Top 10 gadgets at CES 2017

Frank Gorman of Gorman & Williams in Baltimore concludes his reports from CES 2017 in Las Vegas with a look at his favorite products.

There was no shortage of gadgets at CES 2017. What qualifies as a “gadget” could be debated, but no doubt the following products are new and interesting. Perhaps one of them will catch your fancy.

Tom Brady (Photo courtesy of Under Armour)

1. Under Armour Men’s Athletic Recovery Sleepwear. The photo of Tom Brady sleeping in Under Armour’s new sleepwear was the most popular image at CES 2017. Under Armour says the benefits are real and come from TB12 technology — the soft bioceramic print on the inside of the garment that absorbs the body’s natural heat and reflects Far Infrared energy back to the skin. Kevin Plank promoted the “jammies” during his keynote address on Friday, plus he delivered a strong plug for the company’s headquarters in Baltimore City.

2. HiTech Ninja Solar Power Backpack. This backpack makes perfect sense in these energy-conscious days. It allows you to keep your smartphone and other connected devices powered as you go.

3. Oticon Opn Internet-Connected Hearing Aid. The Opn connects to your smartphone so you can listen to TV and music directly thorough the hearing aid. Apart from its connectivity, Opn differentiates between speech and noise and reduces noise to make it easier to listen to multiple speakers. There is an Opn app that allows changing programs and volume adjustments.

4. Vuze 3D-360° Virtual Reality Camera. 360-degree cameras are in now because of the demand for more gaming and immersive experience video content. Many of the 360-degree cameras exhibited were professional grade and priced beyond most consumers. The Vuze 360°, however, caught my attention because the price is $799, still expensive yet relatively affordable for camera enthusiasts. Vuze is very portable and has a software application for your smartphone and PC that enables 360-degree video to be downloaded. With a smartphone accessory, you can easily see the full 360 degrees of the video by rotating as you hold the smartphone.

5. Equisense Care Horse Bodysuit. Equisense is a French company that was launched with the help of Kickstarter. Equisense Care is a horse bodysuit with sensors that are connected to the internet allowing remote monitoring of data about the horse. It watches over and measures the horse’s well-being and sends alerts if an accident occurs or a threatening condition develops.

6. Royale Moon 3D Virtual Mobile Theater. This mobile theater for watching movies, videos, or gaming has a curved screen with a resolution of 3,000 pixels per inch. It can be controlled using your fingers. The headphones are comfortable and eliminate most external noises. It plays 2-D or 3-D content from its own internal storage or from a smartphone, or content can be streamed wirelessly.

7. HP Spectre 13 Notebook. If you use a laptop and like thin, this is the latest. With a 13-inch diagonal screen, it’s still only 10.4 mm thick and weighs just 2.45 pounds. High-powered with an Intel i5 or i7 processor and Windows 10, it costs about $1,000.

8. Denso Barista Robots. Denso is a Japanese auto parts manufacturer with a presence in the United States, and it leads in manufacturing automation and robotics. The Barista Robots attracted lots of attention at the show, but they could not keep up with the demand for coffee. (Fortunately, Starbucks was close by.) And the price for a set of the coffee-brewing robots was estimated at over $100,000. Nevertheless, the exhibit demonstrates the far-reaching possibilities for robotics and the potential consequences for us humans.

9. Spartan Radiation-Blocking Underwear. Some research indicates that radio frequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cellphones could adversely affect men’s reproductive health. The boxer’s fabric is made of silver fibers and cotton which blocks over 99 percent of wireless radiation from cellphones and Wi-Fi. The boxers are seamless and stylish to wear, so why not?

10. LG Levitating Speaker. Several exhibitors displayed levitating speakers and many are on the market now, but LG’s speaker has the crispest design. The speaker delivers high-quality, 360-degree omnidirectional sound while hovering over the levitation station. This is certain to start a conversation, but the speaker is not available for purchase yet.