CES
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Philips adds more garden lights to its Hue lineup
There's a bunch of new goodies for anyone looking to clad the outside of their home in Philips' Hue lights, so get excited. Unless, of course, you happened to spot these new entries when they were leaked last month, in which case you've been excited for the better part of a month already.
Sensel tests out its shape-shifting force sensors on smartphones
Sensel has always prided itself on the flexibility of its force sensing tech. In fact, it's the primary selling point of the Morph, the company's shapeshifting touchpad that can be a drawing tablet, a drum machine or a video editing bay. But, no matter how wide of a net the Morph cast, it's definitely a bit of a niche product. So, the next step for Sensel is to get its tech into other devices made by other companies. This week at CES, it's showing off a proof of concept that puts its Pressure Grid sensor in a phone, beneath a flexible AMOLED display made by Visionox.
BMW shows off an AR windshield concept for the 2021 iNext
BMW thinks that we'd like to interact with our cars in a more humane way than we do today, engaging them in conversation. But that's never just using words, but with gestures, body language, and our gaze, which we use to convey meaning to one another. That's why the company is showing off the BMW i Interaction EASE, a concept windshield for self-driving cars that actually analyzes our nonverbal signals to help us get more out of traveling.
Chipolo’s $25 Bluetooth tracker doubles as a selfie trigger
At CES this week, Chipolo is announcing its latest Bluetooth tracker, which will replace both the Chipolo Classic and Chipolo Plus in its lineup. The One wireless tracker is a coin-shaped device that's designed to clip onto whatever items you need to keep hold of, and make sure you always know where they are. Should you lose them, you can get the tracker to play a sound, like the musical keyfinders of old, but cooler.
Samsung made a rolling robot called Ballie that runs your smart home
Samsung's CES keynote got off to an intriguing start when HS Kim was joined onstage by a robot designed to help you around the home. The company says it made Ballie to understand and support your needs: Essentially, it can run your smart home for you.
Roland's A-88MKII keyboard embraces MIDI 2.0 and USB-C
MIDI 2.0 is (hopefully) right around the corner. And Roland is trying to stay ahead of the game. The A-88MKII keyboard is the first from the company to support the new standard as it works its way toward finalization. Unsurprisingly, Roland isn't starting its MIDI 2.0 journey with a budget controller. The A-88MKII is a premium music making machine with a wooden body and 88 weighted keys that are made to feel like ivory (even though they're plastic).
Tune in to Samsung's CES keynote at 9:30PM ET
Samsung had an extremely busy CES before the show even officially started, having revealed several TVs (including 8K displays), a 4K Chromebook and lite versions of the Galaxy S10 and Note 10. But it's not quite done yet, as it's set to hold a press conference Monday evening.
Watch AMD's CES 2020 event here at 5PM ET
AMD's CES 2020 press conference is about to take place and it should include some details on next-generation Ryzen processors. There also might be some more info on Renoir chips as well as another GPU to round out the current 5000 lineup.
You might not be able to avoid TCL's smartphones in 2020
Whether you knew it or not, TCL -- perhaps best known for its impressively cheap TVs -- has been making phones for years. Just about every Alcatel gadget you've ever seen? Forged in a factory by TCL. They've been around, in other words. What they haven't really gotten around to doing is develop TCL into a full-fledged, respectable smartphone brand all on its own. Granted, the company laid the groundwork late last year when it released the very first TCL-branded phone in a handful of markets around the world, but it didn't seem to move the needle much.
OhMiBod's Nex 3 is a smart vibrating couples ring
Perennial CES attendee OhMiBod is launching a Bluetooth-connected couples ring that promises a more enjoyable time with your partner. Unlike the previous Nex devices, the blueMotion Nex 3 is designed to be worn as an actual ring, increasing pleasure during couple's play. It does, however, share at least one signature feature with its predecessors: the ability to vibrate in tune with the music that you're playing on your smartphone.
ADT’s DIY smart home cameras won’t require a hub or long-term contract
Home security company ADT is creating a new smart home security brand called Blue by ADT. Today, the company is unveiling the brand's first three products: smart indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras. Each of the new DIY devices can be used on its own or configured with others as you wish, and you won't need a smart home hub to operate them.
Ring pledges to beef up security in 2020
Once you've put a camera on your doorbell, peep hole and in your garden, there's not many more smart devices you need, right? Not so, according to Ring, which has turned up at CES with six products in tow, the most notable of which is the Access Controller Pro. The wall-mounted box will let you pair any electronically controlled access gate with your Ring camera over Ethernet or a cellular connection, letting you control both from inside the Ring app. In addition, being an Amazon-owned company, the system will allow Key by Amazon couriers to drop packages securely inside your yard rather than waiting for you to come and greet them.
Mophie’s latest wireless charging station can jumpstart your car
Mophie has been a leader in wireless charging for years. It even beat Apple to the punch. Now, the company is upping the ante. Not only does its new Powerstation Go offer USB-A and wireless charging, it can also jumpstart your car.
The Poseidon smart mirror can be customized to your needs
Smart mirrors aren't exactly new these days, with companies like Panasonic and HiMirror making their own high-tech reflective surfaces that can analyze your skin or provide makeup tutorials. But CareOS, a company out of Europe, has taken a unique spin on it by developing a smart mirror ecosystem that plugs into other aspects of your life. Last year, the company showed off Artemis, which offered all sorts of goodies like an augmented reality mode to try out different hair styles or an AR teeth-brushing game for kids. This year, however, CareOS revealed something a little different called the Poseidon Smart Mirror. Instead of just one type of mirror, the Poseidon is customizable, so you can create the smart mirror you want.
IEVA's environment-monitoring watch protects your outer beauty
There are plenty of devices that measure your UV exposure, or the local air quality, and even an Apple Watch will warn you if the local noise is too loud. But IEVA, a new wearables company from France, thinks that there's room for a watch that'll do all of those things, and more, at once. Say hello to the Time-C, a watch designed to help you "slow the signs of aging and the passage of time."
Core brings Fitbit-style tracking to your meditation sessions
Being a tech journalist is a stressful job. And CES is the most stressful time of year. So naturally, I'm looking for any opportunity I have to take a couple of minutes, breathe, relax and just focus on myself. Which meant the first thing I did when I rolled into Unveiled -- basically the officially kickoff party for CES -- was wander over the booth for Core, a device designed to help you meditate.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite hands-on: We have questions
We're at that weird point in the week where CES simultaneously has and hasn't started, and it's already becoming clear Samsung isn't sticking to business as usual in 2020. That's partially due to the hype surrounding its curious Neon project, but also because Samsung just revealed two modest versions of its most popular smartphones. The Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are exactly what their names suggest, and while I'm always in favor of phone makers crafting high-powered devices that don't cost a ton, Samsung is being surprisingly tight-lipped about them. That said, we did learn a few things after a bit of Vegas hands-on time.
The sex toy company that won, lost, and won a CES award is back again
It may have departed CES under a cloud last year, but Lora DiCarlo is returning to the show in 2020 as a star. The company, which won, lost, and won back a robotics award for its sex toy, Osé, has prompted the show's organizers to re-think their stance on sextech. And to celebrate, the company has rocked up in Las Vegas with two new devices to bolster its growing collection of pleasure tools.
Withings’ new ScanWatch is a classy heart-monitoring wearable
2020 is the year that Withings revamps its Steel HR line of hybrid fitness watches into a new product called the Withings ScanWatch. The new timepiece takes the basic idea of its predecessor and adds a built-in ECG to help folks look for issues with their heart, including atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea.
Acer is showing off a 55-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor
We all know someone who bought a big TV to use as a PC monitor, refresh rates be damned. Thankfully, Acer is joining the not-so select group of companies producing enormous displays that are actually suitable for PC gaming. The company's Predator division is announcing the CG552K, a 55-inch, 4K OLED display that sports adaptive sync, NVIDIA G-Sync and a 120Hz refresh rate. It's smarter than your average TV, too, with a light sensor that optimizes brightness depending on the local environment, and a proximity sensor that activates the monitor when it detects your presence. It also packs plenty of connectivity options, including three HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort v1.4, one USB-C and two USB-type-A, as well as pair of 10W speakers nestled inside. Additionally, the display has 98.5 percent DCI-P3 color gamut and 400 nits brightness, so it should do well for work as well as play. And no gaming monitor would be complete without a customizable light strip, would it?
