesla Cybertruck collided with a Toyota Corolla in California. While only minor injuries were sustained during the collision, the Toyota seems to have taken most of the abuse. The stark contrast between the damage sustained by the vehicles seems to validate previous safety concerns about the design of the Cybertruck.

California-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Fisker revealed in its December business update that it successfully assembled 10,142 units of its Ocean electric SUV in the year, with approximately 4,700 units already handed over to customers.

The lawsuit argues that millions of users who believed they were browsing anonymously had their internet activity covertly monitored by Google.

OPPO has indicated that the Find X7 series will be its first smartphones to launch with a new AI assistant out of the box. AndesGPT is based on a large language model (LLM) rated to respond up to 3.5 times faster than the industry average (depending on word-count). It is also backed to complete tasks such as generating high-quality images up to 60% faster than rival models.

Google and Fervo Energy are working to reduce the impact of climate change with the next generation of geothermal energy. Unlike wind and solar power, geothermal energy provides a continuous supply of electricity and, with government support, could become a cost-effective and carbon-free source of energy in the future.

The Chinese government recently tightened its grasp on the gaming industry and predatory practices that a lot of game studios use to generate revenue. More recently, government officials have said that these new rules may be reconsidered after stock prices tumbled in the wake of the new regulations.

Amazon Prime users who would rather avoid the ad breaks will need to pay an additional $2.99 a month for a commercial-free subscription.

Passive houses can reduce heating and cooling requirements by up to 90%. This energy-saving architecture for a sustainable future began in Canada in the 1970s. Although this special type of energy-efficient construction has not yet become a trend, it could become a pioneering solution for future living.

There is currently no legal way to purchase Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 (models with pulse oximeters) in the U.S. Apple immediately appealed the ITC's decision.

This year, zero-emissions flying came closer: the first flight of ZeroAvia's hydrogen-powered aircraft was voted the breakthrough technology of 2023 in a survey by MIT Technology Review. The company has already raised over $140 million from high-profile investors including Bill Gates, and is working towards commercial launch.

The high-speed transportation company said it had not been able to secure the necessary funding to continue operations. It plans to sell the intellectual property of Hyperloop One to another company.

The recycling of batteries is becoming more crucial in the field of electromobility. As the demand for electric cars rises, so does the need for materials to produce lithium-ion batteries. To meet climate targets and maintain affordable prices for electric vehicles, sustainable methods of recycling used batteries are essential.

Infinix' latest INBook-series laptop has hit the Indian market with a metallic unibody design and Windows 11. The Y2 Plus offers HDMI and USB-C charging for ~$420 or less on its new retail platform. Then again, it is also powered by increasingly last-gen Intel platforms and could have a better display on paper.

The company is reportedly in preliminary negotiations with investors. Should the investment round progress as anticipated, OpenAI would become the second most valuable startup in the United States, following Elon Musk's Space X.

Samsung's next Galaxy XCover-series smartphone is coming to Europe, according to a new leak. It is tipped to hit the market with "nice" specs for its typically rugged category of Android devices. Nevertheless, it may also have an attractive price on its supposedly upcoming launch.

The Qoocam 3 Ultra is a "cutting-edge" new dual-lens action camera rated for super-high recording in 3D. Kandao's upcoming lifestyle vlogging device is also backed to take high-quality, instantly-shareable panoramic photos. It will debut during the OEM's CES 2024 showcase ahead of its 2024 release.