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Previously, your manicure options were going to the salon and spending at least $20 (way more if you live in NYC), or trying to do it yourself at home.

Now there’s a third option that gets you the professional salon look, in the comfort of your home, without lifting a finger. At CES 2024, Nimble Beauty showed off its manicure robot that can paint and dry all ten fingers in about 25 minutes. After a few long days at CES, I jumped at the chance for a self-care moment.

Founder Omri Moran came up with the idea in 2016 after a first date was very late due to a botched manicure. The woman tried to fix it herself, then ultimately bailed and removed the whole manicure before rushing out the door. The woman’s story got Moran thinking that a manicure is a very different experience from what he expected. “I imagined it with friend, very relaxing,” said Moran. “Turns out for many people, it’s more like ongoing maintenance. And when they do it at home, it’s a chore.”

For many, manicures are maintenance or a chore, which is why Moran came up with Nimble.
Credit: Nimble

When Moran looked into it, he found a huge market and potential demand. Nimble’s Kickstarter campaign initially launched with a $50,000 goal, but ended up raising $2 million. For anyone who gets their nails done, this is obvious, but: manicures are a big business. And by the way, the date ended up becoming Moran’s wife, he says.

Back at the booth, trying not to think of Paul Atreides and the Bene Gesserit test, I put my hand inside the 12-inch cube. Once my fingers were correctly and comfortably fitted in between the ridges that ensure proper placement, I pressed the start button on the top of the cube. The accompanying app told me that Nimble was now in the process of calibrating. Using machine vision, tiny cameras, and 3D image processing, Nimble scanned the size and shape of each nail for accurate painting.

Then it got to work. Nimble has developed an AI robotic arm that has the same tactility of human hand to precisely paint each nail.

The app showing the initial calibration phase which is when Nimble scans the size and shape of the nails.
Credit: Nimble

The Nimble app was key to the user experience so I could know exactly what was happening inside the cube.
Credit: Nimble

It was a little weird feeling the cold, wet polish on my nails without being able to see it, and then the fan blowing air to dry it off. But the Dune comparison stopped as soon as the manicure started, since nothing scary or painful happened, and I was able to follow the process through the app. The app was a critical part of the experience, so I could know exactly what was happening. I only wish there was some kind of status bar on the machine. Otherwise, I was comfortable, especially since Nimble also comes with a little foam pillow to put under your wrist or forearm, allowing you to rest your arm while you wait.

Since there was high demand to test out Nimble, I was only able to get one nail painted. But within minutes, I got polish and a topcoat, and my nail was fully dry. The average manicure might take about 30 minutes, which includes soaking your hands, cuticle clean-up etc. But that doesn’t count drying, which Nimble does. In that sense, it might not replace the full salon experience. But if you’re like me and struggle with painting your dominant hand, and just want a convenient and clean paint job, Nimble is precise and on par with the pros.

With my single nail polished and dry, I was impressed with the results. The polish was almost perfectly painted on the nail and didn’t get on any of the cuticle or surrounding skin. This, Moran told me is also contingent on keeping your hand still, but Nimble’s AI algorithm means the robot arm is able to account for small movements and recalibrate accordingly.

For $599, Nimble doesn’t come cheap. But if you’re someone who regularly gets their nails done, this might pay for itself over time. Moran says they’re also planning new services and features like gel polish and pedicures. If that sounds like you, Nimble is available for pre-order and ships in March. Moran says widespread availability is expected this May.

Amid Samsung’s many wild announcements at CES 2024 (the return of Ballie anyone?!), the tech giant had the crowd at its press conference gasping over some of its new entertainment display options.

The two showstoppers from Samsung are the Transparent Micro LED display and the first-of-its-kind wireless Premiere 8K Projector. Basically, Samsung made sure that the other TV giants at CES — namely LG and TCL — didn’t walk away with all the television-related headlines.

Transparent Micro LED

First up, Samsung’s Transparent Micro LED display. This screen looks like a see-through slab of glass when turned off. However, when the display is turned on, a Micro LED chip projects a crystal-clear image onto the glass, transforming it into a TV screen.

Samsung unveils its Transparent Micro LED.
Credit: Mashable

If you’ve been following CES 2024 so far, a transparent TV screen may sound familiar. That’s because LG previously snagged headlines by unveiling its own transparent television first at the tech conference. Unlike Samsung’s Transparent Micro LED display, LG’s is an OLED TV called OLED T with the “T” standing for “transparent.” 

Also, unlike LG’s which the company says consumers will be able to buy later this year, Samsung’s Transparent Micro LED doesn’t appear to be a purchase-ready consumer product. So, LG has the upper hand here, but Samsung has its own version of a transparent television in the works too.

Premiere 8K Projector 

Samsung announces its Premiere 8K projector at CES 2024.
Credit: Mashable

In addition to its Transparent Micro LED display, Samsung also unveiled the Premiere 8K projector. According to Samsung, the Premiere 8K is the first wireless projector, meaning there’s no need to connect your entire home entertainment system and surround sound to the projector with messy wiring. (Note: The projector still takes conventional power via a cord.) 

The Premiere 8K is an ultra-short throw projector, meaning it can cast a big, clear image on your wall from a very short distance. In the Premiere 8K projector’s case, this means projecting an image as large as a whopping 150 inches.

The wireless ultra-short throw 8K projector doesn’t require much space to project a crisp, large image.
Credit: Mashable

Earlier in the week at CES, Mashable was able to get up-close with TCL’s new 115-inch QM89, which the company says is the largest 4K mini-LED television set. When it comes to TVs overall, there have been monster-sized displays shown at CES, but no consumer-ready television set quite as large as the QM89. It was quite impressive, particularly since it’s not a flashy conceptual announcement, but a retail item that will be in stores in the near future.

While a projector is of course not a TV set, Samsung’s Premiere 8K boasts that it can dwarf that with its 150 inch projection, which is much larger than the average projector size for home projectors. And, Samsung is offering 8K opposed to TCL’s 4K.

Mashable can’t compare the quality quite yet as we’ve yet to experience the Premiere 8K in the same way we did TCL’s QM89. But, both LG and TCL were running away as the clear winners in the TV category at CES 2024 with their respective transparent display and super-sized screen departments. That is until Samsung reminded CES that along with smartphones, robotics, and its slew of other products, it’s still the biggest player in the TV arena as well.

If we’re going to have somewhat creepy robot companions running our homes as we move into the future, at least they should be cute.

That seems to be Samsung’s M.O., anyway. The Korean tech giant at its CES 2024 press conference showed off the new and improved Ballie, a spherical robot friend originally announced all the way back in the increasingly distant pre-COVID days of early 2020. The new Ballie, who doesn’t yet have a price or release date, appears to be larger, with a smoother exterior texture than the prototype shown four years ago.

Samsung didn’t bring Ballie on stage or anything, instead opting for a quick proof-of-concept trailer video. In the trailer, you can see Ballie remotely warn its owner that their dog is up to no good before refilling the dog’s (smart?) food bowl. Ballie can also remotely control Samsung smart home devices like lights and other appliances. Communication between Ballie and its owner appears to be in the form of a text message-like app.

Unanswered questions about Ballie (besides when we can get our hands on it and for how much) include how well it can roll around on different surfaces, how long its battery lasts, how it charges, and whether or not your dog will get along with it or seek to eliminate it.

But at least we know Ballie lives. That’s what’s really important.

Lenovo brought the heat at CES 2024 with a new-ish snap-on technology that lets you attach useful gadgets onto the lid. “New-ish” is the operative word here because Magic Bay — the name of the attachable tech — is already in the market, allowing you to snap-on a 4K webcam to a laptop like this year’s ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 with ease.

However, Lenovo took it one step further this year, testing out wacky new Magic Bay concepts that had us scratching our heads.

‘Snap on’ a small tablet

The upcoming ThinkBook 13x Gen 14, featuring Magic Bay, is the laptop I used to test these swappable accessories inside Lenovo’s CES 2024 suite.

The Magic Bay tech uses pogo pins that power its snap-on gadgets with USB-C 3.0. As such, Lenovo has been experimenting with “add-ons” that users may find to be useful for their workflow, including this bizarre tiny tablet that humorously looks like a parasite that latched onto its laptop host.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Again, this is just a concept, so it didn’t work smoothly. After snapping it on, the laptop took several seconds too long to “recognize” the tablet as its secondary monitor. However, even if the kinks were ironed out, and this Magic Bay tablet accessory rolled out to market, how could this be useful?

‘Snap on’ a robot companion

Funnily enough, the robot companion may be more practical than the tablet.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

When I snapped on the robofriend to the 13x Gen 14, it didn’t do much but smile and wink. However, I’d imagine that a more polished variant would be more interactive, giving me the extra nudge I need to plow through tedious work.

‘Snap on’ a fan

Hear me out. A snap-on fan makes sense.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

You can plop a fan in front of you without worrying about your laptop obstructing your air flow — you’re getting cool wind delivered directly to you, from your laptop’s lid to your face.

‘Snap on’ a mirror and mini ring light

Another concept I played about with is the snap-on mirror. On top of giving you the option to look at yourself every now and then, it emanates a small ring light, too. This is a dream come true for vainglorious users.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Other bizarre concepts Lenovo is ruminating over is an aromatherapy snap-on, allowing you to put essential oils into a cartridge that can dispense healthful fumes. I’m not sure if that’s for me, but perhaps it may appease the wellness, new-agey crowd.

The ThinkBook 13x Gen 14, packed with its Magic Bay tech, should be available in Q1. It’s set to come with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to a 2TB SSD.

Gaming laptops are typically heavy, chunky and unwieldy. So imagine my surprise when MSI unveiled the ultra-light Cyborg 14 ahead of CES 2024.

When I picked it up, I was so taken aback by its lack of heft, I yelped in surprise. How is a gaming laptop such a featherweight?

MSI Cyborg 14 may be too light for its own good

Gaming laptops are usually bulky and unpleasant to carry around, but that’s because they’re equipped with more powerful components that deliver zippier, dedicated graphics. They also feature cooling systems that ensure moderate temperatures. After all, more power means more heat.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

However, MSI Cyborg 14 defies the stereotype of gaming laptops — this 14-inch gaming rig weighs just 3.5 pounds. To put this into perspective, it weighs exactly the same as my 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro.

MSI admits that the Cyborg 14 isn’t designed to be some sort of beastly gaming laptop smushed into a small package. You should expect some trade-offs with performance; portability and compactness is the priority here. I could see this being a travel companion for users who need a system that can game and handle their demanding workflow on-the-go.

Battery life concerns

I worry that the Cyborg 14 may have disappointing battery life — even more so than the poor power efficiency expected from larger gaming rigs. This will hinder the Cyborg 14 from being a true portable dream. I mean, is a laptop really portable if you need to be shackled to an outlet all day?

Once we get the Cyborg 14 in Mashable’s lab, we’ll test its runtime. It’ll be a miracle if it lasts at least two hours on a charge. I hope it defies that expectation too.

A quick look at specs

The 14-inch display on the MSI Cyborg 14 features an FHD+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate. The entry-level configuration comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, but the highest-end model comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

You can get up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage.

Despite its thin-ish chassis, the Cyborg 14 has a decent variety of ports, including one USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, an Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 port, an audio jack, and DisplayPort connectivity.

The Cyborg 14 has interesting design elements, too, like a see-through underside and transparent W, A, S, and D keys.

This lean machine has a starting price of $1,099, and it’s set to ship in February.

The MSI Claw, unveiled at CES 2024, is yet another handheld gaming PC, joining the likes of the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally. What do they all have in common? They’re rivals to the ever-so-popular Valve Steam Deck.

The question is, can MSI snatch Valve’s throne? If the Claw’s selling points (e.g., advanced AI and top-notch ergonomics) are true, it may actually make the Steam Deck sweat.

MSI Claw may have Steam Deck shaking in its boots

MSI boasts that the Claw is the first handheld gaming device to be powered with an Intel Core Ultra processor, the same chipset found in today’s new wave of AI laptops (e.g., Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon).

Credit: MSI

The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is equipped with an AMD Zen 2 processor, and is about as powerful as a PS4, according to Digital Foundry’s testing.

While this is fine for what the Steam Deck is — a handheld capable of running most demanding games at low-to-medium settings — its performance may pale in comparison to the MSI Claw. (We won’t know for sure until we test it in the Mashable lab.)

That being said, let’s dive into the three features that make it a worthy competitor for the Steam Deck.

1. Advanced AI 

The Claw taps into its processor’s Intel XeSS technology, which leverages advanced AI upscaling algorithms to significantly increase the frames per second (FPS) for “exceptionally smooth and immersive gameplay,” according to MSI.

Credit: MSI

If this is true, the Claw should play triple-A games seamlessly and efficiently on the MSI handheld gaming PC. 

2. Matching battery life?

The Claw has a battery capacity of 53Whr. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, has a battery capacity of 40Whr.

Credit: MSI

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Claw can outlast the Steam Deck on a charge. Other aspects, including the power efficiency of a chipset, can affect a handheld gaming console’s battery life prowess. 

We’ll have to review it in the Mashable lab to know for sure, but MSI was quite transparent, claiming that the Claw lasts two hours on a charge “under full workload conditions.” This battery life rating is similar to the Steam Deck, according to my own anecdotal experience with the device.

A two-hour battery life may not necessarily beat the Steam Deck, but if they both share energy efficiency, the decision for consumers about which handheld gaming PC to get may be more difficult.

3. It could potentially have a better display

On paper, the Claw has the better display.

Sure, they share the same panel size of 7 inches (the Steam Deck OLED has a 7.4-inch screen), but the Claw bests the Steam Deck in terms of refresh rate (120Hz vs. 60Hz) and resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 1280 x 800).

4. It may be cooler

The Steam Deck’s thermal performance is genius. While I’m playing on it, the concentration of heat is somewhere in the center of the back chassis — away from where my fingers normally rest. 

Credit: MSI

The question is, can the Claw beat this? According to MSI, the Claw has optimal cooling, allowing users to enjoy the handheld gaming PC without dealing with overheating. 

5. It’s likely more ergonomic

One complaint many Steam Deck users have is that the Valve handheld device is too heavy at 1.48 pounds (the Steam Deck OLED is slightly lighter, at 1.41 pounds). The Claw is slightly heavier at 1.49 pounds. However, this doesn’t mean that the Claw is more unwieldy. MSI claims that “it has achieved the optimal balance between grip and weight.”

Credit: MSI

Again, we’ll have to test it ourselves to know for sure. Stay tuned for our hands-on review of the MSI Claw from Mashable’s Alex Perry.

When Apple presented the Double Tap feature on the Apple Watch last year during the Apple Event, it quickly stole the show. However, it soon became apparent that Double Tap lacked the customizability that would make an exciting feature truly revelatory.

Maximizing the potential of gesture tech is what Doublepoint Technologies hopes to demonstrate at CES 2024. The Helsinki-based startup has developed some impressive use cases of gesture technology, taking the concept to a whole new level. Doublepoint’s latest offering, the “Wow Mouse” app for Android watches, stands as a testament to their innovation. This app not only allows users to control their devices with intuitive gestures, but also brings instant Bluetooth connectivity to a range of devices, including phones, tablets, and computers.

The algorithm includes pinch and hold and is robust to arm movements.
Credit: Messner Media Group

Hands-on with Doublepoint

The team at Doublepoint was kind enough to run us through a demonstration at CES Unveiled. Of the two demos, the most impressive was the light control. While wearing the watch, you can dim the brightness of the lamps by rotating your wrist. There is almost no lag in the feedback between the light control and the users’ movements. You can turn on the lamp by pointing at it and turn it off with a flick of the wrist. The other demo involved using the gesture movement combined with the XReal headset.

A demostration of the Doublepoint’s advanced gesture tech at work.
Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

All you need is a simple flick of the wrist.
Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

Additionally, one of the cooler features of the Douplepoint set was a watch that tracks the pinch movements of the user. The display is a simple loading bar that gradually loads up depending on how much force you’re applying to your fingers.

Doublepoint says no one else in the game is doing tech like this.
Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

The key to Doublepoint’s success lies in their newly updated gesture detection algorithm, now fully compatible with WearOS smartwatches.

Ohto Pentikäinen, the CEO of Doublepoint, said their algorithm is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing products, allowing developers and manufacturers the opportunity to enhance user experiences without the need to start from scratch.

At CES Unveiled, Doublepoint not only showcased its “Wow Mouse” app but also showcased its latest iteration of core software which introduces Human Interface Device (HID) support. This new feature allows for stationary pinch and hold gestures, a breakthrough in wrist-based device control, offering a more immersive and intuitive user experience.

Doublepoint also announced the preorders for their Doublepoint Evaluation Kit, a package that includes a wristband, advanced algorithms, and evaluation tools. This kit is a boon for companies looking to embed the Doublepoint gesture detection algorithm in their products.

LG is entering its Jetsons era with a smart home robot. At CES 2024 on Monday, LG unveiled an AI smart home agent that acts as your very own “Rosie” from the futuristic cartoon. 

Rosie comes to mind, because the AI agent isn’t just a smart hub or disembodied AI voice assistant. It’s a little two-legged robot (an upgrade from Rosie’s precarious single wheel) that actually putters around your home, helping you with your chores through LG’s smart home appliances. 

Meet the walking, talking smart home hub.
Credit: LG

The housekeeping bot is part of LG’s “Zero Labor Home” initiative that’s built around interconnected smart home appliances. In LG’s keynote on Monday, CEO William Cho talked about how data gathered from LG’s products can be harnessed to train its artificial intelligence in understanding and even predicting customer’s behaviors and needs. It comes as no surprise that LG focused big time on AI and IoT. If 2023 was the year of ChatGPT and the AI chatbot, then 2024 is shaping up to be the year we see generative AI applied to hardware, wearables, and robotics.

Imagine this lil’ guy reminding you to take your medicine.
Credit: LG

The AI agent operates through LG’s smart home platform ThinQ, which connects to the company’s lineup of smart appliances that include washer/dryers, ovens, and refrigerators. The robot has face and user recognition, relying on machine learning to understand context, so its responses and communications are tailored to individual members of the home. It’s powered by a generative AI large language model, so you can chat with it while you’re, say, folding the laundry. 

But all of that is doable with any other smart home hub on the market. What separates LG’s AI agent from the rest is its mobility. The robot can serve as a pet monitor and patrol the house for open windows or lights left on while you’re out. It can also alert you when you need to take medications and make emergency calls.

Plus, it is designed to greet you at the door when you come home and can read your mood based on voice and facial analysis — no doubt, the most 60s-era-robot-housekeeper-aspect of the device. To recap: what’s old is new, and science fiction has become reality. Sounds about right for CES 2024.

If last year’s CES was all about the Metaverse then CES 2024’s big trend has got to be augmented reality, and TCL’s RayNeo X2 specs are a good example of this still-in-development project category.

AR wearables are the big thing at CES this year, and one of the more impressive showings we’ve seen comes from the TCL-incubated RayNeo, which surprised us early on with its X2 Lite AR glasses. Mashable was able to get our hands on what TCL RayNeo is marketing as the “world’s lightest full-color augmented reality glasses.”

These AR glasses are big, but not huge

TCL RayNeo went all-in for the second generation of its AR glasses. When the company introduced the X2 at last year’s CES, the glasses were a hit for their impressive suite of features like real-time language translation and easy-to-navigate software overlayed over the real world. However, the X2 device was big, heavy, and bulky – imagine Martin Scorsese’s iconic thick black-rimmed glasses, but taken to almost parody-like extremes.

TCL RayNeo line of glasses at CES 2024.
Credit: Mashable

Don’t get us wrong, compared to the cyborg-ness of Google Glass, the trend toward chunky Black-rimmed glasses is a welcome style improvement. But, if you’re going to actually wear these throughout the day, they need to be light, comfortable, and not so big that they stick out.

The RayNeo rep we spoke with told us that a lot of the feedback they’d received when showcasing the X2 came down to these issues – design and comfort.

So now, a year later with the X2 Lite, the weight has been cut down significantly. The original X2 weighed 120g, and with this new version, the weight’s been cut in half down to just around 60g. It’s a massive improvement for the glasses and the future of the AR glasses space, although the Meta Ray Ban glasses are slightly smaller at around 48g. When trying on the two models, the X2 Lite’s lighter design made a huge difference.

When it comes to style, the glasses still have the same black-rimmed look. But, interface-wise, the design has changed quite a bit. One of the odd design choices of the older X2 was having a lot of the hardware situated in the temple tips, which added an unbalanced feeling. That’s been rethought with the X2 Lite, which has shifted much of that hardware into the temples instead, thus evening out the whole look, without having to sacrifice too much in the hardcore and specs department (although these have less storage space than the X2).

On the left, Matt wears the larger RayNeo X2 model beside Chance, on the right, wearing regular non-AR prescription glasses.
Credit: Mashable

Another big design change from the X2 has to do with the red recording light. Previously, on the X2, the recording light was on the side of the glasses. If a user was recording video, it wasn’t so obvious to the person being recorded. RayNeo solved these potential privacy issues by moving the recording light to the front of the glasses, right between the lenses.

Using the X2 Lite is easy

It’s easy to get a hang of how RayNeo’s X2 AR glasses work.

Along the temples of the X2 Lite is a touch bar that you can use to navigate the UI. By sliding back and forth on the bar you can go left and right in the main menu. By pressing once you can enter an application. Then from there, if you want to exit back to the menu, all you have to do is double-click. It’s decently accessible, and it’d be interesting to see how easy it’ll be to get a prescription for these.

One issue we did come across was the intuitiveness of some of those taps, particularly the double-tap. It didn’t seem to always register. Either that or we were just tapping in the wrong place at times. It seems like these gestures will take a little getting used to, since you’re wearing the glasses in order to view the menu but can’t exactly see where on the glasses you’re touching.

Altogether, though, the AR glasses are simple to use and the menu options are straightforward. Swiping a finger along the side of your glasses scrolls through the menu in a way that feels natural.

The AR menu was easy to see when wearing the glasses and stuck out without getting in the way. We also didn’t experience any issues with eye strain after wearing the glasses for a prolonged amount of time. Perhaps, most importantly for this type of product, they were comfortable to wear.

Tech, spec, features, and issues

The new RayNeo X2 Lite augmented reality are much smaller in size.
Credit: Mashable

The biggest spec improvement of the X2 Lite over the X2 is the addition of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform. This allows for an almost seamless audio, video, and AI experience. The apps were fast and produced zero lag when working in real-time with translations and querying the built-in AI chatbot.

AR glasses with major AI integration

Now, many of these features that RayNeo described to us for the X2 Lite already came with the X2. This includes the AI Smart Assistant, real-time translation, and 3D-map navigation. But, the menu and apps all seemed to have a design upgrade and a more modern feel.

Speaking of the AI Smart Assistant, it’s powered by the company’s own language model. The idea is that the AI on the glasses will make the user experience less loneliness by giving wearers a companion that they can talk to. Remember, much of what makes these AR glasses useful involves going out into the real world and interacting with human beings. The AI chatbot provides utility for introverts who otherwise wouldn’t get much out of what these AR glasses provide. It’s almost like RayNeo is pushing a proto-Samantha from the movie Her.

The AI on the X2 Lite is named FeiFei and provided suggestions about the best places to eat while we were in Las Vegas for CES in a fairly natural and conversational contextual format and tone. However, at least for now, it seems a bit like a glorified Google Assistant with a name and a 3D Avatar tacked on.

The company’s proprietary AI, called RayNeo AI, is a huge part of the X2 line of AR glasses. It’s easy to use and provides good responses to some basic questions we asked. But, beware… if you’ve ever seen those videos way back when of people using Bluetooth headsets in public, you’ll look exactly like that when interacting with RayNeo’s Smart AI Assistant.

Plus, with the 3 microphones in the glasses, the X2 Lite will pick up anything that is said in the room. When we first tested the glasses, we tried to read the AI chatbot’s responses to colleagues as the chatbot is only visible to the individual wearing the glasses. The glasses immediately started inserting our voice into a new question for the chatbot, obfuscating the previous answer provided by the chatbot.

We had the same experience with the real-time translation feature as well, which led to an awkward moment during our hands-on test of the feature where we accidentally picked up a private conversation in Mandarin between the PR rep and their boss. (But we do have to say, the translations were quite accurate for the most part.) The potential use cases of this feature present a lot of promise for the hardware but for now, it’s a bit clunky to use for these reasons and much of the AR needs to be viewed at a certain angle to be seen fully.

An exciting AR proof-of-concept, but not a must-buy

Don’t get us wrong, the features are certainly cool. It was quite impressive to be able to view translated captions from a non-English speaker without breaking eye contact. Being able to follow visible augmented reality arrows to a destination when looking up directions on a map felt like you were transported right into a video game. But, the cool augmented reality aspect aside, the glasses don’t do any more than what your smartphone can already do.

Price-wise, the company would only confirm that it would be in the range of a “high-end smartphone” and that it is tentatively set for a Q3 2024 release.

RayNeo wants these glasses to be in homes across the globe as a consumer product, but it feels like the X2 Lite is still a work in progress. No, scratch that. AR glasses in general feel like they are still a work in progress. Something is still missing from the product category as a whole. RayNeo is progressing in the right direction, but it doesn’t seem to be there quite yet.

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Plenty of films have stirred up our social feeds over the past few months, but Saltburn might take the cake when it comes to clogging up our Twitter/X timelines and TikTok FYPs. The seductive nostalgia, the stellar casting, the comeback of “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and the infamous bathwater-drinking scene — what’s not to love?

Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated follow-up to the Oscar-winning revenge-thriller Promising Young Woman, Saltburn has earned mixed reviews from critics with crude comparisons to The Talented Mr Ripley. Mashable’s film editor Kristy Puchko, however, notes that the comparison “is as thin as that comparing Anna Kendricks’s Woman of the Hour to Fennell’s provocative previous feature.” She explains that the framework may be familiar, but the film itself is “uniquely harrowing, hilarious, and exhilarating.” Not to mention, it’s “a thriller that edges confidently into self-aware queer comedy.”

Saltburn hasn’t just shaken up social media. Its casting choices (Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike, in particular) were nominated for Golden Globes. And for what it’s worth, we also awarded it a spot in our top 20 movies of 2023.

If you’ve yet to see the film for yourself, it’s available to stream as of Dec. 22 — here’s what you need to know.

What streaming service is Saltburn on?

If you recently said so long to Amazon Prime, you’ll be disappointed to find out that Saltburn is an Amazon Original. In other words, you need need Amazon Prime — or, at least, Amazon Prime Video — to watch the “sick, savage, and satisfying” flick. If you’re already an Amazon Prime devotee, you’re good to go. Just sign into your account, navigate to Prime Video, and Saltburn will be waiting for you. Otherwise, keep reading to find out the best ways to sign up and save some money.

Can I get Amazon Prime Video for free?

There is a way to watch Saltburn for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, the only way to take advantage of the free trial is if you haven’t been a Prime user in over a year (or ever). Don’t fall into that category? You can still score a discounted subscription if you’re a student (or still have access to a .edu email address) or simply subscribe to Prime Video only (not a full Prime subscription) to save some money. Peep all the details below.

Best for newbies: Amazon Prime Video free trial

Free trials are getting harder and harder to come across — especially when it comes to streaming. But refreshingly, Amazon still offers its 30-day Prime membership trial to new and returning users. If you’re brand new to Prime or you canceled or paused your membership over a year ago, you can take advantage of the free month of service. This gets you all of the Prime perks paid members get for 30 days, including access to Prime Video to watch Saltburn and some of our other favorite films and TV shows of 2023 (Polite Society, M3GAN, Dead Ringers, I’m a Virgo). Just be sure to cancel your subscription trial before your 30 days are up if you want to avoid further charges.

Best for students: Amazon Prime Student

It pays to be a student in the streaming age. Amazon Prime Student offers anyone with a verifiable student (.edu) email address a free six-month trial. Not only do you get access to Prime Video in those six months, which allows you to watch Saltburn and other gems, but you’ll also get plenty of other goodies like free food delivery through GrubHub+, a free trial of Calm, discounted Amazon Music and Kindle subscriptions, and the usual Prime perks. Even better, once your free six-month trial ends, you’ll only have to pay half the usual cost of Prime to keep your membership going — just $69/year.

Best for everyone else: Amazon Prime Video only

Don’t qualify for the free trial or student status? You can still save by simply subscribing to Amazon Prime Video alone instead of a full Amazon Prime account. A typical Prime membership would run you $14.99/month, but you can sign up for just the Prime Video subscription aspect for $8.99/month instead. Sure, it’s not as good as getting to watch Saltburn for free, but saving $6 per month is still worth it. Plus, you can cancel at any time without commitment. Just remember to cancel before your month of service is up if you don’t want to continue paying for it.