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Intel shows off a light-up smart mug, because why not?

Why not indeed? In addition to all the usual stuff (tablets, Ultrabooks, what have you), Intel's CES booth includes a tablet full of... coffee mugs. Yep, mugs. It's a bit strange, at first, to see so many photographers crowded around, taking hands-on photos of a porcelain cup. But then you notice the LED lights. Using a companion app, you can program the lights to display numbers, letters and smiley faces, in different colors. Additionally, Intel is showing a demo of it working with an internet-connected baby onesie, in which the lights on the mug pulse to match up with the child's respiratory patterns.

For now, the mug is just a concept, but Intel hopes it can eventually help bring it to market. In particular, the company is working with a manufacturer in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, which has a 2,000-year-old porcelain-making tradition, but has been economically depressed in recent years. In the meantime, of course, Intel can't say when this might go on sale, or how much it might cost. We say, use that time to figure out more uses for the thing. Engadget's UK editors (born tea experts) have a few suggestions: show someone's order on the outside, or change colors when that latte starts to get cold.