Author: Press Room

One of the key trends at CES 2026 was certainly the slew of new PCs it generated, with AMD, Intel and Qualcomm all launching new AI chips amidst a backdrop of uncertain sales and memory shortages, which are set to drive up prices – Asus told me as much during a pre-CES event in late November to preview its upcoming devices. But despite ever more capable AI chips, it seems that consumers aren’t buying into the dream of the AI PC – yet. Dell used a CES 2026 briefing to admit that it had modified the way it was marketing…

Ever since Game of Thrones became a pop culture phenomenon in the 2010s, studios have tried to make their own high fantasy epics. By and large, this hasn’t gone well. It’s not that there aren’t any good fantasy series out there, but a lot of the highest-profile ones have slipped up. The Witcher changed lead actors partway through to much fan dissatisfaction. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is expensive but underwhelming. And The Wheel of Time was just finding its footing when Amazon canceled it, something I will never stop being mad about. But you don’t…

Summary The Shokz OpenFit Pro brings active noise reduction to open-ear headphones for the first time. Three mics plus an intelligent algorithm let you tune noise reduction or switch to full open-ear mode. The OpenFit Pro also featured improved sound quality and wear detection, something other OpenFit models lack. Shokz has been my go-to headphone brand for several years now. I originally bought my Shokz so that I could better hear traffic when running. However, they’re so comfortable that it didn’t take long before I was wearing them all day. The one downside, of course, is that they let a…

We need to talk about the traffic cone in the room. For almost 20 years, VLC media player has been my go-to “install this first” app, especially given its top-secret features. It’s the digital Honda Civic of media players. It’s not particularly sexy, and the dashboard is a bit cluttered, but it will get you from point A to point B without breaking down, regardless of what file format you throw in the trunk. However, if you care about how the drive actually feels—if you want frame-perfect video screenshots and playback, near-instant launch times, and an interface that doesn’t look…

CES has never been a perfect crystal ball. Not every idea basking in the annual Las Vegas spotlight goes mainstream, and plenty of breakthroughs arrive quietly elsewhere. Still, when the same themes keep cropping up across laptops, TVs, smart home tech, and hardware platforms, it’s usually a decent indication of the latest tech trends. We got exactly that at CES 2026 – a collection of ideas that suggest how devices might evolve over the next few years. We’ve rounded up some of the key trends below, for a digestible glance at what the tech world could bring to your door…

Writer’s block isn’t a dramatic creative crisis. Most of the time, it’s quieter and lonelier than that. You either stare at a blank page or a mess of words you can’t see clearly through. Procrastination suddenly feels better. I have tried out a few tricks in Microsoft Word to beat writer’s block. After ChatGPT came along, prompts have been a magic pill. For me, the right prompt isn’t about “generating content” and sacrificing critical thinking. It’s about changing how you think about the task. These seven prompts attack writer’s block from slightly different angles. 1 Clarify the fuzzy ideas in…

There’s hidden detail in your favourite songs and the best DACs are here to help you hear it. Whether you’re streaming on Spotify or curating your MP3 archive, a DAC is a digital-to-analogue converter that converts digital files to analogue sound waves your ears can hear. Most audio devices have one built-in already, but if you’re a keen-eared listener looking to sonically upgrade the best noise-cancelling headphones, these DACs below have the power to amp up the detail, bass and volume. From pocket-sized solutions to bigger desktop DACs, these plug-in babies are a real treat for the ears. If you’re…

When Lego first showed me Smart Play in action at CES 2026, my immediate reaction was pretty simple: this feels magical. Not techy. Not attention-grabbing. Just… fun in the way Lego usually is when it’s at its best. That magic has been a long time coming. According to Tom Donaldson, SVP at Lego’s Creative Play Lab, the idea of Smart Play dates back around eight years. The first concept emerged then, but turning that idea into something kids could actually play with took far longer. “The really hard technical development probably started about six years ago,” he explains. “Then, a…

When Lego first showed me Smart Play in action at CES 2026, my immediate reaction was pretty simple: this feels magical. Not techy. Not attention-grabbing. Just… fun in the way Lego usually is when it’s at its best. That magic has been a long time coming. According to Tom Donaldson, SVP at Lego’s Creative Play Lab, the idea of Smart Play dates back around eight years. The first concept emerged then, but turning that idea into something kids could actually play with took far longer. “The really hard technical development probably started about six years ago,” he explains. “Then, a…

CES 2026 promised the latest and greatest tech, and boy, did it deliver. up in Las Vegas, and what a show it’s been. From stunning TVs to swanky laptops, smart scales, contorting screens, and more, this year’s innovations will leave plenty to look forward to as the year progresses. Our dedicated – and jetlagged – team has been everywhere – from the cavernous main halls to secretive demo rooms – seeking out the very best products from the show. With that in mind, said, let’s dive into the tech that’s set to define this year. These are our CES Awards…