New Tech I’m Looking Forward To

I did not physically attend last week’s CES – the flashy Las Vegas convention formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show. Schedule conflicts forced me to attend virtually. But because I was registered media, I received lots of pitches from companies eager to show off their new products for this year. Plus, I watched several live streams of product presentations. As a result, here are some of the things I saw that got me excited for this year in tech.

TCL’s QM8 98-inch TV with industry leading Mini LED ULTRA. The set, which comes out later this year, features a HighBright ULTRA display with double the peak nits – that’s its ability to show off a bright image – of its best TV last year. Plus this new version adds five times more dimming zones – topping 2,300 zones – which is groundbreaking for a 4K TV. Expect blacks to be deep black and colors to be rich. To boot, it has a built-in subwoofer and WiFi 6 for improved connectivity. I keep telling my wife we need a larger TV. After trying out a projection unit for a few weeks that I was disappointed with, I’m convinced the QM8 is a perfect fit for our home – and of many people. That said, I’m afraid to see the price tag. But TCL is known for selling TVs at amazing prices.

Acer’s Add-In-One 24 is like a large Mac desktop computer, but a Chromebox. I’m a big fan of Chromebooks – use one full time – but with my eyesight getting worse, I’d like to use a larger screen. This is essentially a 24-inch full hi-def 1080 monitor that has a Chromebox connected to the back – forming a seamless, all-in-one desktop. If the box ever goes down, it can be quickly and easily swapped out for another. It includes a 115-degree wide-angle 5MP webcam, dual microphones, and dual 4-watt speakers. For video calls, it also has various noise reduction modes to suppress background noise – for clear audio. Its webcam has a built-in camera shutter, as well. It will be available by April for $610.

Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Twist is a 2-in-1 Windows laptop computer with two displays. One is a 13-inch OLED screen, the other is a 12-inch color e-ink or 8-inch display. You can rotate the unit via the central twisting hinge – making either screen outward. Using the latest 13th Gen Intel Core Processor, this machine offers multimode versatility while enhancing the user experience. I love that you can have the laptop shut, yet still work on the e-ink display without using up as much battery life. That screen, by the way, is front-lit and sports a 12Hz refresh rate with touch glass. The e-Ink display can also reduce eye strain from longer periods of use. It will sell for $1,649 when it hits the market in June.

AtmosGear Electric Remote-Controlled Skates are just that – roller blades that you operate with a handheld remote. And I thought I was the last person around to blade. I’m on my skates at least twice a week, and have often thought about how e-skates would be much more useful to me than even an e-bike or scooter. Skating is my preferred mode to get around. It’s just that we live in a hilly area. According to online reports, these resemble a typical pair of inline skates and are connected by wires to a sling bag that houses the battery pack. A handheld remote lets you control the skates. They go up to 15 miles per hour, and officials promise a 20-mile range per charge. When the battery runs out, they function as regular skates. Apparently in its current form, this is just a power source that can be attached to any inline skates by just swapping out the old wheels for the electric ones. You can operate the skates in a fully motorized mode that you control with the remote, or in a smart pedal assist mode in which you control the motor with your movement – as you stride, the motor kicks in to help you gain speed. Apparently these will sell for $500 – but I’m not sure if that includes the boots or not.