timeline16cesdayfive
Latest
I zapped my brain's pleasure center with electric headphones
Behind the scenes at Engadget, my nickname is "Mr. Chill" because I'm the most permanently-wound member of the team. That's why I had to meet Nervana, a company promising to use music to send pleasure signals to my brain. The firm, based in Boca Raton, claims to have discovered a way to excite the brain's Vagus nerve by pushing an electric current through the ear canal. When stimulated, this nerve promotes the creation of dopamine — the brain's happy chemical — which should lead to you becoming more relaxed. Naturally, if there was an opportunity to transform myself from "Mr Chill" to Mr Chill, I had to go for it.
At over five feet wide, this drone is not for noobs
Imagine: You turn up at CES with a big ass hexacopter, only to find it's not even the biggest drone at the show. Not by a country mile. Still, at 5.4 feet across and 1.65 feet tall, Aee's F600 is still a bit of a beast. Of course, you don't make a drone this size to carry a GoPro. The F600 is designed for industrial use. Think heavy-duty tasks like servicing oil rigs in high winds, as the six large rotors give it much more stability than your average Phantom.
Presenting the Best of CES 2016 winners!
After several nights debating with one another on which of our many finalists should win our Best of CES awards, we've come to a decision. Below is our list of winners for each category, including our Best of the Best (spoiler: it's a car!) and our People's Choice award winner too. Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners for not only getting award nods but also surviving the long week in Las Vegas. Hurrah!
Meet the real people of CES
The number of attendees at CES is huge. A huge mass of people descending on Las Vegas to experience the latest and greatest in consumer technology. But, sadly, amidst all the hustle and bustle, busy schedules and dash to the next meeting, the human behind the name badge is often overlooked. Reduced to nothing more than a business card and a calendar appointment. Let's address that, and discover a hand-picked selection of real humans from all four corners of the CES world. These are the real people of CES.
Samsung's Ultra HD Blu-ray player is coming soon for $399
There aren't many Ultra HD Blu-ray players to choose from, but the first one you can buy is this one from Samsung. We'd seen it before at IFA last year, but this week Samsung announced the UBD-K8500 will go on sale in the US this March. Talking to reps from Samsung and the Ultra HD Association, I was told it could start selling as soon as February 22nd, and we expect to see the first Ultra HD discs arrive at the same time. Pre-orders are up on Samsung's website and Amazon.com now for $399.
BMW's motorcycle helmet is the connected future on two wheels
In addition to bringing its highly connected concept car to CES, BMW also showed off a HUD helmet that syncs with its ConnectedRide platform delivering a plethora of information right into the face of riders. While it's extremely unlikely it'll ever become available for cycles from other manufacturers, owners of two-wheeled BMWs might want to take notice.
You can order groceries from the door of Samsung's new fridge
When Samsung announced its latest smart refrigerator earlier this week, we were intrigued. After the company demoed the appliance during its CES press conference, we had to stop and take a look. If you missed the initial news, the new Family Hub fridge is packed with tech. The first thing you notice is the 21.5-inch display in the door, and that screen is the centerpiece of the Tizen-based system. As you might expect, you can mirror what's on your TV or stream music from the likes of Pandora, but entertainment options are actually the less exciting features.
Sex is back at CES
For years CES shared the Las Vegas Convention Center with the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE). But when AEE decided to reschedule its show in 2012, the biggest tech show on earth lost its adult edge. That is, until this year. Over the course of three days, I met with four companies showcasing sex-related products in and around the show.
The Fleye drone could be the safest flying robot at CES
Following its successful Kickstarter campaign, the Fleye drone made its debut at CES 2016 this week. The $1200 UAV is designed, first and foremost, with safety in mind. Its main rotor is encased in a plastic cage which in turn is wrapped in lightweight, impact resistant plastic. The unit also incorporates a sonar unit, six other sensors and a down-facing camera to help it both avoid obstacles and navigate via computer vision. The entire unit weighs just one pound -- uncannily light, given that it's roughly the size of a basketball. It's also outfitted with a 5 megapixel 1080p camera. The Fleye only has enough battery life for about ten minutes of flight time, however, thanks to its open source API and SDK, the UAV can easily be programmed for autonomous flight.
Meet Krush's 360-degree VR vomit comet
You know those firms that are famous for making one thing, but also have some wacky projects on the side? Krush is one such outfit, which is most commonly known for its video chat platform, ooVoo, and various other social and dating apps. Despite this, the the firm has rolled up to CES with the Moveo, a VR flight simulator that offers 360-degrees of unfettered motion. A user straps themselves in while wearing an Oculus Rift, and uses a joystick in the cockpit to zoom around the galaxy in a virtual spaceship.
Panasonic's 4K CES: OLED, LCD and Ultra HD Blu-ray
At Panasonic's CES press conference we focused on its new SL-1200 turntables, and now we've hit the company's booth to see some new 4K hardware. That includes the 65-inch OLED TV that's supposed to arrive later in the year, a DX900 Ultra HD LCD with Ultra HD Premium certification and there's even an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. While what it has to show is impressive enough, Panasonic squeezed all of its home theater offerings into a relatively small area of its booth -- not like previous years when TVs dominated. Now action cameras, electric vehicles, data storage and home automation are taking up most of the space.
BMW's concept car puts next-gen interior in a sports car
CES is quickly become the place to show off concept cars. Not to be left out of the fun, German automaker BMW shared its vision of an autonomous car that is the complete antithesis of the driverless pod cars that have been shown off by Google. Based on the i8, the BMW i Vision Future Interaction (that's a mouthful) gives the driver the option of driving the car themselves or kicking back letting the car take control while you check out the gigantic 21-inch panoramic display that's controlled via gestures, touch or voice. It's technology wrapped inside the vehicle you want to drive down the coast.
8K Attack: LG's and Samsung's super high-res TVs are here
We're barely emotionally adjusted to the existence of 4K, but already tech companies are looking to the next big thing. Sharp put its $130,000 8K TV on sale last year while this week both LG and Samsung showed off "real" 98-inch Super Hi-Vision screens. LG said its 8K television would go on sale in the second half of this year, but it didn't specify a price. Samsung doesn't have a release date or price for its TV either, but the bigger question of what you can even connect to these behemoths also has no answer. The last time I saw an 8K broadcast, it needed an Internet2 connection and a decoder the size of a doghouse just to work, so it's probably still a few years away from being feasible. Still, if these hit the market, maybe they can take a hint from Dish's Hopper 3 and watch four 4K videos at once. [Photos by Will Lipman]
