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Digital Trends
6 days ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
I tested a pocketable note-taking tablet that puts the Kindle to shame
Digital note-taking is expensive, even on black and white screens. If you're chasing that paper-like feel, prepare to pay a higher premium than your average budget iPad or Android slate. At the moment, Amazon's Kindle portfolio is the king of the segment, but to snag its pen-toting Kindle Scribe, you'll have to spend a steep $400. If you're not afraid of experiments, Remarkable is a solid choice, but you end up paying close to $600 for the joy of scribbling on a minimalist monochrome screen. Also, let's not forget the software-level limitations, which don't do justice to the sticker price. Recommended Videos Boox may have the perfect solution with its second-gen Color Go tablet with an E-Ink screen. Think of it as a Kindle with physical buttons, but one that also lets you jot down notes with a stylus and allows storage expansion. And oh, it runs the full Android experience and offers more customization features than any tablet of its kind. The best part? You only pay $200 for the Color Go, and just over $250 for the entire kit with a stylus and leather-inspired magnetic folio case. Sounds like a bargain already? Well, there's more to this tablet than meets the eye. Beautiful, inside out The second-gen Boox Go 7 fits a 7-inch display in a square-ish case that is merely 6.4mm across and weighs less than an iPhone 16 Pro. It's a joy to hold and can easily slide into the back pocket of a jeans. The overall construction is solid, and I absolutely love the texture on the rear shell. Even if the palms are sweaty, the tablet doesn't slip. It comes with onboard speakers so that you can catch up on audiobooks, podcasts, or video streams. Another underrated perk is the onboard micro SD card slot for storage expansion. In addition to the built-in 64GB memory, you also get 10GB of free cloud storage on Boox servers. Overall, you won't be running out of space for storing books anytime soon. The panel is an E Ink Carta 1300 monochrome screen with a resolution of 1680 x 1264 pixels, which translates to a density of 330 ppi. In addition to the brightness adjustment, you can also tweak the temperature, shifting from white to an amber shade for a comfortable night-time reading experience. What truly sets the Boox Go 7 apart from its rivals is the extensive set of customization options. You can make DPI adjustments, change font aliasing, enable image smoothing, set scroll distance, tweak light and dark color adjustments, and set the contrast levels. On E Ink, ghosting is a huge problem due to the low refresh rate. As a result, you see the visual artifacts from the previous frame appear on the current frame. And if the page is heavy on design assets, you see an odd shimmer-like effect. To counter that, the Color Go 7 lets you switch from HD viewing mode to the Regal, Speed, or A2 modes to speed up the frame transition rate, reducing the ghosting effect. It comes at the cost of a quality downgrade for image assets, but if you're predominantly reading, you won't notice it between walls of text. I regularly played online chess and the occasional low-stakes Angry Birds sessions without running into any visual stutters. For occasions where you need to fire up a YouTube video, imagine watching a black-and-white TV from your grandparents' era. It's smooth, but not loaded with surface details. A rewarding software experience The biggest ace up the Boox Color Go 7's sleeve is the full-fledged Android experience. It's still version 13, but I didn't find it to be a limiting experience. I mostly used the E Ink slate as a reference screen for keeping an eye on my Slack and Microsoft Teams chats, and it did a fine job. Unlike the Kindle or Remarkable, you can actually run any app you want. For bibliophiles hoarding up on hundreds of titles scattered across different file formats, the built-in reader app can handle anything from PDF and EPUB to FB2, RTF, HTML, PRC, MOBI, and AZW3 file types. If the built-in app doesn't appeal to your reading taste, just download the Kindle app from the Play Store, or any other APK from the internet. The octa-core processor, paired with 4GB of RAM, can handle your app duties with ease. I, however, believe that after using the Boox Neo Reader app, you won't feel the need to find an alternative. It offers a healthy set of annotation features, and even a few AI tricks such as turning rough lines into perfect shapes, underlines or loose shapes into tight highlights, scribbles into redactions, and scratched lines into eraser. As far as the core reading experience goes, the app offers a native speech synthesis tool (apparently the same as Android's local screen reader) for listening to your books and papers. You can adjust the speech pace, speech rate, and pitch, as well. Coming to the text part, you can stylize digital reading material by changing the font, size, or enabling the dark mode to invert the color scheme. The dark mode looks stunning, by the way. Note-taking is the real winner The most enticing aspect of the refreshed Boox Go 7 is the note-taking experience. The provided stylus, which charges via a USB-C port, is well-built and offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. There's a wee bit of latency if you are scribbling fast, but at the normal pace, you won't face any lag at all. My sister, who is a fashion designer, tried the Boox Go 7 and told me that it does a fine job of quickly drawing a few schematics without any technical issues. The only problem was that when the drawings got heavy on brush strokes, a portion randomly vanished. With a couple of undo shortcuts, it returned. I didn't see this glitch in third-party apps, however. The pre-installed Notes app offers plenty of ready-made templates to pick from. However, you can create your own custom note-taking template. You can also directly land on a blank notebook via the quick note feature in the quick controls dashboard. My favorite part was importing my locally saved NotebookLM notes and Gemini Deep Research reports, and annotating through them using the stylus. As far as the battery life goes, the 2,300 mAh battery can easily last a few days due to the low-power draw. Your mileage may vary depending on the backligh strength, but since I was working mostly within a sunlit cabin, I usually kept it within the 20% mark. Plus, with even brief plugged-in times, it can reach a full tank, so you don't have to worry about hauling a brick or power bank solely for the Boox tablet. Overall, the second-generation Boox Go 7 is arguably the most functionally loaded e-reader in its size bracket out there. And the fact that it can also double as a digital note-taking device, one that nearly matches the size of classic pocket diaries, is just the cherry on top. At just over $250, the Boox Color Go 7 is already the finest specimen of an E Ink reader, but the flexibility offered by Android and stylus support is what makes it truly invincible at that asking price. The Kindles are simply no match for this cute little powerhouse.
Phone Arena
19-05-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Amazon axes jobs in Kindle department days after the Boox Go 7 series goes live
About a hundred people are right now looking for a new job, but they have something nice to put under the "last workplace" field: Amazon. The e-commerce giant has axed approximately 100 positions within its devices and services is the group responsible for developing products such as the Kindle, Echo smart speakers, the Alexa voice assistant, and Zoox self-driving company confirmed the layoffs on Wednesday in response to a Reuters inquiry, which reports on the situation. While specific details about which sub-units were affected were not disclosed, a company spokesperson described the job reductions as a small portion of the overall spokesperson noted that the move was part of Amazon's routine efforts to review and adjust its operations, aiming to improve efficiency and better align with its product roadmap. That's what all big (and small) companies have been saying for years now. The new Boox Go 7 and Go Color 7 (Gen II). | Image credit — Boox It's notable that the Kindle team is losing people mere days after e-reader maker Boox, a direct rival to both Amazon and Kobo, has announced its new Boox Go 7 series. As PhoneArena readers know, the lineup consists of two new 7-inch e-readers: the Go 7 and the Go Color 7 (Gen 2). Both models run Android 13, giving users access to the Google Play Store, a feature that sets Boox apart from more closed platforms like Kindle and Kobo. This means users can install a wide range of reading apps and productivity tools. Meanwhile, Kindle owners are taking their frustrations and questions to Reddit about their e-reader's battery life (and more). A user by the nickname of ecstathiq says that they've bought a Kindle Basic 2024 a few weeks ago, but usage on it has been low since then, because of finals and studying. Now that the finals are over, they've been using the Kindle more and more often. On a Sunday, they charged the Kindle to 100%, but on Monday, the very next day, the e-reader's battery was down to 40%.As a Kindle aficionado myself, I can say that this isn't normal, even if the Wi-Fi connection is left turned on. My Kindle is good to go without a charger for weeks, so there's definitely something fishy going on here. Other Redditors complain about various issues they're experiencing, like new books not getting their covers loaded, different kinds of error messages and even losing highlights. Maybe now that the Kindle department is losing people is the best moment for Boox to shine even harder!
Geeky Gadgets
17-05-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
Boox Tab X C Review : 13.3 Color E-Ink Table & Stylus Hands-On Impressions
What if your tablet could combine the tactile joy of paper with the vibrant possibilities of color? Enter the Boox Tab X C, a device that promises to redefine how we interact with E Ink technology. With its 13.3-inch color E Ink Kaleido 3 display, this tablet isn't just an incremental upgrade—it's a bold leap forward for professionals, students, and creatives alike. Imagine sketching vivid illustrations, annotating documents, or reading richly detailed content, all on a screen designed to be easy on the eyes and immersive to use. But does this ambitious blend of innovation and practicality truly deliver, or does it falter under the weight of its own expectations? In this comprehensive assessment, Chalid Raqami explores the Boox Tab X C's standout features, from its scratch-resistant aluminum silicate glass to its active stylus with haptic feedback, which mimics the sensation of writing on paper. You'll also discover how its Android 13 integration and productivity-focused design make it a versatile tool for work and leisure. Yet, like any device, it has its trade-offs—non-expandable storage and the absence of a fingerprint sensor may give potential buyers pause. Whether you're considering the Tab X C as your next creative companion or simply curious about the evolution of color E Ink, this review will help you weigh its strengths and limitations with clarity. After all, innovation always comes with questions worth exploring. Boox Tab X C Overview Display: Pioneering E Ink Innovation The standout feature of the Boox Tab X C is its 13.3-inch color E Ink Kaleido 3 display, which represents a significant advancement in E Ink technology. The screen delivers a resolution of 300 PPI for black-and-white content and 150 PPI for color, making sure sharp text and vibrant visuals. This makes it ideal for reading, note-taking, and creative tasks. The adjustable frontlight enhances usability across various lighting conditions, whether indoors or outdoors, while the reduced ghosting effect ensures smoother transitions, addressing a common issue in earlier models like the Boox Note Max. These improvements collectively elevate the reading and writing experience, making the display a key selling point. Build and Design: A Balance of Durability and Functionality The Boox Tab X C is engineered with durability and practicality at its core. Its screen is protected by scratch-resistant aluminum silicate glass, making sure resilience against daily wear and tear. The metal frame not only adds a premium aesthetic but also enhances the device's structural integrity. While the tablet is slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor due to the inclusion of a larger battery and advanced display technology, it remains portable and comfortable for extended use. Additionally, the inclusion of pogo pins for keyboard cover compatibility expands its productivity potential, making it a versatile tool for users who require a device that adapts to various tasks. Boox Tab X C Hands-On Impressions Watch this video on YouTube. Gain further expertise in Color E Ink Kaleido 3 by checking out these recommendations. Stylus: A Writing Experience That Feels Authentic The redesigned InkSpire Pen improves the writing experience by incorporating active stylus capabilities and haptic feedback, simulating the tactile sensation of writing on paper. This feature is particularly beneficial for note-taking, sketching, and other creative endeavors. The stylus offers adjustable feedback levels and low latency, making sure precision and responsiveness. Its magnetic attachment system not only provides secure storage but also enables automatic charging, making sure the pen is always ready for use. However, the absence of an eraser function on the stylus may be a drawback for users accustomed to this feature, potentially limiting its appeal for certain tasks. Performance: A Blend of Power and Versatility Under the hood, the Boox Tab X C is powered by an octa-core processor, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. While the storage is non-expandable, the device runs on Android 13, granting access to Google Play and a wide array of applications. This ensures compatibility with productivity tools, multimedia apps, and more. The tablet also comes pre-installed with the March 2025 security patch, offering a secure and up-to-date user experience. These specifications make the Boox Tab X C well-suited for multitasking, creative projects, and media consumption, positioning it as a reliable option for users with diverse needs. Key Advantages Over Previous Models The Boox Tab X C introduces several notable improvements over earlier models like the Boox Note Max. Key enhancements include: A color E Ink display that expands its usability for multimedia and creative tasks. that expands its usability for multimedia and creative tasks. An adjustable frontlight for improved readability in various environments. for improved readability in various environments. A scratch-resistant screen and premium build materials for enhanced durability. and premium build materials for enhanced durability. Compatibility with accessories like keyboard covers, boosting its productivity potential. These upgrades make the Tab X C a more versatile and long-lasting option for users seeking a comprehensive E Ink solution. Considerations and Limitations Despite its many strengths, the Boox Tab X C has some limitations that potential buyers should consider. The absence of a fingerprint sensor may be a concern for users who prioritize biometric security. Additionally, the non-expandable storage could be restrictive for those requiring significant space for files, applications, or multimedia content. Furthermore, the limited E Ink viewing modes may reduce its adaptability for certain specialized use cases, potentially narrowing its appeal for some users. A Versatile Contender in the E Ink Market The Boox Tab X C strikes a compelling balance between innovative E Ink technology, robust build quality, and features designed for productivity and creativity. While it may not fully replace traditional tablets for all users, its unique combination of a vibrant color E Ink display and Android 13 functionality positions it as a strong contender in the color E Ink tablet market. For professionals, students, and creatives seeking a device that seamlessly integrates reading, writing, and multimedia capabilities, the Boox Tab X C offers a well-rounded and versatile solution. Media Credit: Chalid Raqami Filed Under: Hardware, Reviews Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Forbes
The Best Ebook Reader Definitely Isn't A Kindle
When most people decide they need a new ebook reader, they decide they need a new Kindle. Amazon dominates ebook publishing and it dominates ebook reader sales too. But there are several reasons why the best ebook reader isn't a Kindle. I've been testing the Boox Palma 2 over the past week and it's opened my eyes to the alternatives. Many people opt for a Kindle out of sheer convenience – me included – but only when you start exploring other devices do you realize just how restrictive and feature-light Kindle devices are. Here, then are the reasons to look beyond the Kindle and opt for an Android-based the next time you're in the market for an ebook reader. When you buy a Kindle, the only place you can really buy ebooks from is Amazon. You can't buy an ebook from, say, Google or the Kobo store and read it on your device. At least, not without tiresome workarounds. With an Android-based device such as the Boox Palma 2, you can play the field. When you're buying a book, you can shop around the various stores and go with the one that's cheapest. You don't have to rely on one supplier. Amazon, of course, is fiercely price competitive, but you can still buy from there too. The Kindle app is on the Play Store and there are few significant trade-offs from using the app instead of reading natively on a Kindle device. Which brings us to… My big fear of switching to a non-Kindle device was the reading experience would suffer. The Kindle, for all its limitations, delivers a pretty great experience. However, the Kindle app for Android has almost all of the key features. You can hold down on a word and look it up in a dictionary; you can quickly highlight passages by selecting lines of text; you can still take advantage of features such as X-Ray on supported titles. Even advanced features, such as the option to play the audiobook of the title you're reading and follow along on the page are available. The app still highlights the line being read and turns the page automatically. The only slight downside is that you can't buy books directly from the Kindle app because Amazon doesn't want to hand a slice of book revenue to Google. You have to order from the web browser instead. This may be more of a U.K./Europe thing than in the U.S., but having a non-Amazon ebook reader means you can now "borrow" ebooks from libraries. Here in West Sussex in the U.K., my local library offers support for the Libby app. This allows me to loan up to 10 ebooks from the library for up to 21 days, without any fees. Oddly, the ebooks work in a similar way to physical copies. The library only has so many copies of each available for loan, and if someone else has that title out, you have to wait your turn. But you can put your name down for a book and have it delivered when it's been returned by people in front of you in the queue. If you're not bothered about reading the latest bestsellers, it's a great way to read for free. Reading long articles on a phone/tablet/laptop's LCD screen is tiring. It's far preferable to read anything of length on an E Ink/epaper display that doesn't induce eye strain. The Kindle does have a web browser, but it's tucked away, unloved and underpowered. With an Android-based ebook reader, you can load on your favorite web browser, have access to all your bookmarks, and pick up where you left off on screen. My preferred browser, Vivaldi, has a built-in feature called Reading List where I can save long articles I want to read later. The desktop browser is synced with the mobile version on the Boox Palma 2, so when I have time to sit and read that article later, I can just pick it up from the ebook reader. The Pocket app is another good solution for this if you don't use Vivaldi. The Kindle did experiment with newspapers and magazines for a while, before abandoning the idea. However, with an Android-based reader, there are several ways to tuck into a newspaper. Titles such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times will have dedicated apps, as will magazines such as The Economist and Forbes. There are also reading apps such as PressReader and Readly, which offer Spotify-like all-you-can-eat access to hundreds of different magazines and newspapers, which you can enjoy at leisure on your ebook reader. These apps have reader modes, so that you don't have to scan across pages, but can just read the text of articles. If your ebook reader is an Android device, it's almost certainly going to be a lot more versatile than a Kindle. If you like to listen to music while you read, you can install Spotify or your streaming service of choice and play that in the background. If you want to listen to the radio, there's an app (or 700) for that. The Boox Palma 2 has a camera, which isn't great at taking photos, but is reasonably handy for scanning documents – a built-in app uses optical character recognition to turn that into editable text. You'd have to be something of a sadist to play anything but the most basic, Wordle-type games on an epaper screen, and although the Boox Palma 2 does let you watch videos, I wouldn't recommend it, even at the highest screen refresh rate. The Kindles are (by and large) great devices and I've used them almost daily for well over a decade. But now I can't see myself going back. The Android-based devices – which are available from several manufacturers, including Onyx Boox, Bigme and Meebook – offer so much more for your money, that my days of automatically recommending a Kindle as the best ebook reader are over.
WIRED
03-05-2025
- Business
- WIRED
The Android Show, Rad Power's New Ebikes, and Yale's ADT Smart Lock—Your Gear News of the Week
Plus: Philips Norelco has an AI-powered shaver, and Wiz's Sync Box is an affordable synced lighting alternative for your TV. Photograph: Boox, Yale; Getty Images All products featured on Wired are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Google's annual I/O developer conference is coming up on May 20—and all signs point to it being a big one. It's where we typically learn everything new coming to Android, Google's Gemini artificial intelligence assistant, and all of the company's other platforms, from Wear OS to Android Auto. But this week, Google announced a virtual event called The Android Show: I/O Edition, which takes place a week earlier, on May 13 at 10 am Pacific (1 pm ET). A teaser video showed Google's Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem, getting ready on camera and announcing the show. The Android Show will likely explore all the new features coming to Android 16, the next version of Google's mobile operating system. However, this break from the traditional process of announcing all the latest in Android at I/O suggests that the conference on May 20 will be jam-packed with news in other areas and services. Last year, Android took a backseat to Gemini-related capabilities as pressure mounted for Google to show its answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT. This year, we'll likely see features related to personal context in Gemini—the assistant's ability to understand you through past conversations and your connected Google services like Gmail and Calendar. It's also widely expected that we'll learn more about Google's Android XR, and maybe get an update on the company's upcoming smart glasses. Rad Power Bikes Debuts a New RadRunner Lineup The direct-to-consumer company Rad Power Bikes, which more or less created the entire DTC electric bike category and dominated it for years, has struggled recently, from layoffs and lawsuits to the recent quiet exit of its new CEO and an onslaught of tariffs. In this chaotic environment, the company has announced three new updates to its best-selling ebikes: the RadRunner, the RadRunner Plus, and the new RadRunner Max. The RadRunner and RadRunner Plus are the company's two popular utility bikes (I see a half-dozen every day while biking around Portland, Oregon) and upgrades to the line will include safety features like Rad Power's Safe Shield, which debuted last year (the cells in the battery are now encapsulated, like in a car, to make it safer in the unlikely event of a battery fire). They will also include other upgrades, like passcode protection and IPX6 weather protection. The most exciting launch is the RadRunner Max, now the high-end RadRunner model, which is a Class 3 electric bike. It's pedal-assist only, with a top speed of 28 mph. It has 60 miles of range and works with Apple's Find My network, so you can track if it's stolen, no AirTag needed. A new digital key unlocks the bike as you approach, and radar features alert you when cars or other bikes approach. The company also debuted a new range extender compatible with all three models. The RadRunner is available for $1,499, and the RadRunner Plus is $1,799. You can preorder the RadRunner Max for $2,299 and the Range Extender for $249 for delivery in early May. —Adrienne So Yale's Latest Lock Has a New Kind of Z-Wave Yale, known for its smart locks (and regular locks, too), has announced a new version of its Assure Lock 2 tied to a deep partnership with home security brand ADT. It brings a new kind of Z-Wave technology into play. Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol that allows smart home devices to communicate with one another. You might have heard of Matter, the increasingly common standard that wants to make all smart home devices work on all major smart home ecosystems. Z-Wave came before, but doesn't connect straight to the internet, instead using radio frequency and a smart home hub to keep Internet of Things devices connected locally. It's employed more in smart home enthusiast circles and home security systems, and thought it's not a part of the Matter standard, the company is looking to change that. That brings us to the new Assure Lock 2 Touch from Yale and ADT, which uses the Z-Wave User Credential Command Class. It's designed to work in tandem with ADT's security service and allows you to disarm the entire system with a fingerprint. The vision is simple: Unlock the Yale Assure Lock 2 with your unlocking method of choice (code, fingerprint, physical key), and it not only opens your front door, but also knows that it's safe to disarm your security system. The lock relies on Z-Wave but also needs to be synced to an ADT+ base for this to work. That means your home has to be decked out in ADT's security system, and everything works through the ADT+ app. You can set up the system yourself with ADT+ Self Setup, or get a professional installer. The new lock is available now on ADT's website for $280. You'll need at least one month of ADT Pro monitoring, which starts at $25 a month. —Nena Farrell Boox Has a Color E Ink PC Monitor Color E Ink screens are increasingly common nowadays—we have color Kindles, color digital notebooks like the ReMarkable Paper Pro, and now color E Ink PC monitors. That's the latest announcement from Boox, maker of e-readers and digital notebooks. The Mira Pro is a 25.3-inch screen that looks like paper, with a color E Ink Kaleido 3 panel. The company already sells a monochrome Mira Pro, but this is the first color variant. Boox claims the glare-free screen is easier on the eyes and is suitable for 'tasks that demand color differentiation,' like analyzing color-coded dashboards. There's an adjustable front light so you can keep reading even in dim ambient light settings. Watching a video on an E Ink screen sounds painful, but the company says the Mira Pro is powered by Boox Super Refresh technology. This supposedly boosts refresh rates and eliminates ghosting—you can set modes for reading, typing, browsing, or watching videos, and the monitor will adjust the refresh speed for the best experience. You have several ways to connect it—HDMI, Mini HDMI, USB-Type C, or Display Port—and Boox says it works with various operating systems, from macOS to Android. The monitor will cost you a pretty penny, though, as it starts at $1,900. Philips Norelco's AI Shaver Critiques Your Technique You know you've hit peak AI when your shaver wants to talk to you. Philips Norelco's new i9000 Prestige Ultra shaver offers a flexing head, a triad of rotating "NanoTech" blades, and what Philips touts as AI-powered technology to track and offer real-time feedback on the pressure you use when you shave, and even how you're moving your shaver. In practice, this means an LED ring around the shaver will light up in different colors to let you know whether you're getting your ideal shave, and if you'd like, you can even track your performance over time in Philips' phone app. The 'ideal shave' can be customized among five different modes depending on whether you shave wet or dry, and whether you're the sensitive sort. Also, your shaver's screen will greet you with a "good morning' message if it's morning, and call you by your name if you'd like. All of this whizzbangery is put to service in achieving what Philips Norelco is calling the 'world's first root level shave,' lifting hairs from below the surface. I feel like this is a claim I've heard before, but from early testing, I can vouch that it's quite a smooth shave. That said, it costs $329. — Matthew Korfhage Wiz HDMI Sync Box Is a Cheaper Alternative to Philips Hue Wiz has a new HDMI Sync Box with TV Backlight that adds Hue-like smart lighting to your big screen. Plug your gaming console, streaming stick, or set-top box into the back and enhance your entertainment with synced lighting that matches the colors and intensity of the onscreen action. Your TV doesn't even need to be on, because you can use the Wiz app to set the color and brightness for background lighting or enable the microphone in the box to sync with music. If this reminds you of the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, that's likely because Wiz is the budget sibling to Philips Hue—both brands are owned by the parent company Signify. True to form, the Wiz system is way cheaper than the Philips Hue version without any obvious compromises (to my eye). The only thing that pops out is the HDMI 2.0 spec, meaning video inputs top out at 4K and 60 Hz, though HDR10+ and Dolby Vision are supported. The latest, updated version of the Hue system supports 8K at 60 Hz and 4K at 120 Hz, for PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers. While there's no camera required, the downside to these systems is that they don't work with smart TV apps and can only sync content via HDMI. But what makes the new Wiz HDMI Sync Box with TV Backlight intriguing is the price. It costs $90 for TVs between 55 and 65 inches, compared to $350 for the equivalent Hue system. There's a larger backlight for TVs 75 to 85 inches for $110. Wiz also offers Gradient Light Bars ($60) and a new Gradient Floor Light ($89) that can sync up with the box and bring your whole room to life. All these gadgets will be available this month. — Simon Hill
