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Zano's tiny drone wants to make aerial photography cheaper
If there's one problem with using a drone for aerial photography, it's that the cost of buying one is prohibitively high. It's not likely that regular folks are going to splash out the better part of a thousand dollars on a drone and more for an action cam to accompany them just for noodling around. That's the issue that the Torquing Group is aiming to remedy with the Zano, a nano drone that wants to bring the price down to under $300, enabling many more people to take the plunge.
BMW's autonomous i3 learned how to park and forgot how to crash
BMW is at CES this week demonstrating some of its newest advances in the field of highly autonomous driving. If you remember, last year we were taken to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and sped around the track in a tricked-out driverless 4 Series. This year's theme remains essentially the same, though rather than focusing on high-speed driving and drifting, the German automaker has slowed everything down. We were invited to a hotel's rooftop parking area where a couple BMW i3s were parked at either end of the space. One would demonstrate 360-degree collision avoidance and the other fully automated parking. They both did a very impressive job.
The challenges ahead for Oculus VR as it creates the consumer Rift
"As always, the consumer Rift is in progress and we're making great progress," says Oculus VR Product VP Nate Mitchell. He told me that this week, but you could really pull versions of that response from any of the half dozen interviews we've done with Oculus VR in the past few years. It's the elephant in the room that Oculus brings with it from trade show to trade show: When is this thing going to be a consumer product? There's still no answer in January 2015, as of this year's CES. Will there be an answer in 2015? Maybe! Your guess is as good as ours, but Mitchell offered us something slightly more optimistic:"We're on an awesome path to consumer VR and I do think that 2015 for better, for worse is gonna be a really big year for VR. Even at CES, we're already seeing it. 2015 is gonna be a big year for VR, whether it's from Oculus or otherwise, and we're excited to be a part of it."
Blu's latest smartphones include one with a giant four-day battery
You might not need to swap batteries (or lean on an external battery pack) again. Blu Products has unveiled a deluge of Android smartphones at CES that includes the Studio Energy, a 5-inch device with a whopping 5,000mAh battery pack -- even the Droid Turbo's 3,900mAh looks modest by comparison. You can reportedly expect four days of "standard" use at a time, or enough to get through a long weekend without plugging in. The Energy will even charge up other devices, much like Huawei's Ascend Mate 7. Don't expect much more than longevity, however. That epic battery life is partly owed to the low-end 1.3GHz MediaTek processor and 720p screen -- and the HSPA+ data, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 8-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front shooter won't impress others. Mind you, the Studio Energy will cost just $179 unlocked when it ships in late January. It might be a good backup phone to take with you on camping trips and other excursions where wall outlets are few and far between.
Hands on with the crazy new phone that proves Saygus is still kicking
The first flagship phone from Saygus in five years isn't very subtle. Its specs read like every gadget geek's wish list: support for up to 256GB of storage, a 21-megapixel rear camera paired with a 13MP front shooter, stereo Harman Kardon front speakers and insanely fast 60Ghz WiFi before it hits other phones. But there's something to admire in the Saygus V2's (technically, "V squared") excess. It's a phone that's meant specifically for hardware geeks, not everyday buyers. And it's those geeks who probably remember the Vphone, the last device from Saygus that was one of the first hyped-up Android phones, but which ultimately ended up as vaporware. The company may be alive, but it still has a lot to prove with the V2.
Yes, socks that track your run are now a thing
It was only a matter of time, really, after smart shirts, smart watches and smart glasses, that someone would start thinking about socks. Sensoria had originally promised to ship its fitness-tracking socks at the start of last year, but only managed to get the fashionable wear out of the door just before the holidays. Which was all the excuse that we needed to stop by the company's booth at CES and see if you can really make a sock smart.
OnKol captures your loved ones' health data so you don't have to
Distance can sour even the fondest familial relationships, and they're even trickier to sustain when health issues are involved. That's where a small, Midwestern hardware startup called OnKol comes in -- it's making a handsome hub for all the digital health data you can squeeze out of compatible health monitors (a decent chunk of which have cables that terminate in USB jacks). It'll also play nice with health devices that support Bluetooth connections, though those can be a little tougher to come by. The end result? A sort of one-stop shop to help you keep tabs on loved ones who could use some remote (but caring!) eyes.
The new Nabi kid-friendly Android tablets are seriously huge
In addition to an action cam for adventurous kids, Fuhu has announced new Big Tab options at CES -- and they're so huge, they dwarf the 24-inch model launched in 2014. These latest entries to the Big Tab lineup include 42-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch models, so they're definitely not something you'd hold in your hand to watch Netflix or check your emails on. Fuhu envisions these tablets to be used in kitchens and living rooms for interactive activities or as smart TVs, as they're touchscreen displays with access to Google Play. The 55- and 65-inch ones even have full Ultra HD resolution, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC. According to USA Today, these huge tablets will hit the market in the second half of 2015, with the cheapest option priced at $699. The most expensive one will cost you quite a bit: $3,999 for the 65-inch 4K model.
MHL's new adapter can handle 8K video and link your devices
If you thought MHL's existing adapter spec could handle just about everything under the sun, you ain't seen nothin' yet. The MHL Consortium has taken the wraps off of SuperMHL, a new connector format that's ready for hardware you can't even buy yet. It can play gigantic 8K videos at 120 frames per second, and it's also ready for wider color ranges (up to 48-bit) that present a more natural-looking picture. Also, you can link multiple SuperMHL devices -- it's possible to steer your TV, receiver and Blu-ray player using one remote. Think of it as a supercharged version of the years-old HDMI-CEC control standard.
Chinese TV giant TCL brings Palm Inc. back to life
Prepare to be transported back to 2005. Chinese electronics maker TCL (which sells smartphones around the world as Alcatel OneTouch) announced earlier today that it's reviving the venerated Palm brand in the form of a new US subsidiary. That's right, folks: It might not be long until you've got a shiny new Palm smartphone in your pocket. To be clear, though, this new/old venture retains basically none of the original's DNA. Palm's giant vault of patents? It's been hacked apart and sold off in bits and pieces to big-time bidders. And webOS, the platform a naïve company banked its smartphone future on? It was open-sourced and eventually acquired by LG, who's now throwing it on smart TVs and maybe a smartwatch if we're lucky.
This is what a $300 game controller looks like
Yes, really. This is really a $300 game controller. It's extremely modular -- you can use it with a PC, or a tablet (up to seven inches), or a TV outright (via MHL cable). It folds down to a tiny little oval. There's an attachable keyboard. It's bizarre. I cannot stress that enough. Who created this madness? Mad Catz. Of course it was Mad Catz. Maybe you'd like to know more? I encourage you to visit the gamepad's website, which is also full of madness. Including that $300 price, which is outrageous. But maybe you really like expensive crazy things? Head below into our gallery for some up-close-and-personal shots of it.
A first look at Hexo+ -- the slick-looking drone that follows you
If you're in the market for a drone, you won't be short of choices in 2015, if CES is anything to go by. Even if it's one that follows you. Hexo+ is no new kid on the block, though. We actually saw it back in the summer when it launched on Kickstarter the same week as that other follow-you drone, AirDog. A rivalry no doubt heightened by the fact that both campaigns bagged almost identical amounts of money ($1.3 million) in funding. Until now, though, any evidence of a physical Hexo+ had remained out of view. With just the occasional teaser clip of sample video to whet the appetite. Finally, here at CES, we get a look at the drone itself. In the fairly utilitarian world of multirotor-design, it's a stealthy-looking piece of kit. The six sets of rotors give it a more aggressive appearance, and the blue front props add a splash of color. Of course, looks are one thing; another is seeing it do its job. Sadly, that's not possible in the confines of a Las Vegas exhibition hall, but all going well, we'll remedy that later in the week.
Feet-on with the Digitsole warming smart insoles
Sure, the idea of smart shoe insoles may sound a tad ridiculous when just about everything tracks our steps. But how about insoles that can also warm up your toes? We had a chance to try out the Digitsole warming smart insoles at CES, and while they weren't world-changing enough for us to drop $200 on them, they certainly worked as advertised. I felt my foot gradually warm up to the point of toasty when I tested them, as if I was sitting in front of a roaring fire (except I was actually standing in a chilly Las Vegas convention room). Digitsole can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and its battery (rechargeable via USB) lasts six to nine hours. You can control the temperature via an iPhone or Android app, which is also where you can track the amount of steps you've taken and calories burned.
I got a makeover in a web browser
Outside of my wristwatch, I don't wear jewelry (makeup either), but thanks to FaceCake I was able to give myself a total makeover within Chrome. First off, yes the company's name is more than a bit ridiculous. But its tech is pretty neat! Without downloading anything -- no plug-ins, add-ons or extensions are necessary -- you can try on earrings and complement pieces simply using a webcam and "any" browser. Notice the stunning necklace and earrings on the handsome chap up above? They move with you, and if you want to share how they look to your social platform of choice, that's totally possible. The outfit hasn't announced any of its retail partners for virtual try-on just yet, but says that we should see those surfacing within two to three months. Hopefully those include places like Macy's, Gilt, JackThreads and maybe even Warby Parker. Until then you can watch me model some super-gaudy pieces in the GIF below.
Dear BlackBerry, Ryan Seacrest isn't done with the QWERTY keyboard
Maybe you remember the bizarre collision of worlds at last year's CES when Ryan Seacrest touched down in Las Vegas to introduce the Typo, a physical QWERTY keyboard case for the iPhone 5/5s. If you do, then you may also recall the controversy and legal tussling over the original Typo's striking resemblance to BlackBerry's Q10 keyboard. One court ordered a sales injunction and another Typo revision later, Seacrest and his partner Laurence Hallier are back at CES to debut another physical keyboard accessory, this time it's the Typo2 for the iPad Air and iPad mini lines. The pair carved out some time during the madness of CES to speak to me about Typo's bumpy start, the impact of customer feedback on product design and the boldfaced names that swear by their QWERTY case.
FLIR's second-generation thermal camera now works with (almost) any smartphone
When FLIR launched its first smartphone-based thermal camera at last year's CES, the biggest annoyance people had was that the hardware was baked into an iPhone 5 case. Anyone who wasn't toting Apple's newest two smartphones was understandably aggrieved about that decision. That's why, as a do-over, the company has released a second-generation FLIR One that clips onto the bottom of your smartphone over Lightning or micro-USB, letting Android users in on the fun.
The CocoJet lets you print in delicious 3D chocolate
We live in a magical, magical world. A world where we can print almost anything we want in chocolate. Yes -- chocolate. 3D Systems and The Hershey Company are basically making your wildest confectionery dreams come true with the CocoJet, a 3D printer for delicious chocolate. You can choose among dark, milk or white chocolate for your creations (though, we all know that white chocolate isn't really chocolate). And so long as your desired shape isn't too complicated, the CocoJet should be able to spit it out. You could even print functioning chocolate nuts and bolts if you really wanted. Sadly, the press release states that, "The company intends to share its commercial plans for this class of chocolate 3D printers at a later date." So... don't get too excited about printing out chocolate hearts for your loved one (or white chocolate daggers for your enemies) just yet.
Finally, we heard what Neil Young's Pono music player sounds like
Herbie Hancock just tickled my ears. Not kidding. Adele did too. But Herbie tickled them better. No, this isn't some weird dream/nightmare. This is Pono. Go listen to Hancock's "Watermelon Man" now (link here). We'll wait. Back? What you just heard was a compressed version of Hancock's classic. What I just heard was not, and the difference is quite dramatic (even over reasonably priced headphones). Good thing too, given that Neil Young's quest with Pono has been to guide us away from the tyranny of the heavily compressed MP3, and steer us to the calm, warm waters of uncompressed audio. But, even though we've followed the Pono story quite closely, we learned a little more about the curious yellow prism today, too.
Watch how Intel's depth cameras let you play 'drone ping pong'
It's all good and fun when you get to fly a drone, but there are times when you wish it could fly around by itself without crashing into things. As we found out at Intel's CES keynote just now, one solution to this is to equip the machine with depth cameras; and in Ascending Technologies' case, it went with six of Intel's RealSense depth cameras for its AscTec Firefly. The result is a drone that pushes itself away when people approach it, which allowed the demonstrators to humor the audience with a game of "drone ping pong": one player would walk up to the Firefly to pass it to another player. We also watched another Firefly clear an obstacle course autonomously, but trust us, the first demo is more entertaining (but maybe creepy for some). See for yourself after the break.
Anova announces a WiFi sous vide cooker that lets you set temps remotely
Affordable sous vide cooking has been around for a while now, what with devices like the Nomiku, the Sansaire and the Anova One gaining popularity in recent years. Anova, in particular, recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign last year where they funded the Anova Precision Cooker, a handy wand-shaped immersion circulator that added Bluetooth into the mix. At CES 2015, the company is taking it one step further by announcing something called the Anova Touch, a sous vide cooker with WiFi as well.
