Of all the new products HP is showing off at CES this year, arguably the most noteworthy is a pair of new Dragonfly laptops. Adapted from the enterprise-centric Elite Dragonfly series, the new Dragonfly Pro and Dragonfly Pro Chromebook are designed for…
The LG Gram Style is an iridescent 16-inch laptop with a disappearing trackpad
Of all the new LG Gram laptops unveiled at CES 2023, the Gram Style is the most eye-catching. It features an iridescent finish on the lid and keyboard deck that, even under the garish convention center lights here in Las Vegas, managed to look pretty. Like the rest of the Gram line, the Style is an impressively thin and light laptop for its size, with the 16-inch model coming in at 1.2kg (2.7 pounds). In fact, it’s so light that the bicep curls and front raises I did using the laptop didn’t feel like any work at all (weird flex, I know).
Speaking of flex, though, I did feel the 16-inch Style yield a little under my grip during the front raises, and it’s worth reminding you that we’ve had issues with the build quality on previous Grams. Though nothing ever actually broke during our testing, in general Gram laptops have felt less premium than other ultraportables, and almost plasticky. The Style has what LG calls a “glass design,” and I use quotes because the entire laptop isn’t actually made of glass. In fact, even after I picked it up, I couldn’t tell what the back of the device was made of, and had to ask. While the base of the notebook is made from a nano-magnesium alloy, the lid and keyboard deck, where the iridescent finish is, are Gorilla Glass 3.
That keyboard deck is also another highlight here. At first glance, it looks like there’s nothing below the keyboard, but drag your finger across the surface and two LED lines light up to indicate the boundaries of the trackpad. When I tried doing that, I didn’t even feel a difference between the touchpad and the rest of the deck — looks like LG took this “hidden trackpad” in a tactile sense as well. It’s an interesting concept that might have aesthetic benefits, but I’m not sure it will appeal to those who rely on touch to figure out where the trackpad is.
The Style laptops also feature anti-glare OLED screens, which was so effective that I initially thought this was just a really bright and colorful LCD. That’s not a ding on the display though, I still found the Windows 11 wallpaper vibrant and crisp.
The Gram Style isn’t the only new laptop LG showed off at CES — there are new sizes available, and all models are also available in Intel’s latest 13th-generation Core processors. For all the details on those products, as well as the full specs of the Gram Style, check out our news article here.
The Dyson Zone headset is comfy enough to sleep with, but still makes you look like Bane
When I first checked out the Dyson Zone in March, the company didn’t allow us to take our own photos of video of the demos, since they were still a ways from production. Now that we have new details about the pricing and availability of Dyson’s air-purifying headphones, the company invited us to check out the device again, this time with video. The Dyson Zone will be available in March at a starting price of $950.
My second experience with the Dyson Zone was very similar to the first, except I was able to test it in more situations. Our video producer Joel Chokkattu and I were accompanied by a company rep while we took the headset out on the streets of New York, walking around for a block on a rainy day. As expected, passersby gawked when I snapped the Bane-like visor onto the headset, and one person even turned their head in shock.
To see if the Zone would be comfortable enough for me to wear on a long flight, which is how I believe most people would want to use it, I laid out on a couch with the entire device on. It wasn’t terrible. We also got to check out the companion app and see a live chart showing the sound levels in our surroundings.
As a reminder, the Dyson Zone is not designed to protect against COVID-19 or other viruses. It does not seal to your face, even if the visor does cover your nose and mouth. It does leave the chin exposed, and there’s a gap between the device and your skin. You can use inserts like an N95 mask attachment that the company offers as part of a package, but on its own the Zone is only getting rid of particles and acidic gasses like nitrogen dioxide and ozone.
For the full details, check out our video above and let us know what you think!
Engadget Podcast: LensaAI selfies and ChatGPT dominated our socials this week
This week, many of us saw our social media feeds taken over by colorful, surreal pictures of people we follow, except they don’t quite look like themselves. The images were generated by Lensa AI, and it’s the latest in what feels like a now-annual trend to use a new app to create mockups of your face in various scenarios. Alongside Lensa, some folks also saw blocks of text from another AI generator, ChatGPT. So on this episode of the podcast, Devindra and Cherlynn chat the appeal, implications and possible future of these types of AI, before being joined by Engadget editor-at-large James Trew for a check in on the state of action cameras.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
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Topics
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Lensa AI “magic avatars” and ChatGPT – 1:27
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What’s the state of the GoPro-style action camera in 2022? – 23:47
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iPhone users can now share digital car keys with Pixel owners – 43:02
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iOS 16.2 includes time limits on AirDrop receiving – 47:44
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Carl Pei said Nothing wants to come to the US – 53:40
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Working on – 1:08:02
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Picks – 1:10:51
Livestream
Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artists: Luke Brooks and Brian Oh