The Consumer Electronics Show is the world’s largest gathering place for anyone in the business of consumer technology. It’s the global arena for where next-generation innovations and products are introduced to the marketplace. Topics range from health and wellness to blockchain to robot intelligence, and everything in between. But since we’re a home goods review site, we figured we’d assemble a list of the best new consumer electronics for your home.
As a heads up, this list is no particular order, though, all of the products on this list are noteworthy compared to their peers at CES. And, if we just couldn’t pick a favorite between two products in one category, we added them both, because ultimately that’s what CES is all about—showcasing new, innovative products.
Pure Company Portable Air Purifier
The Pure Portable Air Purifier is just that: a portable air purifier. This lets you have clean, fresh air wherever you please, whether that be a hotel room, your office, or your business. It’s designed with an aromatherapy feature, so you can also scent the air with whatever essential oils you’d like. It’s small enough to be carried in a purse or suitcase, and comes with a carrying bag for ease and protection. It’s also nearly silent, so it shouldn’t distract you at all.
Ooma Smart Security System
Ooma announced a modular security system at CES 2019 that’s intuitive to use and setup, yet is quite robust in terms of features. The headline product within the security system is a new wireless indoor and outdoor security camera that is equipped with facial recognition technology, and can identify whether someone is a family member, or a stranger. The camera records 1080p HD footage and even has the option for native storage in case of an internet outage.
Ooma will sell a security system bundle, however, consumers can also purchase add-on accessories, like door and window sensors, a cellular tower for the base station, moisture sensors, smoke detectors, and more. This allows consumers to customize their security system to the specifications of their home.
The security system will have a companion mobile app that’s both feature-rich and easy to use. Ooma constructed the app around a typical daily routine with customizable Home, Away, and Night Mode presets.
Orbit B-Hyve Smart Sprinkler Controller
This one is for those of you who have a yard. It’s a sprinkler system controller that connects to Wi-Fi, so that you can control your sprinklers from anywhere just using smartphone. It has weather sensing technology for “smart watering” based on conditions like slope, soil type, sun exposure, and even live weather feeds.
It also has an indoor timer that can operate four custom watering schedules with four start times, each. Our favorite feature is that it has EPA WaterSense and is SWAT certified, meaning it saves water and can even make you eligible for rebates from your local water or utility agency.
Orbit makes a number of B-Hyve products including sprinkler controllers and hose timers. They are all available on Amazon and require no monthly fee to use.
Gourmia Smart Appliances
The Gourmia Smart Appliances were (by far) the coolest innovations for your kitchen. Gourmia was showing off a smart multi-cooker, coffee maker, air fryer, and sous vide that work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Also, within Gourmia’s iOS and Android app (called Mia), you can control the kitchen appliances whenever you’re connected to the Internet.
These new smart appliances give users three options: (1) use the Mia app to control any stage of the cooking or brewing process, (2) ask Alexa or Google Assistant to make changes, and (3) the OG manual method.
Kodak SMILE Instant Print Camera
Kodak is giving us a new reason to smile, with a new line of instant cameras and printers that lend 90’s nostalgia. The line includes the Kodak SMILE Instant Print digital camera, which is the whole package with a 10-megapixel camera with an LCD viewfinder, an automatic flash, and a 10-second timer for your group photos.
The line also has a SMILE Classic Instant Print digital camera with a more vintage, Polaroid-inspired design and a pop-up viewfinder, and the Smile Instant digital printer, which can print out photos straight from your iPhone or Android with the Kodak companion app. Although similar product models are already on the market, we found that this Kodak line has better picture and printing quality than we’ve seen before.
The most underrated, and overlooked, product that Kodak was showcasing at CES was their mobile app that now has an AR component. The pictures that you print with the SMILE cameras are embedded with a QR code of sorts that you can associate with a video from your phone. Then, when you hover the physical print out using the Kodak app, the video will play on your phone even though it’s just looking at a flat, 2d photo. It really is one of the most interesting ways that we’ve seen AR implemented to date.
Maximus Answer DualCam Video Doorbell
This is a home security product that uses two cameras to monitor your front door. Both cameras are motion-sensing and 1080p HR. What sets the Maximum Answer DualCam Video Doorbell apart from the rest is that one of the cameras faces forward—per usual—while the second one is angled down to give you a more complete look at who’s waiting at the door, whether it be a package or a person.
Besides the dual cameras, it also has a built-in echo-cancelling microphone and speaker for remote, two-way talk with anyone at your door. The Maximus DualCam will be available sometime in Q2 2019.
Alarm.com Wellcam
The Wellcam is actually a camera that can be placed anywhere in the home, and is specifically marketed for those who live independently. Think your elderly dad, your single sister, etc.
The Wellcam has a 180-degree camera with a 1080p resolution and a 6mp zoom, so it can cover a wide area like a kitchen or living room. It also has two-way calling capabilities for hands free communication through the Alarm.com app.
The Wellcam is a great gift for caregivers or family members who want to keep an eye on their loved ones. It is a clever use of smart home tech and we’re excited to see what products Alarm.com will pair with the Wellcam in the future.
EZVIZ DB1 Doorbell
The EZVIZ DB1 is a 3MP Wi-Fi smart doorbell that lets you see who’s at the door from their head to toe, and even talk to them when you’re not even home. What sets this doorbell apart from the others is that it has a MicroSD slot for up to 128GB of local storage. To date, we haven’t seen a single other doorbell camera with the local storage option.
Some other fun features include two-way talk, a 180-degree vertical view, and IP65 dust and water protection (great for areas with extreme climates). In addition to the DB1 camera, EZVIZ was showcasing several other smart home products at CES.
Lockly Secure Pro
Lockly’s new Secure Pro uses patented PIN Genie Technology to make it almost impossible for anyone to hack it. Lockly has designed a creative and innovative lock that changes the keypad display every time someone approaches it, so that the numbers are never in the same place. This ensures that even if someone sees the pattern you typed the code in, they wouldn’t be able to successfully guess the code with it.
On top of that, there are five different ways to unlock it. The options are by manual code entry, a fingerprint scanner, through Lockly’s mobile app, through voice assistant command, and if all that fails, there’s a physical lock that you can open with a key. Consider your castle impenetrable.