CES, or the Consumer Electronics Show, is someplace that every tech person desires to attend. While I have not, I always eagerly follow the news of what products are coming out from this technology showcase to see what type of advances are to be looked for. This year, there were quite a few items that caught my attention and I look forward to seeing how they perform in the real world. These items I have picked out are things that runners and travelers alike should have an interest in.
Notable Gear From CES 2015
Garmin Fitness Watches
Garmin has just started shipping their latest flagship watch, the 920XT, in bigger batches yet here they come with 3 new watches that are designed to meet the interest of a wide variety of consumers. The thing that is great about this advent of watches is that they really are designed to be used all day and not just for fitness activities. I have the Garmin 920XT and love it – and do, in fact, wear it all day. I do that because it tracks my activity, has great battery life, and gives me all of my notifications from my iPhone.
Yes, it is big and bulky, so people that would like the feature set and Smart Notifications of the Garmin 920XT should be looking at these new products for a smaller watch. The three products they revealed this week are:
- Garmin Vivoactive – $249 – you can read about this watch over at DC Rainmaker – here
- Garmin Fenix 3 – from $499 – this watch is one that I really like the look of. It has everything from the 920XT and Fenix 2 and they package it in a very wearable all-day watch. They also have a sapphire model with a metal band that costs $599 – check it out at DC Rainmaker – here
- Garmin Epix – this is the new, high-end model from Garmin. It combines mapping with their multi-sport watch functions and commands the starting price of $549. Check it out at DC Rainmaker – here
- All of the above watches are available for pre-order from Clever Training. You can purchase them through DC Rainmaker’s site and get the best price and help him as he continues to provide these awesome product reviews
Zano Nano Drone
Drones are really catching on as an exciting way to capture differing perspectives of photos and video. Of course, it is likely that we will be seeing the FAA really start to crack the whip a little bit through regulation when it comes to drones this year. For now, it is really cool to see some of the things that we can do and use these drones for. With a mini drone like the Zano Nano Drone, it would be a great way to pack it in your bag and catch some short video of a run in a new location. That would be something I would like to do with it and this drone sounds like it could do a good job of that.
Zano Drone
In addition to allowing you to control the drone (which will last for about 10 minutes of flight on its battery) from your smartphone, you can also set it to follow your phone. You set it where you want it and the appropriate distance from you and it will follow you. Perfect for taking a run with it! This drone was a Kickstarter project and is to ship this summer to backers. You can still preorder for delivery in July for about $255 – here.
iPassport
If you strive for the ultimate in protection over your personal documents, then you may be interested in this price passport case. The iPassport case has a biometric lock that keeps your valuable passport and credit cards secure. It has as RFID protection so that scanners cannot get your passport information. It also has Bluetooth connectivety to connect with your smartphone for location purposes.
The iPassport Wallet
The cost of keeping your passport safe in this carbon fiber/leather accessory is high – $599. If you are interested in it, it will be coming out later this month. You can read more about it here.
Sony 4K Action Cam
While GoPro is certainly the most familiar when it comes to action cams, Sony actually has produced some high quality cameras in the action category and has some features that people prefer over GoPro. Now, Sony has released their own 4K action camera and should be a nice alternative to those who like the Sony brand of imaging and are fans of the more traditional form factor of a video camera (although in a much smaller form).
Sony 4K Action cam
The Sony 4K Action Cam should be shipping soon and will retail for $499 – just like the GoPro HERO4 Black. Find it here.
ASAP Charger
The ibittz company has put out a charger that is really a fast charger – they say it will charge an iPhone 6 to full power in a mere 15 minutes! That is an incredible time for a charger and something that should be an integral part of a gear bag for those travelers who are not near power for long stretches of time.
While my iPhone 6 Plus has been great at giving me power all day (and then some), even when using a lot of power-draining apps, having a device like this for long trips/runs would be nice. However, it is not going to come at a cheap price. Pricing has not be set yet, but the two variations of the charger are almost certainly going to be over $100. To read more about it, check out Engadget’s write-up here.
What Did I Miss?
These were the items that caught my attention from CES 2015. Was there any gear that you saw in person there or read about that you are looking forward to? Of course, there were some other interesting tidbits of gear (like the smart sock) but the different items above are the ones that I am really interested to see.
I am glad that Garmin has stepped up their watch lineup to go more mainstream and interested to see how well their new high-end watches do in the market. I like the idea of that drone and can’t wait to see that in real-life.
Of course, you can also read about the CES Las Vegas Ironman Triathlon – a truly unique event!
