2026-01-04 03:02:46
We could be witnessing the start of the renaissance for real buttons in cars, courtesy of Volkswagen's ID. Polo. The German automaker unveiled the interior of its upcoming compact EV, which features real buttons, switches and even a knob for audio controls.
"We have created an interior that feels like a friend from the very first contact," Volkswagen's chief designer, Andreas Mindt, said in a press release. "Clear physical buttons provide stability and trust, warm materials make it appealing, and charming details such as the new retro views of the instruments show the typical Volkswagen wink."
Last year, Mindt told Autocar that Volkswagen would commit to reintroducing physical buttons for the most important functions "in every car we make from now on," starting with the ID. 2all concept car that has since evolved to become the ID. Polo. The EV maker backed up those claims since the ID. Polo will feature tangible buttons underneath the infotainment display, along with a steering wheel that's packed with even more clear buttons. Between the driver and passenger, Volkswagen even included a knob that can adjust audio volume or shuffle between tracks and radio stations.
Besides the renewed emphasis on physical controls, Volkswagen still included a 10.25-inch digital cockpit behind the steering wheel. In the center, there's a nearly 13-inch touchscreen that serves as the infotainment system. For a retro throwback, the ID. Polo can swap its cockpit display to one that's inspired by the classic Golf I from the 1980s through a button on its steering wheel or with the infotainment touchscreen.
The ID. Polo is expected to be the first of four new EVs in Volkswagen's small and compact car segment, which will see releases in European markets starting this year. However, it's not all good news, since Volkswagen has no plans to release the compact EV in the US.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volkswagen-is-bringing-physical-buttons-back-to-the-dashboard-with-the-id-polo-ev-190246116.html?src=rss2026-01-04 03:00:37
CES has long felt like a full-on auto show, but the car-centric energy seems somewhat muted at CES 2026. Sure, the Afeela electric vehicle from the Sony-Honda joint venture is returning to the show floor, but with the Trump administration yanking most EV incentives from the market, the industry isn't offering a full-court press of new vehicles in Las Vegas this year. That said, there's no shortage of in-cabin car tech on display, including Hyundai's Holographic Windshield Display.
Indeed, the company's Mobis subsidiary will present "more than 30 mobility convergence technologies" during CES. And we'll also get to see Hyundai's AI Robotics Strategy, which will showcase its new Atlas robot fresh out of the lab.
Hyundai's presentation takes place on January 5 at 4PM ET, and you can livestream it on either its HyundaiUSA YouTube channel or its global YouTube channel. We'll embed the stream here once it's available.
As mentioned above, Hyundai will have its Holographic Windshield Display for viewing. It's essentially a next-gen heads-up display that projects key data from the vehicle's dash on the windshield for less distraction, and without obstructing the driver's view. It's a vertically expandable 18.1-inch large display, and passengers can even watch videos without being visible to the driver.
Hyundai Mobis collaborated with German optics specialist Zeiss to develop the "world's first system to utilize holographic film to transform the entire front windshield into an ultra-large display surface." It says it will begin mass production in 2029, so don't expect to see this on the market anytime soon.
Beyond automotive, though, we'll also get a first-ever look at the company's new Atlas robot. In the teaser image shown in the press release, Atlas looks rather dog-like, which makes sense when you remember that Boston Dynamics was purchased by the Korean multinational back in 2020.
"This next-generation Atlas represents a tangible step toward the commercialization of AI Robotics, highlighting the Group’s commitment to building safe and adaptable robotic co-workers," the company said in the same press release.
Hyundai said it will also discuss its other tech areas, including electronics and chassis system safety, as well as an AR head-up display, low-power display solutions and EV drive systems.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/how-to-watch-the-hyundai-ces-2026-presentation-live-190051072.html?src=rss2026-01-04 01:31:02
Californians can now put a stop to their personal data being sold around on an online trading floor, thanks to a new free tool. On January 1, the state launched its Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, shortened to DROP, that allows residents to request to delete all of their personal information online that's been harvested by data brokers.
According to the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy), which was responsible for DROP's release, it's a "first of its kind" tool that imposes new restrictions on businesses that hoard and sell personal info that consumers didn't provide directly. The process requires verifying your California residency before you can send a "single deletion request to every registered data broker in California."
On the other end, CalPrivacy will require data brokers to register every year and to process any deletion requests from DROP. Data brokers will also have to report the type of information they collect and share, while also being subject to regular audits that check for compliance. If any data broker is found skirting the requirements, they could face penalties and fines.
Besides being the first in the country to offer this type of comprehensive tool that deletes online personal data, CalPrivacy said it's one of four states, including Oregon, Texas and Vermont, to require data broker registration. According to the agency, data brokers will start processing the first deletion requests from DROP starting August 1, 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/california-introduces-a-one-stop-shop-to-delete-your-online-data-footprint-173102064.html?src=rss2026-01-03 21:45:00
The new year is upon us, and that means CES 2026 is imminent. The biggest tech trade show of the calendar comes with a bevy of new and notable announcements that set the tone for trends and expectations for the subsequent 12 months. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, but the fun kicks off with events on Sunday January 4, followed by a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking will be happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other hotels all over the city. As usual, Engadget will be covering the event in-person and remotely, bringing you news and hands-ons straight from the show floor.
More specific details and pre-announcements are already trickling out as CES approaches, and thanks to the schedule of the Consumer Technology Association (the trade organization that runs the show) we have a full itinerary of press conferences. We’re also using our experience and expertise to predict what tech trends could rear their heads at the show.
Press conferences and show floor booths are the bread and butter of CES. The CTA has already published a searchable directory of who will have an official presence at the show, along with a schedule of every official panel and presentation. However, the press conference schedule gives us a more digestible rundown of the first 48 hours of big events.
On Sunday, January 4, Samsung will kick-off CES with "The First Look," a presentation hosted by TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung's DX Division, on the company's "vision for the DX (Device eXperience) Division in 2026, along with new AI-driven customer experiences." Ahead of that, though, Samsung has already outlined a variety of more specifics (scroll down for details). Concurrent with the Samsung presentation will be the official CES Unveiled mini-show, which is generally comprised of smaller and start-up vendors.
That'll be followed by multiple press conferences throughout Monday, January 5. The LG CES 2026 press conference, titled "Innovation in Tune with You," is ostensibly to share "its vision for elevating daily life through Affectionate Intelligence." But, like Samsung, this fellow Korean giant has already spent the three weeks leading up to CES pre-announcing many of its new products, so this may be more of a summary than breaking news.
Following LG, we’ll also see press conferences from Bosch and Hisense, as well as the first-ever CES appearance from Lego. As the Las Vegas afternoon rolls around, we get the first of three chip giants: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang takes the stage on January 5 at 1PM PT (4PM ET) and, according to the website, his presentation will last about 90 minutes. Based on the description on the listing, the presentation will “showcase the latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries.” NVIDIA’s presser is concurrent with one from Hyundai, where the Korean automotive company will focus on in-cabin car tech and robotics.
Later in the day, we get to hear from NVIDIA frenemies Intel and AMD. Intel’s 3PM PT (6PM PT) event will ostensibly feature its new Core Ultra Series 3 processors, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will cover AMD's upcoming chip announcements at a keynote address that closes out the day. But expect both of them to be very heavy on AI applications, of course. Sandwiched in between those chip manufacturers will be Sony Honda Mobility. The joint venture will be offering yet more details on its Afeela EV.
Finally, on Tuesday, January 6, Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host Lenovo's Tech World Conference at the Las Vegas Sphere, using the large and decidedly curved screen to share the company's "commitment to delivering smarter AI for all by constantly redefining how technology can engage, inspire, and empower." It’s worth noting that Lenovo is the parent company of Motorola, which still makes phones and foldables that feature AI tools, so it’s possible those devices feature in the presentation as well.
As noted above, both Samsung and LG have continued their recent trend of spoiling nearly all of their respective CES announcements in the days and weeks before the show. LG, for example, has said it will debut its first Micro RGB television at CES. While details are scarce, the company’s press release for the LG Micro RGB evo did confirm it has received certifications by Intertek for 100 percent color gamut coverage in DCI-P3 an Adobe RGB, and that it has more than a thousand dimming zones for brightness control.
Elsewhere in the TV space, LG is throwing its hat into the “art TV” ring that Samsung pioneered with its Frame TVs: The LG Gallery TV will debut in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, and it will of course show off various artwork when it’s not otherwise in use. And if PC gaming displays are more your speed, LG will have that covered, too, with a new line of 5K-capable gaming monitors on deck with built-in AI upscaling.
But LG’s not just showing off displays. The Korean multinational will also introduce a Dolby-powered modular home audio system, a new line of its xboom speakers (developed with will.i.am) and the company will flex its automation muscles with a humanoid home automation robot named CLOiD. We’re also looking forward to checking out the company’s new ultralight Aerominum laptops.
Of course, Samsung refuses to be outdone by its hometown rival, and has also released a pre-CES press release document dump. Samsung will be launching its own lineup of Micro RGB TVs at CES, for starters. The company already introduced its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2025, which was a 115-inch model available for a cool $30,000. Next year, Samsung is expanding the range with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch models that use the next evolution of the company’s Micro RGB technology.
Samsung is also countering LG’s 5K monitors with a 6K model that aims to deliver glasses-free 3D (another long-time CES staple). It’ll be one of several new displays in the company’s Odyssey gaming line. And the company is also updating its Freestyle projector for 2026, too.
And on the audio front, Samsung has teased several new soundbars and speakers, including Sonos-style Wi-Fi streaming models call the Music Studio 5 and Studio 7.
Outside of the formal introduction of new products and initiatives, reading the tea leaves of what was announced last year and what companies are reportedly working on, we can make some educated guesses at what we could see at CES 2026.
CES is frequently the start of a cascade of new chip announcements for a given year, and one of the first places new silicon appears in real consumer products. AMD will likely use its keynote to introduce new versions of its Ryzen chips, including the recently spotted Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is expected to offer better single-threaded performance, and the Ryzen 9000G series, which could be built with AMD's Zen 5 architecture. The company might also use its CES stage to go over its new FSR Redstone AI upscaling tech.
Intel has already publicly announced that it'll launch its Panther Lake chips at CES 2026. The officially titled Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips fit into Intel's overall "AI PC" push, but are specifically meant for premium laptops. Based on a preview from October 2025, Intel says the first chip made with its 2-nanometer 18A process will offer 50 percent more processing performance than previous generations and for the chip's Arc GPU, a 50 percent performance bump from last generation.
Qualcomm is also rumored to be targeting laptops at the show, building on the work it's done moving its Snapdragon chips out of phones and tablets and into other types of computers. The company's Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Premium chips should start appearing in laptops at CES 2026, offering a look at the improved speed and AI performance the company promised in 2025.
As noted above, Samsung and LG appear to be going all-in on Micro RGB display tech for TVs. Expect that to be a huge buzzword at CES, with Hisense and Sony debuting new models, too.
Sony announced a collection of new Bravia TVs in April 2025, replacing the company's flagship, filling in its midrange options and adding a new budget model to the mix. The star of this updated Bravia lineup is the Bravia 9, which features a QD-OLED panel, but Sony appears to be prepping entirely new display tech for 2026. In March 2025, Sony introduced a new RGB LED panel that uses individual Mini LED backlights colored in red, green and blue to produce even brighter, more accurate colors. In contrast to a QD-OLED, which filters a layer of blue organic light emitting diodes through quantum dots that change color, Sony's "General RGB LED Backlight Technology" can get as bright as a Mini LED panel without needing an extra filter layer or worrying about OLED's problems with burn-in.
The company has already trademarked the name "True RGB," which could end up being what Sony calls this new flavor of display if it decides to show them off at CES. It seems entirely likely, because CES is nothing if not a TV show — it’s a sure bet that we’ll see new TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung in addition to Sony. If the company doesn't introduce new display tech for its TVs, it does have a new 240Hz PlayStation monitor coming in 2026 that it could show off at CES instead.
Sony isn't the only company hyped on bright screens. Samsung is reportedly pushing an updated version of the HDR10 and HDR10+ standards that could be ready to demo at CES 2026. The new HDR10+ Advanced standard would be Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2, which includes support for things bi-directional tone mapping and intelligent features that automatically adapt sports and gaming content. Samsung's take will reportedly offer improved brightness, genre-based tone mapping and intelligent motion smoothing options, among other improvements.
And maybe your future TV won’t need a power cord, either: Displace will be showing off a mounting option that includes a 15,000mAh battery to juice up whatever giant TV screen you choose to attach.
The ball-shaped yellow robot lovingly known as "Ballie" has been announced twice, first in 2020 and then again in 2024 with a projector in tow. Samsung said Ballie would go on sale in 2025 at CES last year and then shared in April 2025 that Ballie would ship this summer with Google's Gemini onboard. But it's nearly 2026, and Ballie is nowhere to be seen. It's possible Samsung could make a third attempt at announcing its robot at CES 2026, but whether or not it does, robotics will still be a big part of the show.
Robot vacuums and mops were a major highlight of CES 2025, and it's safe to expect notable improvements from the new models that are announced at CES 2026. Not every company will adopt the retractable arm of the Roborock Saros Z70, but robot vacuums with legs for rising over small ledges like the Dreame X50 seem like they could become the norm. Roborock could also show off its new Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the first of its robot vacuums to feature a retractable roller mop.
Beyond just traversing spaces more efficiently, improving robots' navigation could also be a major concern at the show. Prominent members of the AI industry are turning their attention from large language models to world models, which aim to give AI a deep understanding of physical space. Those world models could be the key to making robots — like LG’s aforementioned CLOiD — competent at navigating homes and workplaces, and will likely be a significant talking point at CES 2026.
We’ll be updating this article throughout the month as more rumors surface and new products are confirmed — stay tuned for future updates!
Update, December 11 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include detail on Lenovo being Motorola’s parent company and how the latter might have a part in the Tuesday presentation.
Update, December 16 2025, 1:33PM ET: This story has been updated to include the NVIDIA press conference, which was added to the CTA schedule within the last two days.
Update, December 23 2025, 7:28AM ET: This story has been updated to include LG and Samsung’s Micro RGB TV announcements, which were made public in the past seven days. The intro was also tweaked to reflect how soon CES is at this point.
Update, December 29 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include additional details on pre-announcements from Samsung, LG and Displace.
Update, December 31 2025, 12:05PM ET: This story has been updated to include yet more early LG announcements.
Update, January 3 2026, 8:45AM ET: This story has been updated to include still more Samsung and LG announcements.
2026-01-03 20:00:36
You might recognize Bosch as a home appliance name (thanks to its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational brand's core business is really about providing the underlying technology and engineering that powers cars, homes and factories around the world. That focus is reflected at CES 2026, where much of what Bosch is unveiling is intended to be licensed to other companies rather than sold as Bosch-branded products on store shelves.
Case in point is Bosch's automotive plans at CES. The company is showcasing what it calls "AI in the car," or more specifically, in the cockpit of the car. "Bosch's AI-powered cockpit makes driving more comfortable, intuitive, and safer for all occupants," Bosch board member Markus Heyn said in a press release. We'll get into all the details below, as well as how to tune in to the press conference on Monday.
You can livestream the event on Monday, January 5 at 12PM ET via the Bosch press page or YouTube. (We've embedded the stream link below.)
Bosch will be setting up shop in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth 16203), where the company will be focusing on its three big themes — mobility, smart home integrations and manufacturing — all of which will include hardware, software and AI solutions.
Like many other CES 2026 exhibitors, look for Bosch to emphasize its partnerships with the big dogs of the AI space at the show. For instance, that AI-powered car cockpit mentioned above will feature integrations with both Microsoft and NVIDIA. For instance, Bosch is touting the ability to use voice commands to join a Teams call, while the car's system will automatically activate adaptive cruise control. And it's noting that NVIDIA's software suites will help manage "real-time sensor processing and vision-language models."
Here's a glimpse of what the booth will look like:
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/how-to-watch-the-bosch-ces-2026-press-conference-live-on-monday-130020396.html?src=rss2026-01-03 07:06:04
The price for a PS4 copy of the relatively obscure Star Wars racing game, Star Wars Racer Revenge, has dramatically increased in the last few days because of the game’s use in the latest PlayStation 5 jailbreak, Eurogamer reports. The PS2 game was originally released in 2002, and was ported to PS4 by Limited Run Games in 2019. Its role as a key ingredient in the jailbreaking process was announced on December 31.
Interested jailbreakers need Racer Revenge to jailbreak PS5 12.00 firmware because of a bug in the game's Hall of Fame feature, according to Eurogamer. The bug makes it possible to inject new code into Sony's console, and because the PS5 is able to load and play PS4 discs, Star Wars Racer Revenge is an easier method to pull the jailbreak off. Retail releases of games are a common way to execute exploits and hacks because, unlike digital copies, they can’t be directly patched.
While the PS4 version of Star Wars Racer Revenge was available for anywhere between $14.99 to $37.50 when it went on sale originally, used copies are currently listed for as high as $411 on eBay. Sellers are naturally trying to capitalize on the game's new position in the jailbreaking meta and raising the price accordingly. Of course, it helps that there's only a small number of copies to go around.
As the company's name suggests, Limited Run Games releases old games in limited quantities as collector items. The company only ever made 8,500 copies of Racer Revenge per its own data, so the game is already rare in some sense, and now expensive to boot while there's interest in the PS5 jailbreak.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/prices-for-an-old-star-wars-game-have-ballooned-because-of-its-role-in-a-ps5-jailbreak-230604276.html?src=rss
