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The internet of things may be the most overused, annoying, comically oversimplified tech term of 2014, dreamt up by some winnovator god knows when, but it was the keystone (and keynote) of an increasingly schizophrenic CES that, in the last few years, has been searching for a more cohesive theme.
HTC's bizarre little inhaler-shaped camera is learning a new trick. Tomorrow an update to the RE app will add YouTube live streaming support to the RE Camera. Just sign in and hit the button to stream.
When Fuhu announced the 20- and 24-inch Big Tabs, we all kind of chuckled and gave them a pass. Surely kids would like huge tablets, right? I think so. But now things are just getting out of hand - the company just announced 32, 43, 55, and 65-inch Big Tabs. Tablets the size of TVs. It's insanity, I say.
Outdoor grilling may not seem to require the same level of care and finesse as its indoor counterpart, but getting burgers or steaks somewhere between undercooked and overcooked actually takes a bit of knowledge and experimentation. The Lynx SmartGrill promises to do away with that.
You most often see MediaTek chips in budget smartphones and tablets, but they could soon be showing up in another place—your watch. The company has announced the MT2601, an ARM system-on-a-chip designed with Android Wear in mind. This isn't one of those "later this year" things either. The MT2601 is already in mass production and ready to go.
Beats Pill and Beats Pill XL. Ultimate Ears BOOM and Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM. Motorola Moto X and Nexus 6. People apparently like small things that are later made into bigger things. Fugoo realizes this, so it recently announced the Fugoo XL, a massive new speaker in the Fugoo line.
It's not hard to find an Android tablet for less than a hundred bucks - head down to your nearest drugstore and there's a decent chance you'll see one. The trick is finding one that's worth using at that price. While most of these ultra-cheap tablets are no-name Chinese models, Lenovo just announced a pair of new 7-inchers in the A Series starting at only a single Benjamin. I guess that would make them name brand Chinese tablets, but hey, Lenovo beats whatever company is using the Polaroid license this year.
Dedicated technology newshounds have already heard that all of Sony's upcoming BRAVIA televisions will feature Android TV powering their integrated electronics. At CES, the biggest show around in terms of home theater (among other things), they've made good on that promise. Don't believe me? Watch these attractive people over-emote and demonstrate a BRAVIA television's Google Cast feature and ability to play games from the Play Store.
The ranks of Android Auto in-dash head units continue to grow at CES, but they aren't going to be cheap. While Parrot neglected to mention a price for its fancy new Android deck, Pioneer is coming right out with it. The new NEX series units will start at $700 with support for Android Auto and CarPlay.
Blue Maestro doesn't want you to make the mistake of believing that Bluetooth is only for connecting to cars, syncing with a smartwatch, or pushing information to a fitness band. No, think of the children. With the company's upcoming Bluetooth-enabled smart pacifier (yes, pacifier), you can check your baby's temperature and track their location as they learn to walk. You can even have an alarm go off if your child gets more than 20 meters away, and the buzzer will apparently also sound if the device gets hidden or misplaced.
Quick, imagine the typical Under Armour customer. Go ahead, I'll wait. Now imagine which phone he or she brings with them to the gym. Are you imagining an HTC One M8? No? Well both companies would probably like you to, at least after their joint announcement at CES. HTC has joined up with the well-known clothing brand for a cross-promotional program centered on Under Armour Connected Fitness, a health tracking service that's comparable to Nike Plus and other competitors.
Hey, look at this Mad Catz Android Bluetooth controller. It looks really compact, if a little odd. But then that's Mad Catz for you.
Blu isn't a company that's typically known for pushing out the highest-end flagship devices, but rather a solid company offering unlocked budget handsets. It's always releasing new handsets, giving potential customers a lot to choose from. At CES this year, the company took wraps off of seven new handsets (to be fair, a couple of those are from the same line), none of which cost more than $199 off-contract. Powerhouses? Probably not. Good return for the money? I'd almost guarantee it. Let's take a quick look at each one.
Yale makes a lot of fancy door locks, and it has announced a new one at CES—the first NFC-enabled residential door lock in the US. The Yale Real Living NFC Deadbolt doesn't even have a regular keyhole. You can unlock with either your phone or a code entered on the capacitive keypad.
Certain 2015 Volkswagen cars with come equipped with Android Auto and CarPlay (Apple) support starting later this year. The option will be available in any models that come with MiB II, the second generation of the manufacturer's "modular infotainment platform," though the Golf is the only vehicle explicitly mentioned in the announcement. MirrorLink support will also come included.
Manufacturers at this year's CES know consumers turn to smartphones as their primary cameras, and they want in on the action. Whether it's a traditional Android player releasing a handset with optical zoom (the Zenfone Zoom), a point-and-shoot that's catered towards the generation that grew up with social networks and touchscreen devices (the Socialmatic), or devices that improve your selfies (ridiculous-looking accessory included), various companies all want to be the one you turn to for capturing life's moments. And it's no surprise—they've been at it for years.
Not content with making a stylish Android set-top box, Razer is also planning on attacking the Android gaming market on its home turf. The Serval is a full-sized, console-style Bluetooth game controller that's compatible with both Razer's Forge TV and direct connection with Android phones and tablets. It's far from the first controller made with Android in mind, but it's the first to come from perhaps the most high-profile game peripheral company out there, and is thus worthy of examination.
We've known that Razer was working on its own branded version of an Android TV set-top box for more than half a year, but at CES 2015 the well-known gaming peripheral company has given the gadget its coming out party. The Razer Forge TV hopes to be the go-to choice for gamers, with support for up to four simultaneous players, keyboard and mouse input, and (eventually) streaming high-end games from a local gaming PC.
When a regular projector simply won't do at your next business meeting, there's the ZTE Spro 2. This mini projector has a touchscreen and runs Android with full access to the Play Store. It's probably a really slick way to project slides on the wall, but I feel like someone unnecessarily dropped some vowels from the name (or maybe a hyphen or something).
While Sony's initial Android Wear offering, the SmartWatch 3, is perfectly fine from a technical point of view, one of the words we heard from commenters over and over again was "ugly." Even Ryan Whitwam could only call it "acceptable" in his review. Sony's hoping to fix the lackluster looks of the SmartWatch 3 with a new version clad in a stainless steel body and watch strap. And boy, it's amazing what a little metal can do.