After yesterday’s deluge, clear skies returned to Las Vegas on Wednesday as CES rolled into its second day. Power, however, was another issue as a two-hour blackout plunged the Las Vegas convention into darkness. Though the halls were largely evacuated, some attendees still visited exhibitor booths while others took a break in the sun or searched in vain for a place to power their laptop. It seems that a transformer flashover, caused by yesterday’s 1 inch of rain, was the cause.
A lack of power isn’t the best scenario for a technology show, but CES wasn’t about to pack up and go home. Here’s what caught our attention on Wednesday. And if you missed the news from the last two days, check out Press Day and CES Day One wrap-ups.
- Aflac (yes, the insurance company) showed a robot duck that’s designed to help kids undergoing cancer treatment. The comfort toy reacts to being touched, dances, nuzzles and even simulates breathing and a heartbeat. It’s incredibly cuddly, as well. Quack, quack.
- There’s a good reason why people fall into YouTube holes (I mean, I can’t be the only one). At a panel discussion, the company’s chief product officer Neal Mohan said that for more than 75 percent of time spent on the site, you’re lured in by one AI-driven recommendation.
- If you’re tired of a sea of black phones, LG has good news for you. The company showed an eye-catching raspberry rose version of its V30.
- Though it officially happened last night, this video of 250 Intel drones flying in formation above the Las Vegas Strip is too cool not to share.
- We were able to tour Google’s posh pavilion that was closed yesterday due to flooding.
- Whirlpool has a new refrigerator in a gold-tinted “sunset bronze” finish. It may sound gaudy, but it won Ry Crist’s approval. A clever Amazon Dash integration feature lets you order groceries right on the touchscreen.
- Ford said it would finally integrate Waze into its Sync 3 infotainment system. That means you’ll be able to plug in your phone and run the app directly through the screen.
- Texas Instruments may have an answer to being blinded by an oncoming car’s headlights. The company has developed technology that could dynamically change the shape of your headlight by turning on or off individual pixels in the beam.
- A Belgian company called Imec showed a headset that’ll gauge your emotions, help improve your memory and match music to your mood.
- Cat cemented its reputation for making indestructible phones with quirky features with the S41, a rugged phone so waterproof that you can take photos underwater.
- David Carnoy found a Bluetooth headset from Beyerdynamic that is so good it can get devoted audiophiles to cut the cord.
- A CNET panel discussed one of the more controversial trends in the smart home: remotely letting strangers into your house to deliver groceries or perform other tasks. It may appear to be scary, one of the panelists said, but it’s no different to leaving a key under you mat for your dog walker.
CES 2018: CNET’s complete coverage of tech’s biggest show.
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The weirdest gadgets of CES 2018: Mixed with the vaporware, the hyped-up dreck and the legitimately cool products is a whole lot of weird.
