The best and worst gadgets at CES 2013

LAS VEGAS – The annual International Consumer Electronics Show is back, but not everyone is in attendance.

Microsoft, like many tech companies, opted out of the annual show, favouring its own timetable announcements. Apple never shows either, but iPad and iPhone accessories are plentiful here.

Still, CES is a stage for big and small technology – but not always smart technology. Tech Expert Steve Makris discusses some of the strangest and coolest gadgets on display at 2013 CES.

For the traveler:

According to the FAA, more than 26 million travelers lost their luggage last year. Globaltrac’s Trackdot, a small cellular based GSM device in your luggage will send your phone a message from what part of the world your luggage errantly went to. Trackdot will be available to consumers this spring.

For the fad dieter:

Are you guilty of eating too quickly? The HAPIfork dumps off your next mouthful of food by vibrating if you serve up the next bite too soon. The idea is to eat slowly and savour each mouthful, allowing your brain to register when you are full. That’s fine, if you don’t mind eating with a mini battery operated jackhammer fork.

For the TV junkie:

LG has worked hard on its revolutionary Magic Controller for effortless TV and online maneuvering, as well as enhanced gestures and voice recognition.

For the gamer:

Lego announced its 3rd generation Mindstorms EV3 robots with smarter programmable features, parts and projects. For iPhone users, the Sensus case let’s you control games and apps by also touching the sides and back of an iPhone.

For those who love big sound:

Samsung goes retro, stuffing more vacuum tubes in its Home theatre audio product line, for those few who can tell the difference.

Plus, look forward to new wireless speakers that can connect four ways: Bluetooth, DLNA, NFC and AirPlay. LG’s new compact model is a notable, as it supports all four wireless connections.

Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A9, a digital loudspeaker that plays spacious stereo sound, is a favourite for its circular dish-like design.

For those who love a great picture:

TV makers are showing QuadHD, commonly called UHD TV’s, which are made up of four HDTV’s in one screen. The only problem is the picture is so sharp there are no UHD movies to play. But, digital pictures of 8 megapixels and up will look their best – if you can afford one.

For those who love photography:

Sony’s Cyber-shot RX1 pushes the envelope with a full-frame sensor chip, the size of 35mm film or slides, compared to competitors small fingernail size chips. Now, that should show the iPhone5 a thing or two.

Follow Steve’s GlobalTV Edmonton Sunday and Morning News Tech Talk at www.techuntangled.ca.