Technology News for Wednesday 5th January 2022

1. CES 2022: Belkin Debuts New Find My-Compatible Soundform Noise Cancelling Earbuds

According to Belkin, the Soundform Immerse Noise Cancelling Earbuds are the company's top-of-the-line audio solution. In addition to an Active Noise Cancellation feature, the earbuds feature a Multipoint connection to connect to and switch between multiple ...

2. Sony's PlayStation VR 2 name is official, gets Horizon as exclusive game

The VR headset promises to have unique vibrating feedback and controllers with advanced haptics, along with eye tracking, a 110-degree field of view and foveated rendering (a technology that focuses only on where the fovea of the eye is looking to maximize ...

3. Sony pivots into cars with Sony Mobility and a Vision-S SUV prototype at CES 2022

Sony will establish an operating company “Sony Mobility Inc.” in the spring of 2022, through which the company intends to explore entry into the EV market.

4. CES 2022: Samsung's Odyssey Ark looks too graceful for gaming

Samsung's is known for its innovative monitor designs, so we shouldn't be surprised that the company decided to create a 55-inch curved 4K gaming monitor that you can rotate into a vertical orientation, which it teased at CES 2022.

5. Sony shows off SUV, will explore building electric cars as 'Sony Mobility Inc'

At CES in Las Vegas this evening, Sony's Chairman, President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida showed off a brand new prototype of its Vision S concept electric car, and announces that the Sony Group is starting a new division – the Sony Mobility Inc – which ...

6. The ROG Strix Flare II Animate puts a tiny dot-matrix display on a keyboard

Asus calls this tech the AniMe Matrix LED display, and says you can use it to show all sorts of things; custom images and animations, system info like battery life, time, and date, and even audio visualizations. It's blingy, to say the least, and more eye- ...

7. OnePlus 10 Pro: What changed from OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro

Find the best phones, apps and accessories with our CNET Mobile newsletter. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yes, ...

8. BMW's iX M60 is a dual-motor performance EV with 280 miles of range

BMW announced the iX M60, the German automaker's latest performance electric vehicle, and the second EV to be released under its racing-inspired M branding. When it comes out in the summer of 2022, the iX M60 will feature two electric motors, ...

9. Kuo: Apple's mixed reality headset to be released in late 2022 with limited supplies

In a note sent to investors seen by 9to5Mac, Kuo mentions that Apple's AR/VR headset will be “postponed to the end of 2022.” According to the analyst, more significant shipments of the product ...

10. Kuo: Apple's AR/VR Headset to Feature 'Pancake Lenses' Allowing for Lighter and More Compact Design

Apple's widely-rumored AR/VR headset is coming at the end of 2022, with shipments to ramp up in the first quarter of 2023, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. apple mixed reality headset mockup feature purple. In a research note with TF International ...

11. Death Stranding Director's Cut coming to PC in Spring 2022

Publisher 505 Games has announced the director's cut release for Death Stranding on Windows PC. Following its launch on the Playstation 5 a few months ago, the game will now launch simultaneously on Steam and Epic Games Store in Spring 2022.

12. Sony gives first details on next-gen PSVR2 headset for PS5

Sony has announced some basic information about its much-anticipated next-generation VR hardware for the PS5, which it calls — predictably — PSVR2. Little was revealed about the device beyond its basic specs but it did confirm some features gamers will ...

13. Sony Unveils PlayStation VR2 Headset and New Immersive Horizon Game

Sony Group Corp. announced an exclusive game for its next-generation virtual reality headset, dubbed PSVR2, charging up the platform's appeal just as metaverse hype intensifies. The Japanese entertainment and electronics giant introduced a teaser video ...

14. The Samsung Odyssey Ark is its largest curved monitor yet — and you can turn it on its side

But the company's not satisfied simply filling your horizontal field of view with 49 inches of real estate — today at CES, it's revealing an even bigger 55-inch curved screen with a special stand that lets you flip the gigantic monitor vertically, so the ...

15. Sony beefs up electric vehicle ambitions with plans for new company

Announcing the new company, Sony Mobility Inc, in a news conference ahead of the CES technology trade fair in the United States, Sony's chairman and president, Kenichiro Yoshida, said the company was "exploring a commercial launch" of electric vehicles.

16. CES 2022: Wemo Lineup Gains HomeKit Secure Video-Compatible Smart Doorbell

Apple's HomeKit video protocol also ensures that access to the camera's footage is fully encrypted, and it adds features like motion detection notifications and specific alerts for when people, animals, vehicles, or package deliveries are detected.

17. Belkin's Soundform Immerse noise-canceling earbuds are designed with music lovers in mind

Belkin is adding the Immerse earbuds to its existing Soundform true wireless lineup. The earbuds come with hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, which should deliver audio free of background noise. Image by Belkin.

18. Samsung's $899 portable projector turns any surface into a smart TV at CES 2022

The Freestyle weighs less than 2 pounds, comes with a 180-degree cradle stand and can project content onto walls, screens or anywhere else from 30 to 100 inches. It features 1080p resolution, as well as auto-focus and auto-leveling capabilities to ...

19. Sony teases new VR headset for its PlayStation 5 console

Sony has announced new details about its next-generation virtual reality headset and teased what the experience will look like in a demo for an upcoming PlayStation game. At the CES technology event in Las Vegas, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim ...

20. WhatsApp to display your profile picture in notification window. Know who gets it

“WhatsApp has added the support to include profile photos in notifications when you receive new messages from chats and groups. This feature has been released to some beta testers only on iOS 15 since it uses iOS 15 APIs," noted WhatsApp tracker WABetaInfo ...

21. Samsung made a dedicated smart home dashboard, but it's only coming to Korea

Samsung introduced its first standalone SmartThings smart home controller at CES 2022. The Samsung Home Hub is designed to be a central place for a household to control and monitor their smart home without having to buy a $4,000 smart fridge.

22. Activision sues company distributing Call of Duty cheats

“These ongoing activities damage Activision's games, its overall business, and the experience of the COD player community.” According to the lawsuit, “the Cheating Software enables players to manipulate the COD Games to ...

23. Google Pixel update fixes Microsoft Teams-related 911 call bug

Google has released its side of the fix for a weird bug that prevented some Android phones from making emergency 911 calls if they had the Microsoft Teams app onboard. The update fixes an issue that affects the ...

24. Amazon's Alexa and Cisco's Webex are heading to deep space on NASA's upcoming Moon mission

For Artemis I, SLS will launch an Orion crew capsule around the Moon on a weeks-long flight — the first time the two vehicles will fly to space together. This is a critical test launch, so no people will be flying inside Orion, save for a mannequin.

25. India asks Xiaomi to pay $88 mln in import taxes it found it evaded

A probe by India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence showed that Xiaomi India's payment of royalty and licence fees to Qualcomm USA and Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd, China was not added in the transaction value of imports by the company and its ...

26. The TVs of 2022: Bigger, brighter, bolder colors and better software

With the big-screen announcements of CES 2022 mostly in the books, here's what will really matter to TV buyers this year. David Katzmaier headshot · David ...

27. Asus unveils a new range of ROG gaming laptops at CES 2022. Know details

Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced new gaming laptops, tablet today at the CES 2022. Asus ROG 2022 range comes with a new operating system, new CPUs from Intel and AMD, GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA, as well as a new form factor. ROG also announced new ...

28. CES 2022: HMD launches four new Nokia smartphones starting at $99

The new Nokia C100 and C200 phones are the brand's newest budget options. These phones will be powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 chipsets and will come with single rear cameras and 4,000mAh batteries. You have an ...

29. Activision files lawsuit against Call of Duty cheat site

The lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California, accuses EngineOwning of "trafficking for circumvention devices", "intentional interference with contractual relations", and "unfair competition". EngineOwning sells cheats for ...

30. This is how WhatsApp plans to change the way you receive your messages

WhatsApp has reportedly started to roll out the first beta feature of 2022 for iOS users. As per a report by WABetaInfo, with the new feature iPhone users will also be able to see profile images of senders along with the message notifications.

31. First impressions of the Galaxy S21 FE: Samsung's $700 phone is... fine

The Galaxy S21 FE seems to be a terrific value so far. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. Samsung is once again launching a more affordable version of its popular ...

32. Vivo V23 Pro, V23 launched in India: Sports 'colour-changing' glass, dual-selfie camera

Vivo has introduced its V23 series in India, with a focus on design, selfie camera, and performance. The V23 Pro and V23 come with a colour-changing Fluroite AG glass at the back. However, this is only available on the 'gold colour' variant, ...

33. Activision suing Call of Duty cheat maker

“Activision has spent and continues to spend an enormous amount of resources to combat cheating in its games,” Activision's lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. “Notwithstanding those efforts, Defendants' sale and distribution of the ...

34. Lenovo Yoga 9i flagship gets a redesign, a 4K OLED display and 12th-gen Intel chips

It worked so well as a full-time laptop and part-time tablet that it was the design other PC makers adopted for their convertible laptops. While the look, features and performance have improved over the years, it's essentially the same device.

35. Fossil activates gamer mode with a Razer smartwatch

Before you ask, no, the Razer X Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch does not come with RGB lighting. It does, however, come with three Razer-branded watch faces — including a “Chroma” face that you can customize to match Razer's other Chroma products.

36. CES 2022: Five new Nokia phones are coming to the US this year

At the top end of the new portfolio are the 5G Nokia G400 priced at $239, the 4G Nokia G100 costing $149 and the $119 4G Nokia C200, all of which run on Android and will be available in spring or early summer.

37. CES 2022 Day 1 highlights: Sony confirms PlayStation VR 2, Samsung's $899 portable projector, and more

But the true surprise came when the Japanese tech giant announced it will start commercializing its electric vehicles as part of a new division called Sony Mobility Inc. Samsung, meanwhile, showed its new barrel-shaped Freestyle projector which looks quite ...

38. Xiaomi India Slapped With Rs. 653-Crore Notice for Alleged Tax Evasion

Neither Xiaomi India nor its contract manufacturers were found to include royalty amount paid in the assessable value of the goods imported. · Investigation was initiated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence · Xiaomi India was evading Customs duty ...

39. CES 2022: Dell XPS 13 Plus showcased with a new design, and no trackpad

Dell has announced the new XPS 13 Plus, which is a revamped and more stylish version of the premium laptop. The new generation of the Dell XPS 13 Plus is powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core 28W processor (up from 15W on the previous generation) and ...

40. New Windows 11 Media Player reportedly rolling out for more users

A few months ago Microsoft released the new Media Player app for Windows 11. Till now, the app was only available for Windows 11 users who were enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider program. Now, as per a report by WindowsLatest, ...

41. Xbox nail polish unlocks a new Halo Infinite armour coating

The announcement comes from Microsoft itself - there's an Xbox-inspired spring 2022 collection from nail polish brand OPI, and it includes 12 colours based on various Xbox bits and bobs, with game-related names to go along with them.

42. Fossil, Razer reveal a limited-edition Gen 6 watch at CES 2022

The smartwatch comes with Razer-themed green and black straps and has three themed watch faces included in the software. The "chroma" watch face will allow you to set up a colorful theme similar to the lighting on a Razer keyboard.

43. Rivian Drops as Amazon Agrees to E-Van Deal With Stellantis

Rivian Automotive Inc. fell after Amazon.com Inc., one of its biggest backers and customers, agreed to buy battery-electric delivery vans from rival automaker Stellantis NV. The first vehicles under the new order are due next year, Stellantis said ...

44. BMW wants to turn your car into a 'private cinema lounge' at CES 2022

This 31-inch panorama display folds down from a car's roof and plays multimedia content with a resolution of up to 8K. The 32:9 format is... a little weird, since we can't think of anything outside of gaming designed for this aspect ratio.

45. Why Qualcomm Will Win The Augmented Reality Wars

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Qualcomm ceo Cristiano Amon revealed Snapdragon Spaces XR, a development platform that will integrate into Microsoft Mesh software for lightweight AR glasses. The last part is important. These ...

46. CES 2022: LG G2 OLED TV is its brightest of all time, and we saw it in person

LG's new lineup of OLED models for 2022 include the next-generation versions of each TV, predictably dubbed C2 and G2, along with the entry-level A2. The TVs LG announced at CES 2022 mostly stand pat, and I expect them to deliver similarly excellent image ...

47. GM to chase Ford, Rivian with a $105000 electric Silverado pickup

By 2035, Barra said, GM plans to offer an electric heavy-duty pickup truck, which would use batteries to replace the carbon-intensive diesel engines currently favored in trucks used primarily for heavy trailer hauling. Chevrolet also plans an off-road " ...

48. NASA's first Artemis moon mission will have a virtual astronaut: Amazon's Alexa

New York (CNN Business) NASA's Artemis 1 mission, slated for take off as soon as this March, aims to send an Orion spacecraft around the moon. The cabin will be largely empty, save for an a interactive tablet that has been dubbed "Callisto," which will ...

49. Google will spend 2022 trying to match Apple's ecosystem integrations

The biggest updates come to Google's “Fast Pair” framework, an Android UI designed to make pairing Bluetooth headphones easier. This year, Google will extend it to support auto-switching between devices, faster pairing to Android TV and Google TV, and more ...

50. Razer's Project Sophia concept turns your desk into a modular computer

Razer is no stranger to wild CES prototypes, and CES 2022 is no exception: the company revealed its new Project Sophia concept, which aims to build an entire modular desktop computer into a desk that looks like a Star Trek LCARS console come to life.

51. Razer's new Zephyr Pro mask has the voice amp feature we wanted all along

Razer plans to upsell you on its Zephyr Pro mask that has been announced at CES 2022. While it looks virtually identical to the Zephyr, it has two speaker grilles that flank its bottom, replaceable filter. Also, one of the Chroma RGB-lined intakes features ...

52. Rainbow Six Extraction is coming to Xbox Game Pass on launch day

Ubisoft Plus is Ubisoft's own subscription service and offers over 100 games from the publisher's catalog. The service was originally only available on PC, but according to Ubisoft, it will also come to Xbox consoles sometime in the near future.

53. GM unveils electric Chevrolet Silverado with 400 miles of range

(CNN) General Motors unveiled a new battery-electric pickup truck, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, during the Consumer Electronics Show. Although it shares its name with the popular gasoline-powered Silverado pickup, this Silverado is a completely ...

54. Meta Disputes Report It Halted Work on AR, VR Operating System

Meta Platforms Inc. said it has no plans to halt the development of a new operating system to run its virtual and augmented reality-powered devices, countering a report earlier in The Information. “We are not halting or scaling back our operations in ...

55. Ubisoft is bringing its subscription service to Xbox

Ubisoft is bringing its Ubisoft Plus subscription service to Xbox in the future, and announcing that Rainbow Six: Extraction will be coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch. Ubisoft Plus originally launched for PC and includes access to more than 100 ...

56. BlackBerry ends support for classic devices: What you need to know

What BlackBerry services are ending? The service termination applies to devices running BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier software. Support for those devices ended Jan.

57. What it's like to attend CES during COVID

From automotive tech (and new players in the space) to new high-end TVs, CES 2022 is loaded with interesting, innovative and sometime just plain weird technological advances. It's the only place you can ...

58. Instagram testing three new feed sorting choices, including chronological options

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced today that the app is rolling out for some users the ability to switch between different feeds. This isn't the first time Instagram says it will implement a new feed option, as in December, the company said it ...

59. Ring's alarm system gets a broken glass detector

The feature follows Amazon's introduction of Alexa Guard, which makes it possible for Echo devices to detect sounds like glass breaking and smoke alarms going off. That feature was included on Amazon's Echo Show 15 device announced last year.

60. Asus will release a 17-inch foldable OLED laptop this year

Four Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED models arranged in a grid, in tablet, clamshell Endless possibilities. (Okay, four, but still.) Image: Asus.

61. Fossil promises Alexa is coming to its smartwatches 'soon'

This tracks with what Fossil told The Verge in a CES briefing, in which spokesperson Robyn Sills said Alexa would come to the Gen 6 devices “early this year.” Fossil sent me both the Skagen Falster 6 and the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch, and yup, ...

62. Dead By Daylight devs remove Leatherface mask due to harassment

Behaviour Interactive, the developers behind the multiplayer survival horror game Dead By Daylight, will be taking out in-game masks inspired by the 1974 horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre following community reports that the mask was being used ...

63. PlayStation VR 2: All of the (many) questions we still have for Sony after CES 2022

The PSVR 2 is getting at least one cool game. Here are the other details on the hardware. ... Sony's Sense PSVR 2 controllers, revealed last year. Sony Computer Entertainment This ...

64. Samsung's mini Freestyle projector puts Netflix on any wall you like

Samsung TVs just got a lot more portable. At CES 2022 on Tuesday, the company added The Freestyle, an ultraportable smart TV projector, to its lineup. The Freestyle weighs less than 2 pounds, comes with a 180-degree cradle stand and can project content ...

65. Instagram's chronological feed is coming back

Home is the current Instagram experience, and it ranks content based on how interested Instagram thinks you are in posts, according to your history of likes and comments. Mosseri said Home will continue providing "more and more recommendations" for other ...

66. Google's 2022 Product Roadmap Includes Apple-Style Integration Across Devices

Fast Pair, a Google feature that enables Bluetooth accessories to instantly pair to an Android smartphone, is expanding to wearables, speakers, TVs, and smart home devices, so earbuds will be able to quick pair with Android TVs and Chromebooks, similar to ...

67. Meta reportedly canceled a 300-person VR / AR operating system project

Meta reportedly pulled the plug on a custom operating system that was supposed to power upcoming virtual and augmented reality headsets, although its full reasoning and future plans still aren't clear, and the company has denied it's scaling back its ...

68. Rainbow Six Extraction Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass Day One

Ubisoft's first major release of the year, Rainbow Six Extraction, is launching on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft announced in a blog post today. It'll be available starting January 20, and will no doubt send a drove of players to the multiplayer ...

69. Instagram's chronological feed is back

In a tweet Wednesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that the platform is rolling out some big changes to the way the core feed experience works, letting users choose between three different feeds. Two new options, ...

70. Samsung Home Hub Helps Manage Chores From One Central Device

AI-driven tablet-style touchscreen solution powered by SmartThings provides a customized, connected home experience to meet the needs of the entire family. Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of Samsung Home Hub, a new way to manage home ...