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Wacom’s $400 One display is perfect for amateurs
If there's one problem with Wacom's drawing displays, it's that you can't really buy one if you're just a hobbyist. After all, their price and complexity means that if you own one, you're either a professional designer, or aspire to becoming one soon. That's why Wacom has, perhaps a little belatedly, developed a $400 drawing tablet-cum-secondary display that really is for the rest of us.
CES 2020 recap: Day two
The question is no longer "where's my flying car," but "am I willing to get in one?" Uber and Hyundai certainly hope so, as they unveiled the S-A1 flying taxi concept could one day shuttle you at up to 180 MPH from one hub to another. Speaking of a company going outside its wheelhouse, Sony unveiled the Vision-S EV replete with sensors and copious screens. Not to be outdone, Mercedes unveiled its own future-tastic self-driving AVTR EV and decided to do a tie-in with James Cameron's Avatar, for some reason. Next, we hopped into Audi's AI:Me for an autonomous spin, complete with a VR headset. Still on the transportation theme, we saw Bosch's Virtual Visor that blocks the sun but not your view, and BMW's AR windshield that knows where you're looking. For more, check out our complete CES2020 coverage.
August's smaller smart lock doesn't need a Bluetooth bridge
August's Smart Lock Pro is one of the more highly praised smart locks. In a moment of doubt, users can double check that they've secured their doors via an app, rather than returning home. Plus, it's easier to unlock the door remotely than it is to share keys with friends, dog walkers and the like.
Cuzen uses magnets to brew you a fresh matcha in seconds
Brewing matcha the traditional way can be a bit of a pain. Not only must you get the water temperature just right, you also have to spend some time whisking the matcha powder to get everything blended properly. Even then, it's all dependent on the quality of the matcha, as lesser quality brands can have an off or bitter taste. Cuzen Matcha, however, has come up with an alternative solution. It's a matcha machine that doesn't just "whisk" the matcha for you with a magnetic spinner, but it also has a built-in mill that grinds whole tea leaves directly into the cup. The result is a surprisingly clean and refreshing matcha, with none of the bitterness.
Canon's ultimate photo camera is also a video powerhouse
All the current camera hype may be around mirrorless cameras, but Canon is determined to prove DSLRs aren't dead. With the new 1DX MIII, Canon has created what might be not only the best photo camera for sports, news and wildlife, but also an exceptional video camera. First things, this is a giant DLSR. If you're used to nice compact mirrorless cameras, a pro camera like the 1DX or Nikon D5 feels enormous. For one, with its second grip (complete with control wheels), and a shutter built so you can swap to portrait orientation, the camera's body is almost square.
The PowerEgg X drone doubles as a handheld camera
For the eager gadgeteer, vacations are a challenge. How many action cameras should you bring? Will your drone pack in your carry on? What about the gimbal for your mobile phone? Not to mention all the memory cards, cables and chargers. Enter the PowerEgg X (yes, really) from PowerVision — a versatile drone that doubles as a stabilized handheld camera with facial recognition.
This laser aid helps Parkinson's patients maintain their mobility
Sixty-thousand Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease each year. The progressive nervous system disorder impacts the body's motor neurons causing tremors, slowing and stiffening of limb movements, and a halting walking gate. While there is no cure for the disease, a number of treatment options are available. One such example is the Exobeam from Hong Kong's Medexo Robotics.
Sennheiser and Continental's speakerless car audio sounds great
Yesterday, automotive tech company Continental announced a slew of futuristic car enhancements, but one that really caught our attention was a new in-car spatial audio system using Sennheiser's Ambeo 3D audio. What really makes it interesting, though, is the fact that it doesn't use traditional loudspeakers. Instead, it uses Continental's "Ac2ated" technology to physically stimulate various surfaces in the car; that stimulation makes them produce sound, the same way plucking piano or guitar strings causes the instrument's body to resonate with sound. It's a weird concept, a demo at CES Continental held for the press showed the technology really works.
The Morning After: Apple's return to CES
The more data leaks that occur, the more likely Apple is to talk about how great its privacy practices are. And the company's triumphant return to CES -- Apple's last official outing was in 1992 -- was a predictable touting of its security chops. The company's senior director for global privacy, Jane Horvath, was part of a roundtable discussion with other privacy experts from the FTC, Facebook and Procter & Gamble. And even though the past year has seen a couple of skirmishes over privacy -- Apple vs Facebook, Facebook vs the FTC -- everyone stuck to their lines. Apple talked up its privacy practices. Facebook strenuously tried to make the same case. Rebecca Slaughter, the FTC commissioner, reminded us all we have no idea where our data ends up. Hopefully that won't still be the case 28 years from now when Apple chooses to turn up again. -Chris
Ivanka Trump disrupted the conversation about women in tech
Decades of CES speaker pages and Las Vegas ballroom stages have been populated by men, some years exclusively. In 2018, CES ended up with an all-male keynote roster for the second year in a row, and the CTA faced so much backlash from tech leaders and equality groups that organizers added two female panelists at the last minute. But at CES 2020, the Consumer Technology Association is catching shade for inviting a woman to deliver a keynote address. A particular woman: Ivanka Trump, advisor to President Donald Trump. The criticism is grounded in surprise and confusion -- after all, Trump doesn't have direct ties to the technology industry. If her keynote session is an attempt to include female tech leaders in CES, organizers have missed the mark.
Google Assistant will serve as translator for American Airlines lounge guests
Google Assistant's interpreter mode is helping travelers feel more at home in select American Airlines lounges. The airline has started testing the feature, which we first saw at CES 2019, running on Google Nest Hubs at Los Angeles International Airport's Admirals Club lounges in Terminals 4 and 5. Assistant's interpreter mode can translate 29 languages, including Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese, in real time. We found it slow and stilted when we took it for a spin last year, but it's been updated since then and even made its way to phones -- it launched for smart displays and speakers -- in December.
A dispatch from inside Sony's prototype electric car
It's a miracle Sony was able to keep its electric car concept under wraps ahead of CES. In an age of leaks (and given that over ten different companies collaborated with Sony), it's an impressive feat. And the Vision-S prototype, up close, is more put-together than you might expect. I got to sit inside Sony's sales pitch for the automotive industry. The message seemed to be: "We can do cool stuff. Work with us."
Amazfit's HomeStudio is a smart mirror paired with a treadmill
The company that makes Xiaomi's MiBand has teamed up with the Studio.Live, a startup offering on-demand running classes. The pair are at CES this week, unveiling a new home gym that combines AI, streaming classes and treadmills to help you stay in shape. Say hello to the Amazfit HomeStudio.
Apple's rare CES appearance was another privacy pitch
It had been 28 years since Apple last made an official trip to CES until today when Jane Horvath, the company's senior director for global privacy, appeared on a panel discussing consumer privacy.
This rechargeable lunchbox uses steam to reheat your food
Tired of cold lunches, or queueing for the one microwave in your office kitchen? It might be time for a self-heating lunchbox. Many companies have tried to deliver this Tupperware holy grail, however they're often poorly designed and strip your food of moisture. The Heatbox, meanwhile, uses steam to warm everything up and maintain important nutrients.
Citizen's Alexa smart speaker is like a Sonos One with an analog clock
Following Citizen's release of the Alexa-powered clock last year, the company is releasing yet more timepieces with a technology bent. At CES 2020, Citizen showed off not just a multipurpose olfactory alarm clock, but a new Alexa-powered smart speaker as well.
Smart garbage disposal composts your food scraps instead of grinding them up
Composting is a fantastic way that regular folks can help both combat climate change and reduce the pressure on local landfills, but the practice is fraught with having to wrangle slimy, smelly, and easily spillable food scraps. But with the Sepura mounted under your kitchen sink, all you have to do is scrape your plate.
DFree is making an emergency alert system for your colon
Last year, Triple W won a Best Of CES award for DFree, a wearable that adhered to people's stomachs and gave incontinent people a heads-up when nature was about to call. This year, the company is back in Las Vegas to show off a prototype for its new sensor for people with intestinal issues. If successful, the next DFree product will buzz your phone to let you know that it's time to go number two.
Hands-on with NVIDIA's first 360Hz esports display
No one asked for it, but NVIDIA did it anyway. The company built a gaming monitor with a 360Hz refresh rate, meaning it updates frames once every 2.8 milliseconds. The ASUS ROG Swift 360Hz runs on NVIDIA's 360Hz and G-Sync technologies, and it's designed specifically for esports players and competitive-gaming fans.
Watch Samsung's CES 2020 keynote in under eight minutes
Between CES and the upcoming Unpacked, at which it'll reveal its next flagship mobile devices, Samsung has already set itself up for a jam-packed year. Even before its keynote, Samsung was having a busy CES, having revealed several TVs, laptops (including a 4K Chromebook) and a Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite in the leadup to the event. But it still had some things to showcase, including a spherical robot called Ballie Samsung suggests will be able to manage your smart home.
