• I watched LG’s new home robot CLOid do laundry but I have questions

    January 9, 2026

    CES is always chock-full of robots, and this year electronics giant LG announced a new bot, dubbed CLOid, that it claims will revolutionize household chores (as in, you won’t have to do them anymore). CLOid is described as an AI-powered home robot, designed to assist its user with a wide variety of domestic tasks — from folding laundry to making breakfast to patrolling a home for signs of trouble. The company says that, eventually, it envisions the device “evolving into an ambient-care agent that supports everyday life.” The bot was announced during LG’s keynote earlier this week, but it was also available…

  • Kia Carnival and Sorento lose V6 due to new Australian emissions regulations

    January 9, 2026

    Kia Australia is killing off pure petrol versions of its Carnival MPV and Sorento SUV, as local emissions regulations tighten. The entry-level front-wheel drive V6 powertrain in the Carnival and Sorento is now “limited to dealer stock”, according to a notice published to the brand’s local website. A Kia Australia spokesperson told CarExpert the move is due to the Australian Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), and that stock is expected to be cleared out by the end of March – meaning if you want a V6 Carnival or Sorento, you’d better get in quick. CarExpert can save you thousands…

  • Boston Dynamics unveils production-ready version of Atlas robot at CES 2026

    January 9, 2026

    After years of testing its humanoid robot (and forcing it to dance), Boston Dynamics’ Atlas is entering production. The robotics company said at CES 2026 that the final product version of the robot is being built now, and the first companies that will receive deployments are Hyundai, Boston Dynamics’ majority shareholder, and Google DeepMind, the firm’s newly minted AI partner. This final enterprise version of Atlas “can perform a wide array of industrial tasks,” according to Boston Dynamics, and is specifically designed with consistency and reliability in mind. Atlas can work autonomously, via a teleoperator or with “a tablet steering…

  • CES 2026: Everything revealed, from Nvidia’s debuts to AMD’s new chips to Razer’s AI oddities 

    January 9, 2026

    CES 2026 is in full swing in Las Vegas, with the show floor open to the public after a packed couple of days occupied by press conferences from the likes of Nvidia, Sony, and AMD and previews from Sunday’s Unveiled event.  As has been the case for the past two years at CES, AI is at the forefront of many companies’ messaging, though the hardware upgrades and oddities that have long defined the annual event still have their place on the show floor and in adjacent announcements. We’ll be collecting the biggest reveals and surprises here, though you can still catch the spur-of-the-moment reactions and thoughts from…

  • 2026 Jaecoo J8: Family SUV to gain seven seats, PHEV powertrain

    January 9, 2026

    Chinese brand Omoda Jaecoo will branch out into the seven-seat SUV market this year by introducing a three-row, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the recently launched Jaecoo J8. Up until now, Omoda Jaecoo has only sold SUVs with two rows of seating – the Jaecoo J7 and J8 and Omoda 9 – but that will change later this year when the Chery-owned brand introduces its rival to popular family haulers including the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Mazda CX-80. “Yes, there are plans,” said Chery Australia chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz. “We are evaluating the J8 Super Hybrid 7-seat…

  • Lumus brought a massively wider FOV to smartglasses at CES 2026

    January 9, 2026

    Lumus got a major boost in brand recognition when one of its waveguides was selected for use in the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses. But that already feels like old tech now because at CES 2026, the company brought some of its latest components to the show and based on what I saw, they seem poised to seriously elevate the optical quality of the next wave of high-end smartglasses. When the Meta Ray-Ban Displays glasses came out, they wowed users as they were (and still are) one of a handful of smartglassess to feature a full-color in-lens display with at least…

  • Data security startup Cyera hits $9B valuation six months after being valued at $6B

    January 9, 2026

    Data security startup Cyera continues on a growth tear. On Thursday, it announced a $400 million Series F funding round at a $9 billion valuation. The New York-based outfit has now raised over $1.7 billion. This funding comes just six months after the previous $540 million round at a $6 billion valuation. The new round was led by funds managed by Blackstone with participation from existing investors including Accel, Coatue, Lightspeed, Redpoint, Sapphire, Sequoia, and others. Cyera offers what it calls data security posture management, a service that helps companies map out where all their sensitive data lives across cloud…

  • Volkswagen Touareg recalled for fire risk

    January 8, 2026

    The Volkswagen Touareg R plug-in hybrid (PHEV) performance SUV is being recalled as a battery defect poses the risk of a fire. “Due to a manufacturing issue, the cell modules installed in the high voltage battery may be defective and overheat during charging. If this occurs, it could lead to a vehicle fire,” the company says in its recall notice. “Until the software is installed, we ask that you request can consumers refrain from charging the high-voltage battery using an external charging source and refrain from driving in electric-only mode. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click…

  • IXI’s autofocusing lenses are almost ready to replace multifocal glasses

    January 8, 2026

    While wave upon wave of smartglasses and face-based wearables crash on the shores of CES, traditional glasses really haven’t changed much over the hundreds of years we’ve been using them. The last innovation, arguably, was progressive multifocals that blended near and farsighted lenses — and that was back in the 1950s. It makes sense that autofocusing glasses maker IXI thinks it’s time to modernize glasses. After recently announcing a 22-gram (0.7-ounce) prototype frame, the startup is here in Las Vegas to show off working prototypes of its lenses, a key component of its autofocus glasses, which could be a game-changer.…

  • Governments grapple with the flood of non-consensual nudity on X

    January 8, 2026

    For the past two weeks, X has been flooded with AI-manipulated nude images, created by the Grok AI chatbot. An alarming range of women have been affected by the non-consensual nudes, including prominent models and actresses, as well as news figures, crime victims, and even world leaders.  A December 31 research paper from Copyleaks estimated roughly one image was being posted each minute, but later tests found far more. A sample gathered from January 5-6 found 6,700 per hour over the 24-hour period.  But while public figures from around the world have decried the choice to release the model without…