Latest news with #GreatWaveoffKanagawa
Tom's Guide
20-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
MSI just made the most beautiful laptop I've ever seen — here's why the Prestige 13 AI+ Ukiyo-e Edition took my breath away
With nearly 20 years under my belt as a tech journalist, I've become pretty jaded to design gimmicks in laptops. It's going to take more than a painted lid to get me to fall in love with a laptop — at least that's what I thought before I laid my eyes on MSI's new Prestige 13 AI+ Ukiyo-e Edition at Computex 2025. At first, the crush felt purely skin deep. The use of Ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai's 'Great Wave off Kanagawa' artwork for the lid is an eye catching choice to say the least. But there's levels to this. Part of the company's Artisan Collection, it's a collaboration with Japanese lacquerware company OKADAYA that runs deep into the aesthetic — I'm talking authentic traditional handcrafted lacquerware on each of these using pure gold leaf powder. CPU Up to Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 processor 288V RAM Up to 32GB LPDDR5x-8533 Memory on Package Storage 1 x NVMe M.2 SSD by PCIe Gen4 Display 13.3" 2.8K (2880 x 1800), 16:10, 100% DCI-P3 (Typical), VESA DisplayHDR™ True Black 500, OLED panel Ports 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, microSD card reader, HDMI 2.1 Battery size 75Whr Dimensions 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches Weight 2.2 pounds So you're getting all the same feature set that made us really enjoy the OG Prestige 13 AI+ Evo a few months ago. That Intel Core Ultra 9 makes it truly sing, the LPDDR5 RAM directly on the chip with zippy fast multitasking, and that 2.8K OLED display is a feast for the eyes. Oh, and don't forget that surprising stunner in the 5MP webcam. But the true statement piece here has to be that one-of-a-kind laptop artwork crafted with 8 layers of lacquer painting. Every layer is added on by hand, and the adhesive is applied as a base for the gold powder that really stands out within the waves, the MSI logo and the artist's signature. Cap it all off with the subtle details like golden text on the ports, the piano gloss finish atop the keyboard with gold lettering, and the fact that there will only be 1,000 of these made (laser engraved with a unique number to let you know which one you got), and not only does this look like a work of art, it feels like a work of art and has the exclusivity of a work of art. Feeling the ripples of each lacquer layer is a simply irresistible activity for pretty much the entire time I went hands-on with this thing. Pretty on the eyes and in the hands. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Yes, this is a question I'm just as terrified of as you are. With how complex the handcrafting process is, the amount of tech crammed into such a thin and light system, and all the things you get in the bundle, this is not going to be cheap. We've already seen MSI do something similar with the Titan 18 HX Dragon Norse Myth edition, and while I don't expect this Prestige 13 to be $7,000, it's going to come with a premium. That's a little heartbreaking given just how mesmerizing this Ukiyo-e Edition is from all angles. That sleek utilitarian build with ultra portability in mind blends with the uber-premium lacquerware art atop the lid to make this almost feel like you're working on a work of art.
Tom's Guide
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Tom's Guide
I'm watching MSI drop bombs at Computex 2025 — but these are the 5 products I'll be talking about all year
Computex 2025 hasn't even started yet, and MSI has come running out the gate with a glimpse of everything the company is set to launch. We'll be covering the event on-the-ground live – going hands-on with all of these announcements. And while we will of course treat them all equally, five of the new launches speak to me. So let me take you through them – the 5 MSI Computex products that have me hooked. We've all seen the MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Norse Myth – in fact I'm actually reviewing it right now. While I do applaud how the company has steered fully into this motif with the dragon eye aesthetic on the lid, to me, it's kind of cringe. But then, I laid my eyes on the press shots of the MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Ukiyo-e Edition, and the implementation of Katsushika Houksai's iconic 'Great Wave off Kanagawa,' art onto the lid is simply mesmerizing. I've been waiting for laptops to look interesting again, and this really looks timelessly beautiful. I can't wait to see it in person! Another year at Computex, another MSI x Mercedes-AMG Motorsport collab. As the sim racing nerd on the team, I've watched this partnership grow over the past three years – enjoying the little racing references in its aesthetic, to expand to the point that the power button is now the classic car ignition switch. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And MSI's running it back with both Stealth 16 AI+ and Prestige 16 AI+ gaming laptops. The Stealth is going down the AMD CPU route with RTX 50-series GPU, alongside what MSI is vaguely saying is a 'upgraded display panel.' But for those seeking peak performance, that seems to come from the Prestige, which is coming with an Intel CPU, same level of GPU, but also up to a 'stunning 4K OLED panel.' To run AAA games at that resolution, you're looking at an RTX 5090. MSI's crammed an NPU into the MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 gaming monitor (catchy name I know). On paper, that sounds kind of gimmicky, but it does unlock some rather useful features. Starting with the screen, you've got Samsung Display's 3rd-gen QD-OLED panel that has a 500Hz refresh rate, HDR, gorgeous, crisp color and a 0.03ms response time. Now to the AI smarts, which is what MSI is calling the AI Care Sensor. Basically, there's an always-on CMOS sensor built into the bezel that captures images every 0.2 seconds. This is doing two things – real-time human detection so it can dim or even power down when you leave, and it can even analyze the color hue of the light in your room and reduce blue light to match. Yes, MSI is jumping on the PCIe 5 SSD train with the Spatium M571, and based on my testing of SanDisk's new WD_Black SN8100 SSD, it's probably going to be a screamer. But my attention was immediately grabbed by something else. The MSI Datamag was announced back in October 2024, and it's a magnetic portable SSD. With crazy fast speeds and USB-C connectivity, this looks like a dream addition to your iPhone with MagSafe. Well, the company's back to finish the job with Datamag software coming to the Apple Store, which will enable transferring large files and documents off the iPhone's internal storage. We saw the first coming of the MEG at Computex last year, and now it's back with a new name and new features – the MEG Vision X AI. Another Computex 2025 award winner, this is the flagship desktop of MSI's lineup and packs a 13-inch touchscreen on the front of it. Getting the 2025 spec bump to RTX 5090 and the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, DDR5 RAM and a Gen 5 SSD just wasn't enough this time. You've got that handy UI up front to intuitively control the cooling and power running through your machine, as well as tweak the RGB and (if last year was anything to go by) even use it as a second monitor to your PC. Well, I can't say for sure. We've all seen the leaks, including the potential reveal of an AMD-fueled MSI Claw gaming handheld, but this is all we know for sure so far. There are other announcements on this list, too, such as the Claw 8 AI+ coming back with twice the storage and a fresh white finish in the Polar Tempest Edition, new NUC mini PCs, and plenty more peripherals including a new Wi-Fi 7 Mesh system. But something tells me this isn't everything we're going to see. We will be covering every announcement and reveal we see live from the show floor next week, so keep it locked on our Computex 2025 coverage to find out with us.
Japan Times
17-03-2025
- Japan Times
Mount Fuji hikers to be charged ¥4,000 on all trails
Hikers attempting any of Mount Fuji's four main trails will be charged an entry fee of ¥4,000 ($27) from this summer after local authorities passed a bill on Monday. A record influx of foreign tourists to Japan has sparked alarm about overcrowding on the nation's highest mountain, a once-peaceful pilgrimage site. Last year, Yamanashi Prefecture — home to Mount Fuji — introduced a ¥2,000 ($14) entry fee plus an optional donation for the active volcano's most popular hiking route, the Yoshida Trail. A cap on daily entries and online reservations were also brought in on that trail by officials concerned about safety and environmental damage on Mount Fuji's majestic slopes. The Yoshida Trail fee will be doubled for this year's July-September climbing season, while neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture passed a bill on Monday to also charge ¥4,000 for its three trails, which were previously free. Thanks in part to the new restrictions, the number of climbers who tackled Mount Fuji declined to 204,316 last year, from 221,322 in 2023, Environment Ministry data shows. Although climber numbers continue to be eclipsed by prepandemic levels, "200,000 hikers is still huge," Natsuko Sodeyama, a Shizuoka prefecture official, said. "There is no other mountain in Japan that attracts that many people in the span of just over two months. So some restrictions are necessary to ensure their safety." Mount Fuji is covered in snow for most of the year, but during the summer hiking season many trudge up its steep, rocky slopes through the night to see the sunrise. The symmetrical mountain has been immortalized in countless artworks, including Hokusai's "Great Wave off Kanagawa." It last erupted around 300 years ago.
