The Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, wrapped up last week and, as always, blew my mind with things that I could never afford but desperately want to buy.
Like every year, all the big names such as Samsung, Intel and Panasonic (just to name a few) came in to show off their groundbreaking products like proud mothers, while smaller companies showcased their kickstarter-funded innovations.
The show isn’t open to the public, so the companies never have to worry about the trivial things, like the practicality of their product or its ridiculous price tag. It’s technological innovation for its own sake and not to please a consumer base, and that can be a truly magical thing when it comes to pushing boundaries.
Now, I am not a gearhead by any means.
I am so far behind the curve of technology that I am the only person I know of who still calls 411 instead of Googling a phone number.
But there is a special place in my heart for tech shows because they show the best, worst and most bizarre creations of humanity all within the same showroom.
So, with that said, here are my top four picks for the good, the bad and the ugly from this CES:
iPotty — Yeah, you read that right. It’s a colorful, plastic toddler’s training potty with an iPad attached, so while you encourage junior to pee-pee in the big-boy place, he can play Angry Birds. Thank the Lord the iPad stand has a splash guard or else your $300 iPad would end up smelling like a high school restroom. Completely silly? No way, it’s just the toilet-training device of the future. It’s like the next generation’s version of the “Everyone Poops” book.
T9000 Smart Refrigerator — Tired of that Post-it note and magnet system of reminders on your fridge door? Well, friend, cry no more because the T9000 comes equipped with an LCD screen and an Evernote app so you can remind yourself to buy more milk. Plus, if you really like standing by your refrigerator poking a screen, it has apps for a calendar and weather updates. The only problem is, this fridge costs $4,000, so I think I will stick to Post-it notes for a while longer.
Trakdot — It’s so useful, I am surprised no one thought of it before. When going on a trip, drop the little GPS box into your luggage. When you arrive at your destination but your luggage shows up missing, Trakdot will text or email you your luggage’s location, or you can use the app to check online.
At $50, it only pays for itself if you are a serious frequent flyer, but I still like the idea behind it because nothing is more frustrating than losing your luggage when you’re traveling.
Oculus Rift — A virtual reality gaming headset that shows images in 3-D, Oculus Rift was definitely the coolest item to come out of the entire week. The prototype that debuted at CES looked a little hand-crafted with gaffer tape across the lens of what looked like ski goggles, but everyone who has written a review said it was easily the most revolutionary thing at the show.
Products that announce themselves as “virtual reality” often end up being a bit hokey, but Oculus has taken leaps and bounds with the technology. When this headset is finished, I think it’s seriously going to kick gaming experience up to a new level.
CES 2013 might have created some new records with the mighty and the frivolous this year, but luckily we can always count on those techies to outdo themselves in 2014.
Lauren Flannery is a business and general studies sophomore at UF. Her column runs on Tuesdays. You can contact her via opinions@alligator.org.
