Best of CES 2019
CES 2019: A roundup of what we've seen from the biggest show in the tech calendar
We take a look at some of the most interesting products to be released this year at CES. CES 2019 has now finished with over 182 thousand attendants and more than 4,400 companies exhibited at the Las Vegas expo and it did not disappoint. We saw everything from an Alexa enabled toilet, the first commercially available folding tablet, a veggie burger, many vehicles, mostly electric, autonomous and even one that walks! Here's our collection of the tech that has caught our eye from across the pond.
Elvie Pump
Mobile breast pumps were first seen at CES 2 years ago but this year was dominated by the introduction of a hands-free, cordless and app connected pump from British startup Elvie who are better known for their pelvic floor trainer which we have followed closely and admire their careful use of industrial design. The Elvie pump is available in the UK and can be worn under clothes with minimal sound so mums can go about their day while using the device.
Samsung Space
Space-saving minimalist tech is a passion of ours and this one of the best examples we've seen. The Samsung Space is a low profile desktop monitor that sits flush against the wall to free up desk space when not in use. Power and HDMI cables are hidden inside the arm to remove clutter and is ideal for small spaces, spare room offices and aesthetically conscious companies.
YouCam Makeup App
This isn't a physical product, but it has caught our attention as augmented reality apps have had a tough time recently with the end of Blippar, it's interesting to see a surprisingly well executed and potentially really useful AR app to be released at CES. The YouCam Makeup app allows you to change your hair colour in real time using your tablet's front-facing camera.[video width="460" height="818" mp4="https://aethadesign.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/YOUCAM-APP.mp4"][/video]
Royole FlexPai
The Royole Flexpai is the first commercially available flexible smartphone/ tablet and has caught our attention for all the wrong reasons. The reviews have been sympathetic at best with buggy software, menus moving around, apps going off screen and it requires considerable force to snap it into its folded form. It has attracted a lot of curiosity from media channels but we can't help but feel it has some way to go. The fold doesn't have the charm of recent Microsoft folding Surface book or the Arc Mouse that remains an industrial design icon.
LG Rollable TV
Continuing the theme of flexible screens, LG released their rollable TV that very neatly rolls into its base. This breakthrough in minimalism will surely come at a price but it is a masterclass of clever product design and we hope that someone will someday produce a teardown article so we can see what's going on inside the base. Google Assistant and Alexa controls will come as standard and LG insist there is no reduction on quality in comparison to their standard 4K OLED sets.
See you next year CES!Tom Parsons, Aetha DesignSee a collection of our latest product design work here