CES 2013

This Sensor Gadget Is The Only Mother You Want Living With You [CES 2014]

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LAS VEGAS — Seriously, everyone has a mother, but not everyone wants to live with her.

Here comes Mother, the remote sensor gadget we got to play with a bit at CES in Vegas this week. It’s a small, shmoo-shaped object that sits in your house, and tracks the sensors you can then attach to a variety of mundane objects like your toothbrush, your pill bottles, your mattress, or your refrigerator.

Mother then interacts with one of the 15 entry-level apps that come with the device to help you track what you do: how many times do you brush your teeth a day? Are you eating too much in the evening? How’s your sleep?

The initial bundle, available only at CES this week, is $222 for the Mother sensor hub and four cookies. The retail price will likely be higher when Mother hits stores.

CES 2013: Cult Of Mac’s Pick Of The Best

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So the Consumer Electronics Show is over for another year, and for those who’ve been in Las Vegas covering it for us, it’s back to normality. While we allow the Cult of Mac team to sober up, it’s time to look back at the best gizmos CES had to offer. There were thousands of products on show — far too many to cover in one week — but there were a handful that really stood out.

We’ve put together a list of awesome things that we were blown away by, including smartphones, accessories, gadgets, and more. Check it out and tell us what you’re most looking forward to getting your hands on in 2013.

Philips: $30 Bluetooth Streaming Device, Soundbar with Detachable Wireless Speakers and an Unusual Baby Monitor [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – Y’know how we said something or other about how iHome had an avalanche of new products? Yeah, forget we said that; the amount of new products at the Philips fort (really, they had, like, an encampment) made the iHome avalanche look like a powder dusting. And amazingly, most of it is actually worth talking about. Here’re the highlights from our booth tour.

Tylt’s Energi Battery Case for iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 is The One I Want Most at CES [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I always pack two cases when I’m about to embark on heavy travel with my iPhone: a battery case and my trusty Incipio Feather Ultralight case. I realize toting extra juice is a necessity I have to live with, but I haven’t yet found a serious battery case with dimensions I can live with — I simply hate the bulkiness. This means I’m often stuck balancing my need for my juice with my want for less bulk by constantly swapping cases, and frankly, it’s a pain in the ass.

More Weird And Wonderful @ CES [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – The Consumer Electronic Show is winding down. Friday is the last day. There are so many weird and wacky wonderful things, it’s worth another gallery.

Elvis — an icon of Las Vegas — is posing for pictures and representing the United States Post Office, posing next to his commemorative stamp. He has the snarl down.

What Do These Naked Women Have To Do With Battery Packs? [CES 2013]

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Welcome to the most awkward booth at CES. There are battery packs for your iPhone and MacBooks. You can check out a new stylus. On display in the corner is an external iOS drive. They even got some new iPad cases on too. But don’t let those products distract you from the real show: the four naked women standing on display.

Scantly clad booth babes are a common sight at CES, but HyperShop has taken it to a whole new level by unabashedly displaying naked women at their booth. They claim it’s art, and maybe it is (what is “art” anyway?), but what the hell do these naked women have to do with battery packs?

iPad Mini 2 To Launch Alongside Thinner, Lighter iPad 5 This March [Rumor]

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Third-generation iPad owners became understandably upset last November when Apple announced a new sixth-generation iPad eight months after theirs went on sale. It was the first time the Cupertino company had launched an iPad within 12 months of its predecessor, but it looks like we’d better get used to it.

Rumors have this week suggested that Apple is now looking to update its iOS devices every six months, introducing two every year. And according to one analyst, that’s exactly what’s going to happen with the next-generation iPads.

MPowerd’s Luci Lamp Is Not Only Solar Powered, But Inflatable As Well [CES 2013]

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In a departure from many of the other products being shown off at CES, MPowerd debuted what they call Luci, the collapsible, solar powered lamp. The entire product only weighs 4 ounces, and can easily collapse for storage if you’re traveling.

By simply placing the lantern in the sun for 4-6 hours, you can get up to 12 hours of light. MPowerd says that Luci is perfect for the developing world, where not everyone has access to electricity. It’s also a great idea for camping trips and other outdoor activities.

The Luci is available now from MPowerd for $15.99. MPowered is also setting up a program that will allow them to distribute lanterns to less fortunate countries when you purchase one.

 

Don’t Miss Our CES 2013 Picks For Most Lust-Worthy Tech On Our Newest CultCast

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That’s a wrap, folks! The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show is done and over, but after walking the tech-packed floors and press events for days, we’re ready to reveal the gadgets that had us yelling “shut up and take the money!” Get the full scoop on our newest CultCast!

Plus, don’t miss our own Deputy Editor John Brownlee regale us with the hilarious story of a press event gone so wrong, the internet can’t stop buzzing about it.

All that and more on our newest and final live-from-Vegas CultCast! Subscribe now on iTunes to catch our all-new episode, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s free Podcasts App. And while you’re at it, be sure to download our other 3 daily CES recap episodes to hear our favorite booths of shows past and funny stories from the show!

The BlueAnt Ribbon Lets You Stream Bluetooth Audio To Almost Any Speaker [CES 2013]

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BlueAnt Wireless is showing off a tiny little device at CES this year called the Ribbon, which they claim can turn almost any speaker into a Bluetooth streaming device. BlueAnt describes three ideal use cases for the device, each providing different functionality.

First of all, the device can be used to clip onto your clothing in order to stream audio from your iPhone. The Ribbon comes with headphones which connect to a standard headphone jack on the device. The controls onboard the Ribbon give you access to media controls as well as Siri.

Apple Awarded Technology & Engineering Emmy At CES [CES 2013]

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Apple was awarded a Technology & Engineering Emmy on Thursday evening during a ceremony at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Launched in 1948, the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards honor “development and innovation in broadcast technology and recognize companies, organizations and individuals for breakthroughs in technology that have a significant effect on television engineering.”

PhoneSuit Introduces External Fuel Tanks in Lightning, 30-Pin and Android Flavors [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – We’re always a bit stumped at how PhoneSuit is able to stuff so much battery in to their batteries. Their new Flex line is another great example; those little battery logs above each contain 2600 mAh of juice, which is more than any iPhone battery case I can think of. And that’s not even the coolest thing about them.

Easily Tranfer Files Between Your Mac and iDevice With This Thumb Drive [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – This is one of those simple ideas we’re surprised no one has come up with before. The PhotoFast i-FlashDrive HD is a flash drive with two different interfaces at each end — one 30-pin, one USB — that makes it super-easy to tranfer files between a desktop and anything with a 30-pin connector. It’ll also work with a Lightning connector through a Lightning adapter.

Bluetooth Hapifork Measures How Much You Devour, Buzzes When You Eat Too Quickly [CES 2013]

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On the left, Hapifork; on the right, Hapitrack.

CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – After four trips to CES, it’s not often I find a gadget that ambushes me straight out of left field; this one comes from the bleachers. And judging by all the buzz that’s erupted at the show and on the blogosphere about this ungainly Bluetooth utensil variously referred to as the HAPIfork, HapiFork or Hapifork (we went with the latter), I’m not the only one.

Simplism Is The Coolest Case Maker You Have Never Heard Of [CES 2013 Gallery]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I was so impressed by Simplism neat case lineup that I thought I’d post a few pictures of the Japanese company’s wares, even though it’s still looking for an international distributor.

Below you will see the wonders of a case made to look like wood; the world’s thinnest iPhone 5 case, a clever Smart-Cover-locking, over-the-shoulder rear skin for the iPad and and a screen protector and cover which heal if they are scratched.

The JBL Charge Is Like A Jambox That Can Recharge Your iPhone [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I love my Jambox, but I’m always perplexed why I can’t charge my iPhone using it. After all, it’s essentially a big battery brick with a speaker attached… why can’t I siphon some juice off the top?

The answer is that, in reality, the Jambox has a pretty tiny battery. It’s good for powering a speaker, but it would die pretty quick if you tried to juice an iPhone or (heaven!) an iPad with it. The JBL Charge, though, remedies that problem: it’s a great sounding Jambox-style speaker with a massive battery inside.

RCA Soundflow Is Like NFC Audio For Any Device, Without NFC [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – We’re a big fan of wireless Bluetooth speakers like the Jambox, but let’s face it: for most people, they are both too expensive, and too much of a pain in the butt to remember to pair and unpair. When NFC sees broad adoption, the latter will change, and you’ll be able to play from a wireless speaker just by laying it on top of the device.

Why wait for NFC, though? RCA of all companies is here at CES with a super cool new speaker line called the Soundflow, and it can play music from any smartphone or tablet just by laying it on top of the speaker. Best of all? The technology is so cheap that for the price of one Jambox, you could buy five or six Soundflows.

A Gallery of The Weird And Wonderful Consumer Electronics Show [CES 2013]

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CES 2013 bug LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – With so many companies competing for attention, there’s plenty of clever, crazy and just plain weird here at the Consumer Electronics Show. Take the gentleman above: his real name is Gary Fisher but his stage name is Sir Gaga. He claims to be the most photographed performer in Las Vegas. For those of you who like his style, he also has a fashion company called Nazrat (Tarzan spelled backwards)

Loop Attachment’s Awesome Mummy Case Finally Comes To iPad Mini [CES 2013]

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I’m a big fan of Loop Attachment’s Mummy cases for iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5; I’ve reviewed them both in the past and found them to be two of the best silicone cases you can get for Apple’s smartphone. And so I’m delighted that the Mummy for iPad mini has finally be unveiled at CES in Las Vegas this week — alongside a nifty clip for the latest iPod nano.