Greetings from Las Vegas! CES is in full swing, with many press conferences and attendees. The Samsung press conference attendees lined up two hours in advance of the event with thousands of media representatives covering the session.
I had the opportunity to attend the Toyota press conference where they described how they plan to focus on using artificial intelligence to increase the car’s functions. They aim for to manufacture a car that is incapable of causing a crash, an honourable goal that will be tough to accomplish.
I’ve seen some interesting products since the doors of the convention opened on Wednesday. It is impossible to visit all the 3,000+ exhibitors, but I had a chance to spend several hours looking at some of the exhibits and walking over 10km.
The four exhibits I describe below can be called: the good, the nice, the useful and the odd.
The iCamPro deluxe is a Wi-Fi home security video and audio sensor that looks like a light bulb on steroids. It screws into a standard light socket and when it detects motion, the camera turns toward the motion and starts tracking it. The iCamPro detects the motion through 360 degree motion, audio and heat sensors. When any of the sensors are triggered, a message is sent to a connected smart phone as an alert. It is in the Kickstarter stage and the cost is $200.
Edwin is a small yellow duck that is a learning tool. I had the chance to check it out last year and liked it. It must be successful, as this year their booth size increased four-fold. Edwin looks like the yellow duck children take to the bathtub, but it does so much more than the every day yellow plastic duck. It reads stories, sings songs and reinforces self-confidence in children (and it is water proof). The Edwin app interacts with Edwin, and has educational games and stories. Edwin is available at Best Buy for $99. Oh to be young again!
How often did you experience your smart phone battery being so low that a warning light comes on? M-edge bags are a way to make sure that this doesn’t happen! They are a collection of elegant bags, backpacks and purses that have battery chargers built-in, charging tablets and smart phones on the go. The M-edge bags are $89.99 while the backpack is $29.99.
And just when you thought you heard of everything, I present you Ripples. The coffee ripples application allows any photo or image from your smart phone to be put on the foam of a cappuccino or latte. That includes personal pictures, uplifting messages and more. Personally, I like good coffee, but would be hesitant to drink a latte with someone’s picture on it. I guess I am not a latte art appreciator. *I have not been able to find out the cost.
So which do you think is the good, the nice, the useful and the odd?