Although Alienware refreshes its laptops specs fairly frequently – gamers are always looking for the best performance, after all – it’s been a while since the company redesigned its chassis. But now accommodating Nvidia’s 10-series graphics on the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch models, Alienware’s new laptops are sporting new designs to push their gaming chops further than ever.

Alienware is keeping a tight lid on the 13 at the moment, so this article will focus on the two larger models.

Though the chassis update looks like a mild refresh at first, there’s a big difference: The hinge has been moved forward for better thermals (all the heat can simply be pushed out the back now. It makes the laptops deeper than before, but conversely, the laptops are also about 25 percent thinner each, and a bit lighter too. Oh, and it still lights up to any of a bazillion colors.

Of course, the most anticipated hardware are the new 10-series graphics cards (the 1070 on the 15-inch and 1080 on the 17-inch). That means all three models should be VR ready for both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive right out of the box.

Of note, these aren’t ‘M’ models – Nvidia has dropped the separate moniker for mobile cards, as they’re allegedly very similar to the desktop graphics cards with some slight tweaks for mobile optimization. The company has said the mobile cards should be within 10 percent of their desktop counterparts with proper cooling, and preliminary tests support this claim (see ArsTechnica’s breakdown here ).

They are also the first cards to be manufacturer-overclockable, although there’s no word on whether Alienware has done that here. You can also still connect the laptops to Alienware’s Graphics Amplifier if you just really need a Titan X (Nvidia’s most powerful card).

The displays take advantage of the new cards, being the first Alienware laptops with support for Nvidia’s G-Sync tech. If you’re not familiar, it’s basically a godsend to gamers, synchronizing your display with your graphics cards’ output, and removing the visual tearing without introducing any lag. No word on what the maximum refresh rate is, however.

The company says the displays should be about 300 nits bright, and should come in options ranging from from 1080p to 4K on both models. Meanwhile, the keyboard has been improved to a new TactX keyboard, which have N-Key rollover . That means you can press as many keys as you’d like and have them all register without any ghosting – allowing complex combos and maneuvers. The keys also have 2.2 mm of travel – a lot for a laptop.

The laptops can be configured with desktop-grade, quad-core Core i7 chips, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Battery life is also reportedly improved thanks to more power-efficient hardware. You can opt for either a 68 Watt-hour or 99 Watt-hour batteries on the 15 and 17.

Another unique feature is optional Tobii eye tracking on the 17-inch model. Aside from some in-game coaching (“remember to check corners so you don’t get ambushed!”), the system has some more practical everyday features, such as turning off the display when you’re not looking at it to conserve battery life. It’s still on the gimmicky side of the equation, but eye-tracking has a ton of potential for future games.

Oh, and there’s a Windows Hello camera for logging in with your face too.

The laptops are due later this month. No word on pricing yet but Alienware is hoping to keep things as competitive as last year’s models, which currently start at $1200 and $1500 for the 15 and 17 models, respectively. Hopefully we’ll hear more about the 13-inch model around the same time.

All that being said though, they’ve got nothing on Acer for sheer absurdity .

The Skulpt Chisel tracks your body fat, not your heart rate

CES 2016 has been a showcase for specialized fitness trackers beyond the usual step and heart-rate monitoring. The Skulpt Chisel, a $99 handheld device that measures your body fat and muscle quality (that’s a real scientific term ), is meant to monitor your results and progress more than your training.

Body fat percentage is one of the better indicators of overall fitness – much better than the utterly useless BMI (body-mass index) – and an important metric if you’re trying to lose weight healthily or build muscle without becoming gaining too much fat.

Problem is, it’s really hard to measure accurately.

Online calculators can be off by several percentage points (often the difference between ‘I should have abs already’ and ‘I shouldn’t eat that brownie’), and proven methods like hydrostatic weighing or DEXA scans are both prohibitively expensive and too inconvenient for frequent use.

As for those ‘ bioimpedance ‘ scales that send an electrical signal through your body? While the science behind them is fine, the implementation is notoriously inconsistent , varying tremendously based on your hydration levels, weight distribution and even ethnicity.

Skulpt has a lofty claim: it can measure body fat nearly as accurately as a hydrostatic weight test, or within a margin of error of just 1-2 percent. It uses a more complex version of impedance testing called ‘electrical impedance myography.’

The difference amounts to multiple more precise sensors which can focus the electrical signal to different depths, as well as the fact that you use the device to measure fat in different areas separately (overall bodyfat estimates use your triceps, abs and quads).

All that means the electrical signal can actually be directed at your lean muscle mass instead of just wandering aimlessly as with the vast majority of impedance methods.

It also goes a level deeper than other devices, by tracking ‘muscle quality.’ While it sounds like a hocus pocus marketing term, it’s basically an estimate of your intramuscular fat.

The less intramuscular fat, the more force a muscle can produce relative to its volume – think a leaner cut of steak. Being able to measure muscle quality can theoretically help you identify weak links and decide which body parts need some extra TLC.

Chisel is actually the company’s second device, a follow up to last year’s crowdfunded Aim . Scouring through user reviews and impressions, the consensus seems to be that estimates were actually quite accurate relative to DEXA – an impressive feat – but the device was sometimes glitchy, had a poor build, and was too expensive at $199.

Skulpt’s listened to user feedback, removing the screen from the Chisel to make it lighter and help bring down the price to $99.

Users also complained about the slow charging on the Aim’s NiMH battery (10 hours!), so the Chisel tops up in a much more reasonable two hours and lasts two to four weeks on a charge thanks to standard lithium ion tech.

Although we’d need more time with the device to be sure, holding it myself at CES, I had no concerns about build quality. Also, since all the interaction happens via the app, users don’t have to worry about a wonky interface on the device itself.

It’s a refreshingly different take on fitness tracking than the usual activity metrics; the Skulpt is about improving performance through results. and is a more useful tool for tracking progress to your aesthetic goals as well.

Chisel will finish up funding on Indiegogo by tomorrow, and begins shipping to backers in March. It starts at $99.

➤ Skulpt Chisel

Someone is leaking all the details of the Samsung Note 7 in a Reddit AMA

The Samsung Note 7 is believed to be on its way, and one Redditor with a good track record of Samsung leaks is dumping all the details in an AMA .

Samsung’s Note 7 is said to have 4GB RAM and 64GB Memory standard, and a “body is similar to the S7 edge” with rounded edges and a nearly edge-to-edge display.

Blue with a gold bezel will be the flagship model, while a black unit with a grey or silver bezel will also be available. The gold option is said to be international only.

The 12-megapixel camera has a slow motion feature that will find only those objects or people moving around and slow them independently of the rest of the frame. That could lead to some really neat slow-mo walking scenes with wind blowing leaves or bushes around at a different pace.

Credit: Samsung / YouTube

The slow motion feature can be sped up or slowed further with a slider bar.

The Note 7 may also have a retina scanner, which turns off after 9 seconds to avoid eye damage. If you’re looking for weird news, the S-Pen will reportedly be usable underwater (because you may need to take notes while swimming?).

S-Pen will let you make GIFs, though. All you have to do is trace a section of a video you want to make into a GIF, and it automatically saves to your device.

It’s also said that the Note 7 will have a 3500mAh battery and Gorilla Glass 4.

As it’s a Reddit AMA, the chances of the information being false or otherwise slightly off are high. Still, the AMA host says they’ve had their hands on the Note 7. We’re anxious to see if this info is accurate or not.