– Main photo: Over 115,000 visitors attended the CES Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas. Photo: Maxim Johnson
From January 5 to 8, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) brought together a variety of technologies in Las Vegas, from real revolutions to fun little gadgets. Here are five that caught our attention.
Withings U-Scan: home scan
– With Withings U-Scan you can analyze your urine at home. Photo: Maxim Johnson
Undoubtedly one of the big winners of CES 2023, French manufacturer Withings unveiled a “connected home urinalysis lab” at the show, a small device about the size of a hockey puck with thin ends that fits into a toilet bowl. It measures certain components of urine.
The puck is currently offered with two different types of cartridges. The first, Cycle Sync, measures hormonal fluctuations, for example, to accurately know the day of ovulation (connected objects that allow you to track ovulation usually do this after ovulation, which is less practical). The second, Nutri Balance, measures the effect of nutrition on metabolism (pH, presence of ketones, vitamin C, water content, etc.). Other cartridges will be added to the offer over time.
An interesting detail, the device is designed in such a way that it can be easily taken by hand without touching the bowl. The battery and cartridge should be replaced every three months.
The U-Scan is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2023 for around $720, with cartridges priced around $43 each.
LG UltraGear OLED 45GR9SQE: Immersive Monitor
– The LG UltraGear 45GR9SQE monitor is particularly immersive with its large 45-inch OLED screen. Photo: Maxim Johnson
There were many gaming monitors that deserved attention at CES this year. But the most exciting and enjoyable to use was the LG UltraGear 45GR9SQE, with its ultra-wide screen (21:9 aspect ratio, wider than conventional 16:9 TVs) with OLED (OLED) technology and 240Hz refresh rate, which provides excellent fluidity in games.
Just sit in front of this large 45-inch screen (with a resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels) for a few minutes and you will immediately want to change your own monitor.
However, at $2,200, it’s not for all budgets.
BMW i Vision Dee: it even changes color
– The BMW i Vision Dee concept car can change color at will. Photo: Maxim Johnson
CES has been a car showroom for a few years now, and this year BMW has outshone everyone in the sector.
Its prototype BMW i Vision Dee (for digital emotional experiences) offers various ideas that the company’s designers and engineers can inspire in the coming years, such as a digital assistant that can be interacted with both inside and outside the car, or even windows that can be convert to screens.
However, the body of the car with digital ink (a technology similar to the screens of digital readers) draws attention. This system allows you to instantly change the color of the car and even create patterns.
However, it will be a long time before such technology is robust enough and affordable enough to be offered on production vehicles.
Victrola Stream Onyx: Connected Vinyl
– The Victrola Stream Onyx can be connected wirelessly to a Sonos sound system. Photo: Maxim Johnson
Owners of connected Sonos speakers now have a new option to listen to vinyl records through their home audio system.
Where previously it was necessary to connect the player to the Sonos Port Adapter ($549) or Sonos Five Speaker ($699), you can now directly use a connected Sonos-compatible player. Recordings played there can be streamed to any Sonos speaker in any room in his home.
Turntable maker Victrola had already released such a device this fall, the Victrola Stream Carbon, but it was quite expensive ($800, or about $1,070). This new model is a slightly more affordable version with more plastic in construction and a slightly worse cartridge (Audio-Technica VM95E) priced at $600 or about $800 in Canada.
It’s still quite expensive, but still smaller than an equivalent quality new turntable with a Sonos port, and can be installed anywhere in the home without having to be near its speakers.
My Bird Buddy: See you at the feeder!
– The connected My Bird Buddy feeder allows you to receive alerts about visiting birds and identify them. Photo: Maxim Johnson
The My Bird Buddy Bird Feeder includes a connected camera that can alert you when your little winged visitor is visiting, as well as film it and even identify it thanks to artificial intelligence.
The My Bird Buddy Feeder is now on sale (about $270). But two new models were introduced at CES 2023, a solar-panel feeder for battery recharging (which probably won’t be enough for 100% autonomy in Quebec with short winter days and cold, but which should still increase refills a little more) , and a hummingbird feeder.