Walter Cunningham, last surviving Apollo 7 astronaut, dies at 90

Walter Cunningham, an astronaut who was the last surviving member of the 1968 Apollo 7 mission, died on Tuesday at 90. The Iowa-born Cunningham served in the US Navy and Marine Corps before joining NASA in 1963 and eventually taking part in the Apollo program’s first crewed (and first televised) flight.

NASA confirmed Cunningham’s death and added that he was “instrumental to our Moon landing’s program success.” According to the Houston Chronicle, Cunningham died in a local hospital of complications from a fall.

Apollo 7 was NASA’s first spaceflight after the 1967 Apollo 1 tragedy, where a fire killed three astronauts during a rehearsal test. This led to a longer-than-usual training period, as NASA shelved human-crewed spaceflight for 21 months following Apollo 1. The crew spent many long hours studying the spacecraft’s design and construction of the Apollo command and service modules (CSM) to help avoid a repeat tragedy, which could have been perilous for the astronauts and the program. Finally, the crew splashed down on Earth on October 22, 1968, after nearly 11 days in space. Apollo 7 further tested NASA’s equipment and helped pave the way for Apollo 11, where the first humans walked on the moon.

Four astronauts laughing and looking to the horizon in a 196
Left to right: Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, Walter Cunningham, Dr. Donald E. Stullken
NASA

Cunningham retired from NASA in 1971 and tried his hand at public speaking, radio hosting, offshore engineering, commercial real estate and venture capital investing. Unfortunately, he also became an outspoken climate change denier. Speaking to Forbes in 2013, Cunningham went through a laundry list of fossil-fuel industry talking points, framing modern NASA as an organization controlled by the media while claiming climate-change science was closer to demagoguery than fact. (For the record, climate change is real, and we’re running out of time to avoid catastrophe.)

“I definitely believe that we lived in the good old days,” Cunningham said in a 1999 NASA interview. “We lived in the golden age of manned spaceflight. We’ve been in space now for over 40 years. The first 40 years of aviation, we went from just barely flying to jet transport, you know. And now, we haven’t moved that far since we went into space. The days through Apollo will be remembered; there’ll never be another time like that again. Even when we go to Mars, it will be different. And I feel just fortunate that I was a small part of this particular time in spaceflight.”

MSI’s new gaming laptops pack NVIDIA GTX 40-series GPUs and redesigned thermals

MSI has announced its 2023 gaming laptop lineup at CES, including new Intel and NVIDIA components. The updated models also have redesigned cooling that MSI says can help kick up performance.

As with most new gaming laptops unveiled this week, MSI’s upgraded models use 13th-gen Intel Core series processors with GeForce RTX 40 series laptop graphics. In addition, the new models include the company’s latest thermal setup, now organized into shared, dedicated and VRAM-exclusive pipes.

The Titan GT and Raider GE series are the most spec-intensive models, using the Intel i9-13980HX with MSU Overboost tech that can push processing and graphics to a 250W power draw (or support 5.2GHz frequency across 8 P-cores). The Titan GE also adds what MSI describes as the “world’s first 4K 144Hz Mini LED display.” The 17.3-inch panel can hit an impressive 1,000 nits peak brightness with over 1,000 local dimming zones. The Raider GE’s display is a step down from it but still offers a respectable QHD+ resolution at 240Hz. That model also has a new chassis with an upgraded light bar.

Product photo of the MSI Stealth 16 at an angle (in front of a plain white background)
MSI

MSI also has new editions of its Stealth Series gaming notebooks, which have a slimmer profile than the Titan and Raider lines while sacrificing as little power as possible. That lineup includes models with 14-, 15-, 16- and 17-inch displays. In addition to the new Intel and NVIDIA hardware inside, the Stealth 14 Studio and Stealth 16 Studio use a magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis that helps keep their weight down. (The 16-inch model weighs 4.39 lbs, while the 14-inch one is 3.75 lbs.) In addition, the 15-inch variant has a 240Hz OLED display with a 0.2ms response time while covering 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

The Prestige series pushes the light and thin boundaries further, with the 13-inch variant standing as MSI’s lightest gaming laptop at 2.18 lbs. Like the Stealth line, the Prestige models also use a magnesium-alloy construction. Despite the light and thin build, the Prestige 13 Eco has a 75W-h battery lasting up to 15 hours.

Engadget will try MSI’s new gaming machines later this week, but you’ll still have over a month to decide if they’re right for you. Although the company hasn’t released a full release schedule, it tells us the Titan and Raider series will launch mid-February, while the Stealth and Cyborg lines will arrive later that month.

JBL updates its Quantum lineup of gaming headphones and earbuds

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Verizon’s new kids’ smartwatch has a camera to let kids video call their parents

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ASUS is bringing more Nebula Displays and better cooling to its gaming laptops

ASUS is refreshing its gaming laptops with HDR Mini LED displays, better cooling and updated processors and graphics. However, since the company hasn’t yet announced pricing, it’s harder to discern the latest models’ value.

The Nebula display is found in more models than ever this year. That company branding denotes screens with high frame rates (120Hz for 4K and QHD screens and 240Hz or higher for 1080p), bright backlights and vivid colors. Meanwhile, the new Nebula HDR variant is like an ultra-premium version highlighting Mini LED panels. For example, the Nebula HDR display in the Strix SCAR 16 is a Mini LED with 1,024 dimming zones (double last year’s model) and a 240Hz refresh rate. Although we don’t yet know the pricing, it’s a safe bet those models will fetch top dollar.

The new laptops, which launch in Q2, also have updated 13th-gen Intel or AMD Ryzen Zen 4 processors, depending on your configuration. NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPUs power the graphics in maxed-out variants of the new machines.

ASUS added “intelligent cooling” to several new models, including the Zephyrus M16 and Strix models in 16-inch and 18-inch variants. The company accomplished this using a full-width heatsink spanning the device’s rear. ASUS also added a third cooling fan to more models. (It was first seen in the Flow X16 from 2022.) That extra fan improves airflow to the GPU and other internal hardware.

The Strix SCAR line, which ASUS calls the “performance flagships,” have bigger 16- and 18-inch screens than their 15- and 17-inch predecessors (including Nebula HDR in the most expensive tiers). In addition, ASUS says this year’s cooling improvements let these models push higher frame rates. Meanwhile, the Strix G16 and G18 are slightly less high-end (likely cheaper) equivalents to the Strix 16 and 18 with the same CPU and GPU options.

Product photo of ASUS Zephyrus M16 (2023) against a plain white background
ASUS

ASUS is also updating its light-and-thin Zephyrus line. The ROG Zephyrus M16 has a Nebula HDR display. Like several other models, top-shelf models include a MUX Switch and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus. They bypass the machine’s integrated graphics, using discrete graphics almost instantaneously. The full-width heatsink and tri-fan tech also let it run 25 watts higher than the 2022 version.


Meanwhile, the Zephyrus G16 has the same processor and graphics options with a QHD Nebula display that supports 240Hz. Its smaller sibling, the Zephyrus G14, gets a Nebula HDR panel with 504 dimming zones and 600 nits of peak brightness.

ASUS’ Duo 16 is the latest iteration of its quirky, dual-screen laptop line. Like the 2022 model, the updated version has a 16-inch Mini LED panel as its main screen with a smaller 4K display below for multitasking. It also joins other models in offering the new NVIDIA graphics and MUX Switch in the highest-end models.

PR lifestyle photo of a man playing the ASUS Flow Z13 gaming 2-in-1.
ASUS

The company also updated the ROG Flow, its 2-in-1 tablet PCs for gamers. The Flow X13, which has a 360-degree rotating hinge, has a 13-inch Nebula display supporting a 165Hz refresh rate. Additionally, ASUS redesigned its chassis, making it 10mm smaller and increasing its battery capacity (from 62 to 75 Wh) while maintaining the same keyboard layout. The company also made its touchpad bigger and redesigned the 2-in-1 hinge with better ventilation and an easier grip.

The X13’s larger companion, the Flow X16, has an HDR Mini LED touchscreen with a 240Hz refresh rate and 1,100 nits peak brightness. In addition, all ASUS’ 2023 Flow devices use Corning’s Gorilla Glass DXC, which can increase hardness by 40 percent and reduce glare. Meanwhile, the Flow Z13, a detachable that’s like a Microsoft Surface for gamers, is updated with the new Intel and NVIDIA components and a QHD Nebula display with a 165Hz refresh rate.

Google Pixel 7a hands-on leak reportedly shows the 90Hz display

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LG’s updated Grams get thinner, add OLED and ‘hidden touchpads’

LG has new Gram laptops at CES 2023. The latest entrants in the company’s ultra-portable line include the “thinnest Gram model yet” and a glass laptop with a “hidden” LED-lit trackpad.

With a depth of 10.99 mm, LG says the new Gram Ultraslim is the company’s thinnest notebook. The device weighs a mere 998 g (about nine percent lighter than the model it’s replacing) and has a 15.6-inch OLED display with 1080p resolution. Of course, it gets a processor bump with 13th-gen Intel Raptor Lake chips.

The Gram Style is a new variant for this year with a glass design. Shipping in 16- and 14-inch variants, the Style has anti-glare OLED screens: 3,200 x 2,000 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate in the 16-inch model and a 2,880 x 1,800 OLED with 90Hz for the 14-inch variant. LG says the Style has a “hidden touchpad” with LED backlighting that illuminates when you touch it. Along with 13th-gen Intel Raptor Lake chips, the new machines include Gen4 NVMeTM solid-state drive in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB tiers.

A woman sitting on a blanket in a park, using the LG Gram 2-in-1 tablet/laptop PC with a stylus.
LG Gram 2-in-1
LG

LG has new variants of the standard Gram laptop line in 17-, 16-, 15- and 14-inch variants. These models have IPS displays, updated Raptor Lake Intel chips and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop graphics. LG is also updating its Gram 2-in-1 line with 360-degree rotating hinges. These updated models ships with 14- or 16-inch touchscreen IPS displays at 2,560 x 1,600 (16-inch) or 1,920 x 1,200 (14-inch) resolution. Additionally, they include pre-installed note-taking and drawing apps designed for the bundled LG Stylus Pen.

All new Gram laptops this year include Dolby Atmos audio for the first time, and LG touts the “ultra-compact” power adapter shipping with all new Gram models. In addition, their displays all have anti-glare coatings and support the LG Glance privacy tool. Unfortunately, we’ve run into build-quality issues with past Grams, so hopefully, the new models will fare better.

LG hasn’t yet announced pricing for the new laptops. They will launch globally starting in February. The company says it will announce US pricing and availability later.