Smart Home at CES 2015: What's smart and what's not?
by Review Rulezz
07 January 2015
Our pick of the best (and worst) smart home tech at CES 2015
We've barely started
CES 2015 and we've already seen lots of smart tech and smart home gadgets aiming to convince people to part with their cash.
We'll
be updating this page with the best and worst examples throughout the
show, as clearly the 'Internet of Things' is a bandwagon many a tech
firm wants to jump aboard, albeit with mixed results.
TempTraq – A smart thermometer for infants
What is it?A
prototype for a temperature tracking patch that you place on an infants
underarm. It's billed as a safe and non-intrusive way to track an
infant's temperature when it's ill. A built-in flexible battery lasts 24
hours. The idea is you only use this during a period of illness, so you
don't have to wake or disturb them to take a temperature. The data is
tracked in an app that allows you to make notes of when medication was
taken and so forth, so you can verify the effect.
How smart is it?It's
smart, that much is for certain, but no one at TrustedReviews can agree
whether it's a good thing. There's a slight sense that this panders to
obsessive parenting and could lead to parents overreacting to small
changes, or ignoring medical advice based on misleading data.
How much is it?No price is available yet
When can I buy it?Not any time soon as it's pending FDA approval.
VerdictAn interesting idea, but one with some potentially troubling implications.
Smarter Coffee – A smart coffee machine that knows what you need
What is it?A
bean-to-cup coffee machine with a difference. It's app-controlled, but
it's a lot more than that. The app lets you set schedules, such as to
make you coffee in the morning. It will also let you control the
strength, warn you when the coffee or water is empty and keep your
coffee warm while you slowly awaken from your deep slumber.
How smart is it?Pretty
smart and potentially even smarter thanks to integration with IFTTT,
smart wearables and Apple's Home Kit. Integration with select fitness
trackers allows the Smarter Coffee to suggest a stronger brew after a
bad night's sleep, and the 'Welcome Home' feature will ask if you want a
cup when you get home.
How much is it?Just £129.99, so it's about the same price as other bean-to-cup machines on the market.
When can I buy it?We don't have a date yet, but it should be in the first half of this year.
VerdictA neat little prospect provided the coffee quality is up to muster
Read More : Gaming at CES 2015
Parrot Pot – The smart, self watering plant pot
What is it?A
Bluetooth enabled plant pot that measures soil moisture, fertilisation,
ambient temperature and light exposure. It feeds this information to an
app, but the smart bit comes with the built-in water reservoir. This
lets the Parrot Pot automatically water your plant based on the data. It
has enough water to keep going for a month, so it's perfect if you go
away for long periods often.
How smart is it?
Very, we think. It's a luxury item, obviously, but if you go away often
and have house plants that need regular upkeep then this could be a
godsend. If you'd rather use your own pot, meanwhile, the Parrot H20
does the same job and attaches to a standard plastic bottle.
How much is it?There's no price at present.
When I buy it?Sometime this year, that's all we know.
VerdictA clever solution for the lazy, the forgetful and the absent.
Velvetwire Powerslayer Blu – The smart phone charger
What is it?The
second generation of 'smart phone charger' that adds Bluetooth
connectivity. The original automatically stopped charging your device
when it was fully charged, which in theory should prolong the life of
the battery as it won't 'over charge'. This new Bluetooth version adds
app connectivity. It will notify you when your phone is fully charged
and tell you how long it will take to charge. You can also set the
amount you need it to be charged, and it will tell you how long that
will take.
How smart is it?We really like
this. It's simply but useful. It's the kind of thing we expect phone
makers to implement in future, but we only say that now we've seen it.
Velvetwire also claims the charger is faster than stock ones, though
this is hard to verify.
How much is it?In the region of $80, but that isn't confirmed yet. It's only available in the US, though it is importable.
When can I buy it?It will go on sale on Velvetwire's website this month.
VerdictSmart in a simple way. Might be a tad expensive, but we can excuse that if it works properly.
Ring Video Doorbell – The ultimate doorbell
What is it?It's
in the name, it's a video doorbell. It's basically an IP camera that's
activated when someone presses the doorbell. You then get a notification
that opens the app and a video feed with the option to accept or deny
whomever has come knocking. It has two-way audio, night vision, motion
detection and can be run off a built-in battery that lasts a year or off
a mains wire.
How smart is it?Very smart,
we like this one. It does a lot of small useful things, including some
security benefits. It lets you pretend to be at home and means you can
instruct couriers to deliver items to specific neighbours or leave them
in a specific location. It's useful in loads of different ways.
How much is it?It's $199, so not cheap, but then you could pay as much for a top-end IP security cam. It's worth it.
When I can buy it?It's already on sale on the company's website. It ships from the US, but there's no barrier to importing.
VerdictIt's a winner.
Brio Smart Power Outlet – The safe and smart wall socket
What is it? An
Internet-connected wall socket that gives you control using an app, but
its party trick is a clever safety system. It can detect when a genuine
socket needing power is attached, which means anyone who inserts a
foreign metal object won't get zapped. It's billed as the perfect
solution for protecting kids, and the firm plans a range of
complementary devices.
How smart is it? Pretty
smart, we'd say, though that doesn't mean we'd go out and buy one
straight away. Each socket costs $49.99, so fitting out your home with
them would prove costly, and the safety aspect is the smartest element
here. Still, it's done something neat and innovative, and the idea of
controlling wall sockets remotely could add some benefits.
How much is it? $49.99 for a single socket. It's only available in the US at the moment.
When can I buy it? It's already available in the US after a successful Kickstarter campaign
Verdict We're not 100% sold yet, but it's not a total waste of time.
Netatmo Welcome – A face recognising security cam
What is it? The
Netatmo Welcome is a IP security camera with a few extra tricks and a
rather neat, eye-catching design. Its main talent is face recognition.
Leave it by the front door and it'll recognise the people coming in and
out, sending you notifications when they do.
This means you can
use it to let you know when your kids arrive home, for example. Better
still, it supports IFTTT (If This, Then That), which means you can set
up actions that occur when it sees someone it recognises. Netatmo will
also provide door sensors that communicate with the camera to tell it
when doors have been left open.
How smart is it? Support
for IFTTT certainly helps here, as there are some potentially helpful
uses for the creatively minded. We like the door sensor idea, too,
though it's one we've seen other companies use before. A great deal
rides on how reliable the face recognition element is.
How much is it? Pricing to be confirmed, but we were told £200 (~$300) is a decent estimate.
When can I buy it? We're told Q2, which means in the April to June period.
Verdict It has potential.
LilyPad Smart Pool Thermometer and UV Sensor
What is it? A
plastic disc that floats in your swimming pool and measures the
temperature and the outdoor UV light. The 'smart' bit comes from an app
that recommends what type of sun cream you should use based on your skin
type and the current UV light intensity.
How much is it? It's priced at £78, €99 and $99 respectively
How smart is it? Ugh, not very. Measuring UV light and making recommendations
sounds smart,
but it's also totally unnecessary. It's an expensive way to complicate
something very simple. We really don't need tech like this as a
substitute for common sense and vigilance.
When can I buy it? It's already on sale in the UK and Europe and available for pre-order in the US right now.
Verdict A solution in search of a problem.
Stay tuned for more updates, including a temperature-tracking patch for infants and a smart coffee machine
