CES Unveiled is the
first real hands-on time for the press at the yearly gadget-fest. It's
the night before the official press day, which is traditionally when
smaller, innovative little companies show off upcoming products before
the storm of announcements from the big companies.
The Lenovo K91 might just be the smartest smart TV yet. Running a
custom-skinned version of Android 4.0, the 55" set will stream video on
demand, share multimedia with Lenovo tablets and smartphones (of
course), and offer a host of games from a Lenovo-approved Android
market, playable via included gamepad or gyroscope-equipped remote. Then
it adds voice recognition and an integrated 5MP webcam for good
measure. The K91 is will arrive in Chinese living rooms this April,
though stateside plans remain undecided.
The Kivic One pitches itself as a small and simple AirPlay device for the car—streaming audio and video from iPhones
and iPads to the device (which should launch in March and cost about
$200), which can patch into standard A/V inputs in the vehicle. But that
marketing pitch actually short sells the device a bit. It's a universal
AirPlay interface with a variety of outputs (including HDMI), so while
the pocket-sized interface is, indeed, small enough to stash away under a
vehicle dash, there's no good reason why it shouldn't work for your
home theater as well.
The Griffin Twenty streaming audio device turns any Apple AirPort Express
into a stereo system. The machine has a simple and elegant design, just
a plug for the AirPort Express and a large, friendly white dial for
volume. As its name implies, the Twenty has an internal 20-watt
amplifier, left and right outputs for stereo speakers, plus a subwoofer.
The concept is that the dial controls the volume, while the rest of the
interface is taken care of through your iPhone, iPad or computer. No
word on pricing or availability yet.
For 2012, Parrot has updated and expanded upon its Android-based
Asteroid receiver, which can turn any car into a connected vehicle and
earned Parrot a 2011 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award. There are
three new devices. The Asteroid CK has a 3.2-inch LCD color screen and
3G or Bluetooth tethering for connectivity, plus voice recognition,
hands-free calling and a wireless remote control. The Asteroid NAV will
have all of the same connectivity, along with a 5-inch color capacitive
multitouch screen (no remote) and onboard navigation. The Asteroid 2DIN
will feature an even-larger 6.2-inch color multitouch screen and all of
the capabilities of the former two models. All of these devices will be
available sometime later this year, but the price is TBA.
Greenwave Reality's booth is begging to be overlooked. There's no
single, gee-whiz product, and the topic—smart energy done smartly—isn't
as sexy as a barrel-rolling drone. But the ex-Cisco engineers behind
this company have created an impressive suite of gadgets that piggyback
off of your WiFi network, creating a stand-in for the smart homes to
come. The LED and CFL bulbs (which
should cost $10 to $20) are controlled wirelessly, each with its own IP
address. The company's powerstrips can remotely toggle appliances on
and off, as well as automatically detect what kind of device they're
powering (discerning a TV from a computer, for example). All of the
usage data is pushed to Greenwave's own servers, allowing for access and
control over the Internet from users' smartphones, tablets, or
computers. It's everything the smart grid promises to do one day, but
available right now.
We've seen the future of cooking, and it's... expensive. Luckily, the
$5000 Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop is also an evolutionary
leap—instead of discrete heating elements, the cooktop senses
induction-compatible cookware placed anywhere on its surface. The
touch-sensitive display shows where each pot and pan is situated,
maintaining their power level even as they slide around. To reinforce
the mad scientist appeal of electromagnetic cooking, it also has a Boost
feature, which redirects up to 30 percent of the power from one half of
the surface to the other, for even faster heating. Why? Because you
can!
The
PowerSkin SpareOne may be the lowest-tech cellphone on the market
today: it has no screen, a basic number pad, and relies on a single AA
battery for power. It's not for daily use, of course; the $50 SpareOne,
which can always dial 911 but needs a SIM card to make regular calls,
might find a home in your first aid kit, glove box, or storm shelter.
The
mission of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project is to design and
sell ultra-cheap devices for the developing world. The organization's
first product was the convertible laptop XO-1 laptop in 2006. Next up is
the approximately $100 XO-3, an 8-inch touchscreen educational tablet
with solar and crank chargers. It will be available with an optional
Pixel Qi transflective screen, which can alternative between LCD and
Kindle-style e-reader modes.
1. Lenovo K91
The Lenovo K91 might just be the smartest smart TV yet. Running a
custom-skinned version of Android 4.0, the 55" set will stream video on
demand, share multimedia with Lenovo tablets and smartphones (of
course), and offer a host of games from a Lenovo-approved Android
market, playable via included gamepad or gyroscope-equipped remote. Then
it adds voice recognition and an integrated 5MP webcam for good
measure. The K91 is will arrive in Chinese living rooms this April,
though stateside plans remain undecided.
2. Kivic One
The Kivic One pitches itself as a small and simple AirPlay device for the car—streaming audio and video from iPhones
and iPads to the device (which should launch in March and cost about
$200), which can patch into standard A/V inputs in the vehicle. But that
marketing pitch actually short sells the device a bit. It's a universal
AirPlay interface with a variety of outputs (including HDMI), so while
the pocket-sized interface is, indeed, small enough to stash away under a
vehicle dash, there's no good reason why it shouldn't work for your
home theater as well.
3. Griffin Twenty
The Griffin Twenty streaming audio device turns any Apple AirPort Express
into a stereo system. The machine has a simple and elegant design, just
a plug for the AirPort Express and a large, friendly white dial for
volume. As its name implies, the Twenty has an internal 20-watt
amplifier, left and right outputs for stereo speakers, plus a subwoofer.
The concept is that the dial controls the volume, while the rest of the
interface is taken care of through your iPhone, iPad or computer. No
word on pricing or availability yet.
4. Parrot Asteroid
For 2012, Parrot has updated and expanded upon its Android-based
Asteroid receiver, which can turn any car into a connected vehicle and
earned Parrot a 2011 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award. There are
three new devices. The Asteroid CK has a 3.2-inch LCD color screen and
3G or Bluetooth tethering for connectivity, plus voice recognition,
hands-free calling and a wireless remote control. The Asteroid NAV will
have all of the same connectivity, along with a 5-inch color capacitive
multitouch screen (no remote) and onboard navigation. The Asteroid 2DIN
will feature an even-larger 6.2-inch color multitouch screen and all of
the capabilities of the former two models. All of these devices will be
available sometime later this year, but the price is TBA.
5. Greenwave Reality
Greenwave Reality's booth is begging to be overlooked. There's no
single, gee-whiz product, and the topic—smart energy done smartly—isn't
as sexy as a barrel-rolling drone. But the ex-Cisco engineers behind
this company have created an impressive suite of gadgets that piggyback
off of your WiFi network, creating a stand-in for the smart homes to
come. The LED and CFL bulbs (which
should cost $10 to $20) are controlled wirelessly, each with its own IP
address. The company's powerstrips can remotely toggle appliances on
and off, as well as automatically detect what kind of device they're
powering (discerning a TV from a computer, for example). All of the
usage data is pushed to Greenwave's own servers, allowing for access and
control over the Internet from users' smartphones, tablets, or
computers. It's everything the smart grid promises to do one day, but
available right now.
6. Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop
We've seen the future of cooking, and it's... expensive. Luckily, the
$5000 Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop is also an evolutionary
leap—instead of discrete heating elements, the cooktop senses
induction-compatible cookware placed anywhere on its surface. The
touch-sensitive display shows where each pot and pan is situated,
maintaining their power level even as they slide around. To reinforce
the mad scientist appeal of electromagnetic cooking, it also has a Boost
feature, which redirects up to 30 percent of the power from one half of
the surface to the other, for even faster heating. Why? Because you
can!
7. PowerSkin SpareOne
The
PowerSkin SpareOne may be the lowest-tech cellphone on the market
today: it has no screen, a basic number pad, and relies on a single AA
battery for power. It's not for daily use, of course; the $50 SpareOne,
which can always dial 911 but needs a SIM card to make regular calls,
might find a home in your first aid kit, glove box, or storm shelter.
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