October 16, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🥽 Apple's cheaper Vision Pro may lose key feature

👗 Adobe shows off high-tech, interactive clothing

🚀 NASA launches mission to metal-rich asteroid

💻 Review: Lenovo's very impressive gaming laptop

UP FIRST

Apple's cheaper Vision Pro headset likely to lose EyeSight feature

Other recent reports have listed a number of features that the more affordable version could lose

Many of those interested in Apple’s new Vision Pro mixed-reality headset may be put off by its hefty $3,500 price tag, so the company is thought to be developing a more affordable version.

Of course, this means compromising on the features, with prominent Apple leaker Mark Gurman having already suggested Apple will opt for lower-quality displays, fewer cameras, a simpler headband design, and a cheaper frame than the Pro version, among other changes.

In his weekly newsletter shared on Sunday, Gurman now suggests that Apple’s cheaper headset is likely to lose the EyeSight display, which enables better communication with those nearby by showing the user's eyes. It could also swap out the Mac chip for a less powerful iPhone chip, Gurman said.

Gurman also suggested the non-pro version of Apple’s headset could cost between $1,500 and $2,500, though anyone waiting for it should be aware that its launch could still be several years away ...

HIGH-TECH CLOTHING

Adobe shows off a flexible, low-power dress you can animate

There's no word yet on whether Adobe is aiming to commercialize the technology

Adobe research scientist Christine Dierk recently showed off a high-tech dress (video) capable of changing its design at any given moment, and even animating an image.

Presented at the recent Adobe Max conference in Los Angeles, the garment showed what today’s technology can do when combined with the world of fashion.

Adobe’s Project Primrose technology deploys a flexible, low-power, non-emissive series of modular displays capable of creating static or dynamic patterns for not only clothing but also things like bags and furniture, TechSpot reported.

The content displayed on the surface can be created by popular Adobe tools such as After Effects, Firefly, and Illustrator.

The technology could potentially cut waste as owners wouldn’t need to keep buying new clothes, instead adding different designs to the garment created by popular designers or even themselves ...

SPACE RESEARCH

NASA's Psyche mission launches to explore a metal-rich asteroid

The asteroid may be an exposed core of a planet that didn't fully form and could tell us more about how Earth came to be

NASA has successfully launched the Psyche spacecraft on a mission to visit a metal-rich asteroid.

SpaceX’s triple-booster Falcon Heavy rocket launched Psyche from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday.

The spacecraft is also carrying a new communications experiment called DSOC that will be tested on the journey.

Psyche should reach the asteroid in 2029 and stay in its orbit for around two years, giving scientists the chance to study it in great depth.

The work will include capturing images of the asteroid, mapping out its surface, and determining its composition.

NASA’s Nicola Fox said she was “excited to see the treasure trove of science Psyche will unlock as NASA’s first mission to a metal world,” adding that it could also help us to “better understand our universe and our place in it” ...

LAPTOP REVIEW by Jacob Roach

Lenovo's Legion 9i is a 10. Here's why it beats every other gaming laptop

'It focuses on being a good laptop as much as it focuses on peak performance, and it exceeds on both fronts'

I don’t hand out perfect scores lightly. But trust me – the Lenovo Legion 9i earns it.

Lenovo is no stranger to the list of the best gaming laptops, but its Legion 9i immediately sounded like it wouldn’t make the cut.

A high-end, RTX 4090-packing 16-inch laptop that’s main claim to fame is a liquid cooling system? Sounds interesting, but not something that could be worth thousands of dollars. Fortunately, the Legion 9i doesn’t live or die on the success of its marquee feature.

The liquid cooling certainly helps, but more importantly, the Legion 9i is a masterclass in how you make a true desktop replacement. It’s a laptop that balances being powerful enough to replace your desktop and being practical enough to serve as your laptop.

While most gaming laptops focus on one extreme or the other, the Legion 9i somehow manages to find the perfect middle ground — all while never skipping a beat in performance ...

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