Despite the absence of some prominent
companies that helped build CES into the global tech showcase that it is today, last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas generated a wave of gadget geek buzz (protracted by social media, of course). Amid the hyped up reports on
industry spies,
ultra books taking center stage, and visits from
products past, were these three gizmos that caught our eye.
Modular Robotics: Although most
long-time LEGO fans will probably stay loyal to the iconic bricks, there’s a new modular toy in town that may win over many tech-minded builders. Spurred by a $500,000 grant from the
National Science Foundation, Boulder, Colorado-based startup Modular Robotics produced this basic robot construction kit of masterful blocks, known as Cubelets. Each Cubelet has its own function—black ones are sensors, colored ones are for movement—enabling users to build anything from a ’bot that chases things to one that halts at the edge of a table, all controlled by mere hand gestures. The company is
now taking pre-orders for spring 2012 deliveries.
Project Fiona: Video game technology is advancing faster than you can say
“Kinect.” As such, it’s no surprise that a tablet console with the ability to run both Angry Birds and sophisticated PC titles became a fast favorite at CES among gamers. Project Fiona, a new device from peripheral maker
Razer, is a tablet with dual-sided joystick controls, THX-certified home theater sound, and horsepower so impressive that it’s gaining attention from
mainstream news outlets. Players can download content from online gaming sites like
Steam,
Amazon.com, and
GameFly, making it the gaming version of an e-reader. Although Razer has been quiet about Fiona’s immediate future, hopeful gamers expect its arrival within the year.
LG’s Refrigerator with Blast Chiller: Obviously a
first-world problem, it seems than too many soda savants are imbibing beverages at tepid temperatures. To eliminate such quandaries—and to save time that could be spent perusing CES’
other main offerings—LG showcased their new 31 cubic foot French door refrigerator with Blast Chill, a must-have kitchen centerpiece that can, for one thing, hold
264,863 jellybeans. More to the point, though, this frigid powerhouse boasts a turbo powered cooling attachment that boosts its Jet Flow and Swirling Structure technologies to the point where they can frost a 12-ounce fizz in five minutes or a bottle of wine in eight minutes. Bottoms up!
