Credit: Fergus Halliday

This year's CES has come and gone. Here are seven nifty gadgets that stuck with us.

Nreal AR Glasses

With rumors that Apple are looking to launch a play into the realm of augmented reality, it's no surprise there were a few consumer-oriented AR plays on display at this year's CES.

In particular, Nreal's AR glasses stuck out to us. They feel a little too experimental to recommend without caveat but I suspect they get enough right that they'll form a familiar foundation for future efforts in the space. Going hands-on with the Nreal AR glasses, it felt like the tech here has a ways to go when it comes to form and fit but shows a lot of promise when it came to software side of things.

Powered by a connected smart device, the UI here allowed you to easily open and navigate a number of floating application windows in the 3D space around you. Things are fairly intuitive, with either your phone or Finch’s 6 Degree of Freedom accessory acting as a controller.



Credit: Nreal

The interface here is a little clunky in its current form but compared to the rest, it feels surprisingly mature and capable. It's also pretty well integrated with Android. Opening apps relies on a familiar grammar of pointing, clicking and dragging.

In spite of the general clumsiness and lack of polish, the core notions that the Nreal AR glasses provoke about what user interfaces and content consumption looks like in 3D space made them one of my most compelling sights of CES 2020.

For more info on Nreal, check out their website here.



Source Water

Credit: Source

Source is a solar-powered startup with a nifty twist. In addition to generating power, Source's "hydropanels" also leave you with double-distilled and perfectly-drinkable water. Source say a single hydropanels can produce up to 150L of water a month on average.

Even if you're not a doomsday prepper, the Source Hydropanel tech is genuinely really cool.

For more info on Source, check out their website here.

Li-Fi Max

Credit: Oledcomm

It's been a few years since I last checked in Oledcomm's Li-Fi tech but the company are finally looking to take their light-based networking solutions to the masses.

Though far from the affordability of a traditional Wi-Fi setup, a lot of what made Li-Fi stand out to us in 2018 remains so. Instead of transmitting data using wireless signals, Oledcomm's kit uses light.

Oledcomm are now fielding two versions of the Li-FiMax: one that offers speeds of up to 100Mbps and one that offers speeds of up to 1gbps. Unfortunately, Oledcomm's Li-Fi Max kit is far from consumer-grade. The company are currently more interested in business and enterprise customers than everyday users - with the Li-Fi Max priced accordingly.

For more info on Li-Fi Max, click here.

Juno

Credit: Matrix

The company behind the smartwatch that never runs out of battery have jumped categories entirely for their newest product: the Juno. Less of a follow-up and more of a spin-off, then Juno sees Matrix use their thermal tech know-how for serve a different purpose. The Juno chills drinks really fast. Matrix say that the Juno can cool a bottle of wine to a perfect drinking temperature in just five minutes or cool a canned drink in less than two.

The Juno is up for preorder on IndieGogo now.

Mevo Start

Credit: Mevo

If you're looking for all-in-one fast-track to live-streaming, the Mevo start makes a compelling pitch. It features a bundled-in tripod, 1080p camera, 4 hours of battery life and Fraunhofer upHear Spatial Microphone Processing that automatically optimizes and syncs sound.

Mevo promise that an app-driven setup will make using the Mevo for livestreaming via Periscope, Facebook Live, Twitter, Vimeo or Youtube as close to plug-and-play as these things get. Well, minus the wires.

The Mevo Start is available for pre-order now here.

The OVIS Suitcase

Credit: ForwardX

The OVIS Suitcase is hardly the first brand to show off an smart suitcase at CES but the way in which the company behind the product, ForwardX Robotics, are trying to parse the issues faced by the category to date caught our attention. At this point, building a robot suitcase isn't the hard part. The tricky part is getting your product green-lit for travelers to actually take through airport security.

To try and solve this issue, ForwardX have gone and gotten the OVIS TSA approved and designed the product with a removable battery that with you through carry-on. The company also say they're currently working with the relevant government agencies to get the device approved for other markets like Australia.

You can find more info on the OVIS Suitcase here.

Amazfit X

Credit: Amazfit

Amazfit have made a name for themselves by replicating the designs of others but the concept design they brought to this year's CES left quite the impression. The form-factor here channels some major Nubia Alpha energy. It features a curved AMOLED display with 326 pixels-per-inch and 100% NTSC color.

It's unclear whether Amazfit plan to actually sell the X or anything like it but it's always nice to see brands push the smartwatch category in directions that aren't particularly traditional.

Disclosure - our coverage of CES 2020 was sponsored by Intel and Dell, who covered the cost of our flights to the US and our accommodation for the duration of our stay in Las Vegas.

