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Viva Las Vegas. Innovative brands big and small gathered in Sin City this week for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to debut their next-gen gadgets and next-level smart home devices, so Domino‘s style assistant, Julia Stevens, packed her bags and jetted off to Nevada to scope out what’s in store.
Among the many covetable items she discovered at the three-day-long expo: a voice-activated ball that can act like a fitness assistant, a refrigerator that lets you look at its contents while you’re at the grocery store, and the thinnest TV she’s ever seen. The line between high design and hyper-functionality is blurring. Here are her top five finds from the year’s most exciting home-tech preview.
The Barely There TV
LG’s new 65WX OLED 4K (also called Wallpaper TV) isn’t your typical flat-screen television: This one doesn’t require a sound bar. The sound system is built into the back of the device, so the bulky accessory is officially optional. Movie buffs will also get a kick out of “filmmaker mode,” a formatting option that allows viewers to watch movies as the director intended them, down to the saturation, lighting, and contrast.
The Self-Care Ball
None other than a tiny, ball-shaped robot stole the show this year. Samsung’s Ballie uses AI capabilities and a built-in camera to interact with users. The device can be pretty much anything you want: a pet that keeps your real pet company, a fitness trainer, a video recorder, or a cleaner (it will tell your smart vacuum when to get to work).
The Foolproof Security System
Kangaroo’s camera integrates a smart glass so the user can visually verify privacy. When the owner isn’t home, the lens is transparent and records activity. When the system is disarmed, it goes opaque and the internal microphone turns off.
The Adorable Purifier
Cuteness overload. South Korean brand Kakao IX collaborated with design studio Nendo to create an app-controlled air purifier that can be customized with pint-size characters. The collection also includes a scale, thermometer, lamp, baby camera, humidifier, and alarm.
The Harmonious Shower Experience
Your next jam sesh will be taking place in the bathroom. Kohler’s Moxie showerhead features a detachable wireless speaker in the middle of the fixture (when it’s inserted, you can’t even tell it’s there). The product is, of course, 100 percent waterproof and can also be hooked up to your voice assistant. Alexa, who has the smartest home of them all?
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