Six of the best from CES

People who attend CES will tell you of the physical exhaustion of walking the show floor – and they’re right, it is huge.I attended CeBIT a few years back and almost got lost there. CES offered a similar “sensory overload,” with booth after blinking booth beckoning you with their wares. And it’s not all amazing technology, either. For every booth with an incredible new gadget, there are three more with cell phone cases, screen savers and the latest diet fads. Yes, even CES is not immune to cashing in on the New Years diet resolutions.

It’s a serious effort then to separate the wheat from the chaff, to find the needles of innovation in this massive haystack called CES. I’ve shared some of the Microsoft news from the show but given the intention of Next to look beyond Microsoft for “what’s next”, I took to the show floor with the aim of sharing the coolest things I could find at CES that aren’t from Microsoft. Here’s my six of the best

 

Recon Goggles

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When was the last time you thought of the lowly ski goggle as an opportunity for innovation? Well, the folks from Recon did, and how.

First, they built in a heads-up display which projects an image in your field of view. Why? Well, they also include a GPS sensor so you can, for example, have a map of the trail or slopes right in front of you. You control the interactive LCD with a wireless remote, and will even be able to connect to your mobile phone through Bluetooth. The whole thing is based on Android and they’re exploring letting developers create their own apps for the device (a goggle app store perhaps?). What’s more, Recon is making the technology available as a “snap fit” kit so you can retrofit your existing goggles with their goodies.

Sony Bloggie 3D

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With a name like “Bloggie,” I almost feel like I was required to take a look at Sony’s new video cam. My brother was carrying an earlier version of their Bloggie range over the holidays and it was a nice unit – I almost snapped one up from Costco but eventually stuck with the Flip. I may need to change that decision…

Sony’s new Bloggie 3D not only offers 3D recording at 1080p, it does it in a case the size of which I didn’t think we’d see for a few years, at least. And the price? Sony says it will be “about $250” when it ships in April. How amazing is that? We’ve gone from mega-budget 3D movies to $250, pocketable 3D video cameras in just a few years. Bloggie 3D is on my must have list.

 

Inductive Recharging

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Anytime I jump on a plane for a trip like this one, I’m always amazed at how much luggage space is taken up by the various cables, power bricks and chargers necessary to keep all of my gadgets powered up and connected. Packing a bag for these kind of trips has become an art form and that’s why I was very excited to see the progress shown here in inductive power transmission. Induction creates an electric current when a body is placed into a magnetic field. No contact is necessary and that’s what’s so exciting about this: it means no wires, cables or chargers.

This year I saw two examples of this that really stood out. The first was from Fulton Innovation and demonstrated charging up a Tesla electric sports car by simply parking it over an induction pad. Plug-in electric vehicles — like the Tesla, Chevy’s Volt and the new Ford Focus Electric announced here this week — are hot right now, but we’ve all seen the promotional photos showing owners hoisting that big, thick black power cable up to the car’s plug to recharge it for the next trip. I like the idea of being able to just pull into your garage and have Fulton’s pad installed in the floor to automatically start the charging process.

On a more practical level, Energizer was showing off their second generation induction pads for cell phones, MP3 players and the like. Until the induction tech is built into the devices, you need to use a special case, but I already use a case and Energizer’s new ones are much slimmer and sleeker than previous models. Just place your phone on the charging pad placed, say, at your front door or beside your bed and charging begins instantly. No cords to fumble with or get lost behind the table edge.

Next up: hotels installing these things right in their rooms. Just think of the space I’ll free up in my carry-on!

 

Audi e-Tron Spyder

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Remember when “hybrid car” meant “strange-looking?” Not any more. Audi came to CES this year showing the new convertible version (“Spyder,” in Audi parlance) of their e-Tron hybrid and this thing is stunning. I did a double take when wandering bleary eyed through the show on day 2 when I caught a glimpse of this thing. The styling is reminiscent of their R8 supercar and those wheels…they look like they’re about to take off with their jet engine styling.

The battery and electric motor technology is advancing pretty fast now and the e-Tron uses two electric motors along with its twin-turbo diesel V-6 and claims a 0-60 time of only 4.7 seconds. Even better? Audi claims the e-Tron is capable of 106 mpg, and it can run on its electric motors at up to 37 mph for 50 miles.

So: fast, efficient and attractive? Where do I sign up for the beta program?

Bonus link: Scoble wrote a great post on Why the car companies are at CES (and why tech world should pay attention)

Polaroid Grey Label Instant Camera

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I love uploading my photos to SkyDrive, Flickr & Facebook to share with friends but there’s still something visceral and good about holding a picture in your hand. Sure, you can print them out on your photo printer, but what if you’re away from your house, or don’t want to take the time to plug in your camera, download the images, set up the printer, etc., etc.?

Well, remember Polaroid? There was a time they were the only way to see your photos “instantly,” back when “instant” meant “in a few minutes” and required you to shake the photo feverishly the entire time. Enter digital photography with its truly instant results, and the writing looked to be on the wall for Edward Land’s company.

Fast forward a few years and the folks at Polaroid appear to be having a bit of a renaissance. Last year they announced that they had hired Lady Gaga as their Creative Director (a stroke of PR genius) and this year, Polaroid showed off the fruits of their work together.

Lots of attention has been directed at the funky-and-kinda-strange GL20 Camera Glasses, but to me, the GL30 Grey Label Instant Camera is the most interesting. Other cameras have tried this before, but the GL30 combines a digital camera with a photo printer in a single, attractive package that I can actually see myself using.

 

Samsung Series 9 Laptop

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Samsung is giving the boys from Cupertino a real run for their money with this machine. I was being given a tour of our hardware showcase on the Microsoft booth when I came across this thing – it’s beautiful. My man Ben has all the details

What really got me excited, though, was their new Series 9 laptop. It’s just 2.9 pounds and less than 3/4 of an inch thick, but packs in a 13.3” screen, backlit keyboard, 128Gb SSD and even a subwoofer to go along with the stereo speakers. Enough of the speeds and feeds though – the thing that catches the eye is the Duralumin finish – a material usually reserved for use in aircrafts. It affords a construction that’s twice as durable as aluminum while keeping the weight below 3 lbs. I NEED this laptop.

[update] – I couldn’t find any decent photos on the Samsung site but Engadget comes to the rescue with a brilliant portfolio that shows the beauty of this thing. 

 

B&W P5 headphones

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I know I said “six cool things,” but if you’ll indulge me, one more thing caught my eye. Actually it caught my eye before CES and I arrived there with these new headphones as a Christmas present. In fact, they were announced at last years CES!

B&W is one of the finest loudspeaker manufacturers in the world and given the amount I travel and listen to music, it was time to get serious. The P5’s are serious headphones. Don’t take my word for it though…here is what the team at Wired said in their group test of high end cans. Here is what I say….if you can, you must.