CES 2026

[Eric]

Here we go, the AI revolution will surely drive this year's show, starting with, but not limited to, Google Gemeni which will let you have conversations with your TV that will surely result in every single word you say generating personalized ads across all of your devices.

Google introduces new Gemini for Google TV features.

See how Gemini is making Google TV even more helpful, and bringing more ways to engage with your TV.

blog.google

 

[rdrr]

Can't even imagine! My wife and I joke around a lot, and tease each other. Hey! If it keeps me from getting those shaking dogs and cat commercials, then count me in.

 

[dada_dave]

Bigger than AI if everything the company says is true:

 

[Cmaier]

Bigger than AI if everything the company says is true:

mmmm….donuts….

 

[Herdfan]

Can't even imagine! My wife and I joke around a lot, and tease each other. Hey! If it keeps me from getting those shaking dogs and cat commercials, then count me in.

Let me donate $1000 to NEVER see one of those commercials again. I can't help them all and I know it is happening, but I don't need to see it.

I feel bad just thinking that I want a Maine Coon when we are ready for the next cat, but also knowing there are a ton of great shelter cats that need a home.

I haven't been to CES since probably 2008. Not sure what changed, but most of the new tech just doesn't interest me like it used to.

 

[mr_roboto]

Bigger than AI if everything the company says is true:

Sadly, after doing a bit of online research, this company seems sketchy as hell to me.

My first bad impression was from their their own promo video on youtube. It's slick, but they're trying to imitate Apple-style announcement videos, and not the good kind where Apple goes at least skin-deep on some technical advance they're proud of having pulled off. This one is just all gloss. Not one word as to what their battery chemistry is.

And then I went searching for online commentary, and found that in a Reddit thread, people did some digging and could not find any evidence that Donut Lab has ever filed battery patents, or employs people with expertise in developing batteries. (I have not verified these claims.)

Furthermore, the company has only been around a year or so. Established players have been researching solid state batteries for many years without achieving commercially viable results, yet here is this tiny startup promising essentially perfect results - super high cycle count, super high charge rate, incredible energy density, near zero safety hazards, perfect and cheap materials choices (though they won't say what, just that everything's basically perfect), low price, and more. No matter what the metric, they're claiming they "designed" the battery to be great at it. That gets my spidey sense tingling; if it was possible to simply decide to design a perfect battery, and do it in about a year, other companies would have done it long ago.

So, count me in the skeptic camp. I'll believe it when it's actually for sale and independent reviewers get enough hands on time with the battery cells (not the EV motorcycle that's supposedly their launch product, but just the cells) to validate some of their fantastic performance claims.

(P.S. Another thing that smells a bit funny is the product (apparently real) the company's named for, a donut shaped hubless wheel motor. These are great for visual flair - everyone loves the look of a hubless wheel - but are always terrible in practice. Among other issues, making the motor part of the wheel greatly increases the unsprung weight of the vehicle, which is awful for handling and ride quality. So, while they're using this motor as a way to establish their EV street cred, it's not actually a good EV motor... and also, developing a motor is a totally different (and much easier) task than developing a brand new battery chemistry.)

 

[Roller]

Sadly, after doing a bit of online research, this company seems sketchy as hell to me.

My first bad impression was from their their own promo video on youtube. It's slick, but they're trying to imitate Apple-style announcement videos, and not the good kind where Apple goes at least skin-deep on some technical advance they're proud of having pulled off. This one is just all gloss. Not one word as to what their battery chemistry is.

And then I went searching for online commentary, and found that in a Reddit thread, people did some digging and could not find any evidence that Donut Lab has ever filed battery patents, or employs people with expertise in developing batteries. (I have not verified these claims.)

Furthermore, the company has only been around a year or so. Established players have been researching solid state batteries for many years without achieving commercially viable results, yet here is this tiny startup promising essentially perfect results - super high cycle count, super high charge rate, incredible energy density, near zero safety hazards, perfect and cheap materials choices (though they won't say what, just that everything's basically perfect), low price, and more. No matter what the metric, they're claiming they "designed" the battery to be great at it. That gets my spidey sense tingling; if it was possible to simply decide to design a perfect battery, and do it in about a year, other companies would have done it long ago.

So, count me in the skeptic camp. I'll believe it when it's actually for sale and independent reviewers get enough hands on time with the battery cells (not the EV motorcycle that's supposedly their launch product, but just the cells) to validate some of their fantastic performance claims.

(P.S. Another thing that smells a bit funny is the product (apparently real) the company's named for, a donut shaped hubless wheel motor. These are great for visual flair - everyone loves the look of a hubless wheel - but are always terrible in practice. Among other issues, making the motor part of the wheel greatly increases the unsprung weight of the vehicle, which is awful for handling and ride quality. So, while they're using this motor as a way to establish their EV street cred, it's not actually a good EV motor... and also, developing a motor is a totally different (and much easier) task than developing a brand new battery chemistry.)

Yeah, I was just about to post the same thing after reading that Reddit thread. IIRC, they are asking $100 to get on their waitlist.

I’d love to be proven wrong and find that they’ve made a breakthrough that companies with far more resources haven’t, but I’ll be surprised if that’s the case.

 

[Nycturne]

(P.S. Another thing that smells a bit funny is the product (apparently real) the company's named for, a donut shaped hubless wheel motor. These are great for visual flair - everyone loves the look of a hubless wheel - but are always terrible in practice. Among other issues, making the motor part of the wheel greatly increases the unsprung weight of the vehicle, which is awful for handling and ride quality. So, while they're using this motor as a way to establish their EV street cred, it's not actually a good EV motor... and also, developing a motor is a totally different (and much easier) task than developing a brand new battery chemistry.)

This is definitely a big red flag. Reminds me of that kickstarter for the hubless e-bike.

 

[mr_roboto]

This is definitely a big red flag. Reminds me of that kickstarter for the hubless e-bike.

This one?



Hubless wheels are a lot like everyone's favorite transportation scam, the monorail. They both look futuristic, always garner lots of attention, and never live up to the promises.

 

[mr_roboto]

I’d love to be proven wrong and find that they’ve made a breakthrough that companies with far more resources haven’t, but I’ll be surprised if that’s the case.

I'd love to be proven wrong too. It would truly be great for the world if such an incredible battery was real.

 

[dada_dave]

I'd love to be proven wrong too. It would truly be great for the world if such an incredible battery was real.

Aye, though the more established companies are talking about being 2-4 years away from their solid state battery debuts. So hopefully even if these guys are full of shit, which is sadly the most likely, we shouldn’t have to wait too long, with the caveat that of course we don’t know what they’ll be spec’d at if/when they arrive.

 

[Yoused]

Hubless wheels are a lot like everyone's favorite transportation scam

I am pretty well acquainted with bicycle wheels, and the idea of hubless strikes me as adding rolling resistance for almost no gain. Admittedly, I have never had a suicide squirrel destroy my bike while getting me thrown to the pavement, but that just tells you how rare such events are. The Verge motorcycle almost makes hubless make sense, as the motor is integrated into the rim, but it looks to me like it would be more efficient as a hubbed wheel. For US$30K+, though, not very appealing to me. The forward posture is probably not ideal for more than an hour in the saddle, and the design aesthetic is just, forgive me, trite.

 

[mr_roboto]

I am pretty well acquainted with bicycle wheels, and the idea of hubless strikes me as adding rolling resistance for almost no gain.

That's exactly it, except there's not even any gains. (Other than aesthetics.)

Technically they're still hubbed wheels, it's just that the hub has been made nearly the same diameter as the whole wheel. That means a giant bearing, with lots of contact points, and higher surface speeds.

Weight is another downside. The parts of a conventional wheel inside of the rim are fairly weight-efficient structure. If you remove all that material to gain a cool looking giant hole through the middle, now you have to beef up the two hoops (one rotating, the other fixed) which now comprise the entirety of the "hubless" wheel. Unless you want to accept a compromise on strength and/or durability, afaik, this does not end up with the "hubless" wheel design being lighter.

Seals are another downside. Much harder to seal off the whole perimeter of a big circle than a tiny one. This turns into another source of rolling resistance. "Hubless" wheels just don't make any sense from an engineering perspective.

 

[Nycturne]

I'd love to be proven wrong too. It would truly be great for the world if such an incredible battery was real.

It would, but the fact that it is incredible is the warning sign, IMO. I’m getting to the point where if someone claims a leap or breakthrough, I’m going to immediately wonder what new thing enabled it.

This one?

Hubless wheels are a lot like everyone's favorite transportation scam, the monorail. They both look futuristic, always garner lots of attention, and never live up to the promises.

That one, yes. I haven’t heard of any other one, I just couldn’t remember the name off the top of my head.

But how can the monorail be a scam if I keep riding it?

 

[Yoused]

That's exactly it, except there's not even any gains

There is one tiny gain, that might affect one in half a million people – something like this:

With a "hubless" wheel, an evil prankster cannot throw a stick into your wheel to flip you. But, again, for what it costs you, it is just not worth it.

 

[Roller]

This is definitely a big red flag. Reminds me of that kickstarter for the hubless e-bike.

Here’s an analysis of the battery claims:

 

[dada_dave]

Here’s an analysis of the battery claims:

Well … hopefully Nordic Nano isn’t lying to everyone and that this is real. A capacitor with 400 Wh/kg … would be a twist. I mean they’re claiming to put it out in into the real world in the next few months. If it’s fake it’s going to be discovered really soon (look for unexpected delays if the claims are false).