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The big stuff at CES usually grabs the headlines, but there are a lot of great little things to see. Here’s a look!
Las Vegas – CES is where the tech world gathers for a week. Companies big and small show off their products in hopes of becoming the next must-have thing!
“It’s a record-breaking show at CES 2019. There’s 2.9 million net square feet of exhibit space, 180,000 attendees and 4,500 exhibiting companies,” explained CES spokesperson Danielle Cassagnol.
I asked if one person could see it all: “it might be tough,” replied Cassagnol. I agree, but we did our best to take in a lot of gadgets. Here is a look at some of the more unique finds. See some more on my Instagram page @richontech!
The Somnox sleep robot is a cuddly pillow that helps you rest easy.
“It simulates breathing rhythm and by feeding that, you’ll adapt to the rhythm and it will slow down your breathing rhythm, and you’ll relax and eventually fall asleep,” explained Stijn Antonisse of Somnox.
The cuddly pillow gently breathes in and out, and plays soothing sounds. I found that it was actually quite relaxing to hold the device, but you might lose some sleep over the price tag. It’s nearly $600.
We saw a cordless hair dryer that’s being billed as the world’s first salon quality wireless hair dryer. The VOLO Go Cordless Hair Dryer uses infrared for healthier heat. “It is hot, but it’s hot in a fundamentally different way. It dries the hair from the inside out, it dries it faster at a lower temperature so it reduces frizz and healthier for the hair,” explained Volo Beauty president and co-founder Jonathan Friedman.
Just be ready to recharge one more thing: two hours of charge time gets you 20 minutes of drying time. This is a Kickstarter, so it might be a while before it hits the marketplace in a big way. It costs $400.
Smartphone Cases
We saw a new mashup between PopSockets and Otterbox for a new type of case called the Otter Pop. It’s slimmer and has snap-on PopSockets that are interchangeable.
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Speck has their answer to the PopSocket with a solution called the GrabTab. It sticks to the back of your phone, is slimmer and doesn’t interfere with wireless charging.
Planet Computers Pocket Computer Phone
We saw a phone that looked like a blast from the past.
“It’s basically a little pocket computer, great camera and a phone all in one,” explained Dr. Janko Mrsic-Flogel with Planet Computers. He talked up the beauty of having a good-sized keyboard to type on, but at this point so many of us are pretty comfortable typing on iPhones and Androids this might be a tough sell. We’ll see how it does when it launches later this year.
Google Lenovo Smart Alarm Clock
Google is working on their bedside manner with a new $79 Smart Clock from Lenovo.
It is the perfect size for bedside stand and has a small touch screen and Google Assistant built in.
“This is a device that is going to really great for the bedside and it has some new features for allowing you to easily set an alarm and wake up with light before sound,” explained Lilian Rincon of Google.
The screen gradually gets brighter in an effort to wake you up gently even before sounding the alarm.
Google was smart to not include a camera on this bedroom alarm clock, but they did include a handy USB port on the back so you can charge your phone bedside, too.
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Rich DeMuro is the Tech Reporter at KTLA TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles and author of the bestselling iPhone guide 101 Handy Tech Tips for the iPhone.
