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When you come across an AI video on Instagram, or watch ChatGPT respond to your query, do you ever think about how that content was generated? Beyond the actual programs and prompts, generative AI takes an enormous amount of compute to support, especially as it skyrockets in popularity. As such, AI companies are looking for more power than ever, which means, of course, turning to those that make the hardware. AMD calls Helios "The world's best AI rack" During a Monday evening keynote, AMD's CEO Dr. Lisa Su showed off the hardware that will soon power everything from ChatGPT to the AI videos overwhelming your feeds. Su introduced "Helios" against a backdrop of dramatic music, the company's upcoming AI rack, that packs a staggering amount of computing power into a rack that weighs nearly 7,000 pounds. Each "cross-section" of these racks, if you will, is powered by four key AMD pieces of hardware: The company's new AMD Instinct MI455X GPU, the new AMD EPYC "Veince" CPU, the AMD Pensando "Vulcano" 800 AI NIC, and the AMD Pensando "Salina" 400 DPU. There are some staggering stats here: Helios is capable of 2.9 exaflops of AI compute, and comes with 31 TB of HBM4 memory. It offers 43 TB per second scale out Bandwidth, and is developed with 2nm and 3nm architecture. The rack has 4,600 "Zen 6" CPU cores, and 18,000 GPU compute units. In other words, this isn't your average piece of hardware. Su's pitch is that the AI industry is in need of this additional compute power. She notes how the world used one ZettaFlop of computing power in 2022 on AI technology, compared to 100 ZettaFlops in 2025. (For the curious, one ZettaFlop has a value of 10 to the power of 21.) It's no surprise: AI is everywhere, and many of us are using it—whether we know it or not. Some of us are using it overtly, generating AI videos or running chatbots daily. But others are using AI quietly embedded in functions, like live translation. Su welcomed reps from OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and Luma AI, which creates generative AI video content, to talk about how additional compute helps their programs. But during Luma AI's demonstration of its hyperrealistic video generations, all I could think about was how this type of content is already tricking people into thinking its real, when it's entirely fabricated—not to mention the impact on human artists. AMD is optimistic about AI, and the data centers powering it, but critics have been pushing back, citing concerns with the impacts on the communities companies are building these data centers in. Helios will likely be a major success for AMD, but it comes at an interesting time for tech, and AI in general. AI is more popular than ever, but it's also more controversial than ever. I see hardware like Helios only fueling the fire in both directions. AMD Ryzen AI 400 seriesIn addition to Helios, Su announced the AMD Ryzen AI 400 series. These newest chips comes with either 12 "Zen 5" CPU cores and 24 threads, 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, a 60 TOPS XDNA 2 NPU, and memory speeds of 8,533 MT/s. AMD says the Ryzen AI 400 series is 1.7 times faster at content creation and 1.3 times faster at multitasking whe compared to Intel Core Ultra 9 288V. These new chips will ship soon in a number of major PC brands, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Beelink, Colorful, Gigabyte, LG, Mechrevo, MSI, and NEC. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you're anything like me, you spend 90% of your time using your laptop with it docked and plugged into a monitor (or two). And if you're at that point, you might be wondering why you even bother having a screen attached to your computer at all. If so, HP's got your back. Announced at this year's CES, the HP Eliteboard G1a looks like a normal keyboard on the outside, but on the inside, it's got a whole Windows PC. That's not exactly a new concept, but with the experimental days of Windows XP long behind us, it's mostly been reserved for less powerful, Linux-based single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi. That's great if you're a hacker or tinkerer, but not if you're just looking for a screenless, keyboard-equipped Mini PC to get you through the workday. The Eliteboard G1a, instead, comes equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen AI chips, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of storage, so while you shouldn't expect to play the latest and greatest games on it, for internet browsers and lightweight productivity programs, it should really be able to hustle. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt It's also a bit of a sleeper build. I've been able to go hands-on with it, and to all outside eyes, it really does look like a regular office keyboard, complete with black, low-profile chiclet keys, a function row, and a numpad. Ranging from 1.5 to 1.7 pounds based on how you spec it out, it's also pretty lightweight, and the right person might believe you if you said it was just a keyboard, with no computer inside whatsoever. The catch? This baby is aimed at enterprise customers, rather than your typical consumer. That does come with a few bonuses, like a Kensington lock slot, some extra security software, and an optional fingerprint reader. But it also means you're not going to find it up for sale anywhere other than the HP store, and while pricing hasn't been announced yet, it'll probably be a bit more expensive if bought individually rather than as part of an office fleet. It can also only connect to monitors using DisplayPort, which is fine if you're an office manager that knows to buy displays that will work with it, but may not fit into everyone's home set-up. That's a shame, because I love unusual form factors, and this keyboard PC could make for a really clean desk in my home office. It's strong enough, uses a familiar operating system with wide app compatibility, and can even output to two 4K monitors at once. There are also two versions, one that always needs to be plugged in, and one with a battery and a detachable USB power cable for quickly moving between different workstations. That's great flexibility, since the battery version is a bit more portable, but is also heavier. Here's hoping this is just an early experiment for HP, because I'd love to buy a consumer version of this laptop at some point in the future. If you're willing to take the plunge on the enterprise model, though, HP says it's expected to launch on HP.com sometime in March. View the full article

At last year's CES, Sony's press conference showed off products from all over its portfolio, including a first look at The Last of Us season 2. This year, it was all about the Afeela, an electric car Sony's making in collaboration with Honda that it's been teasing for years, but is now finally getting ready to release. Sony has big plans for Afeela. Previews have been less about hard specs like mileage or speed and more about the company's plans to change how we look at cars. Previously, that's included demo'ing integrations with other Sony services like Crunchyroll and themes for the car's interior based on Sony brands. Just last month, the company confirmed it would support PlayStation Remote Play in the Afeela, after teasing it at CES 2024. And the first time I saw the Afeela at CES, it was driven onto stage using a PS5 controller. Now, Sony's ready to talk more than aesthetics and cute integrations, but that unique voice didn't go anywhere. Headlining the show was the promise that the company's currently working on something called Afeela Intelligent Drive. Currently, it's sitting at level 2+ driver assistance, which means it can handle tasks like merging or lane changes, but Sony's planning to take it to level 4+ "in the future," meaning full self-driving within certain areas. It probably won't be ready for launch, but it does show the company's getting serious about usability. On that note, it also showed concepts for a future where Afeela users will basically just chill while the car drives itself. Those kind of promises aren't rare at CES, but Sony specifically called out its brand of entertainment products as what riders would occupy themselves with on their rides. Combined with the Intelligent Drive news, apparently that's what all those ecosystem cross-promotions were leading towards. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt But until that future arrives, Sony still isn't afraid to use Afeela to push its products, although it isn't stopping there. The company brought PlayStation on stage to quickly reaffirm Remote Play will be baked into the Afeela (while also dropping the surprising stat that apparently half of all PlayStation Remote Play sessions now happen on the PlayStation Portal streaming handheld). It also said that the Afeela will have themes for its touchscreens based on Sony properties like Astro Bot and Gran Turismo. None of that is too far off from what the company's shown before, but the idea of turning your car into a media ecosystem doesn't stop there. Sony also announced the Afeela co-creation program, which will let developers and content creators make their own custom apps or media for the car. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt These include things like themes and even special Android apps, but apparently, drivers can even customize the Afeela's "motor" sound, and put visuals on a small "media bar" on the front of the car. As an example, Sony brought out Japanese music producer Tomoko Ida, who demonstrated a motor sound she created that sounded more like a THX commercial than anything else. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt It's honestly a pretty clever move for a car that's been all about the ecosystem as opposed to the hard specs so far. But it does have one oddity that maybe speaks to how long this thing's been teased. Apparently, developers for the Co-Creation program will be able to get paid in crypto, which Sony says will "accelerate open co-creation," although it also says the Co-Creation program will be "open to other automakers and service providers." I'm not sure Toyota will want to get paid on the blockchain, but whatever. Drivers will be able to access utilities and apps made for their Afeela using an app, but that raises the question: When will you finally be able to drive this thing? Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt The Afeela has been teased since CES 2023, but finally Sony says the car is in production and will begin delivering to customers in California sometime this year. In fact, all the photos you've seen of the Afeela throughout this article have been of an actual pre-production model for the initial Afeela car, now called Afeela 1. That's huge for Afeela, but there is a catch. Those deliveries might take a while to reach the rest of the country. Sony says Arizona is next on its radar, but that sales won't make it there until 2027. Japanese deliveries are also slated for 2027, but living in New York, I'll just have to keep pretending this thing doesn't exist. That's a bit of a blow for a car that started off this press conference promising a new future for how we drive, since even once it gets on the streets, it'll probably take even longer for that to come true. Still, Sony says it will allow people who have already registered to buy a car to start doing test drives of the car sometime before deliveries begin. I'll be honest, I don't cover cars much, and that this year's Sony press conference was all about one maybe points to a quiet year across the rest of the brand. That said, for people who are into driving, I can see the Afeela's appeal. It definitely feels more like a gadget than a gas guzzler, and I'm wondering if this is what the Apple Car might have looked like if it ever came out. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Probably not—despite the fancy mock-ups, I did sit inside an Afeela last year, and it was fancy but still familiar. But that's also not where Afeela is stopping. Sony ended its keynote by driving the "Afeela Prototype 2026" onto the stage. It didn't look that different from the outside, but the company says it will offer "greater spatial flexibility and accessibility." To me, that implies a step closer towards that future where the car is essentially a hangout zone that moves you while you play PlayStation, but only time will tell. I'll see you when I actually get behind the wheel of one of these things, probably sometimes in 2040. View the full article

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. “Smart” glasses have been big at CES this year, but the headset that has impressed me most is a device that helps people with central vision loss, including those who are considered “legally blind,” to see what they otherwise couldn’t. At a press event, I met a woman with macular degeneration, Liz Baker, who uses them daily—and I got to try them myself. What eSight Go is, and how it works Credit: Beth Skwarecki The device is called eSight Go. It’s a headset with little screens in front of your eyes, sort of like a VR headset, but small enough to perch on your nose. The device’s battery pack sits around the back of your neck, so that you don’t have to support the weight of the battery on your head. The glasses are bulky, but the battery pack design made them comfortable for me to wear. The device is designed for people with central vision loss, which includes conditions like macular degeneration. In these conditions, the middle of the person’s visual field isn’t clear—things they look directly at appear blurry or simply aren’t visible, but their peripheral vision is still clear. Regular eyewear can’t correct this issue, since the information in the center of the visual field just isn’t there. But the eSight device works by zooming in so much that the person’s peripheral vision is able to process what they’re seeing, and that central “blind spot” essentially disappears. The company’s studies show that people gain seven lines of improvement on vision charts—that’s huge. It’s hard for me, as a sighted person, to know exactly what that’s like, but Baker gave me a few examples. With the device, she can read ingredient labels and see people’s facial features; without it, those things are literally a blur. She told me about noticing her daughter’s freckles when looking through the eSight device, and using it to shop without help. (Previously, small text at stores was impossible to read; she says she kept buying shampoo when she meant to buy conditioner.) Practical use The battery pack, left, sits over your shoulders and attaches to the headset with a short cable. Credit: Beth Skwarecki The device has a dizzying array of features that I wasn’t able to master in my short time with it. To name a few: You can zoom in and out with buttons on the arm of the headset, or with a handheld remote. You can increase the contrast of whatever you're looking at. You can freeze-frame, zoom in, and then move your head to read the enlarged image as if it were a giant billboard in front of you (even if it’s something small or far away, like a brochure in your hand or a menu on a restaurant wall.) The device costs $4,950 and is not covered by most insurance. It comes with access to a “coach” who is themselves an eSight user with vision loss who can talk new users through learning the features or helping them to figure out how to do specific tasks. The battery life on the eSight Go is about four hours, so I asked Baker how she keeps the device charged throughout the day. She says she doesn’t wear the glasses continuously, which saves battery life. She keeps them around her neck (essentially in a sleep mode) when she isn’t actively using them to read text or look at a specific thing in detail. Director of sales Roland Mattern says people who test the glasses sometimes zoom all the way in and note that the image can be pixelated, but most users don’t need the max zoom level, and those who do tend to find that it’s still an improvement over what they can see without the glasses. The hefty price isn’t usually covered by insurance, although the Department of Veterans Affairs will cover it, and Mattern says a few users with other insurance companies have sometimes managed to get coverage. Sometimes other programs can cover it, like state-run vocational rehabilitation programs that help people with disabilities return to work. View the full article

I spent some time with Petkit on the show floor of CES on Monday, where I got to see the company's automatic wet food cat feeder, its newest smart litter box, as well as an AI-powered water dispenser. Of course, a water dispenser should ideally do one thing: dispense fresh water for your pet. The Eversweet Ultra water dispenser, however, adds a number of smart features to the mix, some of which actually seem particular useful for owners of multiple cats. The Eversweet's camera tracks your cats' drinking habits I first learned about this water dispenser last week when Petkit officially announced it, and some of the specs and features are the same on paper as they are in person: This smart dispenser comes with a five liter tank, as well as a 1080p camera with a 140 degree wide angle view. That allows you to see your cat approach the dispenser, as well as monitor their drinking habits. You can either choose to tap into a live stream to watch them as they drink, or check out prerecorded clips saved to the app. Petkit tells me the app even chops up clips for you to post to your socials automatically—if you think your friends and family want close-ups of your cat taking a drink. One of Petkit's selling points here, however, is the health tracking. The clips aren't just for posting to stories; instead, the camera can track how your pet drinks over time, noting any discrepancies or changes. You can see daily, monthly, and even yearly drinking trends, so you know whether your cat is drinking an abnormal amount of water for January. I'd want to consult a veterinarian before definitively stating whether this type of tracking is effective, but I can imagine it might be useful to know whether your cat changes its behaviors—something you might not notice if you aren't diligently watching them drink. That doesn't change if you have multiple cats, either. The Eversweet's camera uses machine learning for facial recognition, and can identify individual cats in your home. That health tracking can apply to specific cats as they drink water, so you shouldn't have results mixed between your various pets. If you really want to know when one cat is drinking water over another, this should help you keep track. Eversweet's water featuresWhile some water dispensers recycle the water, the Eversweet disposes of the water after a set period of time. I knew about this from the press release, but it was fun seeing the machine dump the water in real time: The pump that serves to keep the water running cuts out, and the entire mechanism lifts up to reveal a drain. The water dumps out, and a spout refills the tank, only to dump the water again. This is an attempt to clean out the tray, and remove any bits of hair or debris that might've been left behind. Petkit also made a point of showing me that the dispenser's pump is always running, which turns the Eversweet into a bit of a water feature—not that you should buy one just for decoration. The idea is, cats are a bit more attracted to the moving water than still water, which encourages them to drink. I don't have a cat, so I can't speak to that, but it's an added aesthetic perk—until the water dumps out, of course. Petkit says it's aiming for an April release for the Eversweet, which will be available on both Amazon as well as through Petkit's official site. View the full article

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I don't have a cat, but I do have a dog, and my dog can be a picky eater. After months of trial and error, the only way we could get him to consistently eat breakfast and dinner was with wet food. There is no scenario in which I or someone watching my dog can outsource the task of feeding him, but that's not the case for cat owners. I know that cats sometimes stay home alone for extended periods of time, where an automatic food dispenser becomes essential. I can only imagine, then, that cat owners who, like me, feed their pet wet food, now have a challenge: Someone has to be there to feed the cat. That's what intrigues me about Petkit's Yumshare Daily Feast, an automated cat feeder that specifically works with wet food. I covered the Yumshare briefly when Petkit first announced it last week, but I got some hands-on time with the product today on the CES show floor. And while the device I saw isn't going to market just yet, I was intrigued. The concept itself is pretty simple, but a bit more complex in execution. As you might expect, the feeder distributes portions of food for your cat to eat when you're not available—only here, that food is wet, not dry. To achieve this, Petkit outfitted the Yumshare with a chamber that can hold up to seven pouches of wet food at once. These pouches are designed for the Yumshare alone: Right now, the only company making pouches is Food Chain, which uses Petkit's proprietary design to fit the Yumshare, but it's possible more companies more jump on board in the future. The food chamber that contains seven pouches of wet food. Credit: Lifehacker When the Yumshare first opens one of these pouches, it sets a timer: After 48 hours, the pouch is discarded. In the meantime, the machine can automatically dole out portions set by the user, into a cup, which is stored in a separate chamber in the device. Once the portion is distributed, the pouch is sealed until the next portion is needed. The machine also uses UVC ultraviolet light to sanitize the package, with the goal of eliminating bacteria. The automation extends to the portion of wet food itself, as well. Whether your cat eats all of the food, some of the food, or none of the food, the Yumshare can discard what's left when it detects it's time to do so. That might be the AI camera identifying that the food has dried up, or an internal clock recognizing that too much time has passed for the food to be safe to eat. Either way, the food drops into a waste compartment, which can hold up to 15 cups at once. The stand remains empty until it's time to hand out another portion of food. How large or small each portion is, as well as how often portions are distributed, is up to you. Petkit showed me a mockup of the Yumshare's app, which lets you customize this feeding schedule. The app will also tell you how many portions have been distributed, and how many are left in the chamber. You can also take a look at a live video feed of your cat, via the 4K camera embedded in the device, or view a clip history of your cat's feeding habits. My only question is the lack of refrigeration: Petkit says that there is no need for it, since the pouches are all sealed until use, closed in between portions, and the chamber uses ultraviolet light to sterilize for bacteria. But I'd want to confirm there are no health risks to keeping an opened pouch unrefrigerated for up to two full days, even with that UVC light. Assuming that's true, I'm quite impressed with this prototype. If I were a cat owner that frequently needed to leave my pet alone at breakfast and dinner, this is something I'd have my eye on. View the full article

CES is the time of year for weird computers, and Asus is bringing back an old fan favorite to help fill its unusual form factor quota. Gamers who miss the days of dual screens, get excited: the ROG Zephyrus Duo is returning for 2026, and it's bigger than ever. Looking a bit like a gigantic Nintendo DS, the new ROG Zephyrus Duo stacks two full-sized 3K OLED screens on top of each other, with a standard laptop hinge in between. It's a lot like the company's existing Zenbook Duo, but that one's geared more for productivity users—the Zephyrus Duo is fully specced out for gamers, with a 120Hz refresh rate on both screens, the latest Intel Core Ultra chips, up to an RTX 5090 laptop GPU, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of storage. Plus, it supports 250W fast charging and can play games using up to 125W of power. New ROG Zephyrus Duo (left) vs. ROG Zephyrus Duo 2023 (right). Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt That's plenty for even the most demanding games, although its price is still an unknown for now. What we do know is how different this is from the last Zephyrus Duo, which came out in 2023. That laptop's lower screen was a simple small angled panel above the keyboard, instead of a full-sized display matching the upper one. It was great for displaying stats at a glance while playing, but not much else. Instead, the new Zephyrus Duo can display the same game across both screens, mirror them, or pull up reference material on one screen while you play on the other. It's also got a bunch of new ways you can use it: It comes with a detachable wireless keyboard, and you can either use it like a normal laptop with that keyboard covering one of the screens, or get creative. Credit: Asus An example photo from Asus show the laptop with one screen above the other, both screens in a side-to-side portrait mode, the whole laptop laid flat on a table (perhaps for head-to-head play), and tent mode. Tent mode is especially interesting—an Asus representative told journalists that gamers could play the same game against each other while sitting across from each other in tent mode, with each display acting as a private screen. He did acknowledge that this might impact performance and compatibility might differ based on game, but I could see it being an especially great option for, say, fighting games. Again, this format has been used for non-gaming laptops before, but it's seemingly got a lot of potential for gamers, too. There's a reason one of Nintendo's most popular handhelds opted for a dual-screen setup. And hey, maybe you could even play some DS games made on this, too. The new ROG Zephyrus Duo is expected to launch sometime in Q2 of this year. View the full article

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Google introduced Creator Search, which allows advertisers to discover YouTube creators using keywords or channel handles, then narrow results by subscriber count, average views, location, and contact availability. The update significantly reduces the manual work involved in creator research and outreach. Alongside search, Google added a new Management section that centralizes creator communications. Advertisers can now see creator names, inquiry status, subjects, latest updates, and respond-by dates in one place, with direct email access built in. Why we care. As creator-led campaigns become more central to media strategies, advertisers need better tools to find the right creators and keep partnerships organized. Google Ads’ latest update to Creator Partnerships (beta) aims to solve both problems. First seen. This update was first spotted by Google Ads Specialist Thomas Eccel when he shared it on Linkedin. The big picture. These changes move Creator Partnerships closer to a full-fledged workflow tool, helping teams manage creator collaborations with the same structure and accountability as other paid media efforts. Bottom line. By improving both discovery and organization, Google Ads is making it easier for advertisers to run creator partnerships at scale. View the full article

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During last year's CES, Dell killed the brand behind the very first laptop I ever owned, ditching its beloved XPS branding alongside other classic names like Inspiron and Precision. In its place, the company said all of its future (non-gaming) computers would now be known simply as "Dell," either being Dell, Dell Pro, or Dell Pro Max devices. In addition to these, other monikers like Dell Plus and Dell Premium were also tossed into the mix—and with all those similar-sounding adjectives floating around, it was just a mess to know what you were actually buying. If you can tell me the difference between a Dell 14 Plus, a Dell 14 Premium, and a Dell 14 Pro Premium without looking at spec sheets, then all respect to you. Now, it seems, the company's realized its mistake. At CES 2026, Dell revealed that it's bringing the XPS brand back and massively simplifying everything else. Laptops simply branded as "Dell" won't be going away, but from now on, consumers will only have to make three choices when buying a Dell laptop. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt How Dell's new laptop categories will workMore lightweight laptops for everyday consumers will continue to be called simply Dell, but all premium options will now be renamed to XPS, while all gaming computers will now fall under the Alienware brand that was previously limited to more powerful models. The Dell Pro name will technically continue to exist, but only for enterprise customers, and Dell made no mention of Dell Pro Max, Dell Plus, or Dell Premium at this CES. "We've been a bit off course," Dell Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said in a meeting with journalists. "I owe you an apology. We didn't listen to you. You were right...we can be humble, and we can correct decisions that we've made in the past." All of this should come as a relief to confused buyers who might have been thrown off not just by the naming scheme, but by how many configuration options each of those Premium, Plus, and Pro models had on the Dell website at checkout. As someone who had to review and recommend these things, even I had trouble knowing whether a high-end Dell Plus was better than a low-end Dell Pro. But aside from naming, Dell also promised to bring back some favorite XPS design features alongside the brand next year. Old Dell XPS design Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Shortly before it got rid of the XPS name, Dell made a couple of design overhauls to XPS that I was vocally opposed to, and these persisted into some of its post-XPS computers. They included using a touch bar for the function row rather than physical keys, much like Apple tried on some MacBook Pros between 2016 and 2020, and a touchpad that was flush with the computer, meaning you couldn't easily see where it began and ended. It was flashy, but as my colleague Alan Bradley pointed out in a review, it was more "form over function." New Dell XPS design Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Now, the new XPS laptops for this year are back to using physical keys for the function row and have subtle etching on the sides of the touchpad so you know where it begins and ends. There are even a few new, but purely cosmetic premium touches, like a CNC-machined aluminum body. The new XPS machines are also a bit thinner and lighter, and the company promises "the XPS 14 is now more compact than the MacBook Air 13, taking up less desk space while giving you more screen space." Overall, the theme for next year seems to be "return to form," and Dell's even going so far as to replace the Dell logo on the lid of its new XPS laptops with the XPS logo for the first time. 2025 was the first year where I didn't put a non-gaming Dell laptop on my best laptops of the year list, so I'm excited to see what the company's reinvestment in its history looks like when it comes out. New Dell XPS 14 (left) and Dell XPS 16 (right) Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Dell's new XPS 14 and XPS 16 will launch with limited configurations starting Jan. 6, while an XPS 13 that's thinner than 13mm is set for sometime later this year. Launch configurations will have options for both LCD and OLED screens, although there are no builds with discrete graphics cards included at the moment. Pricing for the XPS 14 will begin at $1,650, while the XPS 16 will start at $1,850. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. With the rise of streaming culture, a lot of gamers have started investing in computers that don't just play games well, but that look good while doing it. Asus's newest pre-built gaming desktop, the ROG G1000, is pretty by-the-book when it comes to high-end performance, but it's got one major selling point when it comes to those all-important gamer aesthetics: holograms. Built into this computer's front panel and one of its side panels, safely tucked into inaccessible glass windows, are rapidly rotating LED strips that, when in motion, create convincing full-color images that appear to have depth. The "frame rate" can be a little low, but it's a known technology that's all over the show floor at every CES now, and you can actually buy generic standalone hologram fans on Amazon for around $60-$100. It's just rare to see it integrated into something like a PC. This hologram tech, called AniMe Holo, should make for a great way to show off on camera (or to your buddies in a college dorm) and Asus is promising some pretty expansive customizability. You can put still images and gifs on it, sure, but Asus also told journalists it can support full videos or mp4 files, without any limit on length. I think I'd try to use it to watch Shrek. The effect comes across a bit better in-person, but it's still unusual enough to look enticing over video, even if you lose some of the depth. Unfortunately, still photos aren't really a great way to show this thing off, since they can't depict the rotating motion. Aesthetics aside, the G1000 is also at the top of the power game, coming with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 3D CPU, an RTX 5090 GPU, up to 128GB of RAM, and a 2TB storage. It's got bite to back up its bark, and will be able to play the latest games at max settings with no issue. Of course, specs like that are likely to cost you a pretty penny, especially with the hologram gimmick tossed on top of them. Asus hasn't tipped its hand on pricing yet, but the ROG G1000 is expected to launch sometime in Q2 of this year. View the full article

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The accusations, relating to the lender's marketing programs, including trips for brokers as things of value, stem from a larger racketeering complaint. View the full article

A customer community platform serves as a digital hub where businesses and their customers engage in meaningful interactions. These platforms offer discussion forums, private groups, and various tools that improve brand loyalty and customer retention. For instance, customers can seek answers independently through self-service options, whereas businesses gain valuable feedback. Comprehending how to leverage these platforms effectively can greatly impact your growth strategy and brand advocacy. What steps can you take to build a thriving customer community? Key Takeaways A customer community platform is a digital space for customer interaction, fostering engagement and brand advocacy. It enhances brand loyalty, with 85% of community builders noting positive impacts on customer experiences. The platform improves retention rates, helping keep customers engaged and reducing reliance on traditional support channels. Key features include user-friendly forums, customization options, and robust engagement tools for increased participation. Successful examples, like Adobe and Cisco, demonstrate the value of community in driving collaboration and feedback. Understanding Customer Community Platforms Comprehending Customer Community Platforms is essential for Salesforce aiming to improve customer engagement and build lasting relationships. A customer community platform serves as a dedicated digital space for customers to interact, share experiences, and provide feedback. Unlike general social media, these platforms prioritize user experience, ensuring businesses maintain control over data and messaging. By utilizing community building software, you can cultivate genuine connections and transform customers into brand advocates. The best platform to build a community will offer features like discussion forums, private groups, and engagement tools customized to your business’s goals. When selecting an online community software platform, consider ease of use, customization options, and engagement capabilities to improve your customer relationships effectively. Benefits of a Customer Community Building on your comprehension of customer community platforms, it’s important to recognize the numerous benefits they offer for both businesses and their customers. Using the best community platforms can greatly improve brand loyalty and trust, with 85% of community builders noting a positive impact on customer experiences. Engaging through customer community software can lead to improved retention rates, as 61% of communities contribute to keeping customers engaged. Furthermore, community portal software provides self-service support options, allowing users to find quick answers and reducing reliance on traditional support channels. In the end, a well-designed community website encourages belonging, turning users into brand advocates who share positive experiences and valuable feedback, helping businesses better understand customer needs and improve their offerings. Key Features to Look for in a Customer Community Platform When selecting a customer community platform, it is vital to focus on key features that improve member interaction and overall engagement. Look for user-friendly discussion forums and private groups, allowing members to connect meaningfully. Customization options are fundamental for aligning the platform’s branding with your company’s identity. Effective engagement tools, like polls and live chats, can greatly encourage participation and a sense of belonging. Integration capabilities with existing tools boost scalability and streamline communication. Finally, robust content management features enable efficient organization and sharing of resources, providing valuable self-service support. Feature Importance User-friendly forums Improve member interaction Customization options Align with company branding Engagement tools Increase participation Content management features Facilitate resource sharing Steps to Build Your Customer Community Establishing a customer community begins with a clear comprehension of its goals, which should align with your broader business objectives. Start by actively engaging your customers through surveys or polls to gather insights on their preferences. This guarantees you choose the best platform to build an online community that meets their needs. Utilize community software that includes features like gamification and private messaging to improve user engagement. Next, host a virtual event to announce your community, generating interest and allowing potential members to contribute suggestions. Finally, maintain an active presence by responding quickly to queries and nurturing discussions. This initial engagement is essential for building a dynamic community on popular community-based collaboration platforms or even the best free community platforms. Success Stories of Effective Customer Communities Successful customer communities have proven to be valuable assets for businesses, cultivating engagement and collaboration among members as they drive product innovation and improve customer satisfaction. For instance, Adobe’s community, with nearly 40 million members, facilitates discussions that improve products like Photoshop, evidenced by 122,000 conversations. Similarly, Airbnb‘s community empowers hosts to share strategies, resulting in significant revenue growth for participants. Cisco’s platform encourages interaction between customers and engineers, with 96% of responses from users, showcasing effective peer engagement. Verizon’s community, with over 3.2 million members, reduces service inquiries through peer support, improving customer experience. These examples highlight the effectiveness of customer communities on the best online community platforms, demonstrating their value in nurturing meaningful connections and collaboration. Frequently Asked Questions How Does a Community Benefit From a Business? A community benefits your business by cultivating direct engagement with customers, enhancing brand loyalty. When you create a platform for dialogue, it allows customers to share feedback and insights, which can improve products and services. Furthermore, communities offer peer support, reducing operational costs by providing self-service resources. Engaged members are likely to become brand advocates, promoting your business and driving revenue growth through positive word-of-mouth and increased customer satisfaction. What Are Community Platforms? Community platforms are digital spaces where individuals with shared interests engage and collaborate. These platforms facilitate communication through various tools like discussion forums, chat rooms, and multimedia sharing. For instance, Swarm emphasizes video interactions, whereas Circle focuses on networking for B2B businesses. They promote a sense of belonging, support, and mentorship, allowing members to connect deeply and achieve common goals. In the end, these platforms improve user experience and create lively, interactive communities. What Is a Customer Community? A customer community is an online space where your brand’s customers connect, share experiences, seek support, and provide feedback. It nurtures deeper relationships between users and your brand. For example, members can engage in discussions, exchange tips, and access shared resources customized to their needs. This interaction not only improves customer satisfaction but additionally encourages loyalty, as users feel more connected and valued within a supportive environment that prioritizes their interests. What Are CSM Platforms? Customer Success Management (CSM) platforms are specialized tools that help businesses improve customer relationships. They streamline onboarding, facilitate engagement, and guarantee satisfaction. Key features often include health scoring, customer segmentation, and automated communication, allowing you to proactively address customer needs. By integrating with existing CRM systems, you gain a thorough view of interactions, leading to improved retention rates and better upselling opportunities. This data-driven approach enables customized support and targeted marketing efforts. Conclusion In conclusion, a customer community platform can greatly improve your business by promoting engagement, loyalty, and collaboration. By facilitating discussions and providing self-service support, these platforms empower customers as they generate valuable insights. When selecting a platform, prioritize features like discussion forums, private groups, and analytics tools. By building a well-structured community, you can transform your customers into advocates, ultimately driving growth and enhancing retention. Investing in a customer community is a strategic move for long-term success. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is a Customer Community Platform and How Can It Benefit Your Business?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A customer community platform serves as a digital hub where businesses and their customers engage in meaningful interactions. These platforms offer discussion forums, private groups, and various tools that improve brand loyalty and customer retention. For instance, customers can seek answers independently through self-service options, whereas businesses gain valuable feedback. Comprehending how to leverage these platforms effectively can greatly impact your growth strategy and brand advocacy. What steps can you take to build a thriving customer community? Key Takeaways A customer community platform is a digital space for customer interaction, fostering engagement and brand advocacy. It enhances brand loyalty, with 85% of community builders noting positive impacts on customer experiences. The platform improves retention rates, helping keep customers engaged and reducing reliance on traditional support channels. Key features include user-friendly forums, customization options, and robust engagement tools for increased participation. Successful examples, like Adobe and Cisco, demonstrate the value of community in driving collaboration and feedback. Understanding Customer Community Platforms Comprehending Customer Community Platforms is essential for Salesforce aiming to improve customer engagement and build lasting relationships. A customer community platform serves as a dedicated digital space for customers to interact, share experiences, and provide feedback. Unlike general social media, these platforms prioritize user experience, ensuring businesses maintain control over data and messaging. By utilizing community building software, you can cultivate genuine connections and transform customers into brand advocates. The best platform to build a community will offer features like discussion forums, private groups, and engagement tools customized to your business’s goals. When selecting an online community software platform, consider ease of use, customization options, and engagement capabilities to improve your customer relationships effectively. Benefits of a Customer Community Building on your comprehension of customer community platforms, it’s important to recognize the numerous benefits they offer for both businesses and their customers. Using the best community platforms can greatly improve brand loyalty and trust, with 85% of community builders noting a positive impact on customer experiences. Engaging through customer community software can lead to improved retention rates, as 61% of communities contribute to keeping customers engaged. Furthermore, community portal software provides self-service support options, allowing users to find quick answers and reducing reliance on traditional support channels. In the end, a well-designed community website encourages belonging, turning users into brand advocates who share positive experiences and valuable feedback, helping businesses better understand customer needs and improve their offerings. Key Features to Look for in a Customer Community Platform When selecting a customer community platform, it is vital to focus on key features that improve member interaction and overall engagement. Look for user-friendly discussion forums and private groups, allowing members to connect meaningfully. Customization options are fundamental for aligning the platform’s branding with your company’s identity. Effective engagement tools, like polls and live chats, can greatly encourage participation and a sense of belonging. Integration capabilities with existing tools boost scalability and streamline communication. Finally, robust content management features enable efficient organization and sharing of resources, providing valuable self-service support. Feature Importance User-friendly forums Improve member interaction Customization options Align with company branding Engagement tools Increase participation Content management features Facilitate resource sharing Steps to Build Your Customer Community Establishing a customer community begins with a clear comprehension of its goals, which should align with your broader business objectives. Start by actively engaging your customers through surveys or polls to gather insights on their preferences. This guarantees you choose the best platform to build an online community that meets their needs. Utilize community software that includes features like gamification and private messaging to improve user engagement. Next, host a virtual event to announce your community, generating interest and allowing potential members to contribute suggestions. Finally, maintain an active presence by responding quickly to queries and nurturing discussions. This initial engagement is essential for building a dynamic community on popular community-based collaboration platforms or even the best free community platforms. Success Stories of Effective Customer Communities Successful customer communities have proven to be valuable assets for businesses, cultivating engagement and collaboration among members as they drive product innovation and improve customer satisfaction. For instance, Adobe’s community, with nearly 40 million members, facilitates discussions that improve products like Photoshop, evidenced by 122,000 conversations. Similarly, Airbnb‘s community empowers hosts to share strategies, resulting in significant revenue growth for participants. Cisco’s platform encourages interaction between customers and engineers, with 96% of responses from users, showcasing effective peer engagement. Verizon’s community, with over 3.2 million members, reduces service inquiries through peer support, improving customer experience. These examples highlight the effectiveness of customer communities on the best online community platforms, demonstrating their value in nurturing meaningful connections and collaboration. Frequently Asked Questions How Does a Community Benefit From a Business? A community benefits your business by cultivating direct engagement with customers, enhancing brand loyalty. When you create a platform for dialogue, it allows customers to share feedback and insights, which can improve products and services. Furthermore, communities offer peer support, reducing operational costs by providing self-service resources. Engaged members are likely to become brand advocates, promoting your business and driving revenue growth through positive word-of-mouth and increased customer satisfaction. What Are Community Platforms? Community platforms are digital spaces where individuals with shared interests engage and collaborate. These platforms facilitate communication through various tools like discussion forums, chat rooms, and multimedia sharing. For instance, Swarm emphasizes video interactions, whereas Circle focuses on networking for B2B businesses. They promote a sense of belonging, support, and mentorship, allowing members to connect deeply and achieve common goals. In the end, these platforms improve user experience and create lively, interactive communities. What Is a Customer Community? A customer community is an online space where your brand’s customers connect, share experiences, seek support, and provide feedback. It nurtures deeper relationships between users and your brand. For example, members can engage in discussions, exchange tips, and access shared resources customized to their needs. This interaction not only improves customer satisfaction but additionally encourages loyalty, as users feel more connected and valued within a supportive environment that prioritizes their interests. What Are CSM Platforms? Customer Success Management (CSM) platforms are specialized tools that help businesses improve customer relationships. They streamline onboarding, facilitate engagement, and guarantee satisfaction. Key features often include health scoring, customer segmentation, and automated communication, allowing you to proactively address customer needs. By integrating with existing CRM systems, you gain a thorough view of interactions, leading to improved retention rates and better upselling opportunities. This data-driven approach enables customized support and targeted marketing efforts. Conclusion In conclusion, a customer community platform can greatly improve your business by promoting engagement, loyalty, and collaboration. By facilitating discussions and providing self-service support, these platforms empower customers as they generate valuable insights. When selecting a platform, prioritize features like discussion forums, private groups, and analytics tools. By building a well-structured community, you can transform your customers into advocates, ultimately driving growth and enhancing retention. Investing in a customer community is a strategic move for long-term success. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is a Customer Community Platform and How Can It Benefit Your Business?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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