CES 2016 was as drab as the rest of the year

Probably the best thing you can say about 2016 is that it sets up 2017 to be an awesome improvement no matter what happens. Then again, 2016 itself started on a highly optimistic note, having succeeded the bland 2015 and started with the traditional gala event of the tech calendar that was the Consumer Electronics

Show in Las Vegas. CES 2016 was the January harbinger of what was to come: we thought it'd be a fresh dose of techno optimism, with a shot or two of smarter cars and homes, but it ended up a distressing series of unhappy events. So let's look back on it! (If only for the sake of closure.)

LAPTOPS PROMISED MUCH, BUT DELIVERED A GREAT DEAL LESS

When we, The Verge's editorial staff, were having our Verge Awards debate for CES 2016, the richest field of candidates was laptops. There were just so many appealing and attractive new options, each one of them thinner than the other, each a little bit sleeker and more refined. We liked Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Yoga a lot, especially with its gorgeous new OLED screen. Then we were charmed by the HP EliteBook Folio, which looked like a very legitimate Windows alternative to Apple's MacBook - only with the added benefit of two USB-C ports rather than just one. Progress, we thought.
My personal highlight from among the bunch was the Razer Blade Stealth, the gaming company's first ever ultrabook, which also capitalized on USB-C's greater bandwidth to introduce an awesome concept: a universally compatible graphics card dock, which would allow mobile gamers to hook up a full-bloodied desktop GPU to their ultraportable laptop. With a pretty, high-resolution display and a handsome matte-black finish, the Blade Stealth promised to be a modular realization of one of the oldest dreams in PC-land: a gaming laptop without performance limitations or enormous size.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Linktree’s free workaround lets you add multiple links to your Instagram bio

Image
Instagram only gives you one opportunity to link to outside resources inside its photo sharing platform. This might not be a problem for a majority of the users, but for those wanting a little more customization and even more options, it leaves much to be desired. Enter  Linktree , a free tool for Instagram designed to improve traffic to your outside link, be it a blog, portfolio, or store. How it works is fairly straightforward. After connecting Linktree to your Instagram profile, you’ll receive a single link to place in your Instagram bio. Once that link in place, you can customize what it’s linked to within your browser, be it a single website, or a collection of sites you’re looking to direct followers to Say you’re a photographer who’s using Instagram as a marketing tool for your wedding photography. Using Linktree, you can direct Instagram followers to your blog, your portfolio site, and even your other social media accounts. Until now, you would’ve been stuck choosing b
Read more

How to connect your Nintendo Switch to the TV

Image
The  Nintendo Switch  is one-part handheld and one-part home console. But how easy is it to connect up to your TV?  The hybrid console can be played in a number of ways. There’s handheld mode, where you play with the controllers attached to the side of the Switch’s display.  There’s also tabletop mode, where you lean the Switch on its kickstand and detach the controllers for solo or group play.  Or there’s docked mode. This allows you to send a video feed from your console to a television in order to enjoy your favorite Nintendo games on a screen deserving of them. The Nintendo Switch’s own screen is only 6.2 inches, after all, with a middling 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution. This makes it perfect for gaming on-the-move, whether you're going on holiday or commuting.  But if you're staying put, replacing that with a 40-inch screen and 1,920 x 1,080 resolution makes a big difference in every sense of the word. And it'll bring out even more loving detail from the g
Read more

The best cheap Chromebooks that are actually in stock right now

Image
Chromebooks have been going in and out of stock over the past year, initially from the rise of remote work at the start of the COVID pandemic. Component shortages and remote schooling also resulted in fewer options being available, but as we head into 2021, there are some decent options in the $200-300 range. All of the models we've selected are fast enough to handle at least a few Chrome tabs and applications running at once, and when they're available, we try to include models with large screens. We have a dedicated guide for the best Chromebooks overall, but this list is solely focused on budget options that are actually in stock right now. Samsung Chromebook 4+: $299 The Samsung Chromebook 4+ is one of the best deals in the Chromebook market... when it's not out of stock, that is. While the laptop doesn't have a touch screen or 2-in-1 design, it does have a competent Intel Celeron N4000 processor and 4GB RAM. The main selling point here is the 15.6-inch 1080p scr
Read more