Innovation. New Ideas. The future. That’s what CES is all about.

This year, we’ve seen some of that — from AI-powered robots to flying cars to exoskeletons. But great tech is supposed to make lives better, so what we really loved at the show are the ones that do just that.

Jackery

Power is something we often take for granted till there is no more. Apart from our smartphones, probably the next most important gadget is a power bank. Which is why I’m a fan of sustainable power solutions company Jackery.

You could say, they make power banks for all our appliances – like a refrigerator and juicer! They’re called portable power stations and come in different sizes depending on your power needs with a wide selection of both power and usb ports.

Some, like the top of the line Explorer 5000 Plus even come with wheels and retractable handles so you can easily transport.

The 5000 Plus has a capacity of 5kWh. In simple terms that’s enough capacity to power a refrigerator for 5 days. With a power output of 7.2kW you can power multiple appliances at the same time.

You could even connect it to a Jackery Smart Transfer Switch and then to your main home power for a seamless power switching in the event of a power outage or during peak hours to reduce electric consumption.

The best part though is that you can charge the power stations with Jackery’s solar panels, turning them into the world’s lightest, most compact solar generators.

I’m personally considering the Solar Generator 3000 v2 — its size is perfect for smaller apartments like mine in New York. But still packing 3kWh of power. I can also set up the solar panels on my patio.

They also make roofing with solar tiles built in. The power generated from them can be stored in the ESS Home Energy System — to power your entire home.

Jackery also has solutions for the outdoors. Their DC-DC charger uses surplus energy from your car to quickly charge one of their power stations. It pairs well with the 1000 Plus with a 1264 capacity and 2000W output — perfect for your next camping trip.

And for even more power you can pair it with a 100 prime solar panel which you can mount on the roof of your RV.

Check out Jackery’s latest innovations and how they are revolutionizing whole-home backup and green energy solutions.

US store: https://bit.ly/4hamv0b

CA store: https://bit.ly/42cnKry

XGIMI Ascend

I love watching movies on a big screen, and I love doing it in the comfort of my own home.

Unfortunately a large screen requires a large wall. TV’s don’t offer much flexibility for living room styling. It’s not like you can place one against a window. Not unless you have the XGIMI Ascend, which is a top of the line projector screen that tucks away in its own speaker cabinet.

When not in use, it’s a beautiful piece of furniture. With one press of a button, the screen comes up and transforms my home into a cinema.

It doesn’t stop there. You could also raise it a third of the way and have a virtual fireplace.

Best of all it can go against a window, and when you’re done it can tuck away into its cabinet – giving you your view back.

This type of screen is called ALR which stands for Ambient Light Rejection. The material this screen is made of is flexible and diffuses ambient lighting like overhead fixtures and it doesn’t let light through even when it was bright and sunny it was outside when we filmed this video.

No matter where this 100-inch screen is placed, it delivers great clarity and vibrancy across different lighting conditions.

It’s also got impressive wide viewing angles. Inside the wooden slats are two Harman Kardon soundbars built-in. So when combined with an ultra-short throw projector, like XGIMI’s Aura 2, you get an immersive experience in a modern and sophisticated package.

For now the XGIMI Ascend is just a concept but with enough interest XGIMI says they would love to turn it into reality.

Following the launch of the HORIZON Max at CES last year, XGIMI also added the HORIZON S Series to its lineup.

With Dual Light 2.0 Technology, Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced certification, and up to 3100 ISO lumens of brightness.

The HORIZON S Pro and HORIZON S Max are available now starting at $1299.

Check out XGIMI products:

Aura 2 https://bit.ly/3Cca6Kb

HORIZON S Max https://bit.ly/3WEgp0r

HORIZON S Pro https://bit.ly/3Pyp8x5

CES Page https://bit.ly/4281Vcx

Narwal Flow

Narwal wants every inch of your floor thoroughly cleaned. At CES they launched the Narwal Flow which uses a track-driven design for consistent mopping.

Unlike traditional mop pads, it has a different shape, which ensures that dirt is effectively removed, not smeared across your floors.

When it detects edges and corners, the mop extends sideways too. It’s so advanced that it’s also got real-time self cleaning. With its dual water tank system, the mop gets washed as it mops your dirty floors.

Up front there’s an industry first dual RGB camera system, which can differentiate between dry and wet messes. 10 TOPS of computing power precisely categorizes over 200 objects. So it can react faster, navigate and clean effectively.

When it comes to vacuuming it’s got uip to 20,000 Pascals of suction power. With deep carpet boost it automatically adjusts settings and the roller brush sits closer to the ground, increasing air pressure to actively extract even the smallest particles.

The roller brush and side brushes are both designed to prevent hair from getting stuck and tangled. The rubber strips on the roller brush eject the hair into the suction port. The side brushes move too not only for hard to reach corners, but also to detangle and release caught hair into the suction port.

Depending on where you live, you can decide between two options for the base station.

By default you get a large one with the dust bag, clean water tank, and dirty water tank built-in.

But if your house allows, you can get the smaller one with auto-refill and drainage system.

Check out Narwal Flow on us.narwal.com

Dreame X50 Ultra

First launched at IFA 2024 in Berlin, the Dreame X50 Ultra is the world’s first robot vacuum with retractable legs.

They call it the ProLeap system which helps the vacuum navigate small steps and obstacles up to 6cm tall. When it detects a door sill for example, its motorized swing arm lifts the entire chassis so the vacuum can go over that speed bump and keep cleaning.

That’s not the only thing to get excited about. I personally love the VersaLift Navigation which lowers the Direct Time-of-Flight sensor when going through low furniture like my sofa. It uses the front camera instead.

Let’s be real, these hard to reach areas are where most of the dust and dirt accumulate overtime anyway. When it’s done, the sensor raises back up.

There’s a lot more going on underneath. The two brushes effectively suck in hair preventing it from getting stuck or tangled.

Dreame improved the side brushes and mop pads also. They extend side ways to handle dirt and messes along the edges and corners of your home.

With up to 20,000 Pascals of suction power and all these technologies combined, this robot vacuum truly deserves that “ultra” monicker.

They also get bonus points for designing a base station that looks good with gold accents and ribbed texture.

Because CES is all about the future, we also got to see another technology they are working on.

There’s a robot vacuum with a robotic arm that extends and picks up small objects like pieces of paper, socks, maybe some toys.

That won’t be available anytime soon, but you can preorder the Dreame X50 Ultra today on dreame.tech and get up to $390 off until February 13th.

MOVA 

MOVA is a brand that you might not have heard of, but definitely should pay attention to.

They offer a 3-year warranty on most of their products, a testament to their commitment to creating reliable and good quality devices.

At CES they launched not one, not two, but a full range of products — from home cleaning to kitchen appliances to personal care.

Their flagship robot vacuum is the V50 Ultra, with up to 24000 Pascals of suction power, HydroSync mopping,  real-time mop fluffing tech, and Triple Intellignce AI Sensing Tech.

You can also upgrade the base station for an even more advanced mopping solution.

My favorites though were the wet and dry vacuums. The K30 is ultra light with up to 18,000 pascals of suction power, and a lie-flat design for hard to reach areas.

What really takes the cake is the X4 Pro. It’s got the same lie-flat design which I love, but is more powerful with 20,000 Pascals.

Not only does it effectively mop messes, it sprays hot water up to 80*C onto the floor as you clean. Bye bad vibes! Hello spotless floors.

They also got an electric toothbrush, hair dryer,  super automatic coffee machine with multiple settings, and cooking appliances like an airfryer with dual heat systems and viewing windows.

Check out the MOVA K30 and the rest of the products on us.mova-tech.com

Segway Navimow X3

Mowing the lawn is never fun. Thankfully Segway can handle this pesky chore for you instead.

At CES we got to meet their entire line of robotic lawn mowers called Navimow. Think of it as a Roomba for your yard!

Depending on how big your lawn, there are 3 models to choose from. The Navimow H and Navimow I can handle lawns up to 0.25 acres. Both are available now!

And then there’s the latest and greatest, the Navimow X3, which can take on lawns of up to 2.5 acres.

Whether you’re home or away on vacation, you can set a schedule and automate mowing sessions. It can even use AI it can plan its own route.

Once done with its task the Navimow X3 returns to its dock to recharge. Just like electric cars are quiet — Navimow is whisper quiet too.

But the best part it is much more fast and efficient at its job. Charging twice as fast and completing its tasks in a third of the time as other robotic mowers.

It’s got a built-in screen that displays operational status — whether that be wireless connectivity, operation mode, or charge status.

It’s also got an expansion bay so you can attach an edge trimmer to eliminate the need for manual touch ups. Like the rest of the lineup it’s got a state of the art system for enhanced satellite positioning so it can successfully complete each task regardless of how your backyard looks.

Edging accessories will be released this year, but check out Segway Navimow line up at navimow.segway.com

Govee

I’ve long been a fan of Govee Lights  because of their innovative approach to smart lighting.

This year Govee aims to bring color to everyday life. And I love that. Lighting can truly change the way a room feels — from relaxing warm light to a pop of color.

Strip Light with Skyline Kit is basically strip lights that you can hang from or across your ceiling. It gives any wall or ceiling a wash of colors.

Uplighter Floor Lamp is a dual purpose lamp. At first it looks just like an ambient mood floor lamp. But wait till you switch  modes. I love how the lamp projects waves of light on the ceiling. It’s oh so calming.

Tree Floor Lamp has 3 lamps each capable of projecting different colors on a wall. Each light is adjustable. You can also adjust the size of the projections.

For a relaxing evening in the bedroom, there’s the Table Lamp 2 Pro featuring Sound by JBL. It’s a speaker with immersive lighting that is synced to the music you’re playing.

Finally, there’s the Gaming Pixel Light, which is a customizable pixel display that is capable of projecting art, sports scores, even the weather. Using Govee’s new AI tools you can even use Gen AI to create your own images.

Check out Govee at  govee.com

ASUS Zenbook A14

At CES ASUS launched a whole lineup of laptops and PCs,  but our favorite is the Zenbook A14.

It’s the lightest Copilot+ PC in the world at just under a kilo. It’s powered by the ARM-based Snapdragon X processor so its battery life is rated at an impressive 32 hours.

It’s a laptop ASUS designed from the ground up in partnership with Qualcomm. They even redesigned Ceraluminum specifically for this, making it even lighter than before without compromising durability.

There’s a new hinge design also called EasyLift Hinge, plus dual lightweight aluminum fans to dissipate heat.

The Zenbook A14 comes in two colors: Iceland Gray and Zabriskie Beige. It starts at just $899.

Check out the ASUS Zenbook A14 at asus.com.

TCL A300 Series

TCL’s A300 Series NXTFRAME TV is designed to be an artwork that you hang on your wall. You can bet I am getting one for a much needed update to my living room this year.

It comes in 4 sizes and to really make it look like a piece of art and ships with magnetic panels that mimic an actual wooden frame. The default color is Dawn Birch but there are two other optional color options – Twilight Elm and Vernal Mint. I love how swapping out a new frame can totally change the way it looks.

The A300 is ultra slim at just 27.99mm and can hang flushed against a wall. On its backside it is super clean with a hidden compartment for cable management and a texture inspired by Greek architecture.

Alternatively you can purchase an adjustable cabinet stand if you’d rather display it on a console, or the movable floor stand with wheels that lets you position it anywhere in your living room.

The A300 comes built-in with plenty of art and photos to choose from, including moving masterpieces.

If you get the Pro Model it comes with a Bang & Olufsen speaker system.

Check out the TCL A300 Series TV at tcl.com

Roam Soda Top

Love sparkling water? I do. Now you can make sparkling water on the go.

Meet the SodaTop from Roam: a water bottle that can make you sparkling water in just 4 easy steps.

One, fill your bottle with water – ice water works best. Two, screw on your Soda Top. Three, load the CO2 canister. Four, twist to sparkle. In under 5 seconds you have sparkling water.

Each CO2 canister costs 0.68 cents, so that’s how much it costs for a liter of sparkling water.

The start kit which includes the bottle costs just $49.99.

Check it out at roamwater.com