Tech Brew Ride Home - (Bonus) Brian's Favorites From CES 2024

Episode Date: January 15, 2024

Just what the title says. All my faves from CES this year. If you want to SEE what I'm talking about, here's the YouTube playlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. As promised, here are all of my favorite things from CES 2024. As I've said all week, there is a YouTube playlist so you can see what I'm talking about if you want. I hopefully remember to put the link in the show notes.

But if you just want to hear what I thought was cool, here you go. Every year now at CES, folks unveil smart toilets and people snicker at them, while secretly wishing they could afford to buy them themselves. Kohler, that venerable company with a 151-year history in bathroom appliances, has done this before they have a smart toilet that will run you $10,000. But this year, they have a more, I don't know, budget option. The Pure Wash E930 bidet. It is designed to fit most elongated toilets, effectively upgrading a standard toilet into a high-tech smart toilet compatible with Alexa or Google Assistant. The Pure Wash E930 priced at $2,149,000 has among its features hands-free cover operation

that activates upon the sensing motion. It boasts a self-cleaning mode, utilizing a built-in UV light for hygiene. The integration with Alexa and Google Home allows for voice-controlled hands-free operation enabling users to activate features like the bidet spray, the warm air dryer, and UV cleaning, simply by talking to the toilet.

The seat offers both front and rear wash models, a heated seat and a remote control with two programmable presets. The bidet's pre-misting function improves rinsing efficiency, while the water temperature and pressure are fully adjustable. Users can select from oscillating or pulsating spray patterns, and there's a high-pressure boost mode for rear-washing. And a warm air-drying system with adjustable temperature adds to the comfort. Kohler has also integrated LED lighting for nighttime use

and incorporates their quiet-closed technology to prevent the seat from slamming. The seat is also designed for easy removal for thorough cleaning. Currently available in white on Collar's website, a black version of the Pure Wash E-930 will be released in late February. Coler also has a $266 smart bathroom fan that combines ventilation with smart lighting. The fan side of that also can automatically detect temperature and humidity and thereby turn on when needed. And their Anthem shower controller now gets a $2,800 option that lets you control sound and lighting while also steam. It too is voice controlled by Alexa and Google Home. You can choose from different presets like a vigorous shower for after a workout, say, and a gentler option to relax before bed.

The Genesis Water Cube wants to be the solar panel, but for water. If you want to get totally off the grid, enough solar panels can help you get there in terms of energy and electricity, but you still need water, right? Well, the WC-100 Water Cube comes in at over three feet tall and weighs in at 800 pounds, but is engineered to extract water from the air, even in dry environments like Las Vegas. It's designed to slash or even eliminate water bills, similar to what solar panels do for electricity. costs. However, achieving this water independence does come with a hefty price tag of $20,000 for pre-orders. Reminiscent of the moisture farming in the original Star Wars movie, the Water Cube capitalizes on atmospheric humidity to produce drinkable water. Maker Genesis Systems has larger models for massive water production in regions around the world where water scarcity is a more serious issue, but the WC100 is aimed at households generating around 100 gallons daily under optimal conditions, which would be 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% humidity. Performance varies with the humidity levels, though. Lower humidity yields less water, naturally. The unit includes a 50-gallon storage

tank, but putting in a larger tank could better meet household water needs over time, and at least for now, you have the same issue that you have when you install solar panels in your home. It will take several years for the water machine to pay for itself, if ever. Financing options are available, amounting to monthly payments of $200 to $250 over several years. That compares somewhat favorably to average household water bills that range from roughly $30 to $300 monthly. To my mind, this is the sort of thing that CES is all about. The Y Robotics WIM, a CES Honorary Award winner from South Korea in the accessibility and aging tech and robotics category, is a wearable robot resembling a belt pack with extendable robo arms, gently assisting leg movements during walking. WIM, in

sure's proper posture, pace, and duration for optimal exercise benefits. You can do interval training with it. It has AI-powered coaching, which personalizes exercise intensity and programs to suit individual needs. But it also extends its functionality to enhance non-exercise activities like improving walking performance. Set to hit the market in February, the whim is priced around $2,500. And despite its high-tech capabilities, it is remarkably lightweight at just 1.4 kilograms, including the battery and fastener. The design also emphasizes portability. and minimal storage space thanks to its foldable mechanisms. In assist mode, WIMS significantly eases walking by adjusting the assist intensity and timing

based on the user's interaction with the terrain. It offers up to 20% energy reduction for level ground walking and a 14% reduction while carrying lows equivalent to a 12-kilogram load reduction. But it can go in the opposite direction too, providing resistance akin to walking in water, enabling a range of exercise programs including cardio, muscle targeting, and endurance training. It also incorporates interval workouts with varying assist and resistance levels. Equipped with motion sensors, WIM accurately detects and responds to various activities such as walking, running, and climbing stairs. So, assistive for the olds, thus the accessibility and aging award, but also a new

workout tool? You know what I like to say about how tech companies will eventually try to recreate all Star Trek tech one day? Where's our tricorder? Well, Whittings thinks it has taken a step toward that I deal with the bemo, a smart thermometer, heart checker, lung checker, all in one. It doesn't just do body temperature. The Withings says it does that more accurately, but it also is a digital stethoscope, a medical grade ECG, and a blood oxygen level sensor. Withing says the BMO is smaller than a smartphone, but I'd say just imagine a TV remote. The interesting use case here is imagine a gadget in your house so that when you do a telemedicine visit with your doctor, they can get your vitals accurately, remotely in real time.

For example, what's the one thing we all think of when we think of Dr. Tools? The stethoscope, right? The bemo is a digital stethoscope, capturing chest sounds using a piezoelectric disc, which can be heard through headphones connected via a USB to headphone jack adapter. The bemo's versatility lies in its ability to gather different types of health data depending on its orientation towards the head for temperature or the chest for sound analysis. Additionally, it measures blood, oxygenation, and heart rate through a light grip displaying results also in real time. All collected data is

stored on the Willings app, offering users a historical view of their health metrics, along with practical advice. For telehealth sessions, audio streaming allows health care providers to instruct patients on how to focus the BMO on areas of concern, thus enhancing the effectiveness of remote consultations. They're expecting FDA clearance in June, at which point you can pick up a BMO for $250. The TV everybody is talking about so far this year is the LJBOR, signature T. It's a transparent TV, a plane of glass you can see through, but also you can watch TV on. You can mount it on the wall as per usual, but you don't have to. You could put it up on a shelf or in between rooms, and when it's off, it doesn't break up the feng shui, because again, it's

transparent. Transparent TVs have been shown as prototypes for years, but it looks like LG is giving it a real go now with the 77-inch signature T. It features a transparent panel with an adjustable contrast film controlled by a remote button for switching between the standard OLED view and transparency. Apparently, the effect of the screen gives you a sense of depth to the image, not 3D exactly, but depth. So you can put up screensavers of safe fish, and it looks like there's a live fish tank in front of you. It also includes downfiring speakers under the display, similar to the M-Series. It also connects to LG's Zero Connect box, up to 30 feet away, with direct line of sight for streaming and gaming inputs.

Everyone is raving about it. David Katzmere at CNET said, quote, a TV that can effectively disappear and transform into furniture, art, or a fish tank, the OLED TV succeeds brilliantly. The Virgist Chris Welsh said the novelty might wear off, but the effect really messed with his brain. No word on pricing, but something tells me if you need to know the price, you probably can't afford it because it'll make your eyes bleed more than the transparency effect will. What if I told you you could do 3D gaming on a regular old monitor

without the need for special glasses or anything? Samsung's 2D 3D gaming monitor is a 37-inch gaming monitor, that won the Innovation Award this year at CES. The display has something called lenticular technology, paired with sensors that track your eye movement and built-in AI. It adjusts the pixel array in real time to give you the full 3D effect, again, without any glasses. Everyone that has seen it seems to be shocked by how well it actually works.

In a way, don't think of this as 3D video. Think of it as doing VR, but again, without a headset. Now, this actually isn't new. Acer revealed something similar last year at CES, and they doubled down this year. with what they're calling the Spatial Labs View Pro 27. That one is actually available within weeks, priced at $2,000. The Samsung 2D3D is not available yet. In fact, information on it is only coming later in 2024, according to Samsung. Verge Motorcycles of Finland already had a cool-looking

electric motorcycle. The Verge TS Ultra already stood out with its unique electric design, boasting an impressive 201 horsepower and 885 pound feet of torque, surpassing even the Corvette E-ray. But the biggest feature was its hubless ring design, which despite adding weight, had practical benefits due to where they could place the battery. But the company noticed that as cars have gotten cameras and LIDAR to detect obstacles and help avoid accidents, motorcycles largely haven't gotten this tech, even though motorcycle riders are at greater risk. So, Verge Motorcycles is giving the TS Ultra what it calls the Star Matter Vision sensor package. This system incorporates six cameras offering 360-degree sensing and two high-resolution radars for detecting obstacles and

vehicles. The writer receives information through two displays, one on the gauge cluster and the other on the tank providing detailed situational awareness. This data is presented using Unreal Engine marking the first use of high-end 3D graphics on a motorcycle display. So while this is a powerful motorcycle, an electric motorcycle, and it's cool you can put your hand through the hubless wheel, the real headline here is bringing modern safety sensors to motorcycles. The TS Ultra has a starting price of $44,900 giving you the bike with the sensors and up to 233 miles of range, though they do have a cheaper model with less range. Cold Snap wants you to think of them as the Kyrig of ice cream makers. They make a small countertop device to make ice cream

on demand, fresh ice cream from room temperature canned ingredients in under two minutes. Cold Snap actually debuted at CES three years ago, but in preparation for their official launch, they had a taste test booth at CES. That was quite popular. Coltsnaps' pods are roughly the size of a red bull can are fully recyclable and don't require any freezing or refrigeration. To use, you simply scan the pod's barcode, which tells the Coltsnap machine about the confection that it's about to create, and then you insert the pod into the machine. In 90 seconds, you get a fresh serving of ice cream, a smoothie, a coffee drink, all dispensed into a bowl. A recent milestone for Coltsnap was the introduction of automated packaging, because until now, if you can believe it, the company was

packaging all of its cans by hand. However, with the new automated system, they plan to significantly increase production capacity aiming to manufacture up to 30 million pods annually. Enhancements have also been made to the appliance itself. These include the integration of that QR code reader. I mentioned sort of like those Tava smart ovens I used to tell you about, and a more robust refrigeration system. Cold Snap's CEO Matthew Fonte highlighted the transformative potential-producing ice cream from room-temperature shelf-stable liquids, especially in markets where refrigeration is limited or too expensive or the frozen supply chain isn't robust. The thing is 50 pounds, so it might not always live on your counter without it taking up more real estate than you'd

like. And they're focusing on office and business markets this year. Sale for use at home isn't coming till next year. It's unlikely that E-ink technology will ever come to smartphones in the sense that your main display would be E-ink. I mean, there are scenarios where E-ink makes sense in tablets, as my beloved remarkable makes clear. But what if you put E-ink, not on the display, but for the back? Then, instead of picking a single color for your phone when you buy it, you could change the back of your phone like whenever you wanted. Chinese smartphone startup Infinix has been showing off their E-color shift technology

at CES 2024. This innovation enables users to personalize the back of their smartphones with dynamic colors and designs at their discretion. Utilizing e-paper displays, this feature, conserves battery life by consuming power minimally only drawing power when altering the displayed pattern. So you pick a back design today, change it tomorrow, and in between, it draws no power. Infinix is developing a software package that will allow customization of up to 60 different sections of the phone's rear, each capable of displaying a range of colors.

When I have to produce this podcast on the road, which means on a laptop, I'm always tempted by the various second and third screen options that are available right now. I've been taking to using sidecar to turn my iPad into a second screen, but it doesn't work great. It's finicky, and you can only use one iPad at a time, not multiple. Thus, the ASISZN-screen fold OLED MQ17QH portable display is very tempting to me, and to a lot of other people considering how much attention it's getting at CES this year. ASIS says it's the world's first foldable OLED portable display, the Zen a screen fold has a 17.3-inch display that significantly expands your screen space. In landscape, it posts a 2560 by 1920 resolution akin to merging to 12.5 inch 1920 by 1080 screens in portrait

mode side by side. This design minimizes scrolling and enhances your primary workspace visibly. It has an adaptable stand in addition to foldable OLED panel to give numerous setup configurations in landscape. It transforms into a mobile desktop display. Additionally, it features auto-rotrotation. through the ASIS display widget center app, allowing effortless switching to portrait mode with a stable stand. It's got a quarter-inch tripod socket and a separate dedicated stand for optimal height and angle adjustments for desk work. With its water drop-style hinge, they say you won't notice a crease. When unfolded, it measures just 9.7 millimeters thick. Folded, it resembles a 12-5-inch display easily fitting in a laptop bag and weighing just 1.17 kilograms. Plus, folded up, the device is

protecting itself in transit. Connectivity includes two full-function USB-TyP-C ports for display signals and power, plus a mini-hdhdmi port for diverse device connections like game consoles and cameras, but just the one USB-C-style connection is enough to power this thing. Unfortunately, no word from ASIS on how much this will cost or when it will be available. If I told you that the next thing AI would transform would be bird watching, would you believe me? Designed by Mark Newsom, the Swarovsky Optic AX Vizio binoculars meld cutting-edge technology with high-quality optics. When you focus on a bird and press a button, the binoculars start image processing marked by a red circle, and in about five seconds, the screen will display the species of bird you've zeroed in on. The technology is remarkable,

featuring an integrated operating system with object recognition and an onboard neural processing unit With a 10 by 32 magnification and a 1,000-yard field of view, the imagery is apparently exceptionally clear. Built-in GPS assists the processor in species identification based on location. Enhancing the utility of this since birding has become an increasingly social activity, almost a sport. These binoculars also capture images and videos with a 13-migixel camera and 1080p video capabilities easily transferable to your phone via the Swarovsky Optic Outdoor app. A unique share discoveries feature uses arrow markers in the viewfinder, allowing you to guide a friend to your sighting, but also to post to social media. Priced at $4,799.

They're a significant investment, I will admit, but if you want to be a world-class birder, here you go. Set for a February release, the AX Vizio binoculars offer you the opportunity to step up to the AI era of birding.