Like it or not, the COVID-19 pandemic will linger for a while — and Targus is orienting most of its new products to fight the new coronavirus while you’re working at home. The company has come to CES 2021 with a slew of safer accessories, most notably the UV-C LED Disinfection Light you see above. The ultraviolet lamp sits above your keyboard and mouse (or anything else you’d like clean) and will automatically eliminate 99.9 percent of viruses and bacteria by running for five minutes every hour. It’s motion-sensitive, so it’ll automatically shut off if you return to your desk before the disinfection is done.
There’s also a 2Office Antimicrobial Backpack for those few times you need to leave home. The pack carries laptops between 15 and 17.3 inches in size and includes antimicrobial coatings on “key touchpoints” to reduce the chances of picking up a nasty illness.
The light and backpack are both due in spring 2021 alongside antimicrobial keyboards, mice and a SafePort rugged case for seventh- and eighth-generation iPads. And if you’re working safe at home, a Tablet Cradle Workstation (also due in spring) turns Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active 3 into a tiny all-in-one PC with quick connections to accessories. Pricing isn’t available for the upcoming products.
We’d expect other accessory makers to take similar approaches. Targus’ gear is indicative of where the industry is going, though — it wants to cater to people worried they might pick up the coronavirus from the tech they touch.