Qualcomm believes it can widen the field for semi-autonomous driving features, and it’s launching a new platform to make that happen. The company has unveiled a Snapdragon Ride Vision platform that combines a 4-nanometer system-on-chip with Arriver’s computer vision software to give automakers an “open, scalable and modular” way to build Level 2 driver assists and Level 3 partial autonomy into their cars.
Snapdragon Ride Vision can help cars detect road geometry, pedestrians and other cars using 8MP wide-angle cameras. It can also handle driver monitoring (to keep your hands or eyes focused on driving) and perception for near-field parking cameras. More importantly, the system is flexible — car designers can customize it to fit new vehicles and update features over the air.
The platform won’t be ready for vehicle production until 2024. That’s a long time to wait, particularly when Intel’s Mobileye and NVIDIA are teasing chips capable of full self-driving. Still, Qualcomm might have an edge simply by making automated driving features more accessible. Snapdragon Ride Vision works with “virtually all” car price ranges and categories, Qualcomm said — this could be key to semi-autonomy in cars where the tech was previously impractical.
Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!
What would it take for you to leave your whole life behind and set off into the stars in search of a mystery from the past? Bryan Tan’s shortfilmThe Emissary explores the lonely journey of an astronaut who decides the risk is worth it.
A Russian businessman and accused hacker may have critical information on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. Luckily for U.S. authorities, the businessman in question was arrested and recently extradited to the U.S. on unrelated criminal charges.
The select committee is asking for information from the Fox News host who sent texts to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and others on Jan. 6.
” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/LG-97-inch-TV-1280×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/LG-97-inch-TV-1280×720.jpg” />LG has debuted its OLED TV lineup for 2022 with a number of improvements and new features. The Korean company continues to offer its OLED TVs in two product lines: the high-end G2 series and the more affordable C2 series. LG has expanded the number of screen sizes, including a monstrous new 97-inch G2 8K model at one end of … Continue reading
Volvo will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms to beef up the infotainment systems in some of its upcoming models. Both the Polestar 3 and an electric SUV will harness the chipsets.
According to the automaker, Qualcomm partnership will bolster its Android Automotive-based infotainment system by making it more responsive and more than twice as fast. The chipset is said to be able to handle the graphics, audio and AI needs of an infotainment system with very low power consumption. Volvo notes that it’ll be able to roll out over-the-air updates that should bring more improvements to the system in the future.
ASUS’ gaming laptops have caught up to the work-from-home era. The PC maker has unveiled its ROG laptop line for early 2022, and the centerpiece for many is likely an updated Zephyrus G14 (shown above) that finally, finally includes a webcam — one with Windows Hello-friendly infrared, no less. ASUS told Engadget gamers didn’t mind the absence of a camera in the past, but a combination of shrinking panels and smaller cameras made the inclusion possible. Whatever the reasoning, this will be welcome for anyone who had to forego the G14 (or buy an external webcam) to participate in virtual classrooms and meetings.
There are plenty of performance-related upgrades, of course. The reworked Zephryus G14 uses AMD’s new Ryzen 6000-series chips (up to the Ryzen 9 6900HS), a maximum 32GB of DDR5 memory and dedicated Radeon graphics up to the RX 6800S. Cooling has improved, too, thanks to a new vapor chamber, liquid metal on the CPU and GPU, a dust filter and higher-airflow fans. You’ll also find slimmer overall display bezels, a 50 percent larger trackpad and a flashier mini-LED lid with 19 percent more lights and smoother animations. It’s too soon to say if the G14 will match ASUS’ claims of 10-plus hours of video playback on battery, but USB-C fast charging and reduced GPU thermal design power (from 100W to 65W) should minimize the amount of time you need to plug in.
ASUS hasn’t divulged pricing for the Zephyrus G14 as of this writing, but you’ll have options for 144Hz 1080p and 120Hz 1440p screens, and you can spring for more frugal components like the Ryzen 5 6600HS or Radeon RX 6700S to keep costs down.
ASUS
There are other laptops in store. The new Zephyrus Duo 16 (pictured at middle) builds on the dual-screen concept with some unique display tricks. If you spring for the 120Hz 4K main panel, you can switch to 1080p at 240Hz thanks to a clustering technique — you can trade resolution for speed. You’ll also find a tweaked second-screen mechanism that makes for a more “seamless” integration with the primary display. The G14’s Ryzen 6000-series CPUs, liquid metal-enhanced cooling and the IR camera have made their way to the Duo, although you’ll be using NVIDIA graphics (up to the new RTX 3080 Ti).
Other laptops aren’t quite as eye-catching, but might still scratch the itch for gamers on the move. The ROG Flow Z13 (at bottom) is a Surface Pro-like 13.4-inch detachable for the gamer crowd with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i9, a 4K screen and RTX 3050 Ti video, while the Strix G15 and G17 are more conventional 15- and 17-inch gaming portables that leap to the newest AMD processors and NVIDIA graphics. While pricing and availability are unknowns here as well, we’d expect machines like the Duo and Flow to carry premiums given their still-rare form factors.
ASUS
Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!
After delivering an ambitious gaming convertible notebook last year, the svelte ROG Flow X13, ASUS is taking that concept even further with the Flow Z13 tablet. Think of it like a souped-up Surface Pro: the Z13 packs in Intel’s new 12th-gen processors and up to NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 Ti all in a sleek slate. Weighing in at 2.43 pounds, it’s clearly not meant to replace smaller tablets like the iPad. Instead, ASUS sees it as a way to bring your PC games everywhere — say a cramped airplane tray table — without the bulk of a laptop.
Like the ROG Flow X13, the Z13 can connect to the ASUS XG Mobile external GPU, which supports up to AMD’s Radeon RX 6850M in addition to NVIDIA’s mobile RTX 30-series lineup. That eGPU still relies on a custom PCIe connection, which can reach up to 63 Gbps of graphics bandwidth, making it more capable than Thunderbolt 4’s 40 Gbps. I was wary of the XG Mobile last year, given just how expensive and flaky similar eGPUs have been. And that was before we learned it would cost $1,500 with the 3080, and that it wasn’t nearly as fast as reviewers would have liked. At the very least, the Z13 promises to be a better performer than the X13 with its built-in hardware, so maybe an eGPU would be unnecessary.
In person, the Z13 is exactly what you’d expect from an ROG gaming laptop to look like. The preview unit ASUS sent for me to borrow felt dense and sturdy, surprisingly so for its 12 millimeter thickness. Unlike iPads and other tablets, it feels strong enough to survive a backpack commute without a protective case. From the front, you could easily mistake it for a notebook. From the sides and back though, it’s more like a Super Surface, with a flexible kickstand and keyboard cover.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
I wasn’t able to run any games and benchmarks on the ROG Z13, unfortunately. (I’d wager ASUS’s software and drivers aren’t ready for serious testing yet.) But I could see why it could be compelling: An RTX 3050 Ti in a machine this size would be a dream for travel (at least, when that’s safe again). And its 4K 13-inch display was perfectly fine for productivity tasks (there’s also a 1080p 120Hz option). Given its size, though, the Z13 felt too heavy to use as a standard tablet. It’s also not nearly as “lappable” as the Surface Pro devices; it’s just too heavy to stay put while you’re typing.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
ASUS deserves credit for actually including the keyboard case with the Z13, something Microsoft still refuses to do with the Surface Pro. And the typing experience actually feels pretty decent, so long as the Z13 is planted firmly on a flat surface. I could see it being a solid option for casual gaming, but the WASD inputs don’t feel nearly as responsive as a basic desktop gaming keyboard. Basically, if you’re expecting to compete while using the Z13, plan to bring along a separate keyboard.
You’ll likely be able to connect most of your accessories to the Z13 as well, since it includes both a USB 2.0 Type-A connection, as well two USB 3.2 Type-C ports (one is hidden under the XG Mobile connection. There’s also a microSD card slot, which is useful for throwing in additional storage or offloading media.
Without knowing the ROG Z13’s price and testing it properly, it’s hard to make any final judgements. Personally, I think most consumers would be better off investing in a gaming notebook, which would have bigger screens, faster hardware and more capable keyboards. But ASUS already makes plenty of those, including our beloved Zephyrus G14 and G15. The Z13, which is expected to land in the first half of 2022, is clearly meant for gamers who prioritize portability more than anything else. For them, this might be the tablet of their dreams.
Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!
Mutantkind’s revitalization at Marvel Comics in the Dawn, Reign, and now Destiny of X—something that has given mutants a secluded home and status as a global superpower on the sovereign, living island of Krakoa—has raised all sorts of fascinating questions about what it means for the publisher’s oft-persecuted…
It’s an exciting time for laptop enthusiasts as we haven’t seen year-over-year performance improvements as we did in the past 12-24 months. At CES 2022, AMD just released new laptop processors, including the Ryzen 6980HX that features eight cores (16 threads) and a maximum frequency of 5Ghz.
The Ryzen 6000 family has an H-Series for high-performance and a U-Series for ultra-mobility.
AMD can reach these frequencies thanks to the TSCM 6nm semiconductor process. The updated Zen 3+ architecture allows AMD to increase performance and competitiveness with Intel’s latest 12th gen Core CPUs. I can’t wait to see comparative numbers.
Note: the amount of cache memory varies between models with the same core count
According to AMD, the new CPUs offer 11% and 28% in single and multithreaded performance, respectively. When it comes to integrated graphics speed, it’s simply up to 2X higher than the Ryzen 5000 series, thanks to AMD’s newer RDNA 2 graphics architecture.
The new Ryzen 6000 series also has power-saving features that adapt the chip’s power usage to match the task at hand. For example, video-conferencing could use up to 30% less energy. The overall platform is so efficient that a full day of video playback is possible on some laptop implementation.
The Ryzen 6000 platform also brings significant system improvements such as USB 4, PCIe 4, and Wi-Fi 6E. USB 4 is one of the most important aspects, especially for Creative users who want to connect a lot of external devices.
While the peak bandwidth may not be as high as Thunderbolt 4 (an Intel technology), USB 4 contributes to closing the gap to a much more tolerable level as USB 3.2.
It seems like AMD’s momentum will continue, and the chipmaker is working hard to woo OEMs to adopt its platform. AMD recently worked with Lenovo on the new ThinkPad Z Series by building a specific CPU SKU for that laptop. Ryzen-powered products are expected to arrive in February.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
