They say the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. (Likewise for women and girls, but the first iteration rhymes.) And nowhere is that more apparent than at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. After two years of reduced size due to the pandemic, CES returned to Las Vegas with a vengeance, showcasing products from over 3200 exhibitors. The multitude of goodies showcased didn't have to make sense: they just had to have a switch, a battery, a chip and most likely all of the above, and they made it to the exhibit floor.
The stuff on dispaly fell into a few broad categories. There were products that are available now or will be very soon which stretch the existing state of the art, and for which you would gladly lay down your Gold card. There are those which certainly look like they could be winners, but exist only as pre-production prototypes or proof-of-concept models, and will be a long time coming to Target. And there are those that fall into either of the two categories aforementioned, but make you wonder who thought this was a good idea. You decide which of the following goes where.
In the pushing the existing envelope department, LG showed a 97-inch TV that has a better screen and faster response time, but so did others. What sets the Zero Connect model apart from competitors is that, other than power, it requires no hard wires. It has a transmission box you can put out of site for cable, sound and the like, so the TV can be put anywhere. Likewise, JBL's Tour Pro 2 wireless earbuds have more microphones and better sound response, but it's biggest innovation might be the case they come in, which has a screen on it that enables you to control them. No more tapping twice on the left or once on the right or fiddling with an app on your phone.
As always, there are those items which are certainly cutting edge even if you have to wonder if that edge needs cutting. There's the BMW iX Flow, which sports electronic ink panels on the exterior so you can change the color and displays patterns as you drive. Twinkly has a new set of lights for your Christmas tree that not only sparkle, but can be mapped to play video content. Hasboro's Selfie Series toy takes a scan of your head and puts it on an action figure, so you too can save the galaxy. And Bird Buddy take a camera and marries it to birdhouse, so you can see who is living in your backyard. It also automatically identifies what species is making a nest and keeping you up.
For a while the tech word of the day has been "smart." Add connectivity to an existing device, write an app for your phone that controls it, and any dumb appliance can be made more intelligent (if that's what you want). The GE Profile Smart Mixer takes a stand mixer and marries it to a scale and timer all controlled by an app. The result is a device which streamlines baking and cooking. Also gaining that adjective is an oven by Samsung, that becomes intelligent with the addition of a camera inside. While you can use it to watch your souffle rise (or fall), the camera optimizes temperatures and cooking times based on what it sees happening, even recommending settings based on the type of dish you are putting inside. And the Masonite M-Pwr front door integrates lights, a lock and camera/video doorbell right into the door itself. And yes, it includes a backup battery so you can still get in during a power failure ("Honey, did you remember to charge the door?").
Literally hundreds of other devices that one-up the state-of-the-art were on display. But the smart device of most interest in our house is from South Korea-based 10Minds. Their Motion Pillow has a little Alexa-looking box that goes on your nightstand and listens to see if you start to snore. If you do, it activates small airbags in the pillow that changes its shape, raising or lowering your head to hopefully to quiet you down. That said, as Stephen Colbert pointed out, it's worth noting that any pillow can be a snore-silencing pillow, if you're willing to do the time. No technology needed.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford likes gadgets. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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