11 cool gadgets of CES 2014
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
There is a sizeable number of mobile users who love high-end Android phone but hate the big screens these devices have. Instead they want an iPhone like Android phone. Xperia Compact is a phone made for these users. Its size is similar to iPhone and unlike other small Android phones, it holds nothing back and packs in cutting-end hardware, including a 20.7MP camera.
Pebble Steel
One of the most popular smartwatches got a little chic this year. Pebble is putting a steal (or leather strap, if you prefer that) in its smartwatch to make it feel more like a watch and less like a tool for nerds. Of course, other than showing time, it will also talk to your smartphone and give you email and messaging notifications, breaking news alerts, stats on your daily jog and details on missed calls. It's smart, you see!
Sony Life Space UX
This is not one product but a combination of products, which aim to turn your house into one giant screen. With laser and sensors embedded into lamps, Sony aims to create a screen inside your house wherever you need it. Having breakfast? You can convert your table into a screen and read the news of the day. Lying on your bed? You can convert your ceiling into a screen and watch a film on it. The best piece of Sony's Life Space UX system is a 4K projector that you can put along with a wall on the floor and then convert the wall into a giant screen to watch films on it!
Panasonic TV with curves
Everyone had a curved TV to show at CES. But Panasonic went a step ahead. It was showing a TV that curved both ways. If that is not enough make you sit and take note, consider this: The TV uses OLED screens, which are extremely good at showing rich colours and excellent contrast. This Panasonic TV is a sight to behold. Unfortunately you can't buy it for two reasons: One, it is not an actual product yet. Two, if it comes to the market it is going to cost as much as a flat in upscale Mumbai locality.
Polaroid Socialmatic
Polaroid went all digital at CES and the product that stood out from its stable was Socialmatic, a camera powered by Android. Designed tastefully, which will appeal to aesthetic senses of hipsters, Socialmatic can shoot 14 mega pixels images and share them on your friend circle on social media sites within seconds. But what if you want share the real photo in the real world? Worry not. Socialmatic can also print out 2x3 inches images within minutes.
Waka Waka Power
In a country like India, this smartphone charger could be particularly useful. Reason: It doesn't require power. All it needs is plenty of sun. And in India we usually have enough sun. Waka Waka Power uses solar panels to charge itself when left in sunlight. It takes around 8 hours to charge. Once it is fully charged, you can connect a phone to it and it will fill up the battery of the device in around two hours.
Oculus Rift
This chunky headgear that covers your eyes was the start of CES 2013. A year later, it again ruled the world's biggest electronics show. At CES 2014, the prototype of the headgear, which puts gamers inside a video game by creating a 3D word in front of their eyes, promised to change the world of video gamers. We tried the older headgear called Rift at CES 2014 and could see the incredible potential of the device. The 3D world it creates is flawless and the most believable created by any technology yet.
The game moves at a fast pace in the virtual reality created by Rift and feels natural and fluid. Even if you wear glasses, the experience is flawless. During the demo we did feel that the 720P resolution that Rift used was not as sharp as what we see on television. But the newer version of the device, called Crystal Cove, that was displayed at CES 2014 fixes it by raising the resolution to 1080P. Cove also switches to OLED display, which has lower latency and hence allow for a more fluid and natural looking virtual world.
Razer Project Christine
Razer is another company - remember Valve - trying to make computers sexy. And easier to handle. Project Christine is a prototype computer that uses easy-to-replace or upgrade hardware blocks. To people who can assemble a computer this does not sound too impressive. But for mainstream users, Project Christine could be of incredible value. The prototype is a proof that assembling computers can be as simple as putting together a few Lego bricks.
Sleep Number X12
Even beds are getting smarter now. Example: X12. Full of sensors, this bed keeps a record of your heart beat and how well you are sleeping. Each morning you get a report of what happened with your body while you were asleep. But that's not the best feature. X12 allows a user to raise his or her headrest, which can be particularly useful if your partner is snoring because raising the headrest may stop the snores.
Steam machines
Last year gamers got PS4 and Xbox One gaming consoles. This year, Valve, which made iconic games like Counter Strike and Half Life, is giving a gaming makeover to computers. It has Steam machines, computers that run software dedicated to only gaming. While Valve did not show any Steam machines at its CES 2014 stall - it only had the controller with googly eyes on display - its partners like Zotac were showing their Steam machines.
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