Yo,
Hope everyone had a great week, and happy long weekend for those of you whose employers acknowledge MLK day. For those who don’t, well… sorry.
And thanks for the endless amount of people who sent me bidet recommendations after Tuesday’s email. I just don’t think I can be convinced.
CES just happened
In case you missed it, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) just took place in Vegas. The CES is put on by the Consumer Technology Association and has been deemed the “Most Influential Tech Event in the World”
Lucky for you, I’ll summarize it for you like SparkNotes in high school.
Just to set the stage a little bit better, here are some of the previous winners. You may recognize a few.
- 1970 – Philips VCR: first ever VCR
- 1977 – Atari VCS
- 1981 – Philips and Sony CD Player
- 1991 – Madden Football Video Game
- 2001 – Xbox
.
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- 2017 – Samsung Chromebook Plus: no explanation needed here.
- 2018 – Nvidia Xavier Chip: a processor designed to be the brain of fully automated vehicles.
- 2019 – The Impossible Burger 2.0: I didn’t know this was considered “tech”, but who am I?
- 2020 – BrainCo Dexus Prosthetic Arm: a brain-controlled prosthetic arm
So, it’s safe to say that this annual convention has a beat on the new, emerging technology – whether it comes from a highly funded and recognized company or a startup. It’s also interesting to see the development arc of technology over the years.
Highlights from this year
Alright, lets get into some of the highlights from this year. This year was the first year back in person and it was expected that over 100,000 people attended, with over 2,200 companies being represented.
After pouring over the more than 2,200 products, here are the four I found most interesting:
- Withings U-Scan: This device attaches to your toilet, collects your pee, and analyzes it every time you go number one. The results are sent to your phone and can help track menstrual cycles, monitor kidney health, and serve as an early screen for certain diseases.
- Sony ‘s Project Leonardo: A PlayStation compatible piece of gaming hardware designed specifically for people with limited motor control.
- Moen Smart Sprinkler and Soil Sensors: a smart sprinkler system that optimizes the soil, as well as water usage.
- Samsung Bespoke AI Oven: Using AI and cameras this oven will analyze what you have prepared and suggest recommended cooking times and temperature settings (I’ll believe it when I see it. Sounds like a whole lot of salmonella.)
Amidst a bunch of other new computers, microprocessors, virtual reality stuff and TVs that I personally don’t get excited about.
Boona
We rock with Boona because Boona rocks with us. I just checked and the Tandem shower is still cool, even for all the singles out there, you could get hit from the front and the back. It’s easy to install and just the shower upgrade that you wanted. Go check them out. You can pre-order them here or check out their Kickstarter to contribute. #ad
A few more takeaways
Bottom line: the CES is pretty cool. It’s typical for companies to keep their new tech and inventions close to their chest, but CES is a place where you can see what your competitors are doing and what’s trending.
The big companies are exactly that, big companies, I think it’s more interesting to hear about the smaller more creative products that are displayed at CES.
And I do think there is an emerging theme. Although I only highlighted one item, it seems like biosensors and bio wearables were a hit. New rings, watches, glasses, diabetes products. Everyone wants to gather more data around themselves and their health, and I think we’re still at the beginning.
Let’s have ourselves a weekend.
from, matt
