And here we are again, in Las Vegas at the CES 2020 that has grown to over 170,000 attendees and over 4300 exhibitors at 11 venues.
Two days prior to the official CES launch on Tuesday, January 7, there was an advance CES Unveiling media event. There were over 200 exhibitors showing different products, here are 5 technologies demoed that (some positive others negatively) intrigued me. Usually, I review products that the mainstream media does not cover. Instead, I search out products that I feel have some redeeming value and if the price was right I would consider using. Unless specified, prices cited in these series of blogs are in $US.
My-fit solutions (https://myfit-solutions.com ) is a custom-built earpiece that fits over a regular set of earbuds but fits better because it follows the curve of your ears and stays in your ear through tasks involving physical exertion like running or hiking. It is available now for $69. It is interesting to note that while the product name and related marketing material are in English, the website is all in French. On the other hand, the visuals are fairly self-explanatory.
Another French product, Coleen electric bike (https://www.coleen-france.com/gb/ ) interfaces with your smartphone and has its own integrated high definition display that looks like an iPhone display and provides information such as trip distance, speed and GPS location. The lightweight carbon frame and fork are manufactured in France. The person demoing it referred to the bike as “exceptionally connected”. It has Bluetooth connection and is protected against theft, by notifying you when your ebike’s location changes. It won’t be available until Q2 2020 and will sell for €6000 a rather expensive e-bike.
And if you keep forgetting the combination to your lock, Benjilock ( https://benjilock.com) is for you. It works on fingerprint recognition. Instead of the classic number dial, there is a screen to place your finger on and if it is your luck, it will open. Time magazine named this the best invention of 2019. BenjiLock is rechargeable and can last up to a year with a full battery. It can store up to 4 unique fingerprints. It costs $70.
If you have a spoiled cat like I do, you’ll be interested in the LuluPet, an AI smart cat litter box. It claims to have the first cat excretory image recognition which can be used to determine if there is something wrong with your kitty. It also tracks the cat’s health data. It will be released in Q2 2020 and costs $100. Their website is under construction at http://www.lulupet.com.
The Tineco S3 (https://us.tineco.com/products/floor-one-s3.html ) is a cordless intelligent vacuum cleaner and mop that detects floor messes and automatically adjusts suction power and water flow for a better cleaning action. The display shows brush time, tangle indicator, the battery level, dirt monitoring (blue for average dirt and red if more dirt). It will be available Q2 2020 at a projected price of around $400.
A common theme at this year’s CES is that everything is advertised as using AI even the cat litter box like LuluPet (see above). AI seems to be like a hammer looking for a nail and when it can’t find one, it uses a virtual one. Of course, this is just my bent humour but for a person who did her PhD in AI, it almost hurts having AI misused.
And that is it for today… more to come.