When Asus launched the Drop Zone program last year, it was seen as a commendable gesture to make repairs less taxing for consumers. Now, keeping in the same vein, Asus is expanding its Drop Zone initiative in India by adding 22 new stores to the network. The program, which allows users to submit laptops for servicing at ASUS Exclusive Stores instead of dedicated service centers, is now being rolled out across multiple regions, including Delhi NCR, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

What is Asus Drop Zone Service?

The Drop Zone initiative is designed to simplify the repair process by allowing customers to drop off and collect their devices at nearby ASUS stores. This eliminates the need to travel to service centers, which can often be inconvenient—especially for users in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

With this expansion, ASUS is clearly trying to address common pain points like accessibility, turnaround time, and service transparency. Customers also get multiple service options, including carry-in support for immediate consultation, on-site servicing by technicians, and the Drop Zone model for easier logistics.

ASUS says it already has a wide after-sales network in India, with over 200 service centers and on-site support covering more than 17,000 pin codes across 761 districts. The Drop Zone expansion adds another layer to this ecosystem, bringing services closer to users. The company also offers 24/7 support through calls, chat, email, and remote troubleshooting. Speaking on the matter, Arnold Su, VP, Consumer and Gaming PC, System Business Group, ASUS India, said

At ASUS, our focus has always been on delivering a reliable and consistent ownership experience that extends well beyond the product itself. The expansion of our Drop Zone initiative into 22 additional stores marks a significant step towards making after-sales support more accessible and transparent for our customers. Guided by our 4A framework, we remain committed to building a service ecosystem that is responsive, convenient, and aligned with evolving customer needs.

Klipsch is returning to Milan Design Week 2026 with something that goes beyond another product launch; it’s a continuation of one of the more interesting collaborations in modern hi-fi. Following the limited-run kO-R1 in 2024, Klipsch and OJAS have officially unveiled the kO-R2, a new loudspeaker created with Devon Turnbull, the artist and acoustic designer behind OJAS, as part of Klipsch’s 80th anniversary.

That matters more than the usual show-floor debut. The first kO-R1 wasn’t just a speaker, it was a statement about where heritage audio could go when handed to someone outside the traditional engineering echo chamber. Turnbull approached Klipsch’s horn-loaded DNA with a minimalist, almost gallery-first mindset, and the result landed somewhere between serious hi-fi and functional art. It sold out quickly and didn’t need a stack of Audio Science Review graphs to justify itself. Turns out art and musical enjoyment still carry more weight than rigid objectivism.

The kO-R2 builds directly on that foundation. Klipsch and OJAS describe it as a blend of minimalist design, advanced acoustic thinking, and bespoke materials, with an emphasis on form that’s meant to live as comfortably in a design exhibition as it does in a listening room. There are no performance specifications or pricing details yet, which feels intentional. This isn’t being positioned as a spec war product; it’s being framed as a continuation of an idea.

And that’s the real story. At a time when much of the industry is chasing incremental upgrades and feature checklists, Klipsch is doubling down on a collaboration that prioritizes identity, experience, and cultural relevance. Bringing the kO-R2 to Milan Design Week instead of a traditional audio show makes that point clear: this is as much about design language and audience expansion as it is about sound.

Whether the kO-R2 ultimately delivers on the acoustic side will come later. For now, Klipsch and OJAS have done something more difficult; they’ve made people outside the usual audiophile bubble pay attention. 

Unveiled at Milan Design Week 2026

Set against the backdrop of the Fondazione Luigi Rovati, in partnership with USM Modular Furniture and Karimoku, Klipsch and OJAS are hosting curated, appointment-only listening sessions during Milan Design Week through April 26, 2026. Those who get access are encouraged to bring their own music, turning the kO-R2 preview into something more personal than the usual show-floor demo.

After its debut in Milan, a broader launch for the kO-R2 is expected in June 2026.

“Working with Klipsch continues to be an exploration of how we can strip audio down to its most essential, emotional core,” said Devon Turnbull. “With the kO-R2, we focused on creating something that feels immediate and human—where the technology disappears, and the listener is left with a pure, physical connection to the music.”

kO-R2 Design Concept

The kO-R2 is a two-way, sectoral horn-loaded loudspeaker positioned as the next step in the Klipsch x OJAS collaboration. It’s handcrafted in Hope, Arkansas, by the same team behind Klipsch’s legacy designs, and features an OJAS-developed multisectoral horn paired with Baltic birch cabinetry. The goal is clear: deliver the dynamic, low-distortion traits horn systems are known for, while presenting something that looks just as considered as it sounds.

The core of the latest speaker design is the OJAS 1506 multisectoral horn, fabricated from heavy cast aluminum and finished with electrophoresis and a flat black powder coat.

The exponential horn pulls from classic Western Electric and Altec Lansing design cues, but it’s not a straight throwback. The square, isosceles trapezoidal mouth is doing real work here, controlling dispersion in both planes rather than just looking the part. The result should be more even frequency distribution and a wider, more stable listening window, which is exactly what these older horn concepts were chasing in the first place.

The kO-R2 leans into a restrained, material-first design without skimping on the hardware. It uses a high-quality compression driver, anodized aluminum binding posts, and anti-vibration feet—nothing flashy, just components that make sense for a horn-loaded design like this.

Details like the laser-engraved metal ID plate add a layer of exclusivity without turning it into a gimmick, and the five-step high-frequency attenuator is there for a reason: dialing in top-end energy to match the room and placement, which matters more with horns than most speaker types.

Calling it a “museum piece” isn’t entirely off base, but the real goal here isn’t to redefine audiophile expectations. It’s to bridge two worlds that don’t usually overlap this cleanly: serious acoustic design and industrial design that people actually want to live with.

“The kO-R2 represents a powerful intersection of heritage and forward-thinking design. Partnering with Devon allows us to honor Klipsch’s 80-year legacy while pushing into new creative territory—delivering a product that is as culturally relevant as it is acoustically exceptional,” said Vinny Bonacorsi, COO of Klipsch.

The Bottom Line 

This isn’t a typical brand crossover. Klipsch is working within its core strength—horn-loaded design—while Devon Turnbull brings a different perspective on how these systems look and live in real spaces. The kO-R2 builds on the kO-R1 with a larger, more complex horn and a move to a floorstanding design, which should translate into greater scale and output.

There are still no detailed specifications or pricing, but the context matters. The kO-R1 launched at $8,498 per pair and sold out quickly. For the kO-R2, production is expected to be limited to around 600 pairs, so availability is going to be tight from the start.

It’s aimed at a specific buyer: someone who values both the design and the underlying acoustic approach, and who is comfortable buying into the concept without a full data sheet upfront. Between the prior pricing and limited run, this won’t be a mainstream Klipsch product—and that’s the point.

Price & Availability

Once released (expected to be June 2026), 600 pairs of the kO-R2 will be available worldwide in either Red Oak veneer or Hammertone Silver with a powder-coated, matte-black horn. Price has yet to be announced. 

Related Reading

We’ve always been interested in fluidic computers, a technique that uses moving fluids to perform logic operations. Now, Spectrum reports that researchers have developed an electronics-free contact lens that monitors glaucoma and can even help treat it.

The lens is made entirely of polymer and features a microfluidic sensor that can monitor eye pressure in real time. It also has pressure-activated drug reservoirs that dispense medicine when pressure exceeds a fixed threshold. You can see Spectrum’s video on the device below.

This isn’t the first attempt to treat glaucoma, which affects more than 80 million people, with a contact lens. In 2016, Triggerfish took a similar approach, but it used electronic components in the lens, which poses problems for manufacturing and for people wearing them.

Naturally, the device depends on 3D printed molds to create channels and reservoirs in the lens. A special silk sponge in the reservoirs can absorb up to 2,700 times its weight. One sponge holds a red fluid that is forced by pressure into a serpentine microchannel. A phone app uses a neural network to convert the image of the red fluid into a pressure reading.

Two more sponges hold drugs that release at a given pressure determined by the width of the associated microchannel. This allows the possibility of increasing the dose at a higher pressure or even delivering two drugs at different pressure levels.

It is fairly hard to hack your own contact lenses, although we’ve seen it at least once. But smart contacts are not as rare as you might think.

Even if you’re 250,000 miles from Earth, sleep is important. However, for all the life-sustaining accoutrements aboard the Orion spacecraft, the capsule lacked bedrooms, leaving the four-person Artemis II crew with a truly bizarre sleeping arrangement.

“I slept really close to an air conditioning vent. And so I’d wake up and I just see this big hunk of metal,” Glover told CNET during a video call. “And it was like, ‘Oh, I’m in space. I am weightless.’”

Sleep wasn’t just a means for the astronauts to recharge; it also grounded them during their historic journey. Glover explained, “What really resonated with me is we’re also humans. It’s like camping, and this is a very important part of this journey.”

Watch this: Artemis II’s Victor Glover Chats With CNET

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Artemis II was the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years. It followed Artemis I, a 2022 uncrewed mission that was the first for NASA’s new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The goal for Artemis II was to have a crew test the spacecraft, life support systems, the SLS rocket and the procedures needed for future lunar missions that will involve landing on the moon and eventually building a base there.

Glover, the Orion’s pilot, along with commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, made up the Artemis II crew. The mission made a lot of history. It’s the first time a woman, a Black man or a Canadian has journeyed to the moon. The four Artemis II astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, farther than any other human being, surpassing the record set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission.

This wasn’t Glover’s first time in space. In 2020, with a Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff, he piloted the Crew Dragon capsule to and from the International Space Station for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission, spending over 167 days in space. But Artemis II gave Glover the opportunity to be the first to fly the Orion, a new vehicle designed for Artemis missions. For the majority of the nearly 10-day journey, Orion was on autopilot. But Glover had several opportunities to take manual control of the spacecraft to test its handling.

“It was such a treat and a joy,” Glover said about flying the Orion. “It was a test pilot’s dream to fly a new spaceship for the first time by hand.”

Even after spending time training to fly in a simulator back on Earth, he was surprised by how responsive the Orion’s hand controller was and by the clarity of the cameras, used to maneuver the craft around the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage that holds the fuel for the upper stage of liftoff. He said the view from the cameras and monitors was like “looking out a window.”

When I asked Glover if he felt like Han Solo when piloting the Orion, he retorted, “Han Solo wants to be me when he grows up!” Throughout my interview, Glover was gracious, passionate and funny.

“I get to do stuff that’s cooler than Han Solo. I mean, just the fact that it’s real, it’s better.”

While landing on the moon wasn’t in the cards for this trip, the Orion crew traveled about 4,000 miles beyond the moon, allowing them to see parts of the moon that had never been seen before. For comparison, Apollo missions flew about 70 miles above the moon to make landings, limiting how much of it they could actually see.

The images that Glover and the crew took of the moon were stunning. Shots like the Earthset were a reminder of how beautiful our planet is and our place within the solar system. The astronauts even witnessed a total solar eclipse as they rounded the far side of the moon. But none of the photos they took compares to what they saw, according to Glover.

“I could see the curvature of the moon. Depth is just one aspect that you cannot see in the pictures. But here’s the other thing, the pictures lack scale.”

For the lunar flyby, the Orion was moving fast: 60,863 mph relative to Earth, but only 3,139 mph relative to the moon, according to NASA. The speed meant the shadows across the surface were constantly morphing into different shapes. Glover was particularly enamored with the moon’s terminator, where the light and dark sides of the moon meet. The terminator isn’t fixed and depends on the moon’s position relative to the sun. As Orion moved, it transformed into various shapes that looked like letters of the alphabet.

“People know, I fell in love with the terminator when I got to see the real one up close. I watched the terminator go from a letter C to a letter D, which means there was a point when the moon was half light, half dark. It was pointing right at me.”

Artemis II’s lunar flyby was a highlight of the journey for many of us on Earth, in part because we could watch it in real time on streaming services like Netflix. Nearly the entire mission was streamed live on NASA’s website and YouTube channel, making it feel like a reality show. One minute you’re watching the crew eat, work out, take photos of the moon; the next, there’s a random jar of Nutella floating by one of the cameras. I asked Glover whether it felt like he was on a TV show while on the Orion.

“It did not feel like a reality show on my end,” said Glover. “For you to see the science and hear us describing the moon, and to see us flying the spaceship by hand, and to see bedtime and bath time and teeth brush time, that’s what it’s like. The mission was all of those things.”

Glover was ecstatic to hear how I and others felt so connected to the crew during their mission. He said it was important to NASA to let the world in on everything it took to send four people a quarter of a million miles away.

“I think that maybe one of the really, most special things about this mission is how much you were able to see,” Glover said with a smile. “It makes me feel good that you felt like you were there.”

Watch this: Getting Personal With the Crew of Artemis II | Tech Today

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We heard all about GoPro’s new action camera series last week, but the company is now unveiling the pricing across its Mission 1, Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS cameras. The entry-level Mission 1 ($600) features GoPro’s new 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, which the company says will offer a major leap in image quality and low-light performance over the Hero 13 line. While largely looking the same as the Hero series (and still waterproof), the Mission 1 can record 8K video at 30fps and 4K at 120fps. It lacks the higher frame rates of the other Mission 1 cameras, but supports 10-bit GP-Log2 color and 32-bit float audio.

The Mission 1 Pro ($700) is the flagship fixed-lens model this year, aimed at the professional (or semi-pro) videographer. It has upgraded frame-rate capture to 8K at 60 fps and 4K at 240 fps, along with an extreme “burst” slow-motion mode that hits 960 fps at 1080p. It also captures 4:3 “Open Gate” recordings at 8K/30fps and 4K/120fps, covering the entire sensor area, enabling more versatile editing and cropping across different screen sizes, including vertical video.

Then there’s the beastly Mission 1 Pro ILS (Interchangeable Lens System). It swaps the standard GoPro lens for a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount lens. It otherwise shares the same 1-inch sensor and high-speed 8K/60fps video specs as the Pro model. It also matches the Pro model’s $700 price, with an additional $100 discount for GoPro subscribers. However, it won’t be launching until Q3 2026.

All of the Mission 1 Series accessories will be available on a rolling basis beginning May 28, with GoPro’s own wireless mic system (take note, Rode and DJI) priced at $160. If you preorder a Mission 1 or Mission 1 Pro directly from GoPro now, you’ll get the point-and-shoot grip bundled for free. The company still doesn’t have an official release date for the cameras.