What’s Hot And What’s Not AT CES 2018, Part 2

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of my CES 2018 breakdown.  Love it or hate it, CES is a huge stream of information.  Most companies feel like they need to be there.  In the past some of the heavy hitters like Google and Amazon had hung back a bit.  Google decided to take a bit of a different tack, turning Las Vegas into their own billboard of sorts.

Can Anyone Tell Me What The Heck This Is?

I didn’t spend a ton of time trying to figure it out.  It didn’t appear to be connected to the booth in any way.  But, it did attract a crowd.

It’s Sleepy Time

Sleep tech was everywhere.  Almost as much as robots.

Remember, the theme was robots, right?  So, why not a sleep robot?

What Else Did You See?

Well, if you need to wake up, there’s this phone case.  Seriously, take a look:

There was that booth with the commandos in front.  Never did quite figure out what those were.  But, that’s kinda CES.

There were these really expensive glasses if you wanted your workout metrics in your face instead of straining yourself to raise your arm and read your watch.  I mostly included this because I looked pretty dopey in the glasses.

Then, there were those guys revolutionizing toilet care….

In-home flu test?

Wireless charging without having to set your phone down on a special pad?

Someone decided the keyboard I really don’t like for my iPad Pro is “innovative” enough for an award.  It’s sure pricey enough for one.

These headphone are innovative, but I don’t want any part of those prongs that connect to my head.  Call me old-fashioned.

A fold-up bike?  Pass.

Connected dog bed?

A mirror that talks back?  Mirror, mirror on the wall…

I really liked this next idea.  One of my favorites of the show.  Socks that help diabetic folks keep track of their condition.

Okay, Okay, Ed.  But, What About Travel?

True travel tech was a bit thin this year.  It was mostly suitcases.  There was the basic “smart” suitcase with a battery (no, thanks).

There was a suitcase that will follow you around.  Yes, someone really paid to make this one come to life.

And yet, it’s still not the worst thing I saw.  Unsurprisingly, the rideable suitcase is still kicking at CES.

What Were The Coolest Things At CES?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?  Here are some of my favorites.   The first two have something in common.  Neither one is at all realistic.  First, we have me pretending to compete in Skeleton in the Olympics.  Thanks to Samsung’s Virtual Reality, I had an awesome time.  I’m apparently a heck of a Skeleton athlete as well.

So, what’s less realistic than me competing in the Olympics?

I guess you’d have to say this one was more realistic, since the actual truck was at the show, complete with helicopter and hot tub on the roof.  Oddly, no girl in the bikini.

Two more wickedly cool things?  How about Pong (for you old schoolers) and ping pong.

The Final Two Pennies

I guess you could say CES is what you make of it.  If you’re looking to invest, there are plenty of startups.  Are any of them good investments?  Well, Paul Singh, who I’ve traveled with the past two years, frequently tells people he said no to Uber and Airbnb.  That’s a guy who’s invested in over 2,000 companies.

I remember being feeling a bit overwhelmed the first year I attended.  The second year was cool, and I knew the layout.  Now, it feels like the signal to noise ratio is a bit out of whack.  That being said, I think it’s worth it to attend once, especially if you’re into buying techie stuff.

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