My favorite things from CES 2025
Who knows if they'll actually be available anytime soon, but they look cool
The Consumer Electronics Show has become somewhat of a punchline.
It's an odd little event that takes place almost too close to the beginning of the new year. A majority of the products on display never actually end up being consumable by consumers for one reason or another. It ends up feeling like a whole lot of noise without a lot of substance.
And yet, I've attended the event before and I still love to follow the coverage every year.
No matter how silly it all feels, there are still products that get me super excited for the future of hardware, software, mobility, and plenty of other areas.
So without further ado, let's just look at three things that got me particularly excited from CES 2025.
Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen 6
This is squarely one of those things that just scratches that itch for something that feels futuristic but I'm not sure how it would help me today.
The Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen 6 looks like a pretty unassuming laptop computer right? It has a simple 14-inch screen. It runs Windows. It looks like thousands of other machines.
But like many of the CES products, it has a trick up its sleeve.
You can make the screen grow larger with the push of a button!!!
Yes, the screen rolls upward to give you a larger viewing space. That is now a 16.7 inch vertical screen. Of course this is cool. Of course I'd want to make my screen grow when I'm working in a public place to make all other people say "oooh" and "ahhhh". But when would I actually need that extra screen space?
Probably never. I guess it's made for people who stare at really long spreadsheets all day? That's thankfully not me. However, the point of this story is that rollable screen technology is here. It's not a fantasy any longer. This product can be purchased this year and there will likely be more like it on the way. Maybe that screen will be able to roll in the other direction soon. There could be countless other ways to make screens small when they need to travel and larger when you need to see more.
It's the promise of the future of this technology that puts it on the list for me.
Dreame Concept Robo Vacuum
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of robot vacuums and mops. The idea of making robots do our dirty work is extremely appealing. And just a few months ago I purchased one of the Dreame vacuum/mop combos and have been pretty pleased with its performance. It's not perfect (the Dreame app is way too confusing and poorly designed) but it's made it easier to keep a clean home. That's the ultimate goal of these things right?
At CES, Dreame unveiled a new concept model that doesn’t yet have a final name. What makes this robot vacuum so special? It has legs and an arm!
No, it's not a fully humanoid thing, but that's ok. These small legs can help boost it up to climb over small steps and ledges. It can't quite climb a flight of stairs yet, but our house has an annoying little step into the living room that has been a no-go for robots of the past. This bot should be able to handle it without issue.
But more important here is the unfolding arm that the robot can use to pick up objects. They say it's designed to lift items no larger than 500 grams. That is roughly the weight of the average person's shoe. So yes, the robot will finally be able to pick up your shoes and other things and return them to their proper place.
This seems like the ultimate feature for homes with kids. We all rejoiced when our robot vacuums became smart enough to see and go around the toys, shoes, dog bowls, electrical cords, and other bric-a-brac of our daily lives. But now they will be able to identify these items, pick them up, and return them to their proper places. That seems like the next big game changer in this space.
Perhaps this thing will be available by the end of this year, but I could see 2026 being the year of the robot vacuum with arms and legs. Sign me up!
Afeela 1 EV
I'll put this one in the category of cautiously optimistic rather than fully convinced it will be a great product.
When the people from Honda and Sony get together to build a car, you'd expect great things right? Well, the Afeela brand is becoming Honda's luxury arm of EVs. First off, I absolutely hate the name Afeela. Maybe all car brands sound funny at first, but this one just feels particularly irritating.
OK, let's get beyond the name. How about the looks? The Afeela 1 looks pretty sleek. It certainly gives off futuristic vibes without feeling like something that will never actually be production ready. This isn't a concept car, these should be able to be purchased within the 2025 calendar year.
While most of the engineering here is obviously from the folks at Honda, it is interesting to see Sony dip their toe into the world of EVs. Maybe they aren't in the same tier as Apple, Microsoft, or Google, but they are essentially a tech company getting into the auto space. I'm not saying that this is what a car designed by Apple would have looked like, but maybe it's cut from a similar mold.
The specs aren't all that impressive unfortunately. The size of the battery is underwhelming. It doesn't seem like it will be all that quick when it comes to charging. And I appreciate the Sony technology but those displays that come pre-installed on the back of the front seats look like they will become outdated in no time at all. Or perhaps they'll be too buggy to use from day one as some reports have indicated.
I know it seems luxurious to give backseat passengers their own screens (and a Playstation 5!), but trust me it just isn't worth it. Even if you make the best display inside of a car headrest, it will not be as good as the consumer tablets that kids already own and can easily upgrade when needed. Just give them a place to charge and maybe mount the screens themselves.
I do want to see how Afeela positions themselves in the coming months. It’s not an entry-level EV starting at nearly $90K. It also doesn’t really have the high-end specs to compete with other EVs from upstart competitors or legacy luxury automakers. Hopefully, they can iron out the kinks and create the blueprint for other tech companies to get into the space.
So there you have it. Another CES in the books. May this set us off on a 2025 filled with fun product announcements and fewer gadgets that never see the light of day.
Any other CES announcements that struck a chord with you?
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