BY CHARLES BATTERSBY | CE Week — the ninth annual consumer electronics event — came to New York June 23–25, filling Chelsea’s Metropolitan Pavilion with cutting-edge gadgets and tech enthusiasts. We got our hands on several gizmos that are particularly useful for the typical New Yorker, whose life is centered around a tiny apartment and crowded subway cars.
Bluetooth headsets for cellphones started out as a cool toy for technophiles, but quickly became the mark of self-importance. The clip&talk (clipandtalk.com / $39.99–$159.90) is a new headset that helps users avoid looking like a jerk who walks around with a headset on all the time. It is intended to be turned off and clipped to a pocket when not in use. When the user gets a call, they switch on the headset, and in the 2–3 seconds it takes to put it in their ear, it automatically connects with their phone and is ready to go. In our trial, we found that the device does connect quickly enough that it can be kept off when not in use, and activated in about the same time that it takes to answer a phone.
There are several models of clip&talk. The “Fashion Matrix” has a colorful metallic finish for a more fashionable look. There is a “Me” model that has an attachable second earbud so that the headset can be used as a pair of wireless headphones (and a conversation starter). An executive “Aluminum” model has a slot for a micro SD card, and can double as a USB flash drive. In the near future, some models of the clip&talk will have an attachment for tracking health properties with a device that fits in the earpiece.
The App Store has several apps that let users pretend to have night vision by mimicking the aesthetics of night-vision scopes, but the Seek Thermal Camera (thermal.com / $249–$299)) is the real deal. It’s a camera that attaches to smartphones, and can take still pictures and video in the infrared spectrum.
On the most superficial level, it will let users run around pretending to be the Terminator — but it also has practical uses. It’s especially handy for gadgeteers who want to see which components inside a computer are overheating, and what electronic devices are heating up surrounding gadgets in an entertainment center. The Seek Thermal has its own app, and can be used to show the temperature of multiple objects at once. It can also be set to only show items above a certain temperature — useful for spotting living creatures (like missing pets) at night. In some situations, it can even track warm footprints left behind on floors.
The Sengled Pulse (sengled.com / $169.99) is a set of wireless Bluetooth stereo speakers that are built into LED light bulbs. It’s a simple idea that is extremely practical. The bulbs can be screwed into ordinary light sockets, and draw their power right from the socket.
The volume and brightness are controlled from an app, and they can be paired with smartphones, tablets or desktop computers. The Pulse frees up shelf space, gets rid of cords, and provides a major “wow” factor for guests when they realize that music is coming out of the lamp, or the ceiling lights. It’s also handy to have a centralized location for speakers when they’re used with ceiling lights in the center of the room. Sengled has put several other gadgets inside light bulbs too. There is a Wi-Fi booster that enhances the range of Wi-Fi signals, a camera with a motion detector, and a solo speaker.
When it comes to charging and protecting these new gadgets, casual users might wonder what the difference is between a power strip and a surge protector.
The Power 360 (panamax.com / $39.99)is a surge protector that helps dispel the mystery and provide clear information about when electronic voodoo is afoot.
It has a color-coded light, which displays information about the wiring in the socket it has been plugged into.
It also shows when its “SurgeGuard” has been triggered by over-voltage, or if there has been a blackout or brownout that might damage electronic equipment.
Among all this high technology, there were some surprisingly low-tech ideas. The Flygrip (flygrip.com / $29.95) is a simple accessory that sticks to the back of a smartphone, and helps the user keep a firm grip by wedging their fingers between two thin plastic notches.
It folds up to about a quarter of an inch thick, so the phone can still be carried in pockets. It can also be folded into a different position so that it can be used as a kickstand to prop up a phone on table. With smartphones getting bigger, while tablets keep getting smaller, the Flygrip is a clever way to deal with these unwieldy “Phablets.”
CE Week is an annual event in New York, whose 2016 edition will take place June 20–24. For more info, check out CEweekNY.com.
