CES 2011 Report Part 3 - Oddities

Here's Part 3 of my CES 2011 report. The last couple of posts we looked at some of the big picture items of the show, today we'll dig in a bit deeper into some of the weirder items.

Marley Products
Yep, Bob Marley branded boom boxes, headphones, and even a relaxing drink. I applaud the fact that it's only taken the Marley family 30 years to realize the strength of the Marley brand, but it could've been used in much less cheap feeling way. I'm sure Bob has rolled in his grave a few times over this. See for yourself at thehouseofmarley.com.

Robots
Robots weren't quite as big as they were last year, but there were some interesting new variants, like the back massaging ones here.

The Personal Amplifier
When is a hearing aid not a hearing aid? When it's a "personal amplifier." A number of companies showed these, but here's the advert in the RCA booth that caught my eye.

This will be a must for many of my aging rock and roll musician/engineer/producer friends.

The Washer/Dryer Of The Future
LG not only had the coolest TV's, but the "clothes manager" of the future as well. This unit supposedly cleans, sanitizes and deodorizes your cloths all at the same time, without the traditional washing and drying cycle.

Ionizers.
I saw a number of air ionizer units around the show. Ionizers were big in studios in LA for about a half a minute during the 80's. They're supposed to clean the air, but since they emit negative ions (just like what you get after after a rainstorm), they're supposed to have a calming effect on you as well.

Can't say they work, but I sure enjoyed every studio that I worked in that had one.

Swiss Army Knives
And just to show you that the CES is not only about electronics, the company that makes the Swiss Army knife even had a booth. Yes, some of the new knives are high tech too, employing a USB memory stick and credit card tool.

There you have it. Now aren't you glad you stayed at home?

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