The first phone with support for Google’s Tango augmented reality platform, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, was not well received when reviewers got their hands on it last week. Asus is hoping its ZenFone AR handset can shine a brighter light on the Tango technology that lets users scan and interact with their physical environment directly from their phones. The ZenFone AR also supports Google’s Daydream mobile virtual reality platform and is the first smartphone with 8GB of system memory, as far as we know.
The phone is powered is powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 821 SoC. The 5.7″ Super AMOLED screen has a resolution of 2560×1440, which works out to a pixel density of 551 PPI. Asus says the ZenFone AR has a five-magnet speaker system, though we are not entirely certain how many speakers that represents. The operating system is Android 7.0 “Nougat” .
The Tango features in the phone use what Asus dubs a “TriCam” system consisting of a 23MP camera, a motion-tracking camera, and a depth-sensing camera. The company says the layout of its camera cluster allows for a slimmer profile compared to other Tango-enabled devices. The phone joins the small but growing ranks of phones compatible with Google’s Daydream mobile VR platform first announced at Google’s hardware conference back in October.

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For whatever reason, controlling blinds in a smart home has always been a bit of a holy grail for hobbyists. DIYer James Wahawisan figured out how to control some with an Amazon Echo, Raspberry Pi, and a few other parts.
As you’d expect, the Echo gives you control over the blinds, while the Raspberry Pi packs the code to convert that into instructions for the blinds. The blinds themselves are hooked up to the Pi with a Stepper Motor HAT and powered by a small motor. This isn’t an easy project and it’ll take a lot to adapt it for your own usage, but it’s pretty neat nonetheless. Head over to Wahawisan’s site for the guide.
Automated blind control via an Amazon Echo Dot and Raspberry Pi | GitHub

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Panasonic launched the production of new lithium-ion battery cells at Tesla’s Gigafactory Wednesday. Tesla will be the first to feature the high-density batteries in its storage products.
Tesla first broke ground on the Gigafactory in June 2014. The factory is dedicated solely to the production of lithium-ion batteries, and the automotive maker has maintained a growing partnership with Panasonic in the space.
On the CES stage, chairman and CEO of Panasonic North America, Joseph Taylor, showed off one example of the company’s vision of energy for the future in a highly flexible, thin lithium-ion battery.
“This is a lithium-ion battery that was developed to be very thin and bendable, and twistable so it can adapted to power ultralight card-type devices like smartcards, as well as body-worn devices,” Taylor said.
The battery can also be integrated into smart clothing. “Whatever that is,” joked Taylor. “If it makes you look thinner, I’m in for it. “

© Source: http://www.crn.com/news/mobility/video/300083303/panasonic-shows-off-flexible-bendable-batteries-of-the-future-at-ces-2017.htm
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Along with research leading to self-driving cars, automakers also consider how we will spend our time in cars when we don’t need to drive. BMW’s Inside Future, a full-size car cabin concept, explores this idea.
BMW calls the Inside Future concept, unveiled at CES 2017, a sculpture. Unlike a traditional concept car, it only hints at exterior elements such as wheels hood, and the window openings lack glass.
BMW shows off what future car cabins might look like when self-driving becomes possible.
The cabin contains four comfortable-looking, wide seats covered in a beige cloth, even adorned with a throw pillow in the second row. Rather than the bulky seats of modern cars, the Inside Future’s seats use a slim design. The light colors and slim seats lend to the cabin’s airy and open look.
A steering wheel remains ready for the driver to take control, as BMW imagines that its future self-driving cars will offer both automated and manual modes, called Ease and Boost in BMW parlance.
Rear seat passengers get tablet-style touchscreens mounted on armrests, while a long LCD stretches across the dashboard.
BMW’s recently announced HoloActive control technology serves as the showpiece for the concept. With HoloActive, the car projects a 3D image of its controls over the console. Gesture control technology, already available in the BMW 7-series, lets drivers select infotainment and vehicle features without touching physical buttons or switchgear.
This cabin concept echoes the idea from other automakers, such as Chrysler and Honda , that cars of the future will offer more comfortable, open spaces inside.

© Source: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/bmws-ces-sculpture-forecasts-our-in-car-future-ces-2017/
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Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang at CES 2014.
Fun fact: With a nearly 224% increase in value, Nvidia had one of the best performing stocks of 2016.
Now, co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang is ready to share the company’s vision for the new year. He’ll be delivering the opening night keynote at CES , a slot held by Intel’s Brian Krzanich in recent years (and Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates before that).
In addition to gaming and graphics chips, expect Huang to talk up Nvidia’s expansion into artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and virtual reality.
You can watch the full keynote live at Nvidia’s website. Then stay tuned to CNET for full coverage and analysis soon after.
Follow our complete CES 2017 coverage .

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