Many technologies were recently showcased at 2013 CES in Las Vegas. In my opinion there were no huge innovations displayed this year, what is clear is that manufacturers understand that families want smart devices that are capable of doing more than playing games & texting. Refining devices, making them more useful & user friendly, truly creating a connected home appeared to be the focus this year. Here are three family friendly items that caught my eye.
LG HOM-BOT Square
Meet the LG HOM-BOT Square, a smart vacuum armed with “newly designed corner master technology”
Standing just 3.5 inches high, the HOM-BOT is small enough to reach under furniture. HOM-BOT is equipped with upper and lower cameras, to help it map rooms and plan it cleaning strategy. LG says the HOM-BOT has a great memory thanks to LG’s “Learning Function” & that once it’s cleaned a room it will “recognize” your home’s furniture layout upon subsequent cleanings. The BOT also has “Voice Guidance” 90 voice alerts will keep you informed about cleaning progress & LG’s Smart Diagnosis™ technology will self diagnose any problems .
The “Easy-out Dust Bin” has a large capacity & is located on top of the unit for easier emptying. The device also sports a larger, upgraded HEPA 11 filter .The HOM-BOT is also quiet, operating at 60 decibels. LG says the HOM-BOT has an improved Lithium Ion battery & a runtime of about 100 minutes.
There’s no word yet from LG as to pricing & availability of the HOM-BOT Square but this is one robotic vacuum well worth keeping an eye out for.
Beam Brush
The Beam Brush world’s first app connected toothbrush, plays music while you brush for the recommended two minutes; a sensor built into the brush tracks your activity & sends the data via Bluetooth to the Beam Brush app on your smart phone. You can even earn rewards for using it!
Compatible with Android or iphone, the Beam Brush comes in pink or in blue & is available for pre-order now for $35, (the price will be $50 at launch in Nov) replacement heads cost only $4 apiece, Beam Brush app will alert you when a head change is needed or you can choose to have replacements shipped automatically every three months.
Seagate Wireless Plus
Trying to manage and wirelessly share content across the wide array of Apple iOS, Android and Kindle Fire HD devices has been cumbersome thus far. The Seagate Wireless Plus external WiFi drive won CNET’s CES 2013 award for Best of Networking and Storage
The drive has a storage capacity of 1TB , that translates to enough room to store 500+ movies, thousands of pictures, songs, the entire family digital library. The Wireless plus creates it’s own WiFi network, you won’t need to use hotspots or your data plan to share content & no need to lug tons of cords around. The Seagate Media app allows you to stream HD movies to up to three devices simultaneously or share music, pictures or documents with up to 8 devices. The Media app supports Apple iOS, Android and Kindle Fire HD devices & does include Apple® AirPlay support so you can mirror the movie you’re watching on your ipad to the big screen TV in the family room. Seagate Wireless Plus is available for pre-order at Amazon at $199 and will be available on Feb 1st, 2013
I saw a ton of cool tech toys & will be sharing more with you over the next few days as putting them all into one post would be overwhelming :)
Disclaimer: My attendance at CES 2013 was generously sponsored by The Onlinemom , all opinions written about the show & technologies featured here are my own.
I really love the Beam Brush concept. I do not think people change toothbrushes often enough. This is great with automatic reminders. Just wondering how many toothbrushes can be programmed with the app?
I must admit I am really looking forward to the toy posts. I have kids & hubby. We love new toys.