CES: Day 1 Recap

We got in to Las Vegas just before 1 p.m. on Monday. Checked in to the hotel, and despite the Internet going in & out, it’s been nice. Woke up early today (Tuesday), after a restless night due to body aches, and covered South Hall 1 & 3. Most of the vendors in the South Halls carry mobile accessories, such as this plastic iPhone 6 case:

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

 











 Remember those oil-in-water toys when we were kids? Well, you can now relive your youth. . . or at least that part of it. This color can be changed to virtually hue, and the little hearts can be changed to cars, dolphins, or whatever your little heart desires! Yes, they are wholesale, and no, they do not sell just one at a time. I did a quick search, though, and the cases can be purchased for virtually all phones here. There are also glitter-in-water cases, such as the kind found here. The image on the right shows how much will be added to the depth of the phone; not bad, eh?  The plastic is strong, but I haven’t been able to test my sample yet. . . I’m not sure how well they hold up nor do I know what it takes to crack them. If you have tested this style out, please let me know what you think!

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

Since my photographer and I are both gamers, we stopped at Turtle Beach to see what was coming out. Their booth had giant headphones, and we couldn't resist taking a picture with them.   Below is a photo of one of the displays, featuring Turtle Beach and the Xbox One.

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

 While he is a Turtle Beach fan, I fully support Razer. They have wonderful gaming products that are easily customized to fit your needs. We met Ryan who introduced us to the Chroma line, and I can't wait to complete the set. I upgraded my Naga mouse to the Chroma, and hopefully soon, I will have the headset and keyboard to go with it. If you are in the market for a new mouse and aren't sure which is best for your needs, you can utilize the MouseSelector tool at the bottom of the page. The Chroma headset, in terms of noise-canceling, is comparable to those that Bose produces (and at a fraction of the cost). All three Chroma products can be synced to display the same color or color patterns. What is life without a little color?! To make things even better, the Razer team is fantastic! They know their product lines, and are passionate about providing well-made, aesthetically pleasing products that will last. Power to the gamers!

Razer logo.  Image courtesy of H. Nelson

Image courtesy of RazerZone.com

Chroma keyboard image courtesy of H. Nelson

Image courtesy of RazerZone.com

  

Image courtesy of RazerZone.com

As we moved through the hall, we came upon Brookstone.  They carry some really innovative products, like the Perfect Bake. I remember seeing this back when I was Christmas shopping, and thought, “What a useless product! How lazy can you possibly be?” until it was demoed. The Perfect Bake is a way, for even the most novice baker, to prepare amazing baked goods, flawlessly. I don’t believe there is a person on this planet who could mess up any recipe that is included. The product comes with three differently sized measuring bowls (but you can always use your own), a scale, and an app. The scale connects to your phone via the headphone jack, and automatically alters the recipe to suit your needs. Have a recipe for 24 cookies, but you only need 12?  No problem! The app will automatically adjust each item in the recipe to suit your needs. Whether you need 1 or 100, they’ve got you covered. As you fill the bowl, the line on each individual ingredient will rise until you have just enough. Did you accidentally put too much flour in the bowl? That’s not a problem either, as the app will adjust the amount for each item as it does for different quantities.

Image courtesy of Brookstone.com

Now, we move on to vlogging and video chat. Move over cameras and video chat; iTOi is here!  We got to test it out, and I absolutely love it! This portable, iPad-friendly machine works as a video recorder and prompter for those who want to vlog but hate having to look into a camera. The product works with your iPad to create a meaningful dialogue between you and your viewers. No more looking off into a camera, and no more editing from a camera. You can adjust the prompter speed and edit directly from your iPad. Don’t like what you see? Scroll back, change the text speed (if you use that feature), and start over. This product serves more than just the vlogging community. If you are like me, and prefer to have a script ready, you can create a flawless presentation for any event. The unavoidable disconnect between individuals in a virtual meeting does a 180, turning it into a personal experience, because you are looking directly at the person, not at a camera. When I FaceTime my friends in Australia, I am always looking at the camera when I am talking to them, and they do the same. It looks like we are not communicating with each other, and there is no way to see what is going on when you’re not looking. You can also use iTOi to chronicle life’s adventures, which will allow your future kin to see what went on in a day in the life of you. Create a video resume that is professional and personal, with iToi. You can purchase the iTOi from Brookstone, here.
 

Image courtesy of seeitoi.com