What the news coverage of CES doesn’t show you is that 90% of the gadgets you come across there are either old, boring, or simply pieces of junk. Finding interesting, new devices is like hunting for buried treasure. After days of digging, here are the 15 things we wanted to steal most from the show.
1. “Back to the Future” DeLorean Replica
Doc Brown even drove up in it, so you know it’s legit.
2. Chefjet 3D Dessert Printer
Imagine you could design and build anything you wanted out of Pixy Stix dust, show it off, and then eat it. Now get a Chefjet and do just that.
3. Audi Sport Quattro Laserlight Concept
If we’re being honest, we’d like to boost every Audi vehicle that was at CES. If we had to pick one, well, we’ll go with the ride that has freakin’ laser beams in the front.
4. Soloshot 2: Robotic Cameraman
No more trying to convince your buddy it’s worth his time to come record you while skating, surfing, or doing just about any activity. With the Soloshot 2, simply put on the tracker and it will do the rest of the leg work.
5. Clio Invisible Speaker
Well, they’re as close to invisible as we’ve got. Plus, they sound great, which is always a good feature in a speaker.
6. WeMo Smart Crock-Pot
The slow cooker is the working man’s best friend. It’s even better when you can control the device cooking you up some short ribs from anywhere with your phone.
7. LG G Flex
To really appreciate this phone, you need to get your hands on it. After fiddling around with it and watching a few videos on its curved screen, we’re sold and we think you will be too.
8. Sharp 85″ 8K Glasses-Free 3D TV
4K was the buzzword around CES, and while that might be around the corner as prices come down, we’re guessing 8K is not. Especially 8K with glasses-free 3D. It’s not perfect, but seeing such a sharp (pun very much intended) 3D image without wearing glasses is pretty mind-blowing. Until the technology exists where we can take a picture of it so you can understand, you’ll have to just take our word for it.
9. WeSC Spray Paint Top Speaker
In a world where every Bluetooth speaker mimics the design of the original Jambox, it’s nice to see someone doing something completely different. These WeSC speakers should be out later this year and we’re digging the inspiration behind them.
10. LG UltraWide Multitasking Monitor
It’s time to ditch those two monitors you use and upgrade to one of these guys from LG. The display is gorgeous and it will eliminate at least a bit of clutter from your work space.
11. The All-Electric BMW i3
With 80-100 miles on a full charge, the i3 won’t be for everyone. After having hopped behind the wheel and experienced the ride, the impressive pick-up, and the feeling of being Captain Planet for a bit, we can safely say, however, that we wish we were the city-dweller this is perfect for.
12. Parrot Jumping Sumo
Parrot put on a show at CES with their toys. While we still want one of their drones, what we really want to get our hands on is their latest plaything, the Jumping Sumo. It jumps, spins, and records video in the process. Look for it soon and be prepared to waste a lot of hours with it.
13. This Klipsch Enormous Speaker
Operational? Probably not, but any speaker that you need to remove a wall of your house to install sounds like a pretty sweet statement piece to us.
14. Skulpt Aim Muscle Analyzer
Simply place this device on your body and it will determine your muscle quality and body composition. We learned that dining on beer and carbs at CES did not, surprisingly, improve our numbers.
15. MakerBot Replicator Mini
3D printing got its own area at this year’s CES for good reason. The technology, which has the opportunity to transform numerous industries, is slowly growing out of its infancy. While prices still need to come down for the general public, the size and tag ($1,375) on the MakerBot Replicator Mini is a step in the right direction.