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Admittedly, being paid to check out some of the coolest tech toys on the planet isn’t a hard way to make a living. But the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) can be overwhelming for a first-timer like yours truly. But as Team Brief makes its way back home after three days in Las Vegas, we thought we’d share five of the coolest and craziest things we saw amidst the throngs of gadgets and buyers competing for elbow room in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Samsung’s 105-inch Curved UHD TV
This year’s CES has been all about Ultra-High Definition, 4K-ready televisions, and curved screens. And believe the hype: these babies pack some serious visual punch. If TV actors and news anchors were worried about how they’d look in HD, these sets are going to make them call their dermatologists/plastic surgeons/witch doctors, stat.
All of the major electronics companies unveiled their own versions of the curved UHD set, but it was Samsung’s mammoth 105-inch screen that really took the cake. That’s nearly nine feet of television for your living room. It’s the closest thing yet that we’ve seen that puts a movie theater-like experience in your home. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that, yes, LG, also has a huge 105-inch curved UHD set of its own. But the madhouse that was the LG booth at CES prevented Team Brief from checking it out up close.
Samsung’s 85-Inch Bendable TV
You gotta hand it to the folks at Samsung: they really brought the crazy this year (more on that, later). Aside from the gargantuan TV set above, the rolled out a product made for the folks who will inevitably be standing in Best Buy in the coming years simply unable to decide between a flat screen or a curved screen. The Korean company has the ultimate solution: the world’s first bendable TV.
The 85-inch set adjusts from a flat screen to a bendable one at the touch of a button on the remote. The folks at Engadget got a great video of the transformation in action. Check it out above.
Kolibree Smart Toothbrush
What, you thought CES was just about futuristic gadgets straight out of some Star Trek movie? Nope. Turns out the folks who dream up the next generation of high-tech toys have figured out how to improve the toothbrush, too. The Kolibree Smart Toothbrush is just the kind of toy that could help the upcoming generations of tech-savvy kids learn exactly how to brush their teeth more effectively.
Essentially, it gets a picture of the inside of your mouth, and then sends data to your smartphone about how well you’ve done in brushing it. You can even create a ranking table for everyone in your household to try to guilt or challenge people into being better with their dental hygiene.
The Yellow Jacket iPhone Stun Gun Holder
Because everyone needs an iPhone case that doubles as a taser, right? The Yellow Jacket is kinda useful: the 650k volt stun gun can also charge your phone. But don’t be fooled, the gadget packs a powerful punch in those two electric prongs concealed on the end, which “penetrate clothing for maximum effect,” according to the promotional materials. Fortunately, no one has harmed themselves—yet— while taking one of these for a test drive at CES. But speaking of stunning and shocking at CES…
Michael Bay Stuns Crowd by Walking Off Samsung Stage
Back to Samsung once more for the craziest moment so far of CES 2014. Yours truly couldn’t help but laugh, slack-jawed, while witnessing one of the most talked-about incidents of this year’s show. As many high profile companies do, Samsung had recruited “Transformers” director Michael Bay to help introduce its new line of curved UHD TVs. It all started off simply enough. Bay talked for a few seconds about his directing process and inspiration. And then, he just choked. Mumbled something about the teleprompter being off, and then abruptly walked off stage, leaving Samsung exec Joe Stinziano standing awkwardly on the stage. Bay later apologized online, saying that live events just weren’t his thing. Ouch.
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