CES 2017: Digital Experience

Pepcom’s Digital Experience

January 6th, 2017

Article by Angie Kibiloski

Every year at CES, the Press are treated to a handful of special invite only events, where we get to peruse new products from a couple hundred companies, hand picked by the event organizers. These events are a great opportunity to get an up close view of things without fighting the crowded convention show floor. Digital Experience, put on by the amazing Pepcom company, was held this Wednesday night, and is always one of the highlights of my annual trip to CES. This was the 2^nd Press party that night, and you can read about some products I found at the 1^st event here: Discover Blue. As for Digital Experience, I want to spotlight 6 products, from a variety of categories, which I thought seemed pretty cool.

We’ll start off with a new high-speed photo scanner from Epson, the FastFoto FF-640. This scanner is a top feeding device that looks like a printer, can scan a photo in as little as 1 second (depending on your chosen scan resolution), and can handle photo sizes from wallet all the way up to long panoramic prints. One of the coolest features about this device is its ability to scan both the front of a photo and the hand written notes on the back, at the same time, allowing you to quickly and easily capture and save all the important elements of your precious old prints. Another benefit is the photo enhancement software that comes with the scanner, which can automatically improve the look of faded images. I have had a difficult time finding quality photo scanners, so I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these. You can see it for yourself on their product page, here.

Next, how about an app, compatible with both iOS and Android, that can help you complete any DIY project you might be planning? DIYZ is a free app that let’s you search for your DIY project, and be presented with step-by-step instructions, tips, and how-to videos. It will even give you a supply list, which you can directly order through the app, to make sure you’ll start your project with everything needed to finish. If you get in the middle of a big job, and find that you need some additional guidance, for a small fee you can connect with an expert through live video chat, to help get you through the tough spots. Read all about it at www.DIYZ.com.

Another cool product in the build-it-yourself realm is Boost from LEGO, the upcoming building and coding set for ages 7 and up. With the accompanying app, your child can build 5 unique robotic LEGO creations, and use the app’s easy to learn coding commands to bring them to life.   Vernie the Robot, and Frankie the Cat are my 2 favorite build options. When building the models, the app will provide step-by-step instructions, easy for you child to follow. After they’re finished building, the app will walk them through the basics of coding, which in this case requires only dragging and dropping command options onto the screen, in whichever order your young programmer wishes the robot to perform them. The app provides even more options for extended play, to further unlock your child’s creativity and imagination. This awesome building set won’t be available until later in the year, but you can still learn more about it right now at www.LEGO.com/BOOST.

Let’s move now to personal care items. The Dosime is a small sensor that you can keep at home, work, or on your person while out and about. It senses when harmful radiation levels are elevated, so you can avoid those areas or take steps to eliminate the contaminant. By connecting wirelessly to the app, the Dosime will give you real-time detection of ionizing radiation, and keep track of your cumulative exposure over time. We can be exposed to various types of radiation without ever being aware, and this particular type can be present in a variety of sources, like soil, water, and even air. You may not think you’ll ever come in contact with harmful radiation, but you can consider this device to be like a CO2 detector, to use to protect yourself and your family for any unforeseen exposure. There are all sorts of data collation and mapping options contained in the app, but I’ll let you discover those for yourself on their very informative product site, www.Dosime.com.

Do you have any kind of pain, especially the persistent, recurring kind? LumiWave may be the solution you’ve been waiting for.   This infrared light therapy device uses hundreds of small LED bulbs, set into a flexible strip of body-conforming pods, to provide a safe and affordable way to target your stubborn pain. They say this system can improve both joint and muscle pain, and can even (in some cases) eliminate it over time. Want to know more about the science behind this type of therapy and get more specifications on the device? Go to www.lumiwave.com for a plethora of information.

Finally, I want to introduce you to a new cyber security system from Norton. I’m sure you recognize that name from the popular and time-tested anti-virus software. This new product, the Norton Core, is similar, but protects all the smart device in your smart home. For starters, this wireless router is beautifully designed, with the intention of displaying it in your home instead of hiding it away underneath your desk.   The Core protects all of your connected devices by fending off cyber attacks or potentially infectious data before it can even enter your network. It is super easy to set up, automatically detects all of your smart devices, and can be controlled through a mobile app. Keeping your home protected from cyber attacks is an increasingly necessary task, as more and more of the things we own become smart and interconnected. Hackers can find one device in your home network that is vulnerable, and use that doorway to gain access to your entire network. Norton Core is a stylish and powerful option to help combat virtual home invasion, and produced by a company that has been trusted with your cyber safety needs for many years already. Check this product out here.

Of course there were plenty more interesting products at Digital Experience, but I’ll save the others for future articles. I hope to be able to review all of the products I’ve mentioned above in the near future, and give you a more in-depth look at them. In the meantime, I’ll have more CES coverage for you to enjoy in the next several days, so keep checking our blog for updates.