No, your eyes don’t need to be checked. What you’re seeing in that hero image are, indeed, arms from an astronaut sticking out of a laptop. “How can this be?” you may be wondering. Well, all of this is happening on Acer’s newly unveiled 3D laptop.

Called the Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition, this laptop — announced ahead of CES 2024 — is designed to deliver 3D entertainment without requiring you to wear 3D glasses.

Acer is killing it in the 3D space

This isn’t the first time Acer spotlighted a 3D laptop at CES. Earlier this year, at CES 2023, I was blown away by the Predator Helios 3D 15, a gaming laptop that uses a mix of eye tracking, real-time rendering tech, and a 3D stereoscopic display to deliver incredible 3D experiences.

Acer’s SpatialLabs tech
Credit: Acer

I played God of War in 3D and was stunned by the perception of depth it delivered to my eyes. The images didn’t jump off the screen. Instead of looking 2D and flat, it looked as if I could stick my arm through the laptop and interact with the characters. It was wild!

The Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs laptop, on the other hand, isn’t designed for gaming. As mentioned at the outset, it’s more for 3D entertainment and content creation (e.g., 3D modeling). Unlike the Predator Helios 3D 15, it doesn’t necessarily appear to have depth. Instead, certain areas of the screen with 3D objects appear to pop out of the display.

I got to test the laptop for a bit during an Acer showcase, and to my surprise, the astronaut on the display looked like its arms were reaching out of the panel.

Look closely. You’ll see the astronaut’s hands sticking out of the display.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

How does it work? “It uses Acer’s proprietary AI models to transform 2D content to 3D in real-time,” Acer said in a press release.

Quick look at specs

In 2D mode, the Aspire 3D 15 features a 15.6-inch 3840 x 2160-pixel display. However, when 3D mode is on, you get a 1920 x 2160-pixel panel instead. That’s an unusual pairing of display ratios, but this is an unusual display.

It comes with Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics; you can choose between a 2050 or a 4050. (If you want to play demanding games on this machine, opt for the latter, but for content creation, grab the former.)

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

This laptop doesn’t come with the new AI-focused Intel Core Ultra processors. Instead, it’s configured with a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 or i5 CPU. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. It’s also worth noting that this laptop isn’t lightweight; it’s slightly over five pounds.

The Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition will be available in February and has a starting price of $1,400.

The Acer Swift Go 14 is now unleashed ahead of CES 2024, and at first glance, it may seem like your average laptop.

It’s got the ever-so-popular silver chassis and a clamshell form factor — what’s the big deal about it? Well, something curious happens to the touchpad when you fire up YouTube on the Swift Go 14.

The Swift Go 14’s funky touchpad

While you’re watching YouTube on a laptop, and you need to pause it to grab some lunch, why go through the arduous journey of dragging the cursor all the way to the pause button? Your poor pointer finger shouldn’t have to go through such a strenuous task.

That’s why Acer, coddling our first-world problems, decided to place media controls on top of the touchpad. In other words, the trackpad doubles as a hub for play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward buttons.

The best part is that the Swift Go 14 can automatically detect whether media is playing on the display. So it’s not just YouTube these LED-lit controls will appear for — it should pop up for sites like Spotify, Twitch, and other media platforms.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I got to test the Swift Go 14 at an Acer showcase. The touchpad lit up with the integrated media controls when I fired up YouTube, allowing me to hit pause, play, and skip without a hitch.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

However, when I tried to pull up other sites besides YouTube (e.g., Twitch), the controls didn’t show up. However, Acer stressed that I was experimenting with a pre-production model and the units bound for store shelves will work as marketed. Once we get the Swift Go 14 in for testing, we’ll know for sure.

12-hour battery life?

The Swift Go 14, equipped with the new Intel Core Ultra processors that are designed to improve AI workflow performance, can reportedly deliver 12.5 hours of battery life. (Again, this is yet another claim I’ll have to test in our lab once Mashable receives a review unit.)

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

It comes with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. While all configurations offer a 14-inch display, you can choose the panel you want, from a 1920 x 1200-pixel IPS screen with a 60Hz refresh rate to a 2880 x 1880-pixel OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate.

It comes with a 1440p webcam, and from what I saw at the showcase, it features a microSD card slot, a headset jack, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, a Kensington lock slot, and an HDMI port.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The Swift Go 14 will be available in March and has a starting price of $749.99.

TL;DR: Start your yoga journey in the new year with a 1-year subscription to Yoga Download Unlimited for $24.97 (reg. $119.99) — that’s 79% off as of Jan. 7.

After a busy holiday, there’s no better way to unwind than in the comfort of your house. But instead of lounging on the couch, kick the new year off right with some light movement. Yoga is good for your mind, body, and soul. Release tension by working out some kinks in your muscles while simultaneously strengthening your body. Do it all at your own pace with the help of YogaDownload and gain instant access to hundreds of yoga classes at the tips of your fingers. You can grab a 1-year subscription to YogaDownload Unlimited for $24.97 (reg. $119.99) for a limited time.

The great thing about yoga is you don’t need to pay monthly studio fees or high-priced drop-in classes. All you need to do is make some room in your house. Lay out a yoga mat, put your phone on DND, and turn to the YogaDownload mobile app or website. Select from over 1,500 virtual yoga classes of varying intensity levels to find a pick that’s right for you.

Whether you’re looking for a slow-movement yoga class or something that’s sure to build up some sweat, there are endless classes to choose from, with new classes added every week. Access them at any time you want and tune in using your phone, computer, TV, or Roku. Plus, with an unlimited subscription, you don’t have to pick and choose which yoga classes you want to try out. Try them all!

YogaDownload provides the most affordable and convenient way to incorporate daily or weekly movement into your life. Each session can help you alleviate stress and anxiety while enhancing your mindfulness, and bring you more peace every time you sit on the mat.

Get unlimited access to flexible virtual yoga classes in 2024. Grab a 1-year subscription to YogaDownload Unlimited on sale for just $24.97 (reg. $119.99) until January 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT, no coupon needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through Jan. 7, get lifetime access to the CompTIA and IT Exam Training Bundle for only $39.97. That’s over 98% in savings.

If you are in the IT game (in any capacity), you need to stay informed of the latest developments in the field, as well as prepare for any certifications or training you may need or want to complete to advance your career. This online learning bundle is a comprehensive IT resource designed to keep you ahead of the curve. With lifetime access to a wealth of training materials, this bundle equips you with the skills and knowledge needed to conquer CompTIA and other IT certification exams. 

It includes five platforms in one learning bundle. This includes CompTIA, Cisco, AWS, Microsoft, Google, and Linux certification path training. Get an in-depth, comprehensive online education to help you pass the exams you need to elevate your career. You’ll get five courses totaling 180 hours of premium learning content — and lifetime access is just $39.97 for a limited time.

The CramWise course is taught by Exams Digest and gives you 40 hours of content and more than 25 simulated exams to practice for the real ones. This course will help you understand all the components of computer security, master AWS databases, and more.

Other courses include Dojo Lab, which shows you how to assess risk in a Linux environment. You’ll also go over all the hardware you should know about, including motherboards, CPUs, RAM, and more.

Get ready to take your exams with the help of this expert-led instruction. You’ll also learn to apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations with hands-on labs and real-world scenarios and develop the skills necessary to thrive in natural IT environments. 

Get productive in the new year.

Get lifetime access to this CompTIA & IT exam training bundle on sale for $39.97 ($2,748.75) until January 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through Jan. 7, you can get the Poputar T2 Acoustic Classical Guitar for only $279.99 instead of $429.99 and learn to play with the interactive, light-up fretboard, and extensive music library. That’s a savings of 34%.

If learning to strum the six strings is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, you’re in for a rewarding treat — and a challenge. Even the greats like Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen didn’t become pros overnight, but they also didn’t have this smart guitar with LED lights as a playing guide. Or this limited-time offer through January 7 to get one for $279.99 (reg. $429.99).

Smart learning with an app and LED fretboard

Successfully funded on Indiegogo, the Poputar is revolutionizing the way prospective guitar players learn. Unlike traditional lessons or by-the-book methods, the Poputar pairs with a free iOS or Android app to illuminate 96 LED lights on the fretboard. Here, you’ll discover video tutorials and an extensive library of music to play along to.

On your device, you’ll see a moving music score that helps you figure out which notes to play and their timing. At the same time, the guitar’s LED lights illuminate the correct string and fret to hold down. Having this interactive combination might get you playing the songs you love faster than picking up a plain old six-string.

Poputar: Anything but an ordinary guitar

Play the Poputar for up to ten hours on a single charge with strong battery life that allows for intense practice sessions and weekend-long jams. While the Poputar isn’t a regular acoustic guitar, it can act as one if you simply turn it off. Once you feel confident playing your favorite songs alongside the app, you may want to focus on memorizing them so you can show off to friends and family, or jam with your new band.

Learn how to play the guitar the fun and interactive way with the Poputar T2 on sale for $279.99 (reg. $429.99) until January 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through Jan. 7, you can sign up for a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 and get a bundle of training courses to get you started for only $39.97. That’s a savings of 86%.

The new year is a wonderful time to get rid of the frustrations of the year you’ve left behind, and that includes paying for things you might not have to pay for. MS Office apps may be practically essential, but that doesn’t mean you need to pay for them every month or every year. Instead, you could pick up a lifetime license to an older software version that still gets the job done. 

That’s what’s available with Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2019 for Windows, and it even comes with a training bundle to show you the ropes. Get the whole package for $39.97 while it’s marked down through January 7.

Install MSO on one computer for life

This Microsoft Office 2019 license comes with 2019 Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. They aren’t the most recent versions, but have all of the basics you need.

Once you’ve connected your Microsoft Office license to your account, you can download each app onto one computer one time. Small security updates are included, but other than that, the apps won’t change suddenly or gain any new features you have to figure out just to get the same work done. 

If you need a refresher or this is your first time with Microsoft Office 2019, make sure to check out the included Microsoft Office 2019 Basics Bundle. This eLearning course pack comes with 106 lessons showing you the ins and outs of the apps included with Microsoft Office 2019, and they’re all in videos you can watch at your own pace. 

Microsoft Office with no subscription fees

Start the new year with a new solution to all those frustrating monthly app fees.

Until January 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows and an MSO 2019 Training Bundle for $39.97, with no coupon needed. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through Jan. 7, you can get a lifetime subscription to Koofr cloud storage with 1TB of space for just $139.99 (reg. $810) with coupon code KOOFR. That’s almost 83% in savings.

Leave the “storage full” nightmares in 2023 and save yourself unnecessary frustration by storing your important files, photos, and data in the cloud. In today’s world, nearly everything runs on a subscription-based model, but now you can leave that in the past, too. With Koofr, you only have to pay once, and you’re set with 1TB of storage space for life. Until the end of the day January 7, you can score 1TB of Koofr cloud storage for only $139.99 with coupon code KOOFR.

If you take screenshot after screenshot or like to film at concerts, you don’t have to worry about being selective anymore. 1TB of storage can store approximately 250,000 12MP photos, 500 hours of HD videos, or 6.5 million document pages like PDFs. With this plan, you won’t see any warning signs anytime soon.

Koof allows you to view all of your files within a central hub. It also integrates seamlessly with external cloud accounts like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon, and OneDrive, so you can access files across multiple platforms. Your files are also accessible through your smartphone, personal computer, or via WebDav, so you can access your files anytime, anywhere at your convenience.

If your files are all over the place, Koofr has a built-in duplicate finder tool that helps you find and remove duplicate files within your account. It also features advanced file management features like the ability to rename options and link appearance customization.

Enjoy privacy as you transfer or add new data into your cloud. Koofr is the only cloud storage provider that gives you peace of mind to do as you please.

Keep your physical life and digital life organized this New Year and grab a lifetime subscription to Koofr cloud storage plan (1TB) for only $139.99 (reg. $810) with code KOOFR until January 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

It’s not just your imagination. AI researchers themselves are having their minds blown by the sheer pace of AI development, too, a new survey has found.

A wide-ranging survey of AI experts released this week backs up the perception that AI development really is accelerating at a dizzying pace — at least from the point of view of experts in the field. It also helps quantify the infamous divide in tech world sentiment between die-hard AI fans, and AI “doomers” who supposedly preach caution because they fear some sort of AI apocalypse scenario. 

In spite of the divide, there seem to be slightly more die-hards, and — if you read between the lines — they seem to be perceived as winning.

The paper on the survey is a pre-publication release from AI Impacts, a San Francisco-based research firm that receives funding from billionaire and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz’s grant-making entity Open Philanthropy. 

By averaging survey responses from 2,778 AI researchers who met the authors’ own standard for notability, and comparing them to a previous similar survey, the authors found that broadly speaking, AI experts perceive a sense of acceleration across the board. The authors note that on average, when it came to questions about 32 different AI-related tasks, “the 50th percentile year they were expected to become feasible shifted 1.0 years earlier,” between 2022 and 2023.

In less technical speak, the average AI prediction shifted a year earlier in time at some point between the 2022 survey and this one from 2023. This is a much more powerful finding than if the average expert had said “yes” to a question like, “Do you think things are accelerating in the AI world?” because it shows that the experts actually revised numerous time estimates about that acceleration on a year-over-year basis.

Perhaps the marquee findings in the study are the downright drastic shifts in respondents’ aggregate forecasts for two key concepts: High-Level Machine Intelligence (HLMI) and Full Automation of Labor (FAOL) when compared to similar forecasts made in 2022. HLMI, in particular, showed an estimated arrival time that had dropped by 13 years between 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the forecast for FAOL decreased by 48 years over that same period. 

This document is a downright remarkable shift in perception. Over the course of a single, mind-bending year, AI experts came to believe that the point at which “for any occupation, machines could be built to carry out the task better and more cheaply than human workers” would arrive nearly a half-century sooner than they had the previous year.

Given how fast these experts think these material consequences will arrive, it’s telling to read their stated beliefs about whether AI should develop faster, the opinion held by the so-called “effective accelerationists,” or slower, the opinion held by the AI doomers. The apparent contingent of hardcore doomers, or at least those who want AI to develop “much slower,” was the tiniest group of respondents, at 4.8 percent. Meanwhile, the apparent accelerationists — those whose response was “much faster” — absolutely obliterated the doomers with 15.6 percent. 

But the “somewhat slower” group of respondents to this question actually won the plurality, with 29.9 percent of responses, followed by “current speed” at 26.9, and “somewhat faster” at 22.8. This muddy middle, made up of the three more status-quo-leaning answers, accounted for 79.6 percent of all responses.

However, it’s worth dwelling on an important distinction noted in the survey: the respondents only have expertise in AI, as opposed to expertise in forecasting, either generically or about AI itself. They might therefore lack, “skills and experience, or expertise in non-technical factors that influence the trajectory of AI,” the authors write. Actually, this scholarly word of caution is worth keeping in mind just about any time you read about AI experts opining about the future in any context.

But these findings aren’t irrelevant just because AI researchers lack psychic powers. These are some of the people who drive this technology forward, and a window into their subjective beliefs about their own area of expertise gives us a hint about what, on average, these people want, fear, and see on the horizon: they think an AI-driven automated world is coming more quickly than ever, and taken as a group, they’re mostly on the fence about whether the pace of AI change is good. 

But rather unsettlingly, those who want to put rockets on this already accelerating freight train significantly outnumber those who want to slam on the breaks.

Letterboxd, the movie cataloguing and review platform, will be adding television series to its roster in 2024. That news comes courtesy of the platform’s official X account, which replied to a tweet asking “Is there a plan to make a website/app like Letterboxd but for TV Shows/Series?” with the affirmative “Series will be coming later this year.”

Tweet may have been deleted

That reply was published Jan. 3, which, given the account’s adverse reaction to the post gaining widespread coverage, was apparently too soon. When @DiscussingFilm, an X account with more than 1.3 million followers, posted on Jan. 5 that “Letterboxd plans to bring logging of TV shows to the platform later this year,” @Letterboxd replied “would be nice to live in a world where a small reply to a tweet is not ‘news.'”

Tweet may have been deleted

In the year 2024, it’s hard to say what else a reply like that could be considered when tweeted out from an official account. Who determines what is “news” and what isn’t? For @Letterboxd, the lesson is being learned the hard way. The account posted that it was unable to share content about the platform’s year in review project because their “inbox is too flooded this morning,” and that they’re “too busy clearing it because of the tv tweet.” Oops!

I haven’t opened Threads, Meta’s hopeful rival to X/Twitter, for months. But I did on the first day of 2024, and the app looked nothing like I would have imagined.

Throughout my feed, I saw posts that were transphobic, pro-life, anti-porn, and Islamophobic. I don’t follow any of the accounts that post these threads; I haven’t engaged with any of the content, apart from taking screenshots. And turns out, I’m not the only one whose Threads experience is being flooded with these kinds of posts.

An example of the *many* pro-life posts on Threads.
Credit: Threads.

An example of the *many* pro-life posts on Threads.
Credit: Threads.

On X, people have been posting about this since the end of December 2023 and the beginning of this year. One user wrote: “That Threads app is a chop. I logged into it for second time ever and it was nothing but INSANE right-wing, conservative foolishness about abortion and marriage and everything else.” Another posted about their suggested timelines being “FILLED TO THE BRIM with anti-trans content”.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

In a statement to Mashable, Meta acknowledged that “some users” are being shown “this type of repetitive, low-quality content.”

“We want people to have a positive experience on Threads, and we’re continually making improvements to what people see on the app. In addition to removing content that violates our community guidelines, we’re aware that some users are seeing this type of repetitive, low-quality content they may not be interested in, and we’re taking steps to address it,” said a Meta spokesperson.

At the time of writing this article, my suggested posts in Threads are of the same nature: that of hate speech. Posts that are against transgender rights and women’s rights, as well as posts that attack marginalized people, appear rampant on the app for me and others.

Credit: Threads.

Such posts are even being suggested via the Instagram app. On my feed, I have been directed to Threads multiple times, with posts that are homophobic, racist, or hateful in some capacity.

Credit: Instagram.

Threads, which launched in early July 2023, was accused of having a hate speech problem around a week after it went live. Several civil rights groups, including nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters for America, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and GLAAD, criticized the app for insufficient guardrails against violence and disinformation. A letter to Meta from the groups accused the platform of supporting “neo-Nazi rhetoric, election lies, COVID and climate change denialism, and more toxicity.”

The app still does not have its own Terms of Use or Community guidelines. Instead, Meta says the app is “specifically part of Instagram, so the Instagram Terms of Use and the Instagram Community Guidelines” also apply to Threads. Instagram’s Community Guidelines note that the app removes content “that contains credible threats or hate speech, content that targets private individuals to degrade or shame them, personal information meant to blackmail or harass someone, and repeated unwanted messages.”

Instagram also emphasizes hate speech is “never OK” — the company applies this to anyone who “attack[s] anyone based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disabilities, or diseases.” But the app also says it may allow hate speech if it is being shared “to challenge it or to raise awareness.”

Meanwhile, parent company Meta defines hate speech as a “direct attack against people – rather than concepts or institutions – on the basis of what we call protected characteristics.” This includes written or visual “expressions of contempt” and “self-admission to intolerance,” such as Islamophobia and homophobia. However, the content users are being served on Threads appears to be falling under these very categories.

In a statement to Mashable back in July, Meta said, “Our industry leading integrity enforcement tools and human review are wired into Threads. Like all of our apps, hate speech policies apply,” adding that the company is “considering additional ways to address misinformation in future updates.” In December, Meta announced it’s adding direct fact-checking into the Threads app; Mashable’s Shannon Connellan reported the update aims “to address misinformation on the app itself instead of referentially through its other platforms.”

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Despite Meta’s policies, it appears that Threads has a long way to go with its alleged hate speech problem on the platform. Users have taken to X, and Threads itself, all week to point out the kind of content being pushed toward them in their feeds — and nearly every time, the posts appear to be unwanted.