Companies revealed products at CES from Jan. 7 to Jan. 11. Here are five products, one from each day at CES, that college students may find especially appealing.
MONDAY
Although wristband fitness trackers already exist, Fitbit announced the Flex wristband on Monday, which separates itself from others with its flexibility. Made of rubber, the FitBit Flex is meant to be worn “all day long.”
The Fitbit Flex monitors a person’s sleep, exercise and movement throughout the day. The bracelet connects to PC's and smartphones with Bluetooth technology, allowing the owner to view recorded information on either device. The article cited above also indicated that when a person reaches certain milestones, LED lights will illuminate the bracelet.
Sarah Brandon, a senior advertising major, said that although she “really likes” a similar fitness band by Nike, she would buy the Flex instead.
The Fitbit Flex will ship to stores this spring and will cost $99.95.
TUESDAY
Taking self and group pictures with smartphones will soon be easier with snappgrip, a phone case camera mount that turns the iPhone 4, iPhone 5 and the Galaxy SIII into point-and-shoot cameras for $99.
The snappgrip case is a “plastic shell with a shutter button . . . and a hand grip,” allowing for easier one-handed photo taking.
Owners of the snappgrip will have to download the free application to use it. The product is planned to reach stores by the end of February with a price of $99.
WEDNESDAY
Staying on campus all day can be troublesome for students who forgot their phone or laptop chargers, but TYLT’s Energi backpack may solve that problem in the future. Holding a 10,400 mAh lithium-ion battery the Energi backpack can charge up to three devices at once. The backpack’s battery takes “seven to eight hours" to completely charge, which it does by plugging into a computer via USB cable.
The Energi backpack is available for pre-order for $199 and will ship on April 1.
Because of the availability of chargers in the business building, junior marketing major Anthony Jenkins doesn’t think the Energi backpack is necessary to have on campus.
“At the moment I would not make this purchase, but if I were to study abroad where I would . . . travel a lot, I would then buy the backpack to charge my devices while on the train or any other form of travel,” Jenkins said.
THURSDAY
Apartment balcony plants everywhere may soon be saved by Parrot’s new Flower Power wireless plant sensor. The device is placed in a plant’s soil to monitor its “sunlight, soil moisture, temperature and fertilizer." The sensor is connected to a cloud server that relays information to an application, available on iPad or iPhone devices.
If the plant needs to be cared for, the Flower Power will send the information to the application and a “yellow warning icon” will appear on the owner’s iPhone or iPad, according to the article linked above. If the plant needs attention immediately, the icon will turn red.
Rebecca Maltbie, a junior marketing major, said that she will buy the Flower Power because she always over waters her plants - if it is inexpensive.
Flower Power’s price is has not been announced yet and is staged to release later this year.
FRIDAY
Many smartphone add-ons debuted at CES 2013, including Zoom’s iQ5 professional stereo microphone for the iPhone 5. An article on Engadget.com states that the iQ5 is different than other smartphone microphone add-ons because it works with “native iOS applications,” meaning that the microphone can be used simultaneously while recording a video, perfect for making music videos or presentations.
The microphone is able to rotate in “90- and 120-degree field positions,” making it easy to position for both horizontal and vertical recording. The iQ5 will cost $100 and will ship to stores the second quarter of 2013.