Month: December 2022

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In the 5th century, in early medieval Ireland, Conall Gulban, an Irish king, gave his name to an area of land at the northwest tip of the Irish coast. His kingdom was called Tír Chonall, the “land of Conall”—or, today, Donegal.

Somewhere along the king’s descendant line, known as Cenél Conaill or “kindred of Conall,” it’s thought that a mistake arose in a scion’s genome—specifically, a mutation of a gene responsible for producing a protein called transthyretin (TTR). The genetic error resulted in the birth of a rare condition known as hereditary transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis.

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In a world of shiny clamshells and showy convertibles, laptop releases can feel repetitive. Some of the most successful, well-known designs don't always see massive overhauls from one year to the next. Stick in the latest CPUs or GPUs, maybe claim a slightly cooler build, and call it a day (or year). After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

The problem with that is, well, it gets boring. And for technology enthusiasts interested in developments that could change how we work, play, repair, and upgrade, it's imperative that PC makers be willing to take risks.

The laptops below all tried something more adventurous than a components upgrade in 2022. We'll break down the groundbreaking designs, ideas, and capabilities these systems seek to deliver—and whether or not the risks they took paid off.

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Ah, the annual end-of-year roundup, when it's time to sit down and think about all the vehicles we tested in 2022. Comparing this year to years past, it's notable how many electric vehicles make the list. Partly that's because the industry released some pretty compelling new EVs this year, but it's also a reflection of our coverage priorities—in the past, you've told us loud and clear you aren't that interested in reading about new gasoline or diesel models. Read on to find out what impressed us most in 2022.

1. Kia EV6

Fun to drive and extremely efficient, the EV6 is an outstanding EV. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Our winner is actually one of the first cars we tested this year, and it's the Kia EV6. It uses a new 800 V EV architecture called E-GMP, shared with last year's winner, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, that delivers impressive levels of efficiency for larger, heavier EVs while also boasting some of the best fast-charging in the industry—just 18 minutes from 10-80 percent on a 350 kW charger. Despite the shared roots, the Kia drives very differently compared to the angular Ioniq 5, with a sportier nature. And unlike the Hyundai, the EV6 is sold in all 50 states.

Sadly, Kia dropped the cheapest configuration from the roster this year—the $40,900 EV6 Light used a smaller battery and motor but only accounted for about 3 percent of customer orders, according to the company. Earlier this month, we got a chance to test the other end of the spectrum—the $61,400 EV6 GT, which is very fast but might just be overkill.