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At CES 2025, ecobee announced the Smart Thermostat Essential, a new addition to its lineup of smart thermostats. Designed to offer affordability without compromising key features, the device includes a color touchscreen and aims to help users save on energy costs. According to ecobee, customers can reduce their annual heating and cooling expenses by up to 23 percent, potentially recouping the cost of the thermostat in just six months.

“We’re excited to add Smart Thermostat Essential to our lineup,” said Greg Fyke, President and CEO of ecobee. “This new model makes energy savings and comfort more accessible for more people.”

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Windows 11, despite being marketed as a modern operating system, often feels visually uninspired and inconsistent. The rounded corners and glass-like transparency effects attempt a minimalist look but come across as bland rather than innovative.

Microsoft stepped out of its comfort zone with a centered taskbar and Start Menu, but that’s about as bold as the tech giant was prepared to go. Key UI elements, like the Start Menu, feel oddly sterile, with a basic grid of icons and limited customization, making it look more like a placeholder design than a refined final product.

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CES has arrived once again, bringing a raft of new product announcements from PC makers, with the spotlight once more on AI-powered devices. Acer has expanded its Copilot+ PC lineup with a range of new laptops and desktops aimed at bringing on-device AI performance to a wider audience.

The company’s latest models include the Swift Go 14 AI and Swift Go 16 AI, the Aspire 14 AI, Aspire S AI and Aspire C AI all-in-one desktops, and the Revo Box AI mini PC (yes, there's bit of a theme with all of Acer's product names). Each device is equipped with processors featuring integrated neural processing units (NPUs).

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Acer has introduced its latest handheld gaming devices, the Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11, alongside the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller. These new products aim to deliver enhanced performance and portability for gaming enthusiasts.

The Nitro Blaze handhelds are powered by AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processors, featuring Ryzen AI capabilities with up to 39 TOPS of AI performance. Paired with AMD Radeon 780M graphics and 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, these devices promise fast performance for AAA gaming. Storage options go up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs, ensuring sufficient space for modern game libraries.

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Today at CES 2025, TCL unveiled its latest NXTPAPER 4.0 technology, along with the NXTPAPER 11 Plus tablet. The new display technology focuses on improving eye comfort, clarity, and personalization while aiming to support healthier screen usage.

Building on its NXTPAPER technology launched in 2021, TCL’s updated NXTPAPER 4.0 offers a paper-like display designed to reduce eye strain. Key improvements include sharper visuals achieved through nano-matrix lithography, better blue light filtering, and highly accurate color reproduction with ΔE<1 and 100 percent sRGB color gamut coverage. These updates are intended to improve the viewing experience for both casual users and professionals.

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TCL has introduced the QM6K TV Series at CES 2025, showcasing updates to its QD-Mini LED technology. The QM6K series includes features like the Super High Energy LED Chip, which boosts brightness by over 50 percent compared to previous models.

A redesigned Condensed Micro Lens reportedly improves light control, while the updated TCL Micro OD system enhances backlight uniformity and reduces halo effects. The result is a sharper image with a 7,000:1 static contrast ratio and a wide color gamut covering over 98 percent of DCI-P3.

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Pawport has announced its updated Smart Pet Door at CES 2025. The product, designed to modernize existing pet doors, aims to improve security and functionality. It mounts onto current pet doors and connects to a mobile app for remote control and smart home integration.

The company’s new model includes an additional exterior door that works alongside the indoor smart door to enhance security, weatherproofing, and usability. The doors are constructed from powder-coated steel and aluminum and feature dual deadbolts. The updated system also includes tamper alarms and is available in three series -- Standard, Designer, and Signature -- to offer varied price points and design options.

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In November 2024, we covered the reveal of Satechi’s Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure, a versatile accessory designed to add functionality to Apple’s Mac Mini M4. Today, Satechi has shared the pricing and availability details for its eagerly anticipated product.

This accessory delivers advanced features tailored to meet modern productivity needs. It includes Gen 2 USB-C technology with speeds up to (a theoretical) 10Gbps, USB-A 3.2 and 2.0 ports, and an SD card reader capable of 312MB/s transfer speeds. Additionally, the integrated SSD enclosure supports up to 4TB of NVMe storage, providing ample space for large projects, file backups, and extensive photo or video libraries.

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OWC has released its new Active Optical Cable, aimed at providing reliable long-distance connectivity for Thunderbolt 4/3 and USB4/3/2 devices. Designed to address the limitations of traditional copper cables, this solution offers extended reach without compromising data speed or power delivery. The cable offers bandwidth up to 40Gb/s, support for up to 8K video resolution, and power delivery capabilities of up to 240W.

The Active Optical Cable uses advanced optical fiber technology, overcoming the typical 2-meter distance limitation of copper-based cables. This extended range allows for more flexible device placement, which can be beneficial for reducing noise, creating cleaner workspaces, or optimizing cable management.

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Newly released usage data from the O'Reilly online learning platform reveals that interest in AI-related skills has surged dramatically, with the most pronounced usage increases seen in topics like prompt engineering (456 percent increase), AI principles (386 percent increase), and generative AI (289 percent increase).

Use of content about GitHub Copilot has seen a dramatic increase too, by an impressive 471 percent, reflecting developers’ enthusiasm for tools that enhance productivity.

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JavaScript: The Comprehensive Guide provides a full introduction to JavaScript and web development, starting with the basics of programming and progressing through advanced topics.

The initial chapters introduce JavaScript, exploring its history, its relationship with HTML and CSS, and how to integrate it into web pages. Readers will learn to create and manipulate variables, data types, and operators while controlling the flow of programs using loops and functions.

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The state of high-profile cyber incidents in recent years has highlighted the fact that defenses need to be kept up to date to provide adequate protection.

AI and machine learning have the potential to transform security operations to enhance protection against emerging threats. We spoke to Gurucul CEO Saryu Nayyar to get her view on how protection technologies are evolving and why this is so crucial.

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Millions of computers are heading towards a security crisis as Microsoft plans to end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Despite this impending deadline, 32 million devices -- roughly 65 percent of household computers in Germany -- are still running the aging operating system. In the DACH region, including Austria and Switzerland, over 35 million systems rely on Windows 10, leaving millions of users exposed to potential cyberattacks once updates stop. By contrast, only about 33 percent of German devices have transitioned to Windows 11, and over a million are still running even older systems like Windows 8, 7, or XP.

Thorsten Urbanski, an IT security expert at ESET, is sounding the alarm. “It’s five minutes to midnight to prevent a security fiasco in 2025. We strongly urge users not to wait until October. Upgrade to Windows 11 now or choose an alternative operating system if your device cannot support the latest version. Otherwise, users are exposing themselves to significant security risks, including dangerous cyberattacks and data breaches.”

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Belkin has introduced a new design for its existing BoostCharge Pro MagSafe Power Bank 5K to celebrate the Year of the Snake. This refreshed version of the popular power bank features a colorful snake-themed pattern symbolizing intelligence and elegance, inspired by the Chinese Zodiac. The updated design is available now through apple.com and select Apple retail stores across Asia and Australia, with a planned launch in the United States and Canada.

The BoostCharge Pro MagSafe Power Bank 5K remains unchanged in functionality, offering the same reliable performance it is known for. Equipped with a 5000mAh battery, it provides up to 16 hours of additional battery life for iPhone 12 and newer models. It supports Qi2 wireless charging, delivering up to 15W when plugged in or 7.5W when used as a standalone battery. Additionally, a USB-C port enables dual-device charging for added convenience.

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BenQ’s gaming brand, Zowie, has revealed the XL2586X+, a 24.1-inch eSports monitor tailored for competitive gaming. With a 1920x1080 resolution, 600Hz refresh rate, and 320-nit brightness, this monitor is designed for gamers who demand fast performance and sharp visuals. It offers a 1000:1 contrast ratio, delivering detailed imagery with deeper blacks and brighter highlights. Connectivity includes three HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, and a headphone jack, 

The XL2586X+ features several enhancements, including DyAc 2 technology, which uses dual backlights and precise control to minimize ghosting and improve motion clarity. Additionally, a new vivid color film enhances color accuracy by up to 35 percent, addressing common issues with TN panels like color washout and making on-screen elements more visually distinct.

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