Advertisement

CES news roundup for January 5, 2014

Imagine waking up on a snowy and cold winter Sunday morning only to find that something strange has happened overnight -- your Mail inbox is overflowing with press releases touting new products being introduced at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. That was the situation this morning, and I'm sure that the blizzard of news won't back down during the coming week. To help us shovel through the drifts of releases, we're going to send some of them your way in our regularly scheduled daily news roundups. For today, here's a special roundup of CES news for you.

  • TAO-Wellness announces the app-enabled WellShell: Just when you thought you could get away from exercising after being good for the first four days of 2014, along comes word of the TAO WellShell. It's a small handheld device that works with an iOS app to help you tone your body through isometrics. As the company describes it, "you push, TAO resists." There are more than 50 isometric exercises that are explained in the app, and the app provides feedback on how hard you should push and for how long. You're also coached through reps and rest periods, and TAO logs your exercise and calories burned. There's no word on when the TAO WellShell will ship.

  • Griffin Technology and Square intro Merchant case for iPhone 5/5s: Griffin has joined forces with mobile commerce powerhouse Square to develop the Merchant case, the first product to emerge from Square's Works With Square program. The $19.99 case is available now, and features a space for holding the Square reader when it's not in use. In addition, the bottom of the case has a slot that perfectly aligns with the Square reader's slot, allowing more consistent results when swiping cards.

  • Griffin's venerable PowerMate goes Bluetooth: Griffin is also introducing a Bluetooth version of its PowerMate "clickable knob". The PowerMate Bluetooth can be used with any number of applications, allowing control of volume on Bluetooth 4.0-equipped Macs, highly-accurate editing in iMovie and GarageBand, and more. PowerMate Bluetooth cuts the cable and will retail for $59.99.

More news will be forthcoming, so stay tuned to this post throughout the day for possible updates.