Gaming tablet, but for real Review: Asus ROG Flow Z13 tablet takes the asterisk off integrated GPUs Performance like an RTX 4060, but it's packed into a slightly heavy Surface-like. Kevin Purdy Updated Feb 18, 2025 9:00 am | 9 Credit: Kevin Purdy Credit: Kevin Purdy Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreSpecs at a glance: Asus ROG Flow Z13 (XS96 model)OSWindows 11 ProCPUAMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16 cores, 3.0 GHz)RAM32GB LPDDR5X-8000 (non-upgradeable; XS99 goes up to 128GB)GPUAMD Radeon 8060S (integrated)SSD1TB NVMe M.2 SSD 2230 (upgradeable)Battery70 WHrDisplay13.4-inch 2560x1600 180 Hz touchscreenConnectivity2x USB-C ports (USB4, DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1 USB-A, microSD, 3.5 mm audio, 200W barrel chargeWeight2.65 lb (1.2 kg) without keyboard, 3.51 lb (1.59 kg) with keyboardPrice as tested$2,299 (pre-order at Amazon, get notified at Asus)I really like Asus ROG Flow Z13 for what it is: a convertible tablet with way more gaming power than you would think. Looking at this thing, you might expect to see it propped up at an airport bar, in front of somebody talking into wireless headphones about Tim in Product. But theres a lot of frame-rendering and multicore processing power inside this glass-fronted slab with a keyboard cover. It's an impressive showcase for AMD's leap forward in integrated power.The Z13 can rip through Hitman and Shadow of the Tomb Raider on their highest settings at its native 25601600 resolution. Turn the resolution down to a reasonable-for-this-size 19201080 and you can play Cyberpunk 2077 at its Ultra settings at 4555 frames per second, depending on your power and upscaling preferences. On a device that is essentially a beefy Microsoft Surface, this is no small thing. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" inside the Z13, with the latest Ryzen 8060S GPU built into it, is not just capableit's a step up from most of the gaming laptops out there.As a Windows convertible, it has some interesting tech and notable upgrades from the 2022 product that was also called the ROG Flow Z13. Its webcam works with Windows Hello and logs you in 95 percent of the time. The keyboard has decent travel, the trackpad has a pleasant smoothness, and you can prop the thing up anywhere along the solid kickstands 170-degree range. Its a Copilot+ PC if that matters to you, and when youre not pushing ray-traced gaming frames, its battery life is no slouch.But speaking of slouching, the Z13 will not feel light in your bag. At 2.65 pounds in tablet form and 3.2 pounds with keyboardabout 1.23 pounds heavier than a keyboard-attached Surface Pro 11its among the heaviest of modern tablets and convertibles, and thats before you weigh in the 1.25-pound power adapter. Using it as a Windows touchscreen tablet is rather awkward. The Z13 is many things, but it is not immune to the physics of battery power and cooling.In many ways, it's an in-between device. It could be the perfect compromise for someone who wants to do work and gaming on the same machine, a machine smaller and slightly lighter than most gaming laptops. If this all-in-one minded person is out there, and theyre OK with spending more than $2,000 on their mixed-use passion, I have mostly good news for them.The productivity tablet with an RGB panel Keyboard and trackpad on the Flow Z13. Credit: Kevin Purdy Keyboard and trackpad on the Flow Z13. Credit: Kevin Purdy Facing the screen and keyboard, the Z13 is a black tablet with a black detachable keyboard. Only the Asus ROG font glyphs on the keys and a subtle embossed ROG ally beneath the arrow keys give away that something other than Teams and Outlook is at work here.Around back, it looks more like it came from the Republic of Gamers. Prominent vent holes are bisected by a clear diagonal cutout that lets through a bunch of RGB lights (which you can customize extensively in Asus pre-loaded Aura Sync software). Beneath the hinge, on the bottom half of the Z13, reside the M.2 storage slot, the battery pack, and another access port. The kickstand on the Z13 Flow has 170 degrees of range and will actually hold the thing up at each of them. Kevin Purdy The kickstand on the Z13 Flow has 170 degrees of range and will actually hold the thing up at each of them. Kevin Purdy One of the two hinges that makes me think this aspect of the tablet went back into design two or three times before Asus settled on a double-bolted hinge. Kevin Purdy One of the two hinges that makes me think this aspect of the tablet went back into design two or three times before Asus settled on a double-bolted hinge. Kevin Purdy The little window on the back of the Flow Z13, letting folks know that you're not just responding to emails over here. Kevin Purdy The little window on the back of the Flow Z13, letting folks know that you're not just responding to emails over here. Kevin Purdy One of the two hinges that makes me think this aspect of the tablet went back into design two or three times before Asus settled on a double-bolted hinge. Kevin Purdy The little window on the back of the Flow Z13, letting folks know that you're not just responding to emails over here. Kevin Purdy Let's not skip over that hinged kickstand, because it is really something. It is the right amount of strong for this not-cheap, not-light device, with a stiffness that is reassuring, if also a bit tricky to get used to. A tiny plastic tab on one side of the kickstand (why not both sides?) operates it. For a tablet that can catch some glare, and could fall glass-first onto a surface, I appreciate these solid hinges.Whether youre using it for work or work, the Z13's port array is quite useful. The highlight is a full-size HDMI 2.1 port on the left side. There are two USB-C Type 4 ports next to that, each capable of 40Gbps transfer and slower charging. A microSD card insert and a rectangular barrel connector for the 200W power supply round out the left side.On the right side, a USB-A port and headphone jack form a nostalgia nook at the bottom, while the top has buttons for power, volume, and a settings button that opens, by default, a ScreenXpert app with shortcuts to mic muting, window layout configurations, and a few other things. I have yet to find a way to remap that button, but Im sure its possible. Everybody wants to come along for this wild gaming ride. Credit: Kevin Purdy Everybody wants to come along for this wild gaming ride. Credit: Kevin Purdy The keyboard and trackpad attach magnetically, and, as with the hinge, these magnets are not playing. Every time Ive set up the Z13 on a dining room table or the corner of a desk, Ive had to pry binder clips, pens, orone timea cereal spoon away from the bottom. The upside is that your keyboard case will not come loose in your bag. If you prefer to type with a slight upward slope, those magnets can hold the keyboard firmly in place, propped against the bottom of the tablet screen.The keys themselves have respectable travel (1.7 mm), which is good if youre going to use them for shooters or other keyboard games. You can backlight them, but not much light shows around the keys at taller angles, and the letters end up being fairly dim. Asus made reasonable sizing changes to the perimeter keys to fit everything, and I didnt feel cramped typing on the keyboard. The trackpad is somewhere between serviceable and good, with better responsiveness for small gestures than I expected.I didn't get to run extensive battery tests on this model, as the firmware changed a few times during my testing period. Asus says the 70 Wh battery is rated for 10 hours, seemingly based on a PCMark 10 "Work Mode" test. You'll almost always want to use the Z13 while it's plugged in with a barrel charger for optimal gaming performance, as even the unplugged "Performance" profile pulls between 45 to 71 W in various configurations; "Turbo" wants 60 to 86 W, and you can push it even further with manual configuration.Tablet is its third job (maybe)All of the preceding relates to using the Z13 as a laptop replacement, with the keyboard and trackpad attached and the screen upright on a table. How is it as a tablet? Being a pound and a half heavier than the M1-model iPad Air Im used to holding for news reading, it was starting from behind. I quickly learned that this device is not meant to be held in a vertical orientation, due to the tiny bezels on the shorter sides that invite accidental touches, as well as the Z13's weight distribution.Holding it as a horizontal tablet was better, but trying to navigate Windows 11 as a touch interface made me wish for a stylus. I grabbed a generic (non-powered) stylus, used it for a bit, and decided that the best use for a Z13 without its keyboard was viewing videoson a plane, couch, or bed, perhaps. The hinge makes it easier to use on a lap, couch arm, or other semi-flat plane. But Windows 11 still has a lot of work to do towards becoming a touch-friendly OS.Screen, sounds, and ArmouryYou would hope that the screen on a tablet from the Republic of Gamers would pop, and this one does. Its a 2.5K display (25601600), 13.4 inches diagonally at a 16:10 ratio, and can refresh at up to 180 Hz. It puts out a maximum 500 nits of brightness, covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum, and has some glare resistance from its Gorilla Glass DXC screen. To me, it looked about as good and balanced as a non-OLED screen can look at this size and distance. Its particularly impressive when driving games past 60 Hz or watching HDR video.There are four speakers on the Z13, two embedded into the front and one on each side. They get plenty loud, which is good for a device with fans rated at 50 decibels at their top speed. As for how the speakers sound, theyre about what I expect from a tablet, if a little richer at the low end and midrange, perhaps owing to the slightly thicker case size. I didnt get to try out the microphone array on the Z13; Asus touts it as having AI noise canceling. Armoury Crate running on the Asus ROG Flow Z13. ("Turbo" is not available because it's not plugged in). Credit: Kevin Purdy Armoury Crate running on the Asus ROG Flow Z13. ("Turbo" is not available because it's not plugged in). Credit: Kevin Purdy Rounding out the experience of using this device for things outside a fullscreen game are Asus apps: MyAsus (device and firmware updates and support), ScreenXPert (side button pop-out bar), Armoury Crate (device performance and gaming-centered settings), and Aura Sync/Creator (RGB lighting). Like most Asus software, these are interlinked apps filled with occasionally useful shortcuts, obsessive tweaks to little things, and roughly 34 points that all want your eye focus at once.A bewildering array of ideas and priorities exist in these apps. There are tabs inside Armoury Crate named Content Platform and Promotion that seem built more for Asus executives than humans who use computers. Its not too hard to avoid these things and stick to your apps and games, though you will likely want to keep them installed for BIOS and device-specific updates.Heavyweight gaming, for its sizeThe AMD Ryzen integrated chip inside the Z13 is dubbed the AI Max+ 395 because everything is maximum AI these days. But this is an impressive little chip in plenty of non-AI scenarios. Running at full Turbo settings, this little guy goes hard. It runs at 3.0 GHz and has 16 cores and 32 threads and a 32MB cache, with a unified memory architecture providing up to 96GB video RAM (I had 8GB dedicated in BIOS settings for testing). Its not a light device, but its definitely punching above its weight.To provide a broader perspective on the Z13s chip, I'm including the last two generations of Apples MacBook Pro models in some of the tests. AMDs handouts on this chip put it up against the dedicated GeForce RTX 4070 GPUs in gaming laptops along with Apple's M4 Pro in benchmarks from Blender, V-Ray, and Corona. Those comparisons raised my eyebrows at first, but they're not outlandishat least while the Z13 is plugged in and able to run its fans full blast.Heat, weight, and especially battery life, while harder to definitively test, do matter. If you don't need to worry about them, though, the Z13 can do some heavy graphics work (and maybe local AI, too, if so desired). I ran all the tests shown using the Z13's highest pre-set "Turbo" profile, to mirror how the other devices were set for maximum performance. You could technically push this thing even further with manual configurations in Asus' software; I stuck to Turbo for consistency. Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy As for game performance, the Z13 and its new Radeon 8060S GPU show an impressive bump in integrated GPU performance. It was hard to pick devices to compare it against. Sometimes it was leaving other integrated GPUs in the dust, and performing more on the order of dedicated gaming laptop GPUs, but not always. In various benchmarks, the Radeon 8060S traded first place with a GeForce 3070 (with 8GB memory) inside a HP ZBook Studio G8 laptop.This configuration of the 8060S is darned close toand sometimes beatswhat we saw in the dedicated GeForce RTX 4060and in laptops with dedicated RTX 4060 chips. Leaked 3DMark tests from last week, possibly based on earlier silicon, seem to back this up. It's wild to think of an integrated gaming tablet GPU keeping pace with dedicated gaming laptop GPUs in heavy ray-traced Cyberpunk 2077benchmarks. But it's happening.It's not quite in the realm of dedicateddesktop GPUs, of course. If you're playing at 1080p, its a formidable gaming device for modern titles. But if you want ray tracing or the 1600p experience, youll be seeing frame rates below 60 fps. The only work-around there is an eGPU setup, and that is, well, something we're not testing for here (or recommending for all but the most niche of workflows or gaming desires). Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Kevin Purdy Wrapping upI've played the just-released action RPG Avowed, a bit ofElden Ring, some Hitman: World of Assassination, and the charming little game SteamWorld Heist 2 on the Z13, using either a controller or the detachable keyboard. I've docked the Z13 to my TV, and after some typical Windows-second-screen wrangling, I found it pretty fun to play just slightly older games at 60-plus frames per second in my living room, powered by this little glowing slab underneath.I've also used the Z13 as my primary computer on a plane trip and long weekend. When there's a flat surface to type on, it's a Windows laptop with almost no lag. When I have to hold it or rest it on my lap, it's wonky, at least until I adapt to how Windows wants me to work. When it was in my backpack, it felt a bit heavier than the iPad I'm used to, but I could probably get over that after a trip or two, if I had a modern game I wanted to bring along.AMD's integrated graphics capabilities are the star of the show, pushing forward the notion of what a gaming tablet can do, all in a form that's probably as thin as thermodynamics allows.This post was updated at 9:20 a.m. to add some more context to the benchmarking results.Kevin PurdySenior Technology ReporterKevin PurdySenior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 9 Comments

TechTarget and Informa Techs Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and InformaTechTarget and Informa Techs Digital Business Combine.Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities.The Cost of AI: How Can We Adopt and Deliver AI Efficiently?The Cost of AI: How Can We Adopt and Deliver AI Efficiently?What mindset do enterprises need to adopt in order to make AI happen without breaking the bank and see tangible results?Joao-Pierre S. Ruth, Senior EditorFebruary 18, 2025Which should come first, the plan to adopt AI or an assessment of the available resources an enterprise has to support AI? Is it better to develop AI in-house or turn to third parties? What third-party resources should enterprises look to in order to deliver on their AI plans?In the final week of "The Cost of AI" series, the focus shifts to practical ideas to advance plans for AI.Organizations might feel compelled to acquire top-tier AI resources or search for only the most elite AI professionals to enact their strategies for AI, but that might not make efficient use of an enterprises actual resources. It might not even be realistic.How should companies structure their AI strategies in order to deliver positive ROI? How should short- and long-term plans be mapped out?What can companies do to stay on budget when pursuing AI? How can they determine a rational budget for the scope of their plans? What happens if they realize they cannot achieve their goals within that budget?In this episode of DOS Won't Hunt, Fred Sala, chief scientist at Snorkel AI; Becky Carroll, partner, IBM Consulting Global - AWS strategic partnership lead for data and AI; Charles Xie, CEO and founder of Zilliz; Srujan Akula, CEO of The Modern Data Company; and Deepak Singh, vice president of developer experience at AWS, discussed these and other questions to bring some clarity and efficiency to AI strategies.Read more about:Cost of AIAbout the AuthorJoao-Pierre S. RuthSenior EditorJoao-Pierre S. Ruth covers tech policy, including ethics, privacy, legislation, and risk; fintech; code strategy; and cloud & edge computing for InformationWeek. He has been a journalist for more than 25 years, reporting on business and technology first in New Jersey, then covering the New York tech startup community, and later as a freelancer for such outlets as TheStreet, Investopedia, and Street Fight.See more from Joao-Pierre S. RuthNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorFebruary 18, 20257 Min ReadTithi Luadthong via Alamy StockBusinesses of all types and sizes are launching AI projects, fearing that failing to embrace the powerful new technology will place them at a competitive disadvantage. Yet in their haste to jump on the AI bandwagon, many enterprises fail to consider one critical point: Will the project meet its expected efficiency or profitability goal?Enterprises should consider several criteria to assess the ROI of individual AI projects, including alignment with strategic business goals, potential cost savings, revenue generation, and improvements in operational efficiencies, says Munir Hafez, senior vice president and CIO with credit monitoring firm TransUnion, in an email interview.Besides relying on the standard criteria used for typical software projects -- such as scalability, technology sustainability, and talent -- AI projects must also account for the costs associated with maintaining accuracy and handling model drift over time, says Narendra Narukulla, vice president, Quant analytics, at JPMorganChase.In an online interview, Narukulla points to the example of a retailer deploying a forecasting model designed to predict sales for a specific clothing brand. "After three months, the retailer notices that sales haven't increased and has launched a new sub-brand targeting Gen Z customers instead of millennials," he says. To improve the AI model's performance, an extra variable could be added to account for the new generation of customers purchasing at the store.Related:Effective ApproachesAssessing an AI project's ROI should start by ensuring that the initiative aligns with core business objectives. "Whether the goal is operational efficiency, enhanced customer engagement, or new revenue streams, the project must clearly tie into the organizations strategic priorities," says Beena Ammanath, head of technology trust and ethics at business advisory firm Deloitte, in an online interview.David Lindenbaum, head of Accenture Federal Services' GenAI center of excellence, recommends starting with a business assessment to identify and understand the AI project's end-user as well as the initiative's desired effect. "This will help refocus from a pure technical implementation into business impact," he says via email. Lindenbaum also advises continued AI project evaluation, focusing on a custom test case that will allow developers to accurately measure success and quantitively understand how well the system is operating at any given time.Ammanath believes that a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis is also essential, balancing tangible outcomes such as increased productivity with intangible ones, like improved customer satisfaction or brand perception. "Scalability and sustainability should be central considerations to ensure that AI initiatives deliver long-term value and can grow with organizational needs," she says. "Additionally, a robust risk management framework is vital to address challenges related to data quality, privacy, and ethical concerns, ensuring that projects are both resilient and adaptable."Related:Metrics MatterPotential project ROI can be measured with metrics, including projected cost savings, expected revenue increases, hours of productivity saved, and anticipated improvements in key performance indicators (KPIs) such as customer satisfaction scores, Hafez says. Additionally, metrics such as time-to-market for new products or services, as well as any expected reduction in bugs or vulnerabilities revealed by a tool such as Amazon Q Developer, can provide insights into an AI project's potential benefits.Leaders need to look past the technology to determine how investing in generative AI aligns with their overall strategy, Ammanath says. She notes that the metrics required to measure AI project ROI vary, depending on the implementation stage. For example, to measure the potential ROI, organizations should evaluate projected efficiency gains, estimated revenue growth, and strategic benefits, like improved customer loyalty or reduced downtime. "These forward-looking metrics offer insights into the initiatives promise and help leaders determine if they align with the business goals." Additionally, for current ROI, leaders should consider using metrics that look at realized outcomes, such as actual cost savings, revenue increases tied directly to AI initiatives, and improvements in key performance indicators like customer satisfaction or throughput.Related:Pulling the PlugIf an AI project consistently fails to meet expectations, terminate it in a calculated manner, Hafez recommends. "Document the lessons learned and the reasons for failure, reallocate resources to more promising initiatives, and leverage the knowledge gained to improve future projects."Once a decision has been made to end a project, yet prior to officially announcing the ventures termination, Narukulla advises identifying alternative projects or roles for the now-idled AI team talent. "In light of the ongoing shortage of skilled professionals, ensuring a smooth transition for the team to new initiatives should be a priority," he says.Narukulla adds that capturing key learnings from the terminated project should be a priority. "A thorough post-mortem analysis should be conducted to assess which strategies were successful, which aspects fell short, and what improvements can be made for future endeavors."Narukulla believes that thoroughly documenting post-mortem insights can be invaluable for future reference. "By the time a similar issue arises, new models and additional data sources may offer innovative solutions," he explains. At that point, the project may be revived in a new and useful form.Parting ThoughtsEstablishing a strong governance framework for all ongoing AI projects is essential, Hafez says. "Further, a strong partnership with legal, compliance, and privacy teams can enhance success, particularly in regulated industries." He also suggests collaborating with external partners. "Leveraging their expertise can provide valuable insights and accelerate the AI journey."When implemented and scaled properly, AI is far more than a technological tool; it's a strategic enabler of innovation and competitive advantage, Ammanath says. However, long-term success requires more than sophisticated algorithms -- it demands cultural transformation, emphasizing human collaboration, agility, and ethical foresight, she warns. "Organizations that thrive with AI establish clear governance frameworks, align business and technical teams, and prioritize long-term value creation over short-term gains."As AI continues to advance and evolve, IT leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to align investments with enterprise-wide goals, Ammanath says. "By approaching AI as a strategic lever rather than a standalone solution, organizations can position themselves at the forefront of innovation and value creation."Read more about:Cost of AIAbout the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

An artists impression of what asteroid 2024 YR4 could look like as it approaches Earth in December 2032NASANASA has upgraded the risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 to 2.6 per cent, or about a 1-in-38 chance, the highest odds yet of collision.Astronomers discovered that the asteroid was barrelling towards Earth in December and it has been a focus of the worlds telescopes and space agencies ever since. As they gather more data on the asteroids precise orbit, astronomers have been able to calculate the likelihood of it hitting Earth with greater precision. The asteroid is thought to be between 40 and 90 metres wide and has the potential to release energy equivalent to 7.7 megatonnes of TNT should it hit Earth enough to destroy a city. AdvertisementAccording to NASA, the odds of collision in 2032 have been edging up from a 1-in-83 chance since it was first spotted. It has since moved to 1-in-67, to 1-in-53, to 1-in-43 and now to 1-in-38. The European Space Agency has slightly different odds, currently giving the asteroid a 2.41 per cent chance of collision.This steady increase does not necessarily mean that the asteroid is actually more likely to hit Earth, however, and the odds may yet come down. Just because its gone up in the last week, doesnt mean that its going to continue to do that, says Hugh Lewis at the University of Southampton, UK.But we are running out of time to forecast the asteroids risk. One issue is that 2024 YR4 will fly behind the sun in April, placing it out of the view of most Earth-based telescopes. That limits how much astronomers can refine their predictions, says Lewis. Any observations we can make between now and when its out of view will obviously help us to refine the orbit and to make better predictions. That doesnt necessarily mean that it will go down before April. It could continue to go up, but still ultimately miss us. Voyage across the galaxy and beyond with our space newsletter every month.Sign up to newsletterOnce the asteroid does fly out of view, it is unlikely that we will gain any more information before it comes into view again in 2028. However, astronomers could comb through past data to uncover previously overlooked observations of the asteroid, which would help refine its trajectory. That process is already being undertaken by the worlds space agencies, says Lewis.Crucial information on the asteroids size and composition will hopefully be gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope in the coming months, says Lewis. This will help us understand whether the asteroid could make it through Earths atmosphere intact and how large an explosion it could cause if it does make impact.That will help us determine what we need to do about it, because if its a stony asteroid, thats very different from a high proportion of iron-metal asteroid, says Lewis. An iron-rich asteroid would be worse, as a stony asteroid would potentially break up during impact. The mass makes a huge difference in terms of the energy and whether or not the atmosphere has an effect on it.Topics:asteroids

Ukrainian troops havemade extensive useofdronesKATERYNA KLOCHKO/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockUkraine and Russia are now three years into what has been called the first drone war: not the first in which they were used, but the first in which they have been a major factor on the battlefield. What lessons have others drawn about the shape of future wars?Drones are here to stay, and they will be everywhere on the ground, in the air and at sea in numbers, says Oleksandra Molloy at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia. The point of no return was

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. Nokia is putting the first cellular network on the moon Later this month, Intuitive Machines, the private company behind the first commercial lander that touched down on the moon, will launch a second lunar mission. The plan is to deploy a lander, a rover, and hopper to explore a site near the lunar south pole that could harbor water ice, and to put a communications satellite on lunar orbit. But the mission will also bring something thats never been installed on the moon or anywhere else in space beforea fully functional 4G cellular network. Read our story to learn why. Jacek Krywko How to have a child in the digital age Before journalist and culture critic Amanda Hess even got pregnant with her first child, in 2020, the internet knew she was trying. She saw pregnancy ads way before a doctor. Hesss experience is pretty typical these days, but still raises some big questions. How do we retain control over our bodies when corporations and the medical establishment have access to our most personal information? What happens when people stop relying on friends and family for advice on having a kid and instead go online, where theres a constant onslaught of information? In her new book, Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age, Hess explores these questions while delving into her firsthand experiences with apps, products, algorithms, online forums, advertisers, and moreeach promising an easier, healthier, better path to parenthood. Hess asks: Is that really what theyre delivering? Read our interview with her. Alison Arieff This subscriber-only story is from the next edition of our print magazine, which is all about relationships. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands on February 26! Inside Chinas electric-vehicle-to-humanoid-robot pivot James ODonnell While DOGEs efforts to shutter federal agencies dominate news from Washington, the Trump administration is also making global moves. Many of these center on China, which is leading the world in electric vehicles, robotaxis, drones, and with the launch of DeepSeek, perhaps AI soon too. Now a new trend is unfolding within Chinas tech scene: Companies that were dominant in electric vehicles are betting big on translating that success into developing humanoid robots. I spoke with China reporter Caiwei Chen about what it might mean for Trumps policies. This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter all about the latest in the world of AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday. How will generative AI change search? Generative AI search, one of MIT Technology Review's 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2025, is ushering in a new era of the internet. Despite fewer clicks, copyright fights, and sometimes iffy answers, AI could unlock new ways to summon all the worlds knowledge. Join editor in chief Mat Honan and executive editor Niall Firth at 1.30pm ET today for a subscriber-only Roundtable conversation exploring how AI will alter search. Sign up here to attend, and if you havent already, read Mats feature about it too. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 DOGE is on the cusp of accessing US taxpayer data What theyre planning to do with it is anyones guess. (CNN)+ FDA staff reviewing Musks company Neuralink were fired by DOGE last weekend. (Reuters $)+ A top official at the Social Security Administration just left after refusing DOGEs request to access sensitive records. (NBC)+ Can AI help DOGE slash government budgets? Its complex. (MIT Technology Review)2 DeepSeek may be shifting towards monetizing its AI modelsRight now, theyre open source and free. How long can that last? (South China Morning Post $)+ How DeepSeek ripped up the AI playbookand why everyones going to follow its lead. (MIT Technology Review)3 Were inching closer to a norovirus vaccinePlenty of people might welcome this, especially after this winters nasty rash of infections. (Scientific American $)4 The war on diversity and inclusion initiatives is a smokescreenAnd the people waging it will go much further, if we let them. (The Verge)5 Some states claim zero abortionsWhich is impossible, and hints at something worrying: official statistics are being politicized in the US. (Undark)6 China is looking for its own ways to protect data from quantum computersIts spurning algorithms created in the US in case they contain secret back doors. (New Scientist $)+ Chinese President Xi Jinping met some of the countrys top tech execs yesterday. (The Information $)7 Reddit moderators are fighting to keep AI slop off the platformIts an important battle to manybut its only going to get harder and harder. (Ars Technica)8 Meta has wasted $70 billion on the metaverse. This advert shows why.This must presumably be the best they could do, and yet its just embarrassingly bad. (Forbes)9 Working from home has turned us into office weirdosBut hey, maybe this is our chance to carve out some better, kinder office etiquette. (Business Insider $)+ To be fair, we still dont know how to behave on Slack or Zoom either. (NYT $)10 Are noise cancelling headphones causing hearing problems? Audiologists say excessive use may interfere with the way teens learn to process speech and noise. (BBC)Quote of the day People do not feel safe speaking out in this country against the government. Ryan Calo, a law professor at the University of Washington, tells the Washington Post that Elon Musk and President Trumps keenness to take vengeance on people who criticize them is having a chilling effect. The big story What is AI? JUN IONEDA What is AI?July 2024 Artificial intelligence is the hottest technology of our time. But what is it? It sounds like a stupid question, but its one thats never been more urgent. If youre willing to buckle up and come for a ride, I can tell you why nobody really knows, why everybody seems to disagree, and why youre right to care about it. Read the full story. Will Douglas Heaven We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.)+ Love these glitzy, cheerful photos taken behind the scenes of last nights BAFTAs. + Meet Victorian Londons cats meat men.+ Led Zeppelin fans rejoice: the bands first official documentary is out.+ Want to feel happier? Let Dr Laurie Santos from Yale explain what you need to do.

Guy Pearce said Kevin Spacey "targeted" him on the set of "L.A. Confidential" in 1996.The actor said he brushed off advances from Spacey.When Spacey was accused of sexual assault in 2017, Pearce said he "broke down."Guy Pearce said that Kevin Spacey sexually harassed him in 1996 on the set of the neo-noir thriller, "L.A. Confidential." Pearce said he ignored his advances, but "broke down" when Spacey was accused of sexual assault in 2017."L.A. Confidential" tells the story of three police officers, played by Pearce, Spacey, and Russell Crowe, who investigate corruption and murder in 1950s Los Angeles.Pearce, who stars in this year's Oscar-nominated movie "The Brutalist," recalled working with Spacey on The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast. Pearce said he considers himself a victim, but added "I was certainly not a victim by any means to the extent that other people have been to sexual predators."He said he tried to ignore advances Spacey made toward him during production, without going into further detail.Pearce said: "I did that thing where you go: 'Ah, that's nothing. Ah, no, that's nothing.' I did that for five months, and really I was sort of scared of Kevin because he's quite an aggressive man. "He's extremely charming and brilliant at what he does, really impressive, etc. He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question."He added: "I had a couple of confrontations with Kevin post-that, that got ugly." Pearce didn't specify what happened, when these alleged interactions were or their outcome. In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him at a party in 1986, when he was 14 years old.Recalling hearing the news, Pearce said: "I was in London working on something, and I heard this and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn't stop. "I think it really dawned on me the impact that had occurred and how I sort of brushed it off and how I had either shelved it or blocked it out or whatever. That was a really incredible wake-up call I suppose."Rapp sued Spacey in October 2022, but a jury found him not liable after a civil trial in New York.Rapp's allegations were followed by others against Spacey, from men who worked in the film industry and at the Old Vic Theater in London, where Spacey was the artistic director from 2004 to 2015.Representatives for Spacey did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.In 2024, Spacey responded to a documentary about the allegations: "I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions. But I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologise to anyone who's made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me."

The last time anyone other than a fighter pilot went supersonic was 20 years ago. Today, you can only visit a Concorde in a handful of museums. It's a relic, left behind by an industry that invested in efficiency rather than speed.Now, companies are investing billions of dollars in restoring commercial Mach-speed flight, but the path to supersonic travel isn't going to be easy. Business Insider's Daniel Allen looks at the key reasons that bringing back supersonic is almost impossible.Show more

Next Page is a newsletter written by senior correspondent and book critic Constance Grady. She covers books, publishing, gender, celebrity analysis, and theater. To get new editions in your inbox, subscribe here.Any time I travel to a new place for which there is no Rick Steves guidebook, I feel a little cheated. Steves, with his impeccable recommendations, sensible budgeting options, and gently corny prose style, has served as the benevolent fairy godfather on more than one trip for me. So its a treat to read his new memoir, On the Hippie Trail, and meet a Steves who is much younger and much more unsure perhaps in need of a fairy godparent of his own.In 1978, Steves was a 23-year-old piano teacher who already had the travel bug. Together with a school friend, he was determined to make his way across the so-called Hippie Trail: from Istanbul to Kathmandu, an overland trek by bus and train through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. He kept a detailed journal of his experiences, and its that which forms the basis of the new memoir a young mans story, with minimal intrusions from the old one.Along the Hippie Trail, Steves got high for the first time. (In Afghanistan in 1978, he reasoned, it was as innocent as wine with dinner is in America. Today, hes an advocate for legalized cannabis.) He rode an elephant in Jaipur and bathed under a waterfall in Nepal. The dreamy travel descriptions are fun, but whats loveliest in this book is to watch Steves slowly open his mind to a world that was bigger and more complicated than he ever expected. What did the people think as we waltzed in and out of their lives? he wonders. Travel is one of the great opportunities to open your mind to the world, but one of the others is reading, which allows you to brush up against the consciousness of another person, touching your mind to theirs. Here are some books to help you do just that.On the shelfGliff by Ali SmithHere are some of the characteristics of the books of Ali Smith, whos been called Scotlands Nobel laureate-in-waiting: sneaky serialization. (Her acclaimed seasonal quartet was linked by a tricky, easy-to-miss series of daisy chain connections.) Linguistic play. (She likes a prose poem integrated into the text and, if she can swing it, a long discussion of etymology.) A set of anti-fascist politics that is not optimistic so much as it is committed to resistance and to the resilient capabilities of art and beauty. (The seasonal quartet contained some of the earliest serious post-Brexit and post-Covid novels.)Smiths new novel, Gliff, contains all of the above, and yet it still feels new and surprising. Its simply not quite what you would expectGliff takes place in a near-future dystopia, and it tracks two siblings with the fairy-tale names of Rose and Briar. Their bohemian parents have sheltered them from the worst of their authoritarian state, but the state takes its strange and absurd revenge. Sometime in the night, we learn through Briars child eyes, someone comes to their house and paints a red line all around it, an opaque threat that nonetheless forces them to flee their home. Then the line comes for their camper van. It comes relentlessly, unstoppably, forcing Briar and Rose away from their parents, off the grid, into hiding, and even, eventually, away from each other. Gliffs title comes from an old Scottish word with many meanings: It can be a short moment, a violent blow, a sudden escape, or a nonsense sound. Its companion novel is due to come out next year and is being advertised as a story hidden in the first novel. It will be titled Glyph.Mona Acts Out by Mischa BerlinskiWhat a treat, what an absolute delight this warm, funny novel is which is a particular triumph because it is, in some ways, a Me Too novel. A little bit Slings & Arrows, a little bit Dorothy Parker, Mona Acts Out deals with the fraught relationship between esteemed Shakespearian actor Mona Zahid and her old mentor Milton Katz, who has been forced out of the theatrical company he founded after accusations of sexual harassment.Mona, who as she approaches middle age laments that she will soon have to stop playing Ophelia and start playing Gertrude, credits Milton with making her. Yet shes never felt completely comfortable with the way Milton wielded his absolute power at their theater company, a dynamic tracked here with the nuance befitting a book that takes Shakespeare as its subject. Over the course of one disastrous Thanksgiving, Mona gets very high indeed and, little dog in tow, walks out on hosting her in-laws to ramble across Manhattan, trying to get Milton out of her head and also work out the mystery of why her hair currently looks so good.As Mona walks, she occasionally frets over the role shes currently playing: Maria in Twelfth Night, one of Shakesepeares most sparkling comedies. Monas playing it dark and cruel, and no one quite understands why: Isnt it supposed to be funny? With Mona Acts Out, Berlinski has pulled off the opposite feat. Shes written a sharp analysis of something dark, and shes made it a pure pleasure to read. What a strange phenomenon the Disney Channel of the 2000s was: all those squeaky clean sitcoms about sweet kids with big dreams; all that ever-lurking paranoia that one of the sweet kids would pull a Britney any minute now. If youre a millennial, odds are that you spent some time with Disney Channel as your babysitter. It fed mainstream pop culture one giant pop star after another and then, somehow, it seemed to fade away, consigned to irrelevance as abruptly and inexplicably as it became, somehow, central in its heyday.Or maybe not so inexplicably. Ashley Spencers Disney High is a smart, rigorously reported piece of both cultural and corporate history on how a combination of luck and prescience shot the Disney Channel into the zeitgeist over the course of the 2000s, and how corporate inertia let it fall again. Few would call the work Disney built over that decade great art, but it was a hugely formative influence on the childhood and adolescence of a generation. In Disney High, Spencer shows us how it got there. Off the shelfHave you been following all this uproar over book blurbs? I wrote about it here.Happy Valentines Day! LitHub has some advice from novelists on the art of the sex scene.At Harpers, climate journalist Justin Nobel tells the story of pulling his book from Simon & Schuster after the publisher was bought by a private equity firm with investments in oil and gas. Novelist Lincoln Michel makes the case that books will outlast AI. At the Paris Review, Jamieson Webster celebrates the word-drunk language play of Good Night Moon writer Margaret Wise Brown.See More:

Donald Trump has spent his first month as president governing with chaos, shock, and awe. He threatened, walked back, and imposed some tariffs; let Elon Musk take a hatchet to the federal bureaucracy; purged agencies and departments of opposition; and captured media attention with executive orders and expansionist daydreams.And through it all, his overall popularity has remained steady historically high for him even if historically unpopular compared to other modern presidents, according to Gallup polling. He still holds a positive net approval rating something he only achieved for two weeks at the start of his first term, per FiveThirtyEights averages. That measure has hovered at around 50 percent approval, a higher share of support than he ever had eight years ago. The margin has shrunk a bit since he took office, but it still sits at +3.3 points.His personal favorability, another measure of how Americans feel about the president, is similarly more positive than its been since he left office in 2021. Roughly even shares of Americans think of him positively or negatively.These factors naturally prompt a few follow-up questions, ones that are particularly vexing for Trumps critics. Why hasnt all this chaos done anything to dent his popularity? Whats helping him? And how long can that last?We now have a decent amount of polling and data to answer those questions. Much of what they show is not exactly rocket science: Almost half of Americans voted for Trump, and they like what they see so far. The data also includes a poll shared exclusively with Vox that suggests some serious warning signs for the president as his honeymoon tapers off. But the bottom line is that people mostly approve of what Trump is doing, and he is keeping high levels of support from Republicans and a good share of independents and moderates.The main reason: plenty of what Trump is doing resonates with Americans so farTheres a very simple explanation for why so many Americans view Trump favorably: they think that hes living up to his campaign promises, or doing even better than they expected, on a range of actions Trump has taken so far.A few eye-opening results from a recent CBS/YouGov poll show this: some 70 percent of Americans think Trump is keeping his campaign trail promises, and nearly half of Americans think hes doing even more than they expected he would in the early days of his presidency. Among that subset of respondents, the vast majority like the fact that hes exceeding their expectations.Looking specifically at the issues, Trump gets positive marks for his attention to immigration and the southern border and for cutting government spending and foreign aid budgets. Another poll, from Marquette University, shows something similar for two other areas: Trumps executive orders and stance on transgender people, and his plan to expand oil and gas production in the US. Both enjoy double-digit levels of support.Of course, an important addendum to these perspectives is the degree of attention that Trumps actions have received. The president has mastered the attention economy, so the American public feels quite informed about what it is that hes prioritizing. That YouGov/CBS poll shows that, to a degree: Some 45 percent of Americans say theyre paying a lot of attention to political news. Another 35 percent say they are paying some attention. That attention seems to be benefitting Trump and his party as most attitudes toward Democrats remain quite negative, from both Republicans, Independents, and an angered Democratic base.Trumps weirdest policy moves are the least popularYet there are a handful of other eccentric and wacky Trump positions and priorities that dont seem to enjoy the same level of approval including one signature Trump position that carries pretty negative associations. It runs a bit counter to one of the theories for Trumps success on the campaign trail: that his weirdness, his bluster, and his comedic celebrity were part of why voters liked him.That same Marquette poll that finds Trumps immigration, transgender, and energy policies to be popular also finds some of Trumps more random policy positions to be viewed quite negatively.Taking back the Panama Canal and pardoning January 6 rioters are both opposed by 65 percent of Americans, while renaming the Gulf of Mexico is opposed by a little more than 70 percent of Americans. Trumps more traditional executive orders are very positively received, as expected for a president in his honeymoon phase, the election analyst Lakshya Jain, from Split-Ticket.org, said in a post reflecting on these dynamics. One of the biggest strikes against people love Trumps weirdness is that renaming the Gulf of Mexico, taking back the Panama Canal, and pardoning J6 rioters all are incredibly unpopular actions, while GOP-orthodox policies on gender, immigration, and drilling are net positive.Similarly, a recent poll conducted by the progressive research firm Data for Progress (and shared with Vox) found that when asked about some more specific actions Trump has taken under the umbrella of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and purging the government of wokeness, Americans seem less favorable to Trumps position. Other polling here is a little messy, but in general, DEI initiatives in theory still remain quite popular.Some 62 percent of American adults in the poll opposed administrative moves to remove mentions of climate change, from the US Department of Agricultures website and to remove the Spanish-language version of the White House website. More than 70 percent, meanwhile, oppose federal agencies moves to stop celebrating Black History Month or Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And while Americans are generally okay with the gutting of USAID and cuts to government spending and the federal bureaucracy, theyre wary of the role of Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency team. The Data for Progress poll matches YouGovs surveys for CBS and The Economist this month: Musk himself is quite unpopular. At least half of the nation has an unfavorable opinion of him, per the Data for Progress poll. Those two YouGov surveys either show that Americans wish Musk had less influence in conducting government operations or are outright concerned about the level of influence he musters. While 63 percent of American adults think Musk has a lot of influence within Trumps administration, only 18 percent say they want him to have that much power, according to the Economist/YouGov survey. Across all partisan groups, the level of perceived influence is higher than respondents desired influence. That perception will matter as Trumps presidency carries on, and Americans wonder who in fact is influencing the presidents decisions.Voters wanted change from the status quo in 2024, and Trump was seen as the change candidate. But hes still far more unpopular than other presidents were at this point in their term, including Biden, Evangel Penumaka, Data for Progresss polling principal and research director, told me. So far, voters have seen a chaotic administration attempting a lot of policy changes at once and giving undue power to the worlds richest man. And while Trump may be appeasing those who care strongly about immigration, he still has yet to show voters that he can address their top concern the economy.Trump still faces a singular threat: inflationThat final factor the economy could end up being a much bigger liability for Trump than is currently being discussed. It was the predominant reason Trump was elected and its the issue that most Americans think Trump isnt paying enough attention to at this point. The CBS poll, for example, found that 66 percent of Americans think Trump is not putting enough focus on lowering prices. An analysis by CNNs Harry Enten found a similar dynamic: some 55 percent of Americans think inflation or the economy in general should be Trumps focus during his first 100 days.His proposed tariffs on Mexico, Europe, and Canada are all tremendously unpopular only tariffs with China are viewed favorably by a majority of Americans.The Marquette survey found similar division on whether tariffs are good for the economy a plurality, 46 percent, think they would hurt the national economy, while about half of Americans think they would increase inflation.Unless Trump can meaningfully show voters that he is focused on the cost of living, his work eliminating government services and undermining consumer protections is not likely to win over voters who were motivated by pocketbook issues in November, Penumaka, of Data for Progress, told me.The overall Trump favorability remains positive but is trending down. So the question now is: will this honeymoon last for long? Americans who are tuned in to these political dynamics may continue to see negative media coverage, a reorganized Democratic opposition, and slow movement on economic conditions, like the prices of goods and services. For now, the positive feelings Americans have for a certain non-economic segment of Trumps policies are keeping him afloat. But if he doesnt make material progress on those economic expectations, could the same malaise that set in during Bidens presidency return? And if those conditions and feelings do improve, will voters give him credit? Up until now, Trump has shown he can defy expectations. But inflation has beaten presidents before and its now unclear if Trump will be an exception.See More: