Also: CES 2023 tech you can actually buy now
Interoperability and Matter support
Following the launch of Matter at the end of 2022, it’s no surprise that several companies have taken advantage of the CES 2023 platform to unveil new Matter-certified devices. Also: CES 2023 tech you can actually buy now The Matter interoperability standard lets smart devices on different platforms work together.
SwitchBot Hub 2
Though some brands are launching new Matter-enabled products in place of upgrading currently available devices, most existing hubs will remain the same – except for SwitchBot’s Hub. The smart home company known for making retrofitting solutions to make life easier, is showcasing a brand-new Hub 2 with Matter support. Also: Best of CES 2023: 6 innovations that will shape the future This new hub brings Bluetooth SwitchBot devices together to give them Wi-Fi capabilities, with Matter support, which means you’d be able to add and control your SwitchBot devices from your favorite home automation system, such as Apple HomeKit.
Eve Smart Home
Eve, which has been adding Matter support for some of its devices for a few months, is adding a door and window sensor, smart plug, and motion detection sensor, all with completed Matter certification. Though these devices won’t be available for sale until Spring 2023, you can sign up for the Eve Early Access Program.
Other upgrades
Nanoleaf and Govee are both launching new Matter-certified smart lighting solutions. Nanoleaf will sell Essential Bulbs and light strips starting in the first quarter of 2023, with A19, BR30, GU10 and recessed lighting variations. Govee, another smart lighting manufacturer, is also launching its first Matter-enabled light strip, a 6-foot LED strip light M1, in Q2 2023.
Entertainment-focused smart lights
Nanoleaf, Govee, and Twinkly are just a few companies that are using smart lighting to create a more immersive TV experience. The three companies are showing off the use of different technologies to mirror your television screen so your smart lights around it change colors in real time in accordance with what you’re watching.
Nanoleaf Sync+ technology
Nanoleaf is using its Sync+ technology to send color commands to compatible lights and light strips around your TV or your room – commands it picks up from a camera that is directed at your TV screen to capture the colors displayed on it.
Govee AI CogniGlow
Govee is implementing artificial intelligence with the use of a separate device, the AI Gaming Sync Box Kit with CogniGlow, to learn the contents of your television screen by analyzing characteristics of colors, text, and other information. This is reminiscent of the Philips Hue Sync Box. The displayed image on your TV will be converted into a lighting signal by the unit, which is sent in real time to connected lights. The box can connect to your TV’s HDMI port to make the lighting effects react more quickly to your screen. Govee’s AI Gaming Sync Box Kit will be available for purchase in spring 2023.
Twinkly Entertainment Hub
Italian smart lighting brand Twinkly also announced immersive television experiences with the Twinkly Entertainment Hub, which will be available for sale this spring. This is a desktop application with the capacity to reflect onscreen images to display them on Twinkly LED light panels. This is compatible with Twinkly’s line of products that range across Strings, Dots, Flex, Curtain, and, more recently, Squares.
An enhanced driving experience
From brand-new dashboard cameras to in-vehicle voice assistants, big players like Ring and Panasonic are showing off new tech for drivers.
Ring dashboard camera
Ring, for one, just launched the brand-new Ring Car Cam, which extends your Ring security coverage from your home to your vehicle. It’s a dual-facing dashboard camera that captures 1080p resolution video, with night vision and two-way talk.
Panasonic combines in-car Siri and Alexa
Panasonic just announced an update for its SkipGen in-vehicle infotainment system that lets customers call on Siri or Alexa for in-vehicle controls while using Apple CarPlay or Alexa, respectively, by saying the voice assistant’s wake word. According to Andrew Poliak, CTO of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, “Customers want to be able to take their voice assistants with them on the road, and we are excited to be able to team up on an industry-first integration that seamlessly enables phone calls, music playback, navigation, and more.” Right now, using Siri in your car typically happens through your iPhone, which can result in delays and an inconsistent experience, but this update should change this.
Make yard work smart
It’s time to get rid of the tedious tasks around our home that can be automated. Don’t get me wrong, I love gardening as much as the next millennial, and I actually enjoy mowing the lawn. But if there is a way to automate something and make it easier, I’m all for it.
EcoFlow Blade
EcoFlow introduced a new smart lawn-mowing and sweeping robot at CES 2023, the EcoFlow Blade. In addition to mowing the lawn hands-free, the mower will do the work of sweeping your leaves, collecting them with a lawn sweeper kit on the back. With my yard backing up to the woods, I can only wish I had a robotic sweeper to pick up the leaves each fall, instead of my poor rake. This mower and sweeper combination is set to launch this spring, just in time for grass-mowing season.
Dandy DT-01
The Dandy DT-01 robot makes weed-killing a breeze – and I mean the literal breeze you can enjoy from your lawn chair while this robot rids your yard of weeds for you. The small robot, which the company says can detect most common weeds with 95% accuracy, sprays a fine mist of herbicide directly on the weed. The spot treatment will avoid excessive uses of potentially harmful chemicals on your lawn, and the small version can treat up to a quarter acre and 1,000 weeds without refilling.
Honorable mentions
CES is always saturated with new product launches and innovative technology applications, so it’s hard to choose the best ones. (That said, see ZDNET’s Best of CES picks.) Here are some other products to look out for.
GE Profile Smart Mixer
This device is a CES Innovation Awards Honoree. The GE Profile Smart Mixer features a built-in smart scale to weigh each ingredient in the bowl or anything on the mixer’s base. It has 11 speeds, with the highest being comparable to that of a blender. It wouldn’t be a great smart home device without voice control, so this smart mixer is compatible with both Alexa and Google Voice Assistant. Simply ask your preferred voice assistant to stop the mixer for you before that whipped cream turns into butter – I can’t tell you how many times I could’ve used that feature. Auto Sense, however, is a built-in technology that actually prevents over-mixing by monitoring changes in the texture of your ingredients, to shut down for you before you even need to tell Alexa to do so. Again, we want whipped cream, not butter. The GE Profile Smart Mixer will retail for $999, and will initially launch exclusively at Crate & Barrel.
LG MoodUp Fridge
Remember mood rings from when you were a kid? Here’s an homage: LG’s new color-changing refrigerator, which is hitting the market this spring. And not only do the door panels change colors via the ThinQ app, you can also set them to match music that plays from your fridge’s built-in Bluetooth speaker. This fridge is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can ask one of the voice assistants to play music in sync with it.
LG combines smart devices with sneaker culture
Sneaker culture has been a thing for decades, but it’s grown more than ever in recent years. There are sneaker collectors who care for their pieces almost like works of art. Jeff Staple, streetwear designer and artist, partnered with LG, the appliance manufacturer, to create the ultimate display cases for sneakerheads all over. The collaboration is being presented at the Creator’s Room at CES 2023, and features a double-row LG Styler ShoeCase, a closed display case complete with overhead lighting for your favorite and most precious sneakers. Aside from the ShowCase, LG also features an LG Styler ShoeCare, an enclosed case that employs TrueSteam technology to keep shoes in tip-top shape.
