CES 2023: Day 1 recap

CES 2023: Day 1 recap

Video Transcript

CHERYLYNN LOW: We're back in Vegas for CES. And while the show doesn't officially open until tomorrow, many exhibitors have already made their announcements at various press conference and media events. Today we're starting to see some of the early car news that tends to dominate CES, as well as more from TV makers, gaming laptop brands, smart home companies, and more. If you haven't fully caught up yet, here's a recap of all the biggest news from Day 1 of CES 2023.

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But first, even though we've already recapped most of yesterday's news in another video, there was still more stuff unveiled last night after we had already shot that. For example, Withings showed off the U-Scan, a $500 toilet computer that will scan your pee. It's a 90-millimeter block that you place inside your toilet bowl like a deodorizer block.

And it uses a litmus test-like microfluidic system to detect what substances are in your urine. You'll have to choose which specific tests you want to be running in your module, although Withings is making a consumer-centric version that will analyze your nutrition and hydration levels while also predicting your ovulation and period cycles. The company is still waiting for US regulatory approval before it brings this to America and is first launching in Europe.

In less icky news, we also saw the Fufuly pulsating cushion by Yukai Engineering. A vibrating cushion might sound straight out of an anime. But the idea is really that hugging something that can mimic lifelike pulsing could have calming effects. Something else that could relieve anxiety-- watching videos of birds being cute. Bird Buddy also launched a new smart feeder that comes with a camera so you can spy on your feathery friends while they nest up. The latest model is designed for hummingbirds and uses AI to understand what breeds are within view and, together with a motion sensor, determines when they're ready for a snack.

Speaking of snacks, there was plenty of food-related tech news out of CES last night, including GE's $1,000 Stand Mixer that has a digital scale and voice controls built in. We also saw OneThird Freshness Scanners that use near-infrared lasers and proprietary algorithms to tell if produce is fresh. It can even calculate an avocado's shelf life in real time and help reduce food waste.

We also saw L'Oreal robotic lipstick applicator for those with limited hand or arm mobility, Valencell's blood pressure monitor that clips onto your finger, and Wisears' neural earbuds that let you control playback by clenching your jaw. There were smart lights, smart speakers, smart pressure cookers, smart VR gloves, and more. Make sure to go to engadget.com to get all the details.

Now onto the news that came out today. We had a small trickle of car news ahead of the outpouring that is likely to come tomorrow. Volkswagen unveiled its upcoming ID.7 EV sedan, teasing us with a general body shape and the name but not much else. BMW meanwhile shared more about its futuristic i Vision concept vehicle program by revealing the i Vision Dee or Digital Emotional Experience.

It's a pared-down concept featuring a heads-up display running the full width of the front windshield. Many of the Dee's features are also expected to make their way into production models, specifically BMW's Neue Klasse EV platform starting in 2025. The Dee will also feature a BMWs mixed-reality slider that can control how much digital content appears on the display. Samsung waited till yesterday evening to reveal its premium 2023 TVs. And this year, the lineup will focus on mini-LED and 8K technologies.

It also brought more sizes to its portfolio and introduced new soundbars that offer Dolby Atmos support on both the entry level and the most premium tier. Meanwhile, rival LG showed off a 97-inch M3-TV that can wirelessly receive 4K 120-Hertz video so you can deal with fewer wires in your living room. And it also launched more soundbars. Leave it to LG and Samsung to basically do the same things as each other.

Relatively smaller TV competitor Hisense today unveiled its UX Mini LED TV, an 85-inch set that can hit 2,500 nits at peak brightness and features more than 5,000 local dimming zones. Meanwhile, startup Displace showed us a new wireless 55-inch OLED TV that attaches to any surface via vacuum suction, eliminating the need for a wall mount or stand altogether. Plus, thanks to its four onboard batteries. You can do without a power cord too. This is essentially a complete standalone portable TV.

We also saw more laptops from ASUS, MSI, and HP. ASUS made a laptop with glasses-free 3D, a large Zenbook Pro 16X with plenty of room for thermal dissipation, as well as a Zenbook 14X with a ceramic build. Both the latter Zenbooks also come with OLED screens. Meanwhile, HP launched a new series of Dragonfly Pro laptops that are supposed to make the shopping process easier for consumers by eliminating most configuration options.

The Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has an RGB keyboard and Android-like material UXTheming features, while the Windows version exclusively uses an AMD chip and has a column of hotkeys on the right of the keyboard that offers shortcuts to camera settings, a control center, and 24/7 tech support. The last of these buttons is programmable, so you can map it to launch your favorite app, file, or website.

Finally, we're seeing the first of some audio news, starting with JBL. The company unveiled its 2023 soundbar lineup, all five models of which will support Dolby Atmos. It also launched new true wireless earbuds with a smart case that have a 1.45-inch touchscreen on them that offers controls for volume, playback, active noise cancellation, and EQ presets.

Almost coincidentally, HP also showed off the Polly Voyager earbuds that have a touch screen on the carrying case and offer similar controls to the JBL. But the Voyager also have a broadcast mode that let you use the included 3.5-millimeter-to-USB-C cable to connect the case to an older device with a headphone jack. So when you're on an airplane, for example, you can watch movies during a flight without needing to carry a second set of 3.5-millimeter headphones around.

There's plenty more news coming out of CES not just today but the rest of the week. I didn't even get to tell you about Samsung's new budget-friendly Galaxy A14 phone or Citizen's new smartwatch. For all the details on anything I said just now or you might have missed today, make sure to check out engadget.com or our YouTube channel. And stay tuned for the rest of the week for all of the news out of CES 2023.

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