This year’s CES was my 3rd year back in a row, after a brief hiatus. My hiatus was in part due to COVID-19, which affected everyone at the time. And before COVID-19 I had just become a homeowner and was focused on getting into the the space and adjusting. Now back for the 3rd year, I arrived at CES partly knowing what was potentially going to be the theme of the year (Spoiler, everyone wanted to talk about AI in their products in some form or fashion), and being right; but also interested in seeing what I might have undercovered while there. As a homeowner, many of my interests were focused in and around the home. I wanted to see smart home tech, robotic lawnmowers, and of course, anything else that caught my attention. So what did I find interesting, and came away with this year? Let’s dig it!
Of Course, AI Was Everywhere, but Everyone was doing the same thing…
Of course this year AI was highly represented. All of the big companies were showcasing their AI inclusions in their products and wanted to have neat little slogans for their AI efforts. Samsung’s was “AI For All”. Hisense I spotted “AI Your Life”, and many others tried to market their AI in catchy ways. There was even a company I spotted with an AI smart grill, but I don’t know if I need AI’s help cooking my meat just yet.
Now if AI was the theme of CES 2025, another theme was the fact that a lot of the bigger companies seem to be doing the same thing as each other. From Samsung to Hisense, to TCL, and Panasonic who had some of the larger booths within the Central Hall, all had repeating products from booth to booth as I walked around. Between them, all seemed to be showing off their versions of larger screen TVs, Smart Refrigerators, Washer and Dryers, and similar smart home tech, with a sprinkle of automotive items as well. All wanted to have this completed eco system in hopes that you’d buy into all of their items and your home would fall into one of them like the sorting choices in Harry Potter and the Hogwarts houses ha!
There Were A Few Surprises
While a lot of CES 2025, was kind of expected, there is always something about walking around the show floor and finding products from new companies you discover or even companies you have worked with before, and getting to see something cool that we’d ultimately end up wanted to review and take a deeper look for you guys. Some of these below are companies/products I took some extra time to talk to them and look to arrange review units for this coming year.
Shokz OpenFit 2
This one I ran across literally on the last day of my walking the show floor. I’m familiar with Shokz as to this day I still use a pair of their OpenMove bone conducting headphones when I want to work on the computer in my office, but want to still hear around me. I’ve never used the first OpenFit but I was intrigued by their look and design (hence why we’re called G Style, I’m always drawn to the look first) of the OpenFit 2s, and wanted to know more. Shokz was able to provide me with a unit to check out and I had intended to start reviewing them once I returned. However, fate intervened, and due to some ear issues, I didn’t want to bother with my daily driver earbuds that go in my ear. Since the OpenFit 2s is an open-ear device, I opened them up while waiting at the airport for my flight and decided to give them a go. I’ll tell you this, I’ve been using them since. I use them at night if I want to listen to music while I sleep without disturbing anyone else. I use them with my computer, replacing the OpenMove device I used for that function previously. And while I’ll share more thoughts in a later review, I’ll mention that I think I might even like them more than the most expensive Bose open-air ones, the Bose QuietComfort Ultras I have. We’ll see, so more on that to come!
reMarkable Paper Pro
Now this is just one of those things I’d probably never think to buy, but I have a feeling that once I start reviewing it, I’m going to love it. You see as much of a digital person I consider myself, I do find many points when I’m jotting down some notes or working out some financial equations when I’m budgeting in this little pocketbook I have on my desk. The only problem is that I never actually moved that book from my desk. So if I’m somewhere else and want to reference something I wrote that. Well, I’m stuck until I back home. So being able to jot down quick things but writing them in my handwriting and then being able to access those notes elsewhere it be saved digitally, is a compelling prospect. This is where reviewing the reMarkable Paper Pro will come in. Will this be my next favorite gadget, stay tuned as we look to check this out this year as well!
Closing Thoughts
If I’m being honest, while I was excited to be at CES again, this year I was a little bored. Whether this was the Vegas weather affecting me a little more this time around and the result cold or flu I started feeling come on midway during the trip, or the general I feel like I’m seeing the same stuff I was experiencing as I walked from booth to booth. I’m left feeling a little underwhelmed from years prior. But for every subdued moment, there were equal bright moments. I’m looking forward to checking out products from companies like HP, TCL,ShiftCam, Yarbo, Neakasa, AirThings, CleverCharge, Mammotion, Lymow, and more. I’m hoping the connections we made during this week in Vegas evolves into some very cool gadgets we can test out and share with you throughout 2025! Stay tuned!
Do you check out any CES coverage so far, spot anything you might be excite about seeing come out this year? See anything you’d like us to try and review this year? Let us know in the comments!