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CES Previews What To Expect From 5G In 2020 As expected, this year’s CES extravaganza featured a lot of noise around 5G, but the actual 5G news from the show was a bit different than many might have predicted. There was little to no discussion of new 5G phones, but a lot of announcements around 5G-enabled PCs. Similarly, we didn’t see (or hear) much about autonomous cars being driven via 5G, or robotic surgery being performed over 5G or any other of the more “out there” applications promised for 5G—in part because people are increasingly aware that those things are a very long way off (or might never really come to pass). At the same time, there was some discussion at Qualcomm’s CES press conference of momentum towards a 5G-based version of the vehicle to vehicle communication (V2V or sometimes called CV2X—short for the cellular-based vehicle to everything connectivity) leveraging the 5.9 GHz frequency band. Ironically, this happened around the same time I experienced a dem

Apple will reportedly release an iPhone without any ports in 2021 Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a new research note predicting Apple’s next two years of iPhones, and there’s a wild new detail: Apple’s 2021 flagship iPhone will reportedly kill off the Lightning port, but USB-C fans (like myself) shouldn’t get too excited. According to Kuo’s note, Apple won’t replace the proprietary port with USB-C; rather, it will rely on an entirely wireless experience for charging and syncing, via  9to5Mac . The change would be a big one for Apple, which has relied on the Lightning port for all of its phones since it was first introduced on the iPhone 5 in 2013. And while modern-day iPhones are certainly less reliant on physically syncing data, going to a fully wireless model would have huge ramifications across the tech industry, with everything from charging cable companies to headphone manufacturers being impacted. We’re still a long way out from 2021 — Apple’s 2020 iPhones aren’t

Smart mirrors just make you hate yourself This is not how I see myself. Standing at  CES 2020 , the largest consumer tech show in the world, in front of LG's smart "mirror" prototype, I'm trying to suck in my gut to look a little less flabby than I really am. But the cameras -- minor errors aside -- don't lie, and the virtual me projected on the screen doesn't have the body I want it to have. A flurry of thoughts: I don't want a smart mirror that makes me feel like garbage; but then again, if my doughy avatar confronted me each morning, maybe I'd eat more salads. Or maybe the problem isn't my body at all, but rather my own insecurity. After all, LG's ThinQ Fit mirror is just trying to help me find more flattering clothes. OK, let's think about this practically. LG's smart mirror isn't really  shaming  me in any way -- although small errors in the measurements give me a slightly but noticeably paunchier build my first tim

The new August Smart Lock is worth the wait August retrofit smart locks are popular and for good reason. We gave multiple generations of August locks our Editors' Choice Award for their easy installation, great app and smart home integration. One of the few downsides to the retrofit lock was its size. The large, circular lock needs to mount on the inside of your door frame, where you'll see it all day. August is now addressing that problem with its fourth-gen Smart Lock, which is 45% smaller than its predecessors. It's called the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock.   It feels smaller in my hand (a good thing, since I'm constantly lamenting the rise of mega-screen phones) but it's just as sturdy as its predecessors. The team, which includes renowned designer Yves Béhar, stayed true to the original design while making small updates such as the pattern around the edge. That's now a noticeably grippier ridge design. Along that ridge is a cleverly placed August logo t

Xiaomi security camera shows users the footage of strangers; Google disables its Nest integration A newly purchased Xiaomi Mijia 1080p smart IP security camera in The Netherlands showed its owner footage from random strangers, making for a rather creepy experience and potential privacy-violating one. After Reddit user, Dio-V posted about this incident and started gathering considerable attention, reports on the matter state that Google has since reached out to him, and as a precautionary measure, has disabled Xiaomi’s integration with the Google Nest ecosystem of smart home devices. Xiaomi has now released a statement acknowledging the matter and stated that the issue has been resolved. It is not clear as to what may have caused this incident, and by the sound of it, the glitch appeared due to an error from Xiaomi’s end. Google opened its third-party devices access programme to vendors of smart home products such as security cameras in October 2019, following which 20-odd sec

Xiaomi Mi 10 specifications leak online, 90Hz display and 64MP quad camera setup tipped Xiaomi Mi 10 series has already been confirmed to be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset. Now, a new leak via Weibo has spilt the beans and revealed key Xiaomi Mi 10 specifications that include a 90Hz OLED display, 64MP quad-camera setup and 30x zoom support. Mi 10 Pro specifications are still a mystery, but we do know that it will most likely be equipped with a 108-megapixel rear camera. Qualcomm has also confirmed that the Mi 10 series would feature 5G support. Xiaomi is expected to announce the Mi 10 series before MWC in February 2020, though an exact launch date is still unknown. Xiaomi Mi 10 specifications:- Xiaomi Mi 10 specifications have shown up on a Weibo post, whereas the Mi 10 Pro is still under wraps. Since these aren’t confirmed, we recommend that you take it with a pinch of salt. As per the leak, the Mi 10 would feature a 6.5-inch OLED panel with 90Hz refresh rate. The p

Sony to Host CES 2020 Event on January 6: What to Expect Sony has revealed that it will be at CES 2020 this year, and will host an event on January 6 in Las Vegas. The event will begin at 5 pm PST (6.30 am IST, January 7), and will be live-streamed for the world to see. Teasing at what to expect from the event, the company says that it will be ‘unveiling a unique vision of the future, bringing creativity and technology together like never before.' The company is largely reported to be working on an Xperia 3 flagship; however, the company usually launches its phones at MWC, and not at CES. The tech giant's CES 2020 event will be live-streamed on the company website, starting 6.30 am IST on January 6 i.e. Tuesday. The dedicated page for CES teases that the ‘future is coming'. The page notes, “At CES 2020 Sony is unveiling a unique vision of the future, bringing creativity and technology together like never before, to unleash new sensations and emotions.” Sony could