STACK #208 Feb 2022

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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THE CREAM OF CES continued

as well as a smaller 42-inch model that’s perfect for gamers. The improvements continue with ease- of-use at the fore via webOS 22, which

COMPUTING HIGHLIGHTS As always, some attractive PC tech was on display, with Lenovo heading the charge for all types of Windows users. Their innovative Yoga range celebrates its tenth year, and latest Yoga 9i will be high on many shopping lists, with its stunning looks, convertible format, impressive audio and a line of additional programmable shortcut keys. Meanwhile, Lenovo’s range of Thinkpads makes impressive inroads into sustainability via the use of recycled materials, security via Microsoft Pluton integration and is the debut platform for AMD’s new Ryzen Pro 6000 Series mobile processors. The showstopper, however, was the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3. It's a 17.3-inch screen machine with a second display to the right of the keyboard to aid multitasking – you can even mirror a phone to it. ASUS certainly weren’t going to go unnoticed, especially when showing off two truly innovative new devices. First up, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition packs the best in screen technology into a titanium space-themed design that commemorates the first ASUS laptop sent into space, 25 years ago. While that distracted some, the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED tablet truly stopped people in their tracks with its amazing 17.3-inch foldable screen, which can be rearranged to a compact 12.5-inches for portability.

introduces personal profiles so each user can have their own customised setup for favourite streaming services, and tailored content recommendations. You can even receive real- time alerts to keep up with favourite sports teams! Meanwhile, NFC Magic Tap allows users to mirror a mobile device screen to an LG TV, or even mirror content from one LGTV to another in the home. The 2022 LGTVs are now smart home hubs via their ThinQ AI technology, with full support for the new smart industry standard Matter. Meanwhile, gamers, especially those who’ve snaffled a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, will be delighted with full HDMI 2.1 and 4K 120Hz support. dominated by their “smart home in action” strategy, headed by some impressive-spec TV tech, two models of which were CES 2022 Innovation Awards recipients. Their upcoming Mini-LED televisions will feature the ability to hit a 144Hz refresh rate, which, in tandem with the latest in home gaming console hardware such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, will mean a more fluid play experience. Says TCL Electronics AU/NZ managing director Mark Zhang, “The latest consoles offer a growing number of video games that play at 120 FPS and have optimised many popular older games to also play at 120 FPS. With a refresh rate as high as 144Hz, TCL Mini LEDTVs can give players a competitive edge — especially for multiplayer games where split-second reaction times are crucial to win — while casual gamers will also appreciate the extra responsiveness.” TCL also showed off their latest in AR (augmented reality) glasses, along with some very cool virtual and mixed reality developments. TCL TCL’s presence at this year’s CES was

LenovoThinkbook Plus Gen 3

ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold

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WEIRD, WONDERFUL AND WIRED Amagami Ham Ham [Pic 1] Dog or cat-shaped cuddly toys that nibble on your finger – AKA “play- biting” - in more than a dozen different

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ways. It’s for comfort, of course! Razer Project Sophia

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The future is now with this wild modifiable glass desk, that supports up to 13 different tech modules for gamers, creators or anybody with the cash. Qudi Mask [Pic 2] Billed as the “world’s first emotional LED mask”, you too can pretend that you ‘re Daft Punk… or some sort of scary The Purge meets It hybrid! Samsung C-Lab ZamStar Ever wanted to shred but find it too hard to learn? This guitar packs LEDs into its fretboard that light up to show you where to plonk your fingers. Easy…? Ible Airvida E1 [Pic 3] In these times when many are extra-concerned about personal protection, how about keeping safe while vibing with a wearable air purifier/headphones combo?

TCL X925 ProTV

64 FEBRUARY 2022

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