Month: January 2023

Enlarge / Ram is the last of the Detroit three to show off a fully electric pickup truck. (credit: Ram)

On Thursday Ram revealed a concept of its first fully electric pickup truck at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Ram is the last of the Detroit Three to show off a full-size EV pickup—Ford's F-150 Lightning went on sale in 2022, and Chevrolet displayed the Silverado EV at CES last year. But the production Chevy EV is only due in 2024, the same year that the Ram 1500 BEV goes on sale.

"The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is our clearest signal yet that we're on the precipice of something extraordinary at Ram and points directly to where we’re going on our electrified journey. At Ram, we’ve redefined what pickup trucks can be and will do so again by pushing past what competitors are offering by delivering the best electric pickups on the market," said Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr.

Ram's design team has gone for a quite modern look for the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, some of which—like the pillarless "suicide doors"—might not make it to the production version in a couple years' time. Other features and details should survive, though, like the powered frunk, tailgate, and rear step with active diffuser. The concept also sports side-view cameras instead of reflective mirrors—unless I'm mistaken, we'd need a change of regulations for those to become road-legal in the US.

Enlarge (credit: Razer)

Razer is using CES 2023 to expand its soundbar lineup with a top-tier model with its own subwoofer. Specs include a frequency response of 40-20,000 Hz and a max sound pressure level of 98 dB. But for those who prefer being extremely cautious with their gadgets when it comes to privacy and security, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro's integrated camera is disappointing to see.

But Razer insists that the infrared camera, which exists in the front center of the speaker, is all in the name of next-level virtual surround sound. Using head-tracking AI, the soundbar can tell where the user is and create a virtual soundscape with the listener as the center point. The beamforming technology comes from Audioscenic, which discussed the feature as research at CES 2017 and demoed it at CES 2022. The tech allows the soundscape to change while it tracks you as you move.

That makes the soundbar a unique product, with Razer aiming to expand PC audio capabilities without filling home offices and gaming dens with physical speakers. The Leviathan V2 Pro uses THX Spatial Audio virtual 7.1 surround sound (Razer acquired THX in 2016) and, per Razer, focuses on "crisp, clear treble" and "deep, punchy bass" through three different audio modes, which you can toggle across through a button on top of the soundbar.

Enlarge (credit: SOPA Images / Contributor | LightRocket)

To ring in the new year, WhatsApp introduced a new feature to help people circumvent government-imposed Internet shutdowns that the United Nations said last summer work to undermine human rights.

“To help, today we’re launching proxy support for WhatsApp users all over the world,” WhatsApp’s statement said. “What this means is we’re putting the power into people’s hands to maintain access to WhatsApp if their connection is blocked or disrupted.”

WhatsApp’s new proxy support feature enables users to “connect to WhatsApp through servers set up by volunteers and organizations around the world dedicated to helping people communicate freely.” It also allows users to set up their own proxy servers to help others connect to the app. The feature is currently available to all users running the most updated version of the app.

Enlarge / Lina Khan at a Senate confirmation hearing in April 2021, before she was confirmed as chair of the FTC. (credit: Getty Images | Pool)

The Federal Trade Commission today proposed a rule that would prohibit employers from imposing noncompete clauses on workers, arguing that "noncompetes constitute an unfair method of competition and therefore violate Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act."

The contract clauses currently "bind about one in five American workers, approximately 30 million people," the FTC said in a fact sheet, writing that noncompetes prevent workers from seeking better jobs and prevent employers "from hiring qualified workers bound by these contracts."

"Noncompetes undermine core economic liberties," FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote. "Evidence suggests noncompetes also suppress earnings and opportunity even for workers who are not subject to a noncompete. FTC economists estimate that noncompetes lower US workers' collective income by $250-$296 billion [per year]."