Business Bytes
Curt Finch

I Love My Toys: CES Gadget Review

 

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in Las Vegas during the first week of January this year.  It's a show not open to the public, yet the new gadgets that come out of show leaves many people buzzing.  Here are some gadgets that grabbed my attention.

Polaroid's GL20 Camera Glasses

These sunglasses, designed by Lady Gaga, take pictures and video.  On the lenses are two mini-LCD screens that allow the wearer to display their photos.  All the photos are downloaded to a USB located in the earpiece that can be taken out and hooked to a computer.  It also has Bluetooth capabilities to send photos to a new instant printer created with the new Grey Label (GL) line.  The Grey Label line contains original products co-designed by Lady Gaga.  I love the idea of recording my life.  It's hard to tell whether it is obvious or not if you are taking a picture.  I would feel bad taking pictures incognito.  I wonder if the photos automatically display on the lenses?  That could look rather silly.

Energizer Inductive Charger

The Energizer Inductive Charger is a charging pad that wirelessly charges your devices (mainly your phone).  The pad uses Qi technology, which is not currently built into phones.  To make up for that, Qi sleeves are available to attach to your phone for around $30 each.  I was able to get the Inductive Charger for Christmas since it was available in the States in October.  The pad can only charge three devices at a time, with two on the pad and one connected with a USB port.  I don't like the fact that you need to add a sleeve to make the technology work.  Also, my Bluetooth ear bud still has to be charged with wires.  I feel like the Energizer Inductive Charger is the beginning of being a really cool item, but isn't fully there until it can charge more than three devices at a time.

Motorola Atrix

Motorola's new 4G Smartphone for AT&T really does blend a phone and a computer into one.  It's so powerful it has two docks.  The first dock, called the Laptop Dock, uses the phone as a Smartbook, connecting to a keyboard.  The second deck, called the HD MultiMedia Dock, powers a computer monitor and you can plug in your own keyboard and mouse.  All I have to say is I saw this coming.

What gadgets caught your attention from this year's CES?

Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx.  He is a pioneer in time and project management technology.

Curt Finch has more than two decades of software development and distributed workforce management experience. In 1997, Curt created the world's first internet-based timesheet application and the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. Curt has a B.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech. His book, All Your Money, is available on Amazon. @curtfinch