Entertainment
CES 2025: Exhibitors, dates, ticket prices, and everything else you must know
It feels odd to say CES is the biggest tech show of 2025 given that it starts so early in the year, but it’s mostly true: As far as technology events go, CES is the largest, and the most interesting one you can attend (outside of Apple’s iPhone launches).
What is CES 2025?
CES, or Consumer Electronics Show, is an annual technology convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. It typically starts very early in the year, and goes on for four days, taking over much of the gargantuan spaces in famous Vegas venues such as the Venetian, Wynn, and yes, the newly-opened Sphere arena.
The event itself is a mix of high-profile keynotes (this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, as well as Waymo co-CEO Tekedra N. Mawakana, are speaking, among others), press events and product launches, and a massive exhibition space where visitors can take a look at the latest gadgets, prototypes, and technology showcases.
When is CES 2025?
The event itself officially starts at January 7 and ends on January 10. For us tech journalists, and you, our dear readers, it actually starts two days before, as many of the big press announcements happen on so-called media days, January 5, and January 6.
The full CES schedule is available on the CES website.
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CES 2025 exhibitors
Where do we start? They’re pretty much all here, with the notable exception of Apple, which prefers to do its own events.
That means Samsung, LG, Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, Sony, Hisense, Lenovo, TCL, Meta. There will be lots of talk about artificial intelligence. New chips and graphics cards will be shown. Obscenely large OLED TV will be unleashed upon the world. An absolute onslaught of smart wearables, including smart glasses and VR headset, can be expected.
And even though CES is not purely an automotive event, we also expect to see numerous new cars and car technologies at this year’s event. In particular, BMW, Honda, Volvo, Zeeker, Sony (yes, Sony has teamed up with Honda and they’re gonna show something cool at the event) will have a presence, among others.
A full list of exhibitors is available on the website. Yes, we know it’s a long list.
CES 2025 ticket prices
Unlike some other tech events like the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and IFA in Berlin, CES is not open to the general public. Attendees must be 18 years of age or older, and affiliated with the consumer technology industry.
If you’re keen on going, you need to register as one of three types of attendee: Industry attendee, media, and exhibitor personnel. Most people who aren’t going for work will fall into the first category, and there are several ways to prove that you’re associated with a company that’s in the consumer tech industry. This includes business cards, verification of employment by letter link to media articles etc. The full list of requirements is publicly available.
Once you’ve successfully registered, you can purchase a ticket. Prices were $149 up until Dec. 4, but from Dec. 5 to Jan. 10 they cost $350 per ticket. That’s for the regular Exhibits Plus Pass which grants you access to the exhibit floor, keynotes, and some conference programming. If you want a Deluxe Conference Pass, which includes all conference and partner programming, you’ll have to dish out $1,400 (until and through Dec. 4), or $1,700 (from Dec. 5 to Jan. 10)
Entertainment
Access all your AI tools in one spot with this Chrome extension, now $75 for life
TL;DR: See answers from multiple AI models in one convenient spot thanks to ChatPlayground AI, now $74.97 for a lifetime subscription (reg. $619) through May 10.
Credit: ChatPlayground AI
Every AI model has its strengths and weaknesses. ChatPlayground AI lets you see results from all the major models side by side — from ChatGPT and DeepSeek to Llama and Perplexity.
You can save yourself time and get the best possible results all at once with a lifetime subscription to this handy tool — on sale now for just $74.97 through May 10.
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Image and PDF chat features let you get context-aware answers even faster, as they save you from typing things out. You can also reference past conversations when you need to — ChatPlayground AI saves them all.
Your Unlimited Plan includes unlimited monthly messages, priority customer service, and priority access to any new features and future models.
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Get a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited Plan, now for just $74.97 through May 10.
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Artificial Intelligence
Entertainment
This $10 upgrade transforms your PC — but it’s only on sale until midnight
TL;DR: Upgrade a PC affordably with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license, on sale for just $9.97 (reg. $199) through tonight at midnight.
Want to get the feeling of a new computer without having to shell out all the money for one? A new operating system gives your device a whole new feel, and if you’ve got a PC lying around, it could probably use this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro upgrade. If you act fast, you can get it for only $9.97 through tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Windows 11 Pro breathes new life into an old computer, extending its lifespan for less than the cost of your lunch. Unlike older operating systems, this one was made with the modern professional in mind.
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Rest easy knowing Windows 11 Pro is filled with features that can improve your workflow — from an easy-to-use interface that enhances usability to snap layouts, seamless redocking, a more powerful search experience, and improved voice typing.
Take advantage of unique professional tools like Azure AD, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and BitLocker device encryption. Then take a break and check out the impressive gaming experience offered by DirectX 12 Ultimate graphics.
Windows 11 Pro includes Copilot, Microsoft’s very own AI-powered assistant, which can assist you with a wide range of tasks. Get some help kickstarting your writing process, summarizing web pages, changing your settings, or even opening your apps.
You can also enjoy improved cybersecurity with Windows 11 Pro, as it adds biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and enhanced antivirus protection.
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Entertainment
3 AdultFriendFinder red flags — how to avoid scams on AFF
Depending on who you ask, AdultFriendFinder is either the Wild West of hookup sites, an “anything goes” paradise for adult fun, or a total scam replete with bots, fake profiles, and inactive accounts.
After months of personal testing, I can confidently say which AFF you experience ultimately boils down to how you use the site. If you approach it naively, without a strategy, you’re probably going to have some frustrating experiences. On the other hand, if you exercise a modicum of caution and common sense, you’ll discover a huge, fun, and kink-friendly community.
Here are three red flags to look out for as you use AFF, to help you spot potential scammers and separate the authentic users from the fake profiles.
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AdultFriendFinder
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Tinder
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Hinge
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popular choice for regular meetups
Credit: AdultFriendFinder
Unverified accounts
AdultFriendFinder already offers a fantastic first step in combatting fake profiles that they call ConfirmID. Once you’ve created an account, you can, at any time, upload a clear scan of a government-issued ID card and then, using a webcam, undergo a quick face verification scan to confirm that you are indeed the person identified in the government document.
This step strikes the perfect balance between not being onerous enough to annoy the average user but still requiring enough effort to deter scammers, who notoriously go after the low-hanging fruit.
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Once you’ve completed the ConfirmID sequence, you’ll be rewarded with a verification badge on your profile, and we strongly recommend that you limit your one-on-one interactions on the site to other verified users.
Perfect profile photos
Alright, admittedly this one requires some personal judgment, as everyone should strive to upload good, high-quality photos of themselves to dating websites. But if every photo looks like it belongs in a magazine, or if the person in the photo looks a little too good to be true, you should exercise caution.
In the age of generative AI and filters, it’s trivially easy to create a fake photo or series of photos, so you should also be on the lookout for what isn’t in the photos. Are there recognizable local landmarks (clubs, restaurants, well-known parks, or street corners) in the photos, or are they all equally generic?
Over-eager chatters
Ever since chat bots became a thing, dating sites have become plagued with them, and as AI improves more and more, it’s not always easy to know, right away, if the “person” you’re talking to is really human. One dead giveaway, though, is how much they chat and how quickly they reply.
Real people go off on tangents, employ non sequiturs, and sometimes stumble with awkward questions or comments. Chat bots, on the other hand, are typically always chipper and extremely fast-talking, so much so that a paragraph-long answer can come back to you in seconds.
They also almost always have an agenda, too, whether that’s directing you to click on a link (“Follow my Instagram profile”) or getting you to divulge some potentially compromising bit of personal information about yourself.
Access all your AI tools in one spot with this Chrome extension, now $75 for life
This $10 upgrade transforms your PC — but it’s only on sale until midnight
