The second generation of Lenovo's Smart Clock display is even smarter than the first. Along with some other new features like a built-in nightlight, the latest model also adds a wireless charging dock, making it the perfect companion for your nightstand. And right now, you can pick one up at a bargain. Today only, Best Buy has the 2nd-gen Lenovo Smart Clock on sale for $30 off, dropping the price down to just $60. This deal is only available until 9:59 p.m. PT (12:59 a.m. ET) tonight.

With its compact design and smaller-than-average 4-inch display, the Lenovo Smart Clock is designed to fit comfortably on smaller nightstands and bedside tables. And the new wireless charging dock, which delivers 10 watts of power and has a USB-A port on the back to charge a second device, can help eliminate some of those tangled charging cables cluttering your nightstand as well. If you don't use wireless charging, the clock can be used without the charging dock as well.

The Lenovo Smart Clock is powered by Google Assistant, so it can be used to control other Assistant-enabled smart devices in your house, as well as any smart devices from Arlo, Nest, Wink and Hue. You can also use it to check the weather, get updates on the news and review your schedule for the day, as well as set morning and nightly routines. And you can personalize the clock face using your Google Photos albums.

CNET reviewer Molly Price preferred the 2nd-gen Google Nest Hub at full price, though this simpler Lenovo Smart Clock makes a much more compelling case at this discounted price, especially if you need a wireless charger, which the Nest doesn't have. It's also worth noting that the 2nd-gen Nest Hub is on sale for $45 as well right now. Either way you'll be getting a great smart display at a solid price.

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.

Lenovo's premium ThinkPad X1 laptops have been a highlight of its CES announcements for years now and it continues with CES 2021 despite being virtual. The PC maker is rolling out two new models and two updates to its ThinkPad X1 lineup, joining the X1 Fold and X1 Nano released late last year, which is the lightest ThinkPad at the moment at 1.99 pounds (907 grams). 

The main attraction for this year's announcements is the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga, which Lenovo says is its thinnest ThinkPad ever at just over 11mm (0.4 inch). It also weighs just 2.5 pounds (1.2 kg). The convertible two-in-one has a 13.5-inch 2K 450-nit display with a 3:2 aspect ratio (something I'm seeing a lot more of on business laptops, along with 16:10 displays). 

Aside from its slender build and being covered in titanium material, the two-in-one has an IR camera for touchless sign-ins as well as a fingerprint reader and is 5G ready. It's expected to be available to order later this month starting at $1,899, which roughly converts to AU$2,460 and £1,400. 

Joining the X1 Titanium is the all-new ThinkPad X12 Detachable, a 12.3-inch tablet with a detachable backlit keyboard. It, too, has a 3:2 aspect ratio and it's designed to survive extreme heat and cold, dust, drops, spills and impacts. It's also 5G-ready, which makes this sound like a pretty good option for commercial field use. 

Lenovo also updated its ThinkPad X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga, moving them both to 16:10-aspect-ratio displays with low blue light and integrated fingerprint readers on the power buttons (something I hope shows up on the next Yoga 9 models). And, like the others, there's optional 5G wireless. 

All of these are running on 11th-gen Intel processors and are part of the chipmaker's Evo platform, which lets you know you're going to get a laptop that meets real-world mobile performance goals like long battery life, great wireless and an instant-on work experience. 

You could argue that Halo, the new Paramount Plus TV show based on the popular video game, is arriving 15 years too late. 

Despite coming in the wake of Halo Infinite, arguably the best Halo video game in well over a decade, the cultural cachet of the franchise has been dipping since 2007, when Halo 3 was released and a generation of gamers sat transfixed in front of their consoles to "Finish The Fight."

Since then, we've finished that fight. We've finished a few more fights in the years following. In fact most of us, even the most diehard fans of the Halo series, are a little over finishing fights.

The original Halo game, released in 2001, was a vaguely jingoistic, post-9/11 tale of heroic UNSC soldiers battling against a hyperreligious (read: Muslim) alien race known as the Covenant. A race hellbent on activating a universe-destroying ring world -- aka the titular Halo. 

Even nongamers will recognize the "Halo," an enormous, ancient weapon designed to make all sentient beings extinct. The game was a pretty straightforward, well-executed "good versus evil" story designed to efficiently get players to the good part: lobbing grenades and firing guns at an endless onslaught of aliens intent on murdering you and the entire human race. 

But in 2022, in the wake of prestige TV, a pandemic and a society far less trusting of authority, that story doesn't exactly pass the vibe check. Particularly the jingoism and the mild space racism. It's for this reason that the Halo TV show, starring Pablo Schreiber as the protagonist Master Chief, with Natascha McElhone as his creator Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, wisely deviates from the video games in a number of smart ways. 

In the TV show, Halo's soldiers are far from the good guys. Instead they're part of a fascist army hellbent on suppressing human colonies off-world. The Master Chief is their wrecking ball: an overwhelming one-man army capable of killing aliens and his fellow humans without mercy at the behest of his superiors. 

But after touching an alien artifact that unlocks long suppressed memories, the Master Chief begins to slowly discover his humanity -- pitting him against not just the Covenant aliens, but the army that helped create him. 

Despite tropes and some clunky expository dialogue, Halo is perfectly serviceable science fiction that borrows liberally from other influential shows. Its off-world rebel groups resemble the "Belters" from The Expanse, while its central emotional core, the burgeoning relationship between the Master Chief and Kwan Ha -- the sole human survivor from the show's opening battle -- borrows beats from The Mandalorian. 

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Halo is compelling and barrels along at a friendly pace, clearly wrestling with its source material in fundamental ways, trying to make video game elements work in a new format. Not everyone will enjoy the choices made. After the release of the show's last trailer, fans went ballistic upon discovering that Cortana -- an AI character from the video games -- wasn't blue and transparent like she is in the original. 

If that upsets you, then brace yourself. Wait till Master Chief removes his helmet -- probably the best example of the show literally and figuratively breaking free from the shackles of the video game.   

But the show is faithful where it makes sense. Its action sequences are kinetic and incredibly visceral -- ultra violent even. Legs are blown off, bodies are ripped in half. Early in the first episode an alien mercilessly murders a group of small children cowering in a hidden bunker. Fans of the game may remember that Neil Blomkamp was slated to direct a Halo movie back in the mid-2000s. District 9 was born of the bones of that failed project and, ironically, the Halo TV show feels very influenced by Blomkamp and his work. 

In the show, Covenant forces are utterly terrifying and completely indestructible until the Master Chief and his band of Spartans arrive. These encounters do a tremendous job of communicating what makes the game special. Fans complaining that Cortana is the wrong color will forgive it all when they see Master Chief hiding behind cover waiting for his shields to recharge. 

But ultimately, whether fans like it or not, Halo is at its best when it pushes back. Dedicated fans may resent some of its braver choices, but it's undoubtedly for the best. Dialogue clunkers aside, Halo is a well-produced TV show with solid performances and brilliantly executed set pieces. Given the history of video game adaptations, I'm taking that as a win. 

Halo might be 15 years too late, but better late than never. 

When buying a home, mortgage underwriters evaluate your risk level to help a lender decide if your application should be approved. The mortgage underwriting process happens behind the scenes after you submit a mortgage application. The underwriting decision will ultimately determine if you qualify for a home loan, so it's helpful to understand the process, how to prepare and mistakes to avoid. 

What is mortgage underwriting?

Mortgage underwriting is the part of the homebuying process when a bank assesses your delinquency risk -- that is, how likely you are to be unable to repay a home loan. During the underwriting process, you'll provide financial documents, including pay stubs, bank statements, W-9s, tax returns and profit/loss statements (for self-employed applicants) -- which will help a lender determine your creditworthiness along with your mortgage application. The more favorable your credit profile, the more likely you are to be approved -- and qualify for a lower interest rate.

What is an underwriter? What do they do? 

Underwriters determine an applicant's creditworthiness and ability to pay back the mortgage over a loan's lifetime.

There are two types of underwriters: manual, handled by a real person, and automatic, which is managed by software. In both cases, your delinquency risk is assessed by reviewing your financial information and credit history. Automatic underwriting uses an artificial intelligence-driven computer program to determine your delinquency risk. 

Although automated underwriting is faster, it's less flexible than manual underwriting. A manual underwriter can better account for inconsistent income or an error on a credit report. Some lenders use a combination of manual and automated underwriting to streamline this process.

Who pays for underwriting varies among lenders, but in most cases, the borrower (home buyer) is responsible for paying the underwriting costs during the closing process.

Five steps in the mortgage underwriting process

Step 1: Get prequalified

Before you start looking for a house, you can get prequalified to find out how much of a mortgage you're likely to be approved for. To prequalify you for a home, the lender will run a preliminary review of your financial information to determine if you can get approved for a mortgage. Be prepared to provide the following paperwork for prequalification:

• Government-issued ID
• Bank statements
• Pay stubs
• Prior two years W2s
• Prior two years tax returns
• Social security card

Once you're prequalified, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that you'll be approved for a home loan when you apply. Instead, it allows you to shop for a home within a set budget.

Step 2: Complete your mortgage application

Next, it's time to fill out a mortgage application and get preapproved for your home loan. During this step, you'll need all of the financial documents you provided when getting prequalified. The underwriter will perform a hard credit check and validate the financial information you've provided as part of the mortgage verification process.

Once verification is complete, the lender will issue a preapproval decision. If you're found to be a qualified applicant, your lender will issue a preapproval letter. Mortgage preapproval goes a step further than prequalification. When you're preapproved for a mortgage, the lender approves you for a specific loan amount, as long as your financial picture doesn't change.

Step 3: Make an offer on a home

With your preapproval letter in hand, you're ready to shop until you find the right house for your budget and lifestyle. When you do find the right home, you'll make an offer for the sellers to review. Having a preapproval letter can increase your chances of getting an offer approved quickly. It makes you stand out as a serious buyer since you're more likely to lock in financing.

Step 4: Wait for the appraisal and title search

If your offer is accepted, the lender will order an appraisal of the property. The appraisal helps determine the fair market value of a home and ensures the mortgage amount does not exceed the home's value. It's designed primarily to protect the lender, but it can also protect you from overspending on a house.

If the appraisal comes in for less than the asking price, you may need to search for an alternative property. Typically, the lender will not approve a home loan that exceeds the appraisal value. If the home has an asking price of $300,000, for instance, and appraises for $270,000, you would be responsible for making up the $30,000 difference. Sometimes, if a home appraisal comes in low, the seller will lower the asking price. Just be aware that you may have to walk away from a home that doesn't appraise as expected.

If the appraisal is in line with your offer and the loan amount, the lender will authorize a title search. The title company researches the property's history and ensures no claims exist on the property, such as a current mortgage or lien, pending legal action, restrictions or unpaid taxes. After the search, the title company issues a title insurance policy guaranteeing the search accuracy. Two title policies may be issued: one to protect the lender and sometimes, a separate policy to protect the buyer.

Step 5: The underwriting decision

Once all of the above steps are complete and your application is thoroughly reviewed, the underwriter will issue a judgment. Here are the most common underwriting decisions:

• Approved: You provided all documentation, there are no title issues, and you are approved to receive financing for the mortgage. The next step is to set a settlement or closing date to sign all paperwork and receive the keys to your new home.
• Approved with conditions: The loan is approved, but more documentation is needed. The required documentation could be a gift letter from funds received as down payment, proof of employment verification, letter of explanation or a completed and signed sales contract.
• Denied: The underwriter determined it is too risky to lend to you. This might mean your credit history has negative marks, your income is too low to qualify for the loan amount or your debt-to-income ratio is too high to qualify. Your lender should provide you with the reason for your denial, so you can work on improving any factors that impacted their decision.
• Suspended: The application has been put on hold because more documentation is needed. Once you supply the requested documents, the underwriting process can resume for a final decision.

How long does the underwriting process take? 

The typical underwriting process ranges from a couple of days to several weeks-- though the entire closing process usually takes 45 days. To make sure the process goes smoothly and quickly, respond promptly to any lender requests for information and give a heads up to any references you list (such as an employer) so they will be prepared. Many lenders allow you to check the status of the underwriting process online, so you can be proactive if any documentation is missing.

Mistakes to avoid during the underwriting process:

• Applying for new credit accounts. New credit applications and approvals can affect your DTI and change your credit score, which can impact your mortgage application. 

• Leaving a job. It could make things more complicated if you lose your job (or get a new one) during the homebuying process. If possible, wait until the mortgage process is complete before making any career changes.

• Hiding financial information. If the lender finds significant financial information you've hidden or failed to disclose, it can delay the underwriting process or cause a denial. 

Tips to streamline the mortgage underwriting process:

• Review your credit report: Before you start the mortgage underwriting process, check your credit report to make sure it's accurate and correct any information that is not right. The minimum credit score you'll need varies by the loan type and lender, but generally, you'll need a score of 620 or above to secure financing. A score of 760 or better will help you lock in the best interest rates. Be sure you review the credit requirements for your loan type before applying.
• Have your financial documents ready: Gather all the documents needed and submit them with the application. Check the underwriting status frequently so you can provide additional documents requested by the underwriter.
• Respond to lender inquiries promptly: If the lender or underwriter reaches out, respond quickly and provide any requested information as soon as possible.

Make a larger down payment: The larger your down payment, the better your chances of getting approved for a mortgage loan. A large down payment increases the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, making you a less risky applicant from an underwriting standpoint.

Stellantis, the global automaking conglomerate that was once known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, hasn't exactly been at the forefront of the battery-electric zeitgeist in the US. That said, the company has been rolling out plug-in hybrids aplenty, and with a number of EVs just over the horizon, it'll need a lot of batteries. So, now it'll build those, too.

Stellantis and Samsung SDI on Tuesday announced a $2.5 billion investment in a joint venture that will see the two companies combining forces to build electric-vehicle batteries. The plant will be located in Kokomo, Indiana. It's not just for that sweet Beach Boys song, either; Stellantis already has engine, transmission and casting facilities there, so it makes good sense to add battery manufacturing to that portfolio.

The plant is estimated to begin producing EV batteries in 2025, and it should create approximately 1,400 new jobs in the process. Stellantis and Samsung SDI are targeting a 23-gigawatt-hour capacity to begin, with an eventual expansion to 33 gWh. The scope of the investment has the possibility to grow over time, as well, with both companies saying there's room to increase the overall financing to $3.1 billion.

For context, Ford and SK Innovation are hoping to produce 43 gWh at one of their new joint-venture facilities outside Memphis, Tennessee, so Stellantis is definitely keeping up with the Joneses. But Ford and Stellantis are hardly the only automakers dipping their feet into US battery manufacturing. Mercedes-Benz's Alabama plant recently had its grand opening, and it will supply the EVs the company will build not too far down the road. Two years ago, Volkswagen also broke ground on a battery plant, located near its other facilities in Tennessee.

Stellantis might be behind when it comes to BEVs in the US, but it's working to shore up that gap across its many domestic brands. Jeep will launch its first electric SUV next year, and it looks pretty sharp, but the company is already producing plug-in hybrid variants of its popular models, the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. Dodge has a PHEV in the works, and we'll see its take on an electric muscle car in the near future, as well. And don't forget about Ram, which is set to enter the electric-pickup arena in 2024.

I recently finished a 5-week, 9,900 mile road trip where I visited 9 National Parks. Last year, I did a 10,000 mile road trip and visited four others. All told, I've been to 23 out of the 63 National Parks in the United States. I hope you're planning on seeing at least one this summer, because they're all amazing. 

Below are a few tips I'd give to those headed to a park (or parks!) this summer. It's also worth checking each park's respective website. Every park has one and they're filled with maps, things to do and see, and most importantly, if there are any road closures or other important info.

1. Prepare yourself for crowds

National Parks are extremely popular, and for good reason. They're amazing! As a destination, or stop on a longer road trip, lots of people want to visit. This is especially true of the larger, more popular parks, like Yellowstone, but even many more remote parks, like Glacier. Parking inside the park will be challenging. Even getting into the park might take time. The last park on my trip was Sequoia, and there was a half hour line just to enter the park.

This shouldn't dissuade you from going, but if you have smaller, less visited parks on your list, you might have a better or more relaxing time at those. 

There will be more traffic in the park as well, so if you think "we can see it all in a day" chances are you won't be able to.

2. Stop at the visitor's center

Whether you're the type of person that plans every moment of every adventure, or not, the first place to stop is the visitor's center. You'll get a map and the park's newspaper at the entrance, but one of the rangers at the visitor's center can help you figure out a plan for the day, based on what's open, how much time you have, and any other considerations. They're fantastic. This is absolutely worth the time.

3. Park in the first space you see

This ties in with the first tip. Parking lots fill fast, but in many cases the roads leading there support roadside parking. If you see a long line of cars parked on the shoulder, definitely assume there will be a wait for parking in the official lot. If the road signs say it's ok, park as soon as you see an opening. You'll spend significantly less time walking from that spot than you will waiting for someone to free up a better space. 

4. The wildlife can kill you

Every few weeks there are stories of people getting injured, or even killed, by wild animals at National Parks. Even during my trip this summer I saw multiple people at different parks get way too close to various large animals. A bison won't eat you, but it will easily mess you up. Same goes for elk. Bears… well, black bears are scared of you. Grizzly bears are most decidedly not. 

The problem, I think, is two-fold. One, I think some people just don't realize how fast animals can be. It doesn't matter if they don't have sharp teeth, if they hit you at 40mph and then kick you, you're going to be in a bad way. The other is that most phones have wide-angle lenses. So people want a cool photo (no judgment, me too), but can't because of the limitations of their phone. So they do the "logical" thing and move closer. 

Two easy fixes here. One, get a telephoto lens for your camera, or a telephoto attachment for your phone's camera. Two, stay back: 25 yards from animals like bison and elk, 100 from things that will eat you, like bears. Ideally, keep something between you and the fuzzy friend, like a car. Or the best option, don't get out of your car if they're near the road.

5. Don't expect cell reception

Cell coverage in National Parks, even the popular ones, is sparse. Some ranger stations and visitor centers have free Wi-Fi, but not all. 

Which is to say, download maps and hiking info before you enter the park. This is easy with Google Maps. Hiking apps like AllTrails allow for offline viewing as well, if you pay for the premium version. 

6. Bring your own food and water

Some parks have small cafes or even full cafeterias. Many don't. Definitely advisable to bring your own food and water. Especially the latter. 

If you're camping in the park, make sure you check with the rangers about how aggressive the local wildlife is. Many parks require all food to be put in bear-proof containers. These will either be heavy metal cabinets at the campsite, or portable versions available at the visitor's center.  Bears absolutely do love pic-a-nic baskets. See #4 for why this is important.

7. Get the year pass

The vast majority of Americans are within a few hours drive of a National Park. Not just any National Park, but the best National Park: the one closest to you. Sappy as that is, it's true. They're all cool. Some are cooler than others, for sure, but there's a reason they made it through the process of becoming designated a National Park. 

So for most people, the Annual Pass makes a ton of sense. This is also called the America the Beautiful or Interagency Pass. Each visit to most parks is ~$30 per vehicle but the year pass that gets you into all parks for 1 year for $80. That math is easy to figure out. You can buy them at the park entrance or online at the USGS store or REI. They also get you entrance into 2,000 federally-protected lands like National Forests and wildlife preserves. There are also lifetime senior passes, and several other varieties.

That said, some parks don't charge an entrance fee, or don't charge for accessing certain areas of the park. It's worth checking ahead of time.

8. Plan additional activities for kids

From my (admittedly distant and anecdotal) experience with the small humans I was near at the parks, they all seemed to be having a fantastic time. If you want to give them something else to do while you're all enjoying the parks, consider National Park passports, journals, and activity books.

9. Stay near the park, not in it

If you haven't booked a campsite or lodge inside a park by now, you're probably not going to get a spot. Some parks also have first-come-first-serve campsites, but don't count on getting one of those either (see #1). While staying in the park is undeniably cool, it's not required. Most parks have a nearby town or towns that exist pretty much entirely to service visitors to the park. For instance, on my trip this summer I stayed in Jackson for Grand Teton, West Yellowstone for, you guessed it, Yellowstone, West Glacier for -- wait for it -- Glacier, and so on.

10. Leave with everything you brought

This includes wrappers, food, water bottles, annoying children, everything. In select places there are wildlife-proof trash containers. Definitely use them. Apparently some people felt it was ok to leave bags of their dog's poop and trust me, this is not OK. 

Related, it's worth reading up on whether your chosen park allows dogs, and if so, to what extent. Many don't want them on hikes, don't want them on certain trails, but all require them to be leashed at all times.

Most of all, I hope you have a grand adventure!

---

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

This story is part of Road Trip 2021, CNET's coverage of the push and pull to manufacture more products in the USA.

Asheville, North Carolina, a  city of about 90,000 in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a cultural hub, packed with dozens of art galleries and a thriving local music scene with venues that attract acts from around the world. So if there's a pairing of a company and a community that works better than Moog Music and Asheville, I don't know what it could be.  

Asheville has been called one of America's greatest music cities, and Moog wouldn't dream of moving anywhere else. "We've really taken on a character of the town," says Mike Adams, president of Moog Music, a 20-year veteran of the storied synthesizer company. "There's a great music scene here, and there's a lot of very artistic people. I would say 70% of the people that work here are musicians -- it's a really natural fit." 

Moog's high-end boutique synthesizers run from around $1,200 to $9,000 or more. Founded in New York in 1953 by Robert Moog (pronounced "moag"), its instruments ushered in the era of electronic music, and have been used by everyone from Trent Reznor to Donna Summer, from The Beatles to the Beastie Boys. Today the factory where its 170 employees work looks more like a mad scientist's music lab than an assembly line. And there's a good reason: Each synthesizer takes dozens of hours each to build, all right in Asheville.

"Nothing we make has an off-the-shelf component to it," Adams says. "And that's part of the beauty." 

Founder Bob Moog moved to Asheville in 1978, and the company has been making synths here since 1994. Its ability to attract the unique mix of musical know-how and the technical skills required to assemble the synths is another reason Moog is staying put. Adams mentions at least two current employees who drove to Asheville, prepared to live out of their vans until they could somehow get hired at the company. 

"We obviously have to attract and recruit specific engineering talent," he says. "But there's a lot of people [here] that have just always loved what Moog is about and what it stands for."  

Despite a premium product line and fiercely loyal customers, Moog faces a lot of the same manufacturing challenges as other businesses around the world. "Supply, supply, supply." 

"We just can't get enough parts to keep up with the production," Adams says. "We've been hurt by the extraordinary expense that it's taken to bring in material that's cost us an arm and a leg." 

The supply chain problems stem from the COVID-19 pandemic, which hasn't left the rarified world of hand-assembled synthesizers untouched. While Moog instruments are built in the USA, critical internal components come from China, which leaves this company in the same difficult situation as so many others. Factory shutdowns and slowdowns around the world have left some components in short supply, driving up prices, while international cargo shipping is struggling to catch up on missed 2020 deliveries. It's a version of the same problem plaguing phone manufacturers and carmakers. It's the same reason you still can't buy a PlayStation 5. Even the price of the wood used on the outer shells of retro-looking Moogs has skyrocketed. 

"Our business is really handcuffed by our suppliers and the ability to get anything from plastic to metal to electronic components to printed circuit boards," says Adams."The reasons for that range from anything from raw materials shortages to climate change to COVID to just a huge spike in demand for certain products."

But there's something of a pandemic silver lining for a company like Moog, too. Spending more time at home, those with the means to do so took the opportunity to invest in hobbies and creative pursuits that mattered to them. And by not spending money on travel or entertainment, some spent more than they normally would on things like premium music gear.  

"People did the cocooning, and they wanted better gear because they're spending so much more time with it," says Joe Richardson, Moog's chief marketing officer. "Our instruments lend themselves very well to folks creating music on their own. There was so little performing going on, so synthesizers make for a great way to discover and go exploring to satisfy that creative need." 

Despite the supply chain and pandemic challenges, the company says it has sold twice as many of its flagship (read: $9,000) Moog One synths as expected so far in 2021. 

"It's a really strong statement that people are willing to invest in quality," Richardson says, adding, "Nobody buys a Moog because it's inexpensive." 

The handcrafted look of a Moog, and the unique factory where the instruments are built and tested, are all part of the brand's mystique. CNET photographer Sarah Tew took a tour of Moog's Asheville headquarters. Follow along with her to see everything from vintage synths to testing stations to a display case of rare prototypes. And when you're in Asheville, you can take a mini tour (more extensive tours are suspended due to the pandemic) and browse the company store and a showroom. A separate "Moogseum" nearby is run by the Bob Moog Foundation, named after the company founder, who died in 2005.

Deja vu. Just like last year's Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, the 2021 Surface Laptop 4 indistinguishes itself by its utter averageness. It's still not particularly light, or fast or feature-packed. It's not inexpensive or full of cutting-edge tech and it doesn't have an especially long battery life. It's faster and has better battery life than the older model, but so does every other laptop updated for 2021. But it's also still reasonably portable, sufficiently fast, pleasantly sleek looking, durable, somewhat upgradeable, and backward-compatible with previous power supplies and Surface Connect accessories sold by Microsoft. 

Very little has changed for this generation. It's been bumped to the 4000-series of the AMD Ryzen 7 mobile processor and 11th-gen Intel Core i7-11875G7, plus storage and memory increases and newer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Given the rote upgrades, it's a bit annoying that Microsoft chose to use the last generation (Zen 2) of the AMD CPUs rather than the current and faster 5000 series (Zen 3), though that's probably due to the timing of the laptop's release. It's also par for the course: the Surface Laptop 3's AMD CPU was also an older-than-current generation.

The Ryzen 7 4980U processor in the 15-inch system is dubbed the Ryzen 7 Microsoft Surface Edition. That made sense last year when the processor differed from the rest of its siblings by the addition of an extra graphics core (compute unit) its Vega 9 integrated graphics. But this year's CPU is effectively identical to the Ryzen 7 4800U, albeit with clock speeds a mere 200MHz faster, and in fact its Vega 8 integrated GPU has one CU less than the chip in the Surface Laptop 3. 

Note that this year's AMD model will always outperform last year's simply because the older model used a lower-end Ryzen 5, not a Ryzen 7, and the AMD model will likely outperform the Intel model, at least on multicore-intensive tasks, simply because it has 8 cores compared to the Intel's 4. 

The 3:2 aspect ratio, 201 pixel-per-inch display is the same as before; nothing to get excited about unless you're upgrading from an old laptop with a dim screen. It's fine for work, but somewhat washed out for Netflix. There are two color profiles which come with it, a standard sRGB and an "Enhanced" mode, but the latter seems to be the native screen profile and looks like it just increases the contrast. It retains the same old sufficient 720p webcam and the paucity of ports -- one each USB-A and USB-C plus an analog headphone jack. 

Read more: Meet Microsoft's new Modern family of work-from-home audio accessories

The under-the-hood-only updates mean much of what we liked and disliked about the Surface Laptop 3 remain the same, from the slim and sleek design to the insufficient number of ports and soldered memory. This year I'll toss in the somewhat stodgy looking  screen bezels because it uses the same screen in the same chassis as before; even Apple finally overcame bezel inertia for the MacBook Pro a few years ago. 

Down to business

Microsoft offers only AMD processors in its consumer-focused models, but both AMD and Intel for its Surface Laptop 4 for Business line. The two sales channels differ by the variety of configurations and version of Windows they offer -- Windows 10 Home versus Windows 10 Pro. The biz prices are about $100 higher.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15 inch)

Price as reviewed	$1,700, £1,649, AU$2,699
Display	15-inch 2,496 x 1,664 (201 ppi, 3:2 aspect ratio) pen and touch display
PC CPU	2.0GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
PC Memory	16GB 4,267MHz LPDDR4
Graphics	AMD Vega 8
Storage	512GB SSD
Ports	1 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A (1 in power brick), headphone jack, 1 x proprietary (Surface Connect port)
Networking	Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Bluetooth 5.1
Operating system	Microsoft Windows Home (2H20)
Weight	3.4 lbs/1.5 kg

The pricing for the 15-inch model starts at $1,300 (£1,469, AU$2,499) for AMD and $1,800 (£1,799, AU$2,849) for Intel, but the AMD base models have only 8GB of RAM. You really can't run Windows 10 very well in 8GB except for maybe lightweight cloud-based applications and possibly enterprise remote PC software like Citrix Desktop. The flip side is that 32GB is overkill for most software you'd be running on this laptop. So if you're going to opt for the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4, I recommend the 16GB memory, 512GB SSD models.

That's still a lot to pay for what you get compared with competitors: Laptops like the Lenovo Yoga 9i, a 2-in-1 which is smaller at 14 inches but superior in almost every other way for hundreds less. On sale, it might be a different story. That model even has discrete graphics for gaming; there's not a ton of graphical muscle here with the integrated Intel Iris Xe or AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics. The heavyweight multiplatform shooter Outriders was choppy even at the lowest graphics preset, but lightweight Hades, the recent award-winning indie game, ran perfectly. 

Overall, the Surface Laptop 4's AMD CPU performed very well for its size class. At 11-12 hours, battery life was much improved over the previous generation, to the tune of about 2.5 hours, and quite competitive for its size. 

Toss in some wonky USB-C and touchscreen behavior I experienced -- they both stopped working until a random reboot fairy sprinkled some magic dust on them -- and it's hard to place the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 in the top tier of models we've tested over the past couple of years. But you'll probably be perfectly happy with it, especially if your IT department buys it for you.

Geekbench 5 (multicore)

Surface Book 3 (15-inch)

Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch Intel)

Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482

Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch AMD, 2021)

Cinebench R20 (multicore)

Surface Book 3 (15-inch)

Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch Intel)

Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482

Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch AMD, 2021)

3D Mark Fire Strike Ultra

Surface Book 3 (15-inch)

Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch AMD, 2021)

Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch Intel)

Video streaming battery test

Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch Intel)

Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch AMD, 2021)

Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482

Surface Book 3 (15-inch)

PCMark 10 Pro Edition (complete)

Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch Intel)

Surface Book 3 (15-inch)

Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch AMD, 2021)

Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482

System configurations

Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7; 8GB DDR4 SDRAM 4,267MHz; 128MB Intel Iris Xe graphics; 512GB SSD
Microsoft Surface Book 3 (15-inch)	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (1909); 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-1065G7; 32GB DDR4 SDRAM 4,267MHz; Intel Iris Plus Graphics and 6GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q design; 512GB SSD
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch, Intel)	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (1903); 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-1065G7; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,667MHz; 128MB (dedicated) Intel Iris Plus Graphics; 256GB SSD
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD, 2021)	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (2H20); 2.0GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4980U; 16GB LPDDR4 SDRAM 4,267MHz; tkGB (dedicated) AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics; 512GB SSD

Why bother twisting real, plastic arms when you can play twisting games on an iPhone?

What's the point of unpacking a board game when you can alleviate boredom instantly on an iPad?

Kids, you see, don't need the hassle. They just want instant gratification. Yes, they're little adults.

A study performed by child-education specialists the Michael Cohen Group, suggests that touch screens have overtaken all other forms of playful delight for kids.

The research, which examined the world of Digital Kids, shows that more than 60 percent of parents say their kids aged 12 and under play on touch screens "often." And 38 percent apparently play "very often."

Could it be that at least 15 percent don't talk to their parents at all?

These figures put the gadgets ahead of mainstay toys such as dolls, action figures, puzzles, and board games. Even construction and blocks -- that would mean Lego and the like -- are far behind.

Michael Cohen, who led the research, told the Daily Mail: "I have never seen a more intuitive technology for children."

The study showed that in the households where kids had access to a smartphone or tablet, 36 percent had their own device.

"That was in single digits last year," Cohen told the Mail.

You might imagine, or even hope, that the kids are using these devices for learning. There is, indeed, some evidence of educational aspects to the use. But it's clear that the primary need is to play one of the many magical games a device can hold.

This progression seems inevitable. Traditional toys, especially those that haven't really changed in many years, must seem like relics to kids who witness the modern world -- one in which people bow low over their screens and never look where they're going.

Some parents, though, don't seem ready to admit the truth. This study showed that 32 percent of the respondents claimed that a touch screen device was "never" a toy. A mere 10 percent were ready to confess that it was "always" a vehicle of play.

Parents seem to reply to such surveys with a surfeit of self-protection. When asked what criteria was most important in buying toys, No. 1 was "age appropriateness." Number 2 was "educational value."

"Play value" even came below "child's request."

I have a feeling that "I'll get Clarissa an iPhone to shut her up" might be nearer the top of the true reasons for purchase.