The Best 9 Devices from CES 2017

The Consumer Electronics Show 2017 showcased a huge range of devices, some innovative, some extremely useful and others simply weird. The focus of the tech tradeshow this year was undoubtedly home appliances and IoT, which is only 1 of the 27 categories at the show. So in case you don’t have time to research all the different devices presented at CES 2017, you can just check out our selection of the winners in the top 9 categories.

1. Best Fitness gadget: Garmin Fenix 5 trio-  Fenix 5, Fenix 5X, and Fenix 5S

   Sport enthusiasts will not be disappointed with the outcome of CES 2017, especially not with Garmin’s Fenix 5 trio coming out, including the Fenix 5, Fenix 5X, and Fenix 5S. These high-end multi-sport GPS watches are not only pleasing to the eye but offer a complete package of functions: fitness tracking for various sports, 24/7 heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen level tracking. Just like the other Garmin sports watches, the new Fenix trio also includes tracking of all important metrics, like speed, elevation, distance and pace for many different sports profiles, including running, cycling, climbing, skiing, hiking, rowing and even triathlons. Due to the watch's water-resistance and waterproofness of up to 100 meters, you can also track your swimming activities. All three watches have a GPS and GLONASS included, while the Fenix 5X even goes a step further offering a preloaded topographic map of the United States, allowing the cycling and running enthusiast to easily create courses and routes of long distance. In addition to the sporty features, you can see call, e-mail and text notifications on your display and change your band easily to a different one, where you can choose from materials, like metal, plastic and leather. While the Fenix 5X is the biggest one and only available with sapphire glass, the Fenix 5S is the smallest one of the trio, specially designed for women and is available with sapphire and mineral glass.  

2. Best Wearable: Misfit Vapor

   With its new Vapor, Misfit, that was recently bought by the Fossil Group, didn’t just enter the territory of the Apple Watch Series 2, it also became the highlight of the wearables section at CES 2017. This full-fat smartwatch offers fitness and sleep tracking, is waterproof and has a built-in GPS, that allows you to track your runs or cycling sessions. The integrated optical heart rate monitor enables you to view and track your heart rate, without the need of your smartphone. In fact, you don’t need your phone at all, since the Misfit Vapor has applications, notifications and allows you to transfer 4GB of music and listen to it with Bluetooth headphones. All combined in a stylish watch with a circular 1.39” OLED touchscreen, with 326PPI and a touch bezel surrounding the screen, with a thin steel frame around it.

3. Best Smartphone: Asus Zenfone AR

   The new Asus smartphone packs pretty much all the features you’d expect from a phone in 2017: 5.7’’ screen size, 23MP camera, 1440 x 2560px resolution, 256GB internal storage, 4K resolution support and many more. The one thing that makes this device outstanding is the fact that it is the first augmented reality and virtual reality smartphone at the same time. The new Asus smartphone runs on Google Tango AR software and the Google Daydream VR platform using Google’s Daydream View headset.Another feature that makes this phone a winner among all smartphones announced at  CES 2017 is the RAM. For the first time, we see 8GB of RAM on a smartphone, which will for sure make this phone blazingly fast. Even the new iPhone 7 features only 2GB of RAM...

4. Best TV: Samsung Quantum Dot TVs

   With its new Quantum Dot technology, Samsung is reconceptualizing the TV construction. Samsung uses Quantum Dot nanoparticles as a backlight enhancement, creating a layer (Quantum Dot Enhanced Film) in between the Liquid Crystal panel and the TV backlight. This QDEF filter improves the function of the LCD panel and creates much more accurate colors, a much wider range of colors, as well as a much better luminance, making this TV ideal for HDR content. According to Samsung, inorganic Quantum Dots do not get degraded in time, so colors won’t fade after just a few years, like it is the case with OLEDs.  

5. Best PC/laptop: Razer Project Valerie

   The device that garnered a lot of attention was certainly the Razor Project Valerie laptop, which is basically a triple display laptop. When all displays are unfolded you can enjoy an amazing 11520 x 2160px resolution with immersive 180° wide view. The additional two displays on the side can be slided in and thus this device, which has a 17’’ main display, can become portable, too.

   The laptop features the latest Intel processor Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, which can reach up to 3.5Ghz turbo speed, and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU, ensuring fast performance even when playing games with 4K resolution. The device looks pretty ridiculous and amazing at the same time.

6. Best Robot/Drone: Kuri

   Drones and robots definitely took a big part in the CES 2016. We had 6 drones revealed in the category ‘Drones and unmanned systems’ and many home robots in the home appliances department. Our pick for the best robot/drone is the Mayfield Robotics device, Kuri. The company dedicated to making helpful home robotics seems to have been inspired by Star Wars’ BB-8. Kuri is a small, cute and very affordable robot (only $699).

   Kuri understands commands and detects surroundings with the help of integrated sensors that memorize the surroundings. Kuri recognizes certain people, but it cannot speak, instead responds with facial expressions and movements. You can teach the robot with “if this, then that” functions, which in combination with the built-in 1080p camera, is extremely useful for monitoring your home while you are away.

7. Best Innovation: POWERUP FPV - Paper Airplane VR

   POWERUP FPV is the drone that outstood from the rest of the drones released at CES 2017 because you can experience a flight like you are standing in the cockpit of your plane. By connecting a VR headset connected to your smartphone you will be able to see what your plane sees in virtual reality. And not only that… you will be also able to control your drone with intuitive movements of your head. The device is available for pre-purchase for only $199.99, including a Google cardboard viewer.

8. Best Home Entertainment Product: Projector Sony VPL-VZ1000ES (4K HDR projector with a max projection size of 100") 

   If you want a 100'' screen to watch TV but you don’t have 60.000$, Sony might have another solution for you- for ‘only’ 25.000$. Sony’s Projector VPL-VZ1000ES (screen is not included) is not a real TV but comes pretty close, offering 4K resolution and HDR compatibility for more realistic videos. The device is a short-throw projector, which means that it sits just a few inches away of the wall and is still able to project a 100'' image. It has an SXRD laser light engine and a TRILUMINOS Display for rich colors. The projector also has a 2500 lumens light output, which is not only impressive but also very efficient for rendering sharp images even in bright light.

9. Funniest product: Mosquito Killer Robot

   Who doesn’t hate mosquitos and wants them gone for good? Well, these little insects should not be a problem anymore, according to the Chinese company LeiShen, which is specialized in high-performance lasers and autonomous navigation robots. LeiShen developed a Laser Movable Mosquito Killer Robot that can recognize a mosquito, and kills it instantly with a laser, using an object recognition and tracking algorithm. Claiming that the laser is actually capable of killing 30 to 40 mosquitos in one second, the company is pitching the product to hospitals and schools in areas that have problems with mosquito-transmitted diseases like the Zika virus, Malaria or the West Nile Disease.