Razer Zephyr Pro is a $150 high-tech face mask with voice amplification

When Razer started selling the Zephyr high-tech face mask for $99 last year, some folks were disappointed that it was missing a feature that the company had teased back when Zephyr was still in the concept phase: voice amplification. The company said it decided to launch the mask without a microphone and speaker to keep […]

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When Razer started selling the Zephyr high-tech face mask for $99 last year, some folks were disappointed that it was missing a feature that the company had teased back when Zephyr was still in the concept phase: voice amplification.

The company said it decided to launch the mask without a microphone and speaker to keep the price low and make the face mask comfortable to wear. But this year Razer is planning to offer an option for folks who really want that speaker anyway: the Razer Zephyr Pro with voice amplification is coming this year for $150.

Like the original Zephyr, the new Zephyr Pro is a mask with a clear front panel that allows people to see your mouth as you talk, RGB lighting to illuminate your face in the dark, a silicone face seal, dual straps and dual air intake fans to keep you cool while wearing the mask.

It’s designed to work with replaceable filters and the $150 price tag comes with 10 filters, which should be good enough for 30 days of regular use. You can also pay $200 for a Zephyr Pro bundled with a 99-day supply (33 filters).

What’s new for the Pro model is the inclusion of a microphone inside the mask and stereo speakers that will project your voice at up to 60 dB at a range of 1 meter (3.3 feet). It’s designed to make up for the fact that the face mask itself muffles your voice – a problem confirmed by reviews of the original Zephyr.

Razer will show off the Zephyr Pro face mask at CES this week, but the company hasn’t yet announced when you’ll be able to actually buy one… if that’s something you want to do.

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Enki Pro Hypersense im Hands on: Razers neuer Gaming-Stuhl bewegt uns

Der neue Enki-Pro-Stuhl von Razer kann analog zum Spielgeschehen Bewegungen simulieren. Das macht Spaß und fördert die Immersion. Ein Hands-on von Tobias Költzsch (CES 2022, Razer)

Der neue Enki-Pro-Stuhl von Razer kann analog zum Spielgeschehen Bewegungen simulieren. Das macht Spaß und fördert die Immersion. Ein Hands-on von Tobias Költzsch (CES 2022, Razer)

First victim of the tsunami that trashed the Eastern Mediterranean found

The remains of a young man and a dog lay buried beneath rubble for 3,500 years.

First victim of the tsunami that trashed the Eastern Mediterranean found

Enlarge (credit: Sahoglu et al. 2021)

Archaeologists working in what is now western Turkey recently unearthed the rubble left behind by a series of powerful tsunamis that slammed into a Bronze Age city. The giant waves were triggered by the eruption of the volcano Thera on the island of Santorini, hundreds of kilometers away—a cataclysm that toppled the Minoan civilization and shook the rest of the ancient Mediterranean world.

Among the ruins left by the event in Çeşme-Bağlararası, Ankara University archaeologist Vasıf Sahoglu and his colleagues found the skeleton of a young man and a dog; they’re the only victims of the disaster ever found by archaeologists.

Going out with a bang

From around 2000 BCE to around 1450 BCE, the Minoan civilization was the dominant force in the Mediterranean. Its power and wealth came from seafaring and trade, and its cultural and economic influence stretched from its home island of Crete all the way to Egypt. But sometime between 1600 and 1500 BCE, a volcano called Thera, on what is now the island of Santorini (about 200 km north of Crete in the Aegean Sea), erupted violently.

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Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 is a lightweight notebook with support for wireless charging

The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 is a compact laptop with a 13.3 inch display, an Intel Alder Lake-U processor, and an aluminum body that weighs less than 2.7 pounds. It’s also a laptop that can be charged without wires, thanks to an optional ThinkBook Wireless Multi-Device Charting Mat that can supply up to 65W to a […]

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The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 is a compact laptop with a 13.3 inch display, an Intel Alder Lake-U processor, and an aluminum body that weighs less than 2.7 pounds.

It’s also a laptop that can be charged without wires, thanks to an optional ThinkBook Wireless Multi-Device Charting Mat that can supply up to 65W to a laptop placed atop the charging pad, plus another 10W to phones or other gadgets that support Qi wireless charging.

The laptop should be available in April for $1099 and up, while the charging mat is scheduled to be available around the same time for $200.

Here’s a run-down of key specs for the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2:

Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 Specs
Display 13.3 inches
2560 x 1600 pixels (16:10)
IPS LCD
400 nits
180-degree hinge
Optional touch
Processor 12th-gen Intel Core U-Series
RAM Up to 32GB
Dual-channel LPDDR5
Storage Up to 2TB
M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Ports 2 x Thunderbolt 4
1 x 3.5mm audio
Wireless WiFi 6E
Bluetooth 5.0
Audio 2 x 2W speakers
Harman/Kardon
Dolby Atmos
Dual microphones
Battery 56 Wh
Charging 65W USB-C adapter
100W USB-C adapter with wireless charging mat
Security Fingerprint sensor
IR camera
OS Windows 11 Pro
Material Anodized aluminum
Colors Storm Grey
Cloud Grey
Dimensions 298 x 209 x 12.9mm
11.73″ x 8.22″ x 0.5″
Starting Weight 1.2 kg
2.67 pounds

The charging mat, meanwhile, has two sections: a larger area that’s designed to work with the ThinkBook 13X Gen 2 laptop and a smaller area about the size of a more traditional Qi wireless charging mat for phones.

The charging mat measures 440 x 105 x 4.5mm (17.32″ x 4.13″ x 0.18″) and Lenovo says it offers 93% efficiency, which means you’ll waste a little power if you charge your laptop using the mat rather than a direct connection, but not very much (which is par for the course with wireless charging).

It also seems that you may need to connect a receiver to the laptop in order to actually use the charging mat. While I don’t see any pictures of the charging receiver in the press kit, it’s listed as one of the items that ships in the box with wireless charging mat.

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Chevrolet shows off the 2024 Silverado EV, its first electric pickup

The first versions will have a 400-mile range, but they won’t be cheap.

A blue Silverado EV

Enlarge / This is Chevrolet's first electric pickup, the Silverado EV. When it goes on sale in 2023, there will be two versions at first, a work truck and this fully loaded RST First Edition. (credit: Chevrolet)

On Wednesday, during General Motors' Consumer Electronics Show keynote, the company unveiled its next electric vehicle. We've already seen models from a newly revived Hummer and a forthcoming Cadillac SUV, but now it's Chevrolet's turn. And it's an important vehicle for the brand, as this is its first battery-electric pickup truck—the 2024 Silverado EV.

It will be exclusively made in a crew cab configuration, and yes, there's a big frunk up front where you would normally find an internal combustion engine.

As you might expect, the Silverado EV makes use of GM's new family of Ultium Drive motors and Ultium batteries, which means it runs on an 800 V electrical architecture. The trucks can pack up to 24 modules of cells, which translates to a whopping 200 kWh of lithium-ion. As a result, Chevy will be able to offer trucks with 400 miles (644 km) of range between charges when equipped with the biggest battery pack.

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Walmart wants to buy 5,000 electric delivery vans from GM’s BrightDrop

FedEx is also increasing its order from 500 to 2,000 electric vans.

A Brightdrop EV600 in Walmart colors outside a Walmart

Enlarge / A BrightDrop EV600 delivery van in Walmart's livery. The retailer wants to buy 5,000 BrightDrop EVs in total. (credit: BrightDrop)

The electric delivery vehicle startup BrightDrop is on a roll. Set up by General Motors, BrightDrop leveraged the automaker's investment in its new Ultium battery platform and Ultium Drive electric motors to bring the EV600 delivery van to market in just 20 months—faster than any other vehicle in GM history.

Last month, the company delivered the first five EV600 vans to FedEx, its first customer. Now, FedEx is increasing its order from 500 vans to 2,000 over "the next few years" and has plans to add up to 20,000 more in time.

Now, BrightDrop can add another marquee customer to its books. The retail giant Walmart has signed an agreement with BrightDrop for 5,000 vans, split between the bigger EV600 and smaller EV410 models. (The number indicates the van's cargo storage in cubic feet.) Walmart will use the electric vans for its InHome delivery service.

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