The Verge - CES Day 5: Highlights from the show floorhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52801/VER_Logomark_32x32..png2016-01-09T13:45:02-05:00http://www.theverge.com/rss/stream/105011692016-01-09T13:45:02-05:002016-01-09T13:45:02-05:00Mahindra’s new scooter is a cloud-connected joy ride
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<p>All-electric and a lot of fun</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/9/10740120/mahindra-genze-2-electric-scooter-ride-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/9/10740120/mahindra-genze-2-electric-scooter-ride-ces-2016Sean O'Kane2016-01-08T22:26:11-05:002016-01-08T22:26:11-05:00Who is WiseWear's $395 luxury smart bracelet even for?
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<p>It's no secret that the market is flush with terrible wearables — functional pieces that are a total eyesore. Even a lot of wearables that aren't <i>ugly</i> per se aren't exactly beautiful accessories that one would naturally pair with a nice outfit. Legendary designer Iris Apfel's <a href="https://wisewear.com/">WiseWear smart jewelry line</a> is definitely in response to that problem.</p>
<p>The line, which includes three different brass smart bracelets that come plated in your choice of 18-carat gold or palladium, really is cool-looking jewelry in its own right. If you didn't know it was a connected bracelet you wouldn't <i>know </i>it was a connected bracelet — you know?</p>
<p><q class="right">Beautiful, but inaccessible for most</q></p>
<p>The other differentiating feature is the bracelet's distress messaging. Tapping...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10739442/wisewear-socialite-fitness-tracker-iris-apfel-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10739442/wisewear-socialite-fitness-tracker-iris-apfel-ces-2016Kaitlyn Tiffany2016-01-08T20:12:56-05:002016-01-08T20:12:56-05:00Oculus founder Palmer Luckey: we're still not competing with Sony and HTC
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<p>It's been three years since we saw the Oculus Rift for the first time at CES — it won our Best in Show award in both <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/11/3865786/verge-awards-ces-2013">2013</a> and <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/10/5277618/the-verge-awards-the-best-of-ces-2014">2014</a>. Now, it's on the cusp of seeing a final consumer release. We sat down with Oculus founder Palmer Luckey the day after Rift preorders opened, and for the first time in years, we didn't have to ask him about pricing and release dates. Instead, we got to hear his take on the state of VR at CES, the best way to interact with virtual worlds, the future of augmented reality, and why Oculus still isn't in competition with other headset makers.</p>
<p>"I don't think there's going to be a lot of people who would have bought a high-end PC and a Rift that decide to buy a PlayStation VR headset instead. I think people who...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10739212/oculus-palmer-luckey-vr-interview-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10739212/oculus-palmer-luckey-vr-interview-ces-2016Adi Robertson2016-01-08T19:23:57-05:002016-01-08T19:23:57-05:00These 3D-printed urns are a much cooler way to celebrate the life of your loved one
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<p>Someday, in the hopefully very distant future, after many years of love, laughter, turmoil, and CES conventions, your soul will evacuate this mortal plane and you will cease to be what is considered alive. When that fateful day occurs, your loved ones will be tasked with finding a final resting place for the body you left behind. Right now the options aren't plentiful: there's the standard coffin or an urn, which haven't changed much in style over the years. But now, thanks to the magic of 3D printing, your final resting place can be much more creative and personalized.</p>
<p>A company called Foreverence, which is showcasing at CES 2016, specializes in 3D-printed urns. But these don't look like your average antique-style vase or ornate wooden...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738626/foreverence-3d-printed-custom-urn-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738626/foreverence-3d-printed-custom-urn-ces-2016Loren Grush2016-01-08T18:19:16-05:002016-01-08T18:19:16-05:00Tobii lets you play Assassin’s Creed with your eyes
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<p>At a certain point during my meeting with Tobii, I decide that the unassuming Swedish eye tracking company has some of the creepiest tech at CES. Putting on glasses fitted with tiny cameras, I look around a hotel suite — focusing in turn on the raised hand of Tobii Tech president Oscar Werner, the camera in front of me, a tablet, and a promotional pamphlet. As I read the pamphlet, I become keenly aware of the fact that these glasses can tell exactly how my eyes are moving. I run my them along the lines of text with exaggerated speed and motion. <i>I'm reading fast! </i>my eyes say. <i>And paying attention!</i> Once I'm done, I don't remember a word.</p>
<p>"What you look at is a good approximation of what you think," says Werner afterwards. "So this is a...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10736510/tobii-eye-tracking-assassins-creed-vr-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10736510/tobii-eye-tracking-assassins-creed-vr-ces-2016Adi Robertson2016-01-08T18:02:55-05:002016-01-08T18:02:55-05:00Can this smart lock solve America's gun troubles?
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<p>Smart guns have been in the news this week, boosted by an <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/5/10718932/obama-smart-guns-gun-control">executive action</a> from President Obama calling for increased research into the field. But the technology to prevent guns from being used in the wrong hands <a target="_blank" href="http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/01/05/462027559/will-obamas-action-create-a-market-for-smart-guns">isn’t new</a> — researchers have been working on it for decades. Yet widespread adoption of smart guns have been rejected for a variety of reasons, especially over fear that any smart lock could be hacked.</p>
<p>The heated political debate over the right to bear arms has certainly limited funding and development for smart gun locks, but it was still surprising to find out that at CES 2016 — the biggest consumer electronics show in the world — there was only one company that was demonstrating the technology.</p>
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<p>The...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738564/smart-gun-lock-obama-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738564/smart-gun-lock-obama-ces-2016Frank Bi2016-01-08T17:45:46-05:002016-01-08T17:45:46-05:00Touchless haptic feedback completely freaked me out at CES
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<p>Audio giant Harman brought a bunch of weird experimental products and ideas to CES this year, headlined by the bizarre <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/15/10236114/rinspeed-etos-bmw-i8-drone-car">Rinspeed Σtos concept car</a>, which I <i>expected</i> to be the coolest thing at its booth. I was wrong.</p>
<p>Tucked away in a corner of Harman's space was a JBL L16 Bluetooth speaker that had been retrofitted with a <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/22/4544706/leap-motion-controller-toy-not-future-of-interaction">Leap Motion sensor</a> and a large array of transmitters on top. When I placed my hand about a foot or two above the array, I could feel a tight, focused puff of air hitting it.</p>
<p>The thing is, there's no air.</p>
<p>This proof-of-concept device is actually blasting me with ultrasonic waves that feel freakishly like a stream of air. I'm still kind of weirded out that it isn't, and I'm writing this an hour later.</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738792/harman-touchless-ultrasonic-haptic-feedback-ces-2016">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738792/harman-touchless-ultrasonic-haptic-feedback-ces-2016Chris Ziegler2016-01-08T17:05:15-05:002016-01-08T17:05:15-05:00The best thing I saw at CES 2016 was the humanity
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<p>CES is a magical and strange place. Everywhere you look there are people who have spent years trying to get here, booths with thousands if not millions of dollars poured into their displays, and lots and lots of gadgets. Many of these gadgets are garbage, some of them are cool, but all of them represent an overwhelming mass of human work. Every now and then as you fight the crowds on show floor, you're struck by the knowledge that the sea of humanity you're wading through is <i>deep</i>.</p>
<p> For all the shallowness of the spectacle, imagining the depth of human effort it takes to create it all can set you back on your heels.</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10737904/2016-ces-show-las-vegas-humanity">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10737904/2016-ces-show-las-vegas-humanityDieter Bohn