Cool innovation
Electronics show picks best new tech products
Las Vegas — The trade show floor at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017 doesn’t open until Thursday, but we already know some of the coolest products here.
The folks who put on the CES, the Consumer Technology Association, have selected 35 products as worthy of the Innovation Award, defined as “a product or technology that scores above the threshold set for a specific category,” says the association. Here are three of the highlights: Augmented reality smartphone: The brand new Phab 2 Pro smartphone from Lenovo brings Google’s Tango augmented reality technology to the phone for $499. Think Pokemon Go outside of the gaming world. As the company says, “look through the Phab 2 Pro, and you’ll see objects and information overlaid onto the real world.” Examples include visualizing a new table or sofa at a store and how it would look in the home.
The smart dog collar: Link’s AKC collar promises to track where Fido is and help you find him should he get lost. The collar, just out, sells for $149, and there’s a monthly subscription charge as well, starting at $7 a month. The idea of a smart collar isn’t new — there are many out there, including WUF and Squeaker. CTA didn’t specific why they chose Link, so we look forward to checking it out on the show floor.
Do-it-yourself eye exams: EyeQue looks to bring the eye exam into the home, via a smartphone app and a $29.99 optical device that connects to the app. The company raised more than $132,000 for its product by taking pre-orders on a Kickstarter campaign. Here are the rest of the winners:
Aipoly Vision — Described as artificial in-
telligence that allows mobile phones to recognize thousands of items to assist blind and visually impaired people with exploring their surroundings.
Cota Tile — Traditional home ceiling tile that delivers wireless power without plugs and pads.
Cubit — A layout placement tool.
Goodix Live Fingerprint Scanner — Biometric security that determines your heartbeat signature from your finger.
HP Spectre — The new thin notebook from HewlettPackard.
Integrated Connectivity Cluster — An all-in-one information and communication system for motorcycles.
K’Track G— A wearable tracker that allows diabetics to measure in real time their blood glucose without blood extraction.
Lenovo Yoga Book — The 2-in-1 tablet.
Levitating Speaker — Crazybaby’s floating speaker atop a speaker for a new way of listening to music.
Motiv Ring — A smart device to track your activity, heart rate and sleep.
Moto Mods — A tool to turn the Motorola Moto Z smartphone into a projector or boombox. Nemonic — A design tool. Nighthawk X10 R9000 Smart Wi-Fi router — Promises faster internet for gamers.
Obsidian 3D Panoramic Camera — Looks to bring virtual reality to a new level.
OSSIC X — Described as headphones for “3D listening.”
Paradigm Persona 9H — A new line of audio speakers.
Powerup FPV — A paper airplane VR drone. The airplane generates a live video stream to the included VR cardboard Viewer.
Predator Z301CT monitor — A curved computer monitor from Acer.
ReSound ENZO2 — A smart hearing aid that connects to an iPhone app.
Robo R2 Smart 3D Printer — Connects to mobile device for the latest in 3D creations.
S3 LiDAR Sensor — A solid state sensor used for computer-assisted perception for safe and autonomous cars.
Samsung Frame — Turns a Samsung TV into art.
Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed — The mattress includes a proprietary algorithm and machine learning to intuitively sense and automatically adjust all night for an optimized sleep experience.
Smart Remote by Sevenhugs — A contextual control system for connected homes.
SVS SB16-Ultra Subwoofer — A 16-inch driver on a mega-speaker.
The Z Gaming Mouse — It offers tilt pivot, roll and analogue buttons.
Tilt Brush — The game Google created for the HTC Vive virtual reality system that lets you paint virtually.
Tobii Dynavox PCEye Mini — An eye tracker for those who do not have use of their hands, “the device enables users to control a computer, laptop or tablet using only their eyes.”
uBolt — A secure personal identity wearable bracelet.
XGIMI Z4 Aurora Screenless TV — A device that projects TV onto “any surface,” with built-in Harman Kardon speakers.
Xooloo Digital Coach — An alternative to parental controls that “allows parents to understand and participate in their child’s digital life.”
Zera Food Recycler — A device to convert household food waste into homemade fertilizer.
Some 3,800 companies exhibit at CES, the world’s largest trade show, attracting over 175,000 people. There will be thousands of products shown here, and most will never see the light of day. But some new product here could be the next video doorbell, connected speaker or fitness tracker — all consumer successes.