I didn’t go to CES 2025, and under normal circumstances I wouldn’t miss the 10-hour flight with a carry-on bag filled to the brim with lip balm and moisturizer or the endless walks through casinos once arrived. But watching the event from afar this year gave me more than just a twinge of FOMO.
I saw peers and colleagues finding gadgets that not only looked fun (usually the best part of CES), but also devices that I Really want to become an owner in the future. Here are seven that caught my attention, as well as one thing that really irritated me.
Plantaform smart indoor garden
Whether it’s my love for weird sci-fi like Quiet operationYouTube channels like AntsCanadaor the fact that I have a hard time thinking about watering my houseplants, Plantaform’s smart indoor garden really caught my attention.
It’s apparently self-cleaning and self-watering, which suits my hands-off approach to my poor houseplants at the moment, and the combination of colored lights and mist inside will ensure it meets my expectations in science fiction design material.
I don’t want to grow vegetables or herbs there, but rather ornamental plants and flowers. I like technological products that also get people talking about them, and because the Smart Indoor Garden is giganticno one who enters my house will miss it.
Nekojita FuFu
Japanese robotics company Yukai Engineering makes some wonderful products, from the delicious Qoobo tail cushion to the unusual Amagami Ham Ham, and I was very sad not to see their latest creation, Nekojia FuFuin person. In true Yukai Engineering fashion, it solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a very endearing way. The adorable cat-like robot has an internal fan that cools hot drinks and food, and as a fan of coffee, cats, and robots, I’d like one, please.
LG AeroCat Tower
One thing that concerns me about the Plantaform Smart Indoor Garden is that my recently arrived kitten has access to it, so I’m going to try to turn his attention to a new gadget designed specifically for him. LG AeroCat Tower is an air purifier with technology to monitor your cat’s health.
There are two platforms – one for sleeping and one for sitting – with sensors for weight and sleep tracking, and they are controlled using LG’s ThinQ app. As much as I like the idea of multi-use gadgets, I’m pretty sure my kitten will ignore it completely, considering how he ignores most of the things I’ve ever bought him.
Samsung Ballie
Samsung’s ball-shaped robot has been a mainstay at CES for several years, and apparently it’s now almost ready for release. I’ve been wanting a robotic companion for a while, and Samsung says it will come out in 2025. I knew I should have waited to get a kitten instead, just for a short while. Ballie is part AI companion, part pet robot, and part pet sitter, so I’m sure I’ll always find a place for her in my life. If only he vacuumed too.
Amazfit V1tal
Leaving privacy concerns aside, the Amazfit V1tal really seems to solve the problem of remembering to log your meals in a health app. The camera monitors you as you eat, and the software analyzes your food intake before breaking it down into calories and macros in an app. I’ve never bothered to log my food, but I think it would be beneficial. Get past the weirdness of the camera watching you put food in your mouth, and the V1tal has a lot of potential.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus generation 6
I have absolutely no need for the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, but every time I see the 14-inch screen roll down to become a 16-inch tall screen, I smile. It’s silly, not particularly useful, and I bet I’d end up using just the small screen after a while, but it’s pure fun at CES, and everyone who sees it will no doubt say, ” Wow! It’s apparently coming out later this year, and I can’t wait to pair it with the Motorola Rizr and experience the rollable life.
PocketBook InkPoster
I have a pretty large expanse of blank wall in my house that’s crying out for art, but I can’t decide what to put there. My indecision would be resolved with the PocketBook InkPostera huge 31.3-inch E Ink “poster” that already has an image library installed, or you can use your own. It uses a battery, so there’s no need to hide wires, there’s no backlight, and E Ink closely replicates the look of paper, so it won’t look like a screen on the wall. The problem is that the 31.3-inch version costs $1,700 and I have a feeling I’ll need two of them.
One thing pissed me off
What list would be complete without a product I don’t like? It’s not that I aversion BMW iDrive panoramic dashboard; It just disappoints me. A car’s interior design centered around multiple screens just isn’t very interesting to look at, but the worst part is that if you remove the BMW badge from the steering wheel, there’s absolutely nothing to indicate it’s there. This is a BMW interior.
Lately, car brands seem to want to eliminate any individual, defining the aspects associated with them, resorting to faceless “high-tech” interiors that seem as boring as they are boring to use. The Sony Honda Mobility Afeela suffers similarly. It’s all forgettable, lifeless and completely uninteresting.
But since the interior design of cars I’ll never buy is the only thing that irritated me about CES 2025, I’ll say it looked like a pretty good show, and I was sad to miss seeing all these things in person.
