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What ever happened to last year's Best of CES winners?
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas -- and the same can be said of some products unveiled at the world's biggest tech show. What we see and report on at CES doesn't always lead to something we can buy, and that's doubly true of all the crowdfunded products that have stolen the show in recent years. So, how about our Best Of CES award winners? Glorious, glamorous concepts of the future aside, how many are still happening? Did any of our highlights from last year actually make it into stores? The conclusion is, well, mixed. And it's not just crowdfunded startups that failed to deliver.
Gracenote automatically tunes your car stereo for each song
Gracenote has developed several ways to leverage its audio tech in the past few years, and the one unveiled today is all about making sure your music sounds its best while you're on the road. Dynamic EQ is built on its ability to identify the music being played, and then adjust your car's audio settings for that particular song. Pretty much any audio system out now has simple genre presets for the equalizer, but for drivers, switching between them as you listen to radio, streaming or CDs doesn't usually make sense.
'AmpStrip' heart rate wearable drops athletes to focus on health
A while back we were introduced to AmpStrip: an innovative wearable that contains a thermometer, accelerometer and heart rate sensor, all packed into a barely-there Band-Aid-like strip. From what we saw at CES 2015, it was all set to swoop in and revolutionize how we look at wearables, with its practicality and ease of use unlike anything available to date. However, the startup company FitLinxx announced today that it has discontinued the product as a fitness tracker available to the public and will instead focus on the product's potential medical applications.
Muscle-sensing Myo gesture armband will be on Amazon this quarter
About a year after getting our first taste of the Myo, Thalmic Labs has announced that it's reaching out to the masses by way of Amazon this quarter. As with its pre-order on the company's website, this muscle-sensing gesture control armband will be available for $199. But even before that, Thalmic Labs has already sold 50,000 pre-orders (with about half of them shipped to buyers so far), which is a nice nod of approval to some of the use case examples showed off by Thalmic Labs and its several partners.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Software: Sling TV
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-278135{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-278135, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-278135{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-278135").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Sling TV won many accolades at CES this year, and deservedly so. Not only did it walk home with awards for the Best of the Best and Best Home Theater categories, it won one for Best Software too. Not only is the service a game-changer for cord-cutters, the software itself is great - it's intuitive, smooth and easy to use. Plus, it'll be compatible with iOS, Android and most set-top boxes, making it easier for cable-scoffers everywhere to get their ESPN fix.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Connected Home: Energous WattUp
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-132892{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-132892, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-132892{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-132892").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Our connected home future depends on devices -- be they lightbulbs, blenders or smartphones -- speaking to one another. And in order to do that, they need to have power. Energous WattUp' wireless charging solution delivers that power wirelessly, so not only do you never have to charge up your laptop or tablet, you might not ever need to replace the batteries in your smart smoke detector either. That's just one of many reasons Energous walked home with a Best of CES award in the Connected Home category as well as one for Disruptive Tech.
Best of CES 2015 Award, Wearables: Bragi Dash
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-429719{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-429719, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-429719{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-429719").style.display="none";}catch(e){}It was inevitable that there would be some overlap in both the Health & Fitness and Wearables category at CES, and Bragi's "The Dash" earbuds is one product that dabbles in both worlds. The wireless earbuds are wearable enough - they're tiny enough to fit in your ear discreetly - while packing in serious fitness credentials like activity tracking and heart rate monitoring plus offering surprisingly intuitive touch controls. It's why we offered it the Best of CES award for the Wearables category as well.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Automotive: Mercedes F 015 concept car
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-310065{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-310065, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-310065{width:570px;display:block;} Mercedes' very future-facing concept car is many, manyyears away, but the gamut of features and ideas it pulls together is expressly why it had everyone talking. With touchpanels and gesture controls across the beautiful interior, as well as chairs that rotated around while the car pilots itself, we may not see the F 015 IRL for a number of years, but Mercedes showed what the car of the future could be: a glorious almost-lounge that takes you from A to B.try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-310065").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
Best of CES 2015 Awards, TV Product: LG Art Slim 4K OLED TV
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512352{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512352, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512352{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-512352").style.display="none";}catch(e){}CES is a tech show that isn't lacking in TVs. That's especially true for the major central hall, where you're never far from the glow of a giant sumptuous TV. It makes choosing the Best TV on show a difficult task, but we got there. LG's Art Slim 4K OLED took the prize, boasting the beauty of OLED technology, 4K resolutions and a handful of sizes set to go on sale in 2015. Sure, there's curved and curving options too, but it was the more typical, flat designs that we were drawn to.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Disruptive Tech: Energous WattUp
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-629182{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-629182, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-629182{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-629182").style.display="none";}catch(e){} We like our wireless routers here at Engadget, but a wireless router that can charge your devices too? And one that can do so, well, wirelessly? If that sounds like a pipe dream, well, it isn't. Energous' WattUp solution promises to do exactly that. No longer would you have to plug in your laptop or charge up your smartwatch when you're in the house. Seems like an innovation winner to us.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Home Theater: Sling TV
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497").style.display="none";}catch(e){} It's not exactly a gadget or anything physical, but Sling TV still came away from this year's CES with a host of accolades. That's because the service from Dish is essentially a cord-cutter's dream, with a slew of channel offerings from the likes of ESPN, CNN and Cartoon Network for only $20 a month -- no cable or satellite subscription required. It was a shoo-in for this year's Best Home Theater award.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Startup: AmpStrip
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-644482{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-644482, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-644482{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-644482").style.display="none";}catch(e){}With so many companies offering wearable devices at this year's CES, perhaps it's apt that the best startup we saw at CES 2015 was a company that was taking a different approach to the fitness tracker. AmpStrip is a health wearable that stays out of the way: a Band-Aid style strip that's waterproof and comes with disposable adhesive strips to attach right to your skin. Despite the slim profile, the company has crammed in an accelerometer, thermometer and heart rate sensor, which, in tandem, can monitor your heart rate, movement and activity. T-shirts are, apparently, optional.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Digital Health & Fitness: Bragi Dash
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-933616{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-933616, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-933616{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-933616").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Digital health and fitness is a category so large that it had its own section in the Sands at CES this year, with everything from robotic bikes to smart shirts. But beating all of that to win our Best of CES award is a tiny pair of earbuds from Bragi called "The Dash." The wireless headphones tuck in a surprising amount of tech -- activity tracker, heart rate monitor, media player and more -- into a really small package. It's no wonder that it raised more than $3 million in its Kickstarter campaign last year... and went home with more than one of our crystal trophies.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, PC: Lenovo LaVie HZ550
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-431162{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-431162, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-431162{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-431162").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Lenovo typically brings a lot of new product releases to CES. And it did it again in 2015. However, there was one particular highlight: a 13-inch laptop with top-end specs, but somehow weighing in at 1.7 pounds.This is Lenovo (and NEC's) slender LaVie HZ550. For reference, that's 43 percent lighter than the latest MacBook Air -- and in person you'd think it was a dummy laptop shell. Despite that, the laptop still packs fifth-generation Intel Core processors: It's got muscle too. Was it the best PC we saw at CES? We think so, yes.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Mobile Device: Dell Venue 8 7000 tablet
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-628616{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-628616, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-628616{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-628616").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Dell's new tablet houses a beautiful OLED screen running at 2,560 x 1,600. But you don't need the resolution numbers: Just know that it's a beautiful, crisp display housed inside a tablet shell that's just 6mm at its thinnest. That, the company says, makes it the Venue 8 7000 the slimmest tablet in the world. A good opening gambit, but the tablet also packs an Intel-powered multi-camera setup that lets you refocus your photos after you've taken them. Dell says tablet photography is here to stay.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Offbeat: Belty Smart Belt
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54529{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54529, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54529{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54529").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Without fail, CES always manages offers up something a little unusual alongside the halls (upon halls) of TVs, tablets and home appliances. In fact, it's the weird things that often catch our attention the most. So, what about Belty the smart belt? The name alone screams "offbeat," but it's the way the wearable pulls it all off that caught our eye. It not only adjusts for your waist automatically (the cool part), but also offers up metric data... and associated health warnings, if needed. We present the Best of CES 2015 Offbeat winner. Marty McFly would probably wear one.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Best Drone or Robot: AirDog
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-23441{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-23441, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-23441{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-23441").style.display="none";}catch(e){} While the category might include robots, drones dominated CES 2015. We don't mean the businessmen and businesswomen that trudged the Las Vegas Convention Center with looks of thunder on their faces, but the flyable, camera-attached kind. AirDog claimed our Best of CES awards because it follows you wherever you go and even folds up small enough to fit into a backpack. Good 'Dog.
Best of CES 2015 awards, maker-friendly tech: MakerBot's composite filaments
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-841203{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-841203, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-841203{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-841203").style.display="none";}catch(e){} When will you be able to 3D print stuff you'd actually want to keep around? Sooner than you think. We've heard of (and seen) composite filaments before -- plastic that can be printed, but contains other elements and materials -- but if MakerBot is getting involved, then the world of 3D printing is most likely going to follow. Revealing the ability to print plastic with bronze, limestone, maplewood and iron inside, we've called it one of the most exciting 3D-printing announcements in recent years and thus the rightful recipient of the Best Maker-friendly Technology award. (Now, when will they be able to print something like our awards trophy?)
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Gaming: Razer Forge TV
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-378530{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-378530, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-378530{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-378530").style.display="none";}catch(e){} While last year's CES bubbled over with gaming hardware and services to excite, this year... well, it was more of a simmer. However, it didn't stop Razer, which (like previous years) had all sorts of hardware to show off. Here at Engadget, we deemed the company's Forge TV as the best gaming product at CES: a cheap, solid micro-console that'll stream your PC games, whatever the hardware.
The fascinating, frightening drones and robots of CES 2015
At CES 2015 you could hardly turn your head without smacking into a 4K display, but finding a robot companion takes a bit of legwork. Luckily, we trolled the halls of the LVCC and beyond to find the most exciting (and often frightening) advances in unmanned technology. From drones that track you through the desert to an Android employee with lifelike expressions, check out the video and photo tours below to witness the fascinating future of robots and drones at CES 2015. For a closer look at these robots, drones and more check out our 2015 CES Field Guide.
