Category: Technologies

Samsung and Google are expected to unveil an advanced mixed reality headset sometime in the next year that will aim to compete with Apple’s Vision Pro. We now know what processor it’ll be using: a new version of Qualcomm’s XR chips. The Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chip, announced Thursday, will be in Samsung’s hardware, as well as a number of other upcoming headsets. Qualcomm’s details on the new chip indicate a lot about what Samsung’s headset could do, and what a wave of more expensive, pro-focused headsets could be bringing in the next year or two.

Meta’s Quest 3, which arrived last fall, was the first headset with Qualcomm’s next-gen XR2 Gen 2 chip, which boosted graphics, color passthrough camera quality, external camera support and onboard AI feature possibilities. The step-up XR2 Plus Gen 2 chip, although confusingly named, is aimed at an upcoming line of even more premium headsets that could directly compete with Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro in features and price.

Qualcomm has confirmed some partners making upcoming devices with the new chip besides Samsung: HTC Vive, Immersed (a work software company that’s already making its own VR visor), Chinese esports company Play for Dream and an as-yet-unannounced hardware partner that’s being revealed at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas next week.

4K displays, better passthrough mixed reality

The new chip’s biggest advantages are in pushing higher-resolution displays and more simultaneous cameras and trackers, including eye tracking and full-body tracking depending on how manufacturers wanted to design their hardware. Qualcomm promises up to 4.3K pixel resolution per eye using the new chip at a 90Hz refresh rate.

The improved resolution should also mean better passthrough camera quality, according to Said Bakadir, Qualcomm’s senior director of product management in charge of VR/AR business. It will support better camera resolutions and display the images in more detail on better displays. Meta’s $500 Quest 3 has significantly better cameras than the Quest 2, making for apps that can blend camera footage of the real world with VR to create AR-like experiences that feel like they’re in your world. Apple’s upcoming $3,500 Vision Pro has better cameras and displays than the Quest 3, but headsets like Samsung’s and others could maybe begin to approach Apple’s level of mixed-reality quality using Qualcomm’s new chips.

More sensors, cameras, trackers

Expect headsets with this upgraded Qualcomm chip to also have more sensors. The XR2 Plus Gen 2 supports up to 12 cameras and sensors at once, up from eight on the XR2 Gen 2 on the Quest 3. Some of those cameras could be related to external video capture or motion tracking, or depth sensors. Others, as Qualcomm outlined, would be internal: eye and face tracking cameras much like those on the Meta Quest Pro or Apple’s Vision Pro. Meta could be another possible candidate for a headset using this chip if a Quest 3 Pro is ever released.

Other types of sensors could also be in play. Besides in-controller camera sensors much like what’s in the Quest Pro controllers (which also have their own chips), full-body tracking sensors could be in play. Or, new ways of sensing hand and body movements. Reports have already suggested that Samsung and Google might use radar-based Soli sensor technology to help with near-body gesture tracking.

Qualcomm has made its own reference device headset with partner Goertek using Tobii eye-tracking cameras to explore foveated rendering in mixed reality using this chipset. The Quest 3 doesn’t have eye tracking, but odds are that many of the headsets using this new chip will.

Connecting with other devices

Wi-Fi 7 support which could mean connecting to laptops, tablets and phones faster. Qualcomm already has split rendering technology that shares processing between headsets and other computers and has been exploring ways for phones and AR glasses to work together. It says the cross-device relationship could be even stronger on headsets with these new chips, including using phones with the headset. Bakadir says conversations with partners are being worked out to enable the infrastructure, but phones are a key part. Besides sharing rendering, devices could collaborate on AI functions, or sharing sensors. Bakadir points to one possible use for fitness, using a phone camera to track your body for a workout being done in VR or AR as the two devices link to each other.

Apple is already leaning heavily on pitching the Vision Pro as a full computer that can also connect with Macs. Samsung and Google may have a similar approach for their headset, connecting better with computers and phones and perhaps Google’s Android OS.

Shahram Izadi, vice president of AR at Google, specifically invokes Android in a statement via Qualcomm’s press release, saying “We’re excited for the Android ecosystem to take advantage of Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2’s capabilities and enable new
experiences.”

Samsung and Google have been tight-lipped on their mixed reality headset plans since announcing the partnership last winter, but more information should be coming sometime this year. CNET already learned that connecting with phones is likely part of what Samsung’s device will do, and being compatible with 2D apps on Google’s Play store would give it an advantage over Meta, which still doesn’t have Google Play app support despite running an OS built on Android.

Getting access to Microsoft Office productivity apps outside of work or school can get expensive. Buying a license outright will set you back over $400, and signing up for a Microsoft 365 subscription will cost you at least $7 a month. If you don’t need the latest version of Office, StackSocial is offering Windows users lifetime access to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019, along with the Microsoft Office 2019 Basics Bundle, for just $40 right now — that’s a savings of $248. We don’t know how long this offer will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later.

This version of Office 2019 Professional Plus includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher and Access. StackSocial has offered the 2019 edition for both Windows and Mac at a great discount before, but this bundle also includes lifetime access to 106 lectures that will teach beginners the basics of how to efficiently use Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook — all for the same price. That free training makes this a better deal for Windows users. (There isn’t a Mac version of this deal available.)

As with previous deals we’ve covered concerning Office apps, the license provided will work for a single computer, so you won’t be able to install the apps across multiple devices. And that means that if you computer fails or you choose to upgrade to something else, you probably won’t be able to transfer it. Additionally, you won’t have access to certain features like OneDrive cloud storage or Microsoft Copilot.

Microsoft will offer extended support for this version through Oct. 14, 2025, though there is always a risk that Microsoft could terminate the license at any time. That said, we’ve been running other versions of Office from StackSocial since early 2022 and it still works just fine.

Microsoft is making the first major change to Windows keyboards in nearly three decades with the addition of a new AI button.

The Copilot key, as it’s called, will live to the right of the space bar and activate Microsoft’s recently released Co-pilot service, which helps people perform tasks like summarizing documents, recommending music and answering questions you might ask a search engine or AI chatbot.

“We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily,” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president, consumer chief marketing officer, wrote in a blog post published Thursday. “The new key will invoke the Copilot in Windows experience to make it seamless to engage Copilot in your day to day.”

Read More: With Windows Copilot, AI Is Getting Into Microsoft’s Most Important Software

The addition of the AI key highlights Microsoft’s commitment to artificial intelligence. The company incorporated generative AI into some of its most important products over the last year, including Windows 11 and Microsoft search engine Bing. Copilot relies on the large language models, particularly Open AI’s GPT-4.

Read More: Remember Bing? With ChatGPT’s Help, It’s Coming for Google Search

The button will arrive on the first wave of Windows 11 laptops and PCs of Microsoft’s partners in the days leading up to CES next week, as well as at the technology conference itself. The company says to expect a wider release in late February through spring, including on upcoming Surface devices. In time, the Copilot button will become a required feature.

“This [new button] will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC,” Mehdi wrote.

Squinting at a small TV is nobody’s idea of fun and 2024 is the year you finally upgrade that old model for something a little more capable. The LG G3 series claimed a place on our list of the best TVs around thanks to its stunning picture quality, and now you can add one to your home entertainment system and save a serious chunk of change in the process.

The 55-inch LG G3 OLED TV would normally sell for around $2,500 when bought directly from LG but right now Amazon will sell you one for just $1,997 — a record-low price. LG is currently charging just a couple of dollars more at $2,000, while Best Buy will currently match that price as well.

No matter where you buy your new TV from you can look forward to some great viewing thanks to that large 55-inch display. An included bracket means that you can mount this TV on your wall with virtually no space between it and the walk, making for a gorgeous aesthetic. And then things get even better when you turn the thing on.

LG’s TV supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG as well as G-Sync and FreeSync technology. A variable refresh rate option is included for buttery-smooth gaming, and support for Alexa and Google Assistant is included for good measure. With all of that and more, now is definitely the time to treat yourself to a TV upgrade.

Looking for something a little different? Our collection of the best TV deals has options across the price and display size ranges just waiting for you to peruse.

SpaceX has launched the first satellites with the capability to connect to smartphones on the ground, which will help expand coverage for T-Mobile customers. Contrast that against Apple’s existing Emergency SOS via Satellite service that uses Globalstar ground relay stations as a relay between iPhones and satellites.

T-Mobile announced its partnership with SpaceX in August 2022. The agreement lets T-Mobile use the tech company’s satellites to connect customers venturing outside the carrier’s cellular network, which reached 300 million Americans as of last October. The remaining areas not covered by T-Mobile’s network are difficult for network towers to reach, either because of geography or land-use restrictions, according to T-Mobile’s press release.

Read more: Best Cellphone Plans of 2024

SpaceX launched its new set of phone-connecting satellites Wednesday morning and said testing them with T-Mobile’s network will “soon begin.” This is later than expected, as a SpaceX executive said last March that the company planned to start testing the service sometime in 2023.

Once the service is activated, T-Mobile customers will be “connected nearly everywhere they can see the sky, and in most cases, with the phone they already have,” according to the press release. The service will start with just text messaging, though it will expand to voice and data in the coming years.

It’s not clear when the service will activate for T-Mobile customers, whether it will be available for all plans or which phones will be able to use the service. The carrier didn’t provide clarification by time of publication.

T-Mobile’s rivals are also working on their own satellite solutions. AT&T has partnered with AST SpaceMobile and completed its first test using its satellites to connect a call last year. Verizon partnered with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which launched its first test satellites in October.

Others in the mobile industry have announced their own satellite connectivity solutions. The Motorola Defy 2 debuted last year under Bullitt’s rugged phone brand, using its proprietary satellite network solution, while Qualcomm unveiled a partnership with satellite company Iridium that folded by in November. By year’s end, only Apple’s Emergency SOS for its iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series offered satellite connectivity among mainstream phones.

Read more: Satellite Messaging: The 2023 Phones Trend That Wasn’t (Yet)

OLED is going after gamers with a vengeance in 2024, which means the ability to refresh screens faster than before. That’s a key consideration for esports titles and other games that hit high frame rates and need superfast response, such as Overwatch, League of Legends and Call of Duty. Samsung recently announced its 32-inch 4K 240Hz and 27-inch QHD 360Hz OLED monitors and panels, and LG revealed its dual-refresh 32-inch UltraGear 32 OLED, which does 4K at 240Hz and 1080p at 480Hz.

Now LG Display, the division responsible for the screens that go into the company’s monitors and TVs, is already leapfrogging itself with the announcement that it’s slated to launch a 27-inch, 480Hz 2,560×1,440 OLED gaming display by the end of June 2024. (I reviewed last year’s 240Hz 4K model.)

Other technologies have hit as high as 540Hz, but those have meant big compromises in resolution (limited to 1080p) and quality (color gamut, viewing angle and more). OLED has the large color gamut (95% to 100% P3), almost infinite contrast, and fast pixel refresh of 0.03ms (meaning individual pixels can change color or brightness really quickly), which a lot of gamers (and the rest of us!) crave. But so far OLED has been limited to relatively low refresh rates of around 120-144Hz, though they’ve hit as high as 240Hz.

OLED’s relatively low maximum brightness combined with near perfect blacks makes it great for eking out more detail in extremely bright areas. But one drawback — and one of my biggest peeves about OLED — is that there’s little tonal range in the dark and dim areas, and the colors in the darkest areas can skew quite a bit. This can be especially true at high speeds, because OLED doesn’t use a backlight; each pixel emits its own light, and when it’s changing states that fast it doesn’t have a lot of time to get bright.

Samsung’s Quantum Dot technology (the “QD” in QD-OLED) expands the tonal range in the dark areas and addresses some color issues, but that isn’t an option for competitor LG, the inventor of OLED. Starting with the 480Hz panel, the company is rolling out a microlens array layer that it brands as Meta Technology. On-pixel microlenses are used to concentrate light; for example, on camera sensors, they gather and focus more incoming light onto each pixel for greater sensitivity, especially in low-light conditions.

LG is using the array to concentrate the light coming off each pixel and increase brightness, which means there should be a broader range of tones available to render the darker areas of an image. Imagine if you could see what’s lurking in the shadows of your favorite horror game without washing out the rest of the scene. Shudder. It improves OLED’s suitability for photo and video editing as well.

LG also says the microlenses “minimize external light reflections during darker scenes,” which isn’t an inherent feature of microlenses. But it’s probable that by reducing the amount of dead black on the screen by expanding the shadows it reduces the amount of mirrorlike zones, something Samsung is addressing by using a matte finish instead.

Apple’s AirPods Pro are among the very best wireless earbuds on the market right now and the USB-C version builds on a winning formula. A USB-C connector isn’t the only addition, however, with Apple making other improvements including better dust resistance and lossless audio support for the upcoming Vision Pro VR headset.

The updated AirPods Pro have only been on sale for a few months at this point but we’ve already seen a number of discounts. This latest $60 saving is a match for lowest we’ve ever seen them go, making this a great time to treat yourself to true wireless audio from one of the biggest names in the game. Amazon’s $189 price might not stick around for long though so keep that in mind here.

Alongside the updated features the AirPods Pro offer some of the best noise-canceling capabilities you’ll find on a pair of earbuds and have a built-in transparency mode for when you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Plus, they will automatically optimize volume based on your environment. iPhone users will also get access to exclusive features like personalized spatial audio and hands-free Siri access. And the AirPods Pro 2 boast Qi wireless charging and have an impressive battery life of up to 30 hours on a single charge (with the charging case).

Not into Apple’s buds? There are plenty of other headphone and earbud deals to be had right now.

It’s 12 months since Roku announced its own branded televisions, and now the company is planning its best version yet: the Roku Pro Series TV.

The Pro Series will be available in three sizes — 55-, 65- and 75-inch — and will feature 4K QLED displays, Mini-LED local dimming and “enhanced” audio. The TVs boast a slimmer design than before and include a new “premium” Roku remote.

With new standalone televisions expected from TCL and Hisense, the Pro Series is likely to be up against some serious competition for the money in 2024, though Roku’s pricing is yet to be announced.

The Pro Series TVs follow on from the Roku Select and Plus Series and will be available in the US in spring 2024.

If you’re looking for a versatile tablet and are a fan of Android, the OnePlus Pad is a great option. And right now you OnePlus is offering a deal that not only knocks $50 off the tablet itself, bringing the price down to just $430, but you’ll also get a free OnePlus Stylo or Folio Case with your purchase, which saves you another $100 in value. Amazon has price matched this offer at $430, but there’s no freebie included there. While we did see this device go for as low as $400 during Black Friday, this is still a pretty good deal when you consider the freebie. We don’t expect this offer to stick around, so we’d recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

While there are technically cheaper options on the market, the OnePlus Pad is the best midrange budget Android tablet around and one of our top tablets for 2024. This tablet is thin and lightweight, making it easy to hold or transport. It comes equipped with an 11.61-inch display sporting 2,000×2,800-pixel resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, which makes this tablet is a solid option for streaming your favorite content or gaming. It’s also a great tablet for tackling productivity tasks while on the go, especially with the right accessories. It also comes with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos, along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

If this model isn’t right for you, check out our roundup of the best tablet deals currently available to see solid options from a variety of brands.

If you’re looking for ways to stick to a budget this year, one way to save some cash on your everyday essentials is buying in bulk. And if you’re looking to save money on a membership to a big box store, StackSocial has a solid deal on annual Costco memberships. Rather than getting a traditional discount on the membership itself, you’ll get back Costco credit that you can use toward a future purchase. That saves you roughly 33% off the cost of membership.

There are two different levels that you can choose from with this StackSocial deal. You can snag a one-year Gold Star Costco membership for $60, and you’ll get back $20 worth of Costco credit. While you still need to shell out the original $60, it essentially means you’ll get the one-year membership for just $40. Or spring for the Executive Gold Star Costco membership for $120 and get back $40 worth of Costco credit, which means the one-year membership at the higher tier will essentially cost you just $80.

StackSocial doesn’t list a specific date for when this deal will end, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later if you want to take advantage of this offer. Keep in mind, this offer is only available only to new customers, or those whose memberships have expired for more than 18 months. If you’ve been thinking of picking up an annual Costco membership, this is a great way to keep more cash in your pocket.

Read more: How to Get the Most Out of Your Costco Membership

With a Costco Gold Star subscription, you’ll get one membership card for your household. It allows you to shop at any Costco warehouse worldwide, as well as online at Costco.com. While Costco is a great place to save on groceries and other everyday essentials, it offers a lot more. A Gold Star membership also means you can use Costco’s gas stations and pharmacies, as well as Costco’s optical and hearing aid centers. And Costco frequently has seasonal plants, decor, furniture, electronics and other products as well.

If you sign up for a Costco Executive Gold Star membership, you’ll can take advantage of all of the features of the regular Gold Star subscription, as well as additional benefits and greater discounts on select Costco services. Plus, you’ll earn an annual 2% reward up to $1,000 on qualified purchases.

After you sign up, you’ll receive your bonus shop card via email. The card can be used both in store and online, so you can use it right away. It’s also worth noting that after you pay for membership through StackSocial, you’ll have until June 30 to redeem the membership, or you may not be able to take advantage of the deal.