LAS VEGAS — Every year, the International CES brings with it a colossal
wave of new and innovative devices, and much of what appears at the show
will define consumer tech in the following months. CES 2015 is no exception.
Given current trends in technology, we expected to see smart home devices, ultra-high-res TVs and driverless cars to be highlights — and those categories are represented — but there are surprises, too. Personal transporters appear to be having a resurgence if this year's show is any indication, and computer monitors are suddenly sexy again thanks to some nice curves and 4K resolution.
Conversely, the "Internet of Things" is undoubtedly the megatrend of CES 2015, but few individual devices have stood out. Connected and self-driving cars are on the rise as well, but there are few players and thus few notable examples.
Still, the night is young. CES continues throughout the week, and there's plenty of tech still to come. Check back here as we update and add to our selections as we dive deeper and deeper into CES.
Here are our favorite products of the show — so far.
ENTERTAINMENT
Until now, almost all streaming TV had only been
available to customers with a cable subscription. Now, cord cutters will
be able to subscribe to Dish Network's Sling TV
without paying for cable. The service offers customers a batch of
channels for $20 a month. The killer feature: It includes ESPN — an
important channel for its live and exclusive sports content, though the
service can be streamed to only one device at a time. Sling TV will be
available to U.S. customers in the first quarter of 2015 — just in time
for baseball season.
Thinness and minimalism are always prized in tablets, and Dell has really delivered with the Venue 8 7000:
It's just 6mm thin or 0.24 of an inch — just a hair thinner than the
famously skinny iPad Air 2. The rear camera does much more than snap
fancy pictures; it can record detailed 3D information, letting you scan
objects — even faces — to create models that you can then import into
other software (like games) or re-imagine in the real world via 3D
printing. The tablet market may not be growing like it used to be, but
as Dell's impressive tablet shows, the category is hardly stagnating.
Yep, even action cams have gone 4K. Sony's first 4K-ready action camera,
the FDR-X100V, allows users to record point-of-view shots at glorious
Ultra HD resolution (3,840 x 2,160). The camera goes on sale in March
for $500 and comes with a new way to reduce wind noise to that maintains
high sound even when shredding down a hill. It's also water resistant
to protect against splashes, drops in the snow or submersion while
hunting sharks. The camera includes Sony's Steady Shot feature, which
stabilizes videos, though this feature only works when shooting in HD,
not in 4K.
If the skateboard and Segway had a strange, high-tech love child, it would be the IO Hawk.
It's as weird and wonderful as it sounds. Built by the company with the
same name, the IO Hawk is a self-balancing motorized personal
transporter. Similar to the Segway (but minus the handle bars), the
product is powered by batteries, motors and uses slight pressure from
your feet to guide it where you want it to go. When you shift your
balance, the device responds and moves in that direction. It weighs 22
pounds and can travel up to 6 mph.
A heating vent might not be the sexiest home
accessory to get "smart," but a new high-tech option lets you control
each room individually. In most cases, a home's thermostat (smart or
otherwise) controls the heating and cooling systems in a one-size-fits
all way. The Keen Home smart vent
keeps you from wasting energy—and money—on areas of your house that
don't need as much attention. Installing the Keen on a few strategic
vents throughout a house could lead to big savings. Sounds smart to us.
It looks like a rather tall and not very interesting flower container, but Parrot's device
— simply-named Pot — may be just what your plants crave. This Bluetooth
flower pot can tell when your plant is thirsty and then water it for
you. Standing roughly a foot tall, the tall white pot has built-in
sensors that can read the level of fertilization, temperature and level
of moisture in the soil and notify you when the plan needs water. When
the Pot arrives later this year, your neighbors will be forever
grateful.
Delphi showed off its self-driving car system
at CES. Hidden under the fenders and strategically positioned on the
dash and roof of an Audi SUV were 20 sensors, including 360-degree
LIDARs, radars, high-accuracy GPS, collision detection and more — all
powered by an Nvidia Tegra K1 running Ottomatika’s automated driving
software. Throughout the ride, the car’s dashboard screen showed it
constantly analyzing its surroundings. It knew where it had to go, the
rules of the road and what other cars were doing all around it. It made
smooth lane changes and wide left turns. It stopped for traffic and
traffic lights. Driverless cars are real, they’re here and, if they get a
license, can really drive themselves.
Given current trends in technology, we expected to see smart home devices, ultra-high-res TVs and driverless cars to be highlights — and those categories are represented — but there are surprises, too. Personal transporters appear to be having a resurgence if this year's show is any indication, and computer monitors are suddenly sexy again thanks to some nice curves and 4K resolution.
Conversely, the "Internet of Things" is undoubtedly the megatrend of CES 2015, but few individual devices have stood out. Connected and self-driving cars are on the rise as well, but there are few players and thus few notable examples.
Still, the night is young. CES continues throughout the week, and there's plenty of tech still to come. Check back here as we update and add to our selections as we dive deeper and deeper into CES.
Here are our favorite products of the show — so far.
ENTERTAINMENT
Sharp Aquos Beyond 4K TV
CES is all about progress, and Sharp's latest TV is the progress poster child for TVs at CES 2015. On the spec sheet, Sharp's set is a 4K TV. But there's some pixel magic going on here: The TV has a total of 66 million subpixels — 42 million more than a normal 4K TV, and all of those subpixels can be individually controlled. Sharp's clever TV can allow pixels to "borrow" subpixels from their neighbors, increasing the overall sharpness, also called pixel splitting. The result is a display with an effective resolution of 7,680 x 4,320, which is — you guessed it — 8K. Technically it's not actual 8K, which is why Sharp avoids the term, but the company does claim the set is the highest-resolution 4K UHD TV you can buy.Samsung 34-inch Curved Monitor
For all of Samsung's love of curved TVs, they're kind of silly. Not so curved monitors, though: We were in love with Samsung's SE790C Curved Monitor
from the moment we laid eyes on its sleek contours. It has a 21:9
ultra-wide aspect ratio, which makes it almost as wide as two old-school
4:3 monitors side by side. The curve is relatively tight at 3000R
(meaning the radius of the curve is 3,000mm), but for a monitor — which
will typically be just a couple of feet from your face — that makes
perfect sense, especially for such a large screen.
This baby can transform your workspace into a lair.
Dish Network Sling TV streaming service
Until now, almost all streaming TV had only been
available to customers with a cable subscription. Now, cord cutters will
be able to subscribe to Dish Network's Sling TV
without paying for cable. The service offers customers a batch of
channels for $20 a month. The killer feature: It includes ESPN — an
important channel for its live and exclusive sports content, though the
service can be streamed to only one device at a time. Sling TV will be
available to U.S. customers in the first quarter of 2015 — just in time
for baseball season.Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Moment
Bang & Olufsen has brought forward some real innovation in the interface of the BeoSound Moment:
a music player with a capacitive touch wheel that's built into a real
wood surface. When you use it for the first time, the effect is a little
like magic. You can plug in your own iPhone or music player, or stream,
via Bluetooth, from any number of services, including Spotify, Deezer
or YouTube. The interface also offers something called a MoodWheel, a
color wheel where the colors correspond to the mood of the music you
want to play. The entire set-up is designed to play more toward your
intuitive music listening instincts rather than forcing you to spend
time learning yet another complicated interface.
The sweet spot for high-end audio matched with simplicity.
Dell Venue 8 7000 tablet
Thinness and minimalism are always prized in tablets, and Dell has really delivered with the Venue 8 7000:
It's just 6mm thin or 0.24 of an inch — just a hair thinner than the
famously skinny iPad Air 2. The rear camera does much more than snap
fancy pictures; it can record detailed 3D information, letting you scan
objects — even faces — to create models that you can then import into
other software (like games) or re-imagine in the real world via 3D
printing. The tablet market may not be growing like it used to be, but
as Dell's impressive tablet shows, the category is hardly stagnating.LIFESTYLE
Gogoro smart scooter
Everyone thinks electric vehicles are a good idea, but who likes waiting hours for a recharge? Energy startup Gogoro aims to solve this problem
by creating a system that allows people to quickly swap their electric
vehicles' batteries rather than waiting around to juice up. It's
starting with an electric battery-powered scooter and a battery network
that places recharging stations around cities. Buying a smart scooter
gets you a subscription to the battery service. The accompanying app
keeps tabs on your scooter and points you to the nearest battery station
when you're running low.
It's like Citibike, but with bikes that go 60 mph.Belty smart belt
It's common to loosen your belt buckle a little after a big meal. But a new product called the Belty takes that task out of your hands. This sensor-equipped smart belt automatically adjusts itself throughout the day, depending on how much you've eaten and how much exercise you've done to compensate. It connects with an app that charts the data it collects throughout the day, sending feedback to the motors, which expand and retract in response. The prototype is based of clunky metal, but the company, Emiota, says it aims to make Belty a "high-end product." We can't wait to pair it with our Guccis.
Sony FDR-X100V 4K action cam
Yep, even action cams have gone 4K. Sony's first 4K-ready action camera,
the FDR-X100V, allows users to record point-of-view shots at glorious
Ultra HD resolution (3,840 x 2,160). The camera goes on sale in March
for $500 and comes with a new way to reduce wind noise to that maintains
high sound even when shredding down a hill. It's also water resistant
to protect against splashes, drops in the snow or submersion while
hunting sharks. The camera includes Sony's Steady Shot feature, which
stabilizes videos, though this feature only works when shooting in HD,
not in 4K.Garmin fenix 3 sports watch
You better be ready to get extreme with Garmin's fenix 3 watch.
It offers training assistance for sports, such as snowboarding, hiking
and skiing. What's more, the watch can endure tough environments. Did we
mention it's beautiful? The sleek design epitomizes a sturdy, high-end
timepiece. It can also connect to your phone to relay call, text and
email notifications to your wrist. The fenix 3 comes in three colors
with a base price of $499. A sapphire version costs $100 more. We warned
you about getting extreme.
The sleek design epitomizes a sturdy, high-end timepiece.
IO Hawk personal transporter
If the skateboard and Segway had a strange, high-tech love child, it would be the IO Hawk.
It's as weird and wonderful as it sounds. Built by the company with the
same name, the IO Hawk is a self-balancing motorized personal
transporter. Similar to the Segway (but minus the handle bars), the
product is powered by batteries, motors and uses slight pressure from
your feet to guide it where you want it to go. When you shift your
balance, the device responds and moves in that direction. It weighs 22
pounds and can travel up to 6 mph.SMART HOME
Sony Life Space UX smart home concept
It actually debuted at last year's show, but Sony's Life Space UX
gets a big upgrade at CES 2015. It goes way beyond Internet-connected
power outlets: With its elegant LED-bulb speakers, video projectors that
turn walls into screens, and interactive tabletop, the new Life Space
UX is one of the most attractive smart home demos we've seen. It's a
little nebulous at this point how all the individual components will
work together, but people won't buy into the smart home concept until
they can look at the products and ideas and think, "I want that." Sony's
minimalist system certainly qualifies.
One of the most attractive smart home demos we've seen.
Keen Home smart vent
A heating vent might not be the sexiest home
accessory to get "smart," but a new high-tech option lets you control
each room individually. In most cases, a home's thermostat (smart or
otherwise) controls the heating and cooling systems in a one-size-fits
all way. The Keen Home smart vent
keeps you from wasting energy—and money—on areas of your house that
don't need as much attention. Installing the Keen on a few strategic
vents throughout a house could lead to big savings. Sounds smart to us.
Samsung Active Wash washing machine
Samsung's latest washing machine
has a genius addition: a built-in sink. Dubbed the Active Wash, the
top-loading washing machine includes a built-in sink for washing
delicates or doing pre-treatment. The problem is that many laundry rooms
don't have a sink. Even better, the Active Wash's sink comes with its
own water jet. Once you're done washing, you can pour the water into the
machine to drain. The idea more than makes sense — it's how it should
be.
Why haven't we thought of this before?
Parrot Pot
It looks like a rather tall and not very interesting flower container, but Parrot's device
— simply-named Pot — may be just what your plants crave. This Bluetooth
flower pot can tell when your plant is thirsty and then water it for
you. Standing roughly a foot tall, the tall white pot has built-in
sensors that can read the level of fertilization, temperature and level
of moisture in the soil and notify you when the plan needs water. When
the Pot arrives later this year, your neighbors will be forever
grateful.AUTO
Delphi Drive system
Delphi showed off its self-driving car system
at CES. Hidden under the fenders and strategically positioned on the
dash and roof of an Audi SUV were 20 sensors, including 360-degree
LIDARs, radars, high-accuracy GPS, collision detection and more — all
powered by an Nvidia Tegra K1 running Ottomatika’s automated driving
software. Throughout the ride, the car’s dashboard screen showed it
constantly analyzing its surroundings. It knew where it had to go, the
rules of the road and what other cars were doing all around it. It made
smooth lane changes and wide left turns. It stopped for traffic and
traffic lights. Driverless cars are real, they’re here and, if they get a
license, can really drive themselves.Mercedes-Benz F 015 electric self-driving car
Mercedes-Benz is jumping into self-driving cars with its latest "autonomous" vehicle, the F 015 Luxury in Motion
"visionary concept" car. Mercedes looks forward to a world after 2030,
when cars will be "exclusive cocoons," a new kind of mobile living
space. The F 015 has bizarre proportions and large LED lights on the
front and back, which it uses to communicate with other cars. It's
equipped with four rotating chairs that allow the passengers to sit
face-to-face and the windows can be used as display screens. The future
is driverless, and it looks pretty hot.
Mercedes looks forward to a world after 2030, when cars will be exclusive cocoons.
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