Best (and weirdest) tech of CES 2025 so far

The annual CES show is underway, so let’s dive into some of the coolest (and, yes, weirdest) gadgets I’ve come across so far.

Foldable phones are so 2024: I told you this would be announced. I’m talking about rollable laptops. Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has a screen that extends from 14 inches to 16.7 inches when you need more space. Neat! Too bad it starts at $3,499, oof.

Fully charged in 2 seconds: The Swippitt looks like a toaster and swaps your phone into a new battery-packed charger in seconds. Pretty sweet and not cheap — $450 for a hub with five batteries. Right now, it works with iPhone 14, 15 and 16, but they plan to expand to Samsung Galaxy S, too.

Like a car wash for your kid’s teeth: The Willo AutoFlo is a $249 toothbrush that brushes your child’s teeth in 60 seconds — no scrubbing required. They bite down on what looks like a horse bit crossed with a water flosser. Voila, clean chompers. Genius.

I can see the headlines now: Roam’s CO2 lid pops onto your water bottle to make instant fizz. Think SodaStream on the go. Imagine the waterfall when someone stores this badly in their bag.

File under “Weird but cool”: The Kirin Electric Salt Spoon uses a weak electrical current to trick your tongue into thinking what you’re eating is saltier. I wouldn’t buy this yet (the first version of tech like this usually isn’t the best), but imagine what a win that’d be for folks who have to eat a (bland) salt-free or low-salt diet.

Don’t tell me vacuums are boring: This is so smart. Eufy’s $549.99 E20 transforms from a stick vac to a handheld to a self-propelling robot. I’ll wait for the reviews, but if it works well … I want it.

Back in my day, you stuck your finger in the diaper: Bosch’s $1,000 AI crib detects changes in air quality so you know when it’s time to change your baby’s diaper. It’s got a camera, microphone and sensor to monitor heart and respiratory rates, and it rocks the baby back to sleep on its own.

I would’ve loved this when I was caring for Mom: The AI-enabled Kami Fall Detect watches 24/7 and sends loved ones an alert if there’s an accident. It has a two-way mic so you can check in and 911 emergency response if you (or another loved one) aren’t available to help.

Tweet, tweet: I’ve had a smart birdhouse on my list, but Birdify’s smart birdbath is even cooler. It has a solar-powered fountain to attract avian friends, and it records them in high-res so you can watch them from your phone. AI will tell you exactly what kind of birds they are. It’s $200.

Homegrown veggies: Plantaform’s $500 indoor smart garden (plants even I couldn’t kill!) took home the CES food and ag-tech innovation award. You add water every couple of weeks, and it slowly releases fog to keep your plants hydrated and happy. Monitor everything from an app.

That was fun, huh? On Sunday, I’ll get into the nitty-gritty on concept cars, robots, AI computers and all that tech-nerd stuff. 

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🎮 Doesn’t he have enough to do? My son, Ian, showed me videos of Elon Musk playing video games online, and I found it hard to believe. As it turns out, Musk is one of the world’s top 20 players in Diablo IV … maybe. He bragged about clearing a tough level in under two minutes, a feat that takes days. Musk says he multitasks on business calls, but other players say there’s no way he climbed the leaderboard as fast as he did unless he’s playing day and night.

$1,500 in fines 

If you don’t clear snow and ice from your car. That includes the roof! Most states have laws against driving with snow on your car. As an Arizona gal, I had no idea. You’d probably end up paying a lot more than $1,500 if a giant slab of snow hit the person behind you.

Las Vegas bombing: Matthew Livelsberger, the soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, used ChatGPT to build the bomb and coordinate the explosion. OpenAI says they’re “saddened” and that their tool only shared public info and warned him about harmful and illegal activities. This is the first known case of ChatGPT being used for terrorism. It’s not going to be the last.

$1,300 cellphone bill

After a Royal Caribbean cruise. A passenger forgot to put their phone in Airplane mode and got slapped with roaming charges. If you ever take a cruise or travel overseas, remember to switch on that setting!

Forever young: Tech CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and Peter Thiel are sinking cash into life extension. The $25 billion industry is all about trying to reverse aging by reprogramming cells and manipulating genes. They’ve got a long way to go; life-extending pills aren’t expected to be here until at least 2060. Until then, diet and exercise!

What do “a.m.” and “p.m.” mean? This is unbelievable. A post on X went viral asking that question. In case you don’t know, “a.m.” stands for “ante meridiem” (Latin for “before midday”), and “p.m.” is “post meridiem” (“after midday”). I’m shocked by how many folks are surprised 12 p.m. is noon and 12 a.m. is midnight. How does this happen?

60% to 90%

The amount of starch in rice water. An old beauty hack is trending on social media for promoting hair growth and improving shine. Rice water is loaded with vitamins and minerals that help your hair, especially zinc. Don’t expect instant results; hair grows in three- to four-month cycles, so be patient.

Step change: Mark Zuckerberg is replacing fact-checking with “community notes” on Meta, just like on X (they didn’t even change the name) to “restore free expression.” He’s been cozying up to the incoming Trump admin, but he’s not alone; Amazon, Apple, Meta, OpenAI and others gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Zuck’s trying hard to clean up Meta’s reputation of censorship, especially after the 2016 election.

🤳 AI do not consent: You might see a new you on Instagram. They’re showing people AI images of themselves in their own feeds. Meta’s taking your selfies and sticking them into random scenarios like mirror mazes and astronaut suits, all to advertise their Meta AI.

Quick thinking saves the day: Tech CEO Jesse Lyu had a scary moment when his Tesla’s Full Self-driving system steered him onto light rail tracks, straight into the path of a train. He turned off the autopilot, ran a red light and escaped safely. He shared the dashcam footage on X. Frightening.

🦈 Sink or swim: “Shark Tank” judge Kevin O’Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt are trying to buy Communist China-owned TikTok before the possible ban on Jan. 19. O’Leary says the big goal is protecting 170 million American users from Chinese surveillance. They’ll need at least $100 billion to get this done.

Very Apple-esque: Dell is ditching iconic laptop names like XPS, Inspiron and Latitude for “simplified” lines: Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max. Each has Base, Plus and Premium tiers. Pro laptops are the new Latitude, and Premium models are replacing the XPS line.

$80,000 a year

For being a pal. After Shoji Morimoto in Japan got fired in 2018 for being lazy, he started renting himself out to strangers who needed a friend. He charges $65 to $195 to join folks at parties and concerts — nothing sexual, though.

Hauling away your data: A hacker group is targeting U-Haul employee accounts to steal customer emails, phone numbers and verified info, like addresses and the last four digits of credit cards. With that, they can hack into so much more, and they know exactly where to find you. Used U-Haul lately? Call 1-866-242-7780 or email privacy@uhaul.com to submit a consumer request for them to delete your personal information.

$799 baby bouncer

Your little one can use only for six months. The Elvie Rise is a fancy bouncer and bassinet combo that debuted at CES. You can control it from your phone, but it’s only suitable for babies under six months, or until they can sit up on their own. At that price, this thing should get ‘em through kindergarten.

👜 Spoiler … It’s sold out: The internet’s going crazy over Walmart’s Hermès Birkin purse lookalike that’s only $78. The real thing runs up to $40,000 new or $300,000 for the rarest resales. Walmart’s version is real leather and looks similar for sure. It’s called the “Kamugo genuine leather handbags purse for women” on their website. I’d be shocked if they didn’t restock.

Bye-bye, Gogo: Whoa … fast, free in-flight Wi-Fi that actually works! Starlink’s satellite broadband is coming to United. Testing starts next month, and it’ll launch across hundreds of Airbus and Boeing jets if all goes well. You’ll need to sign up for a free MileagePlus frequent-flyer program for access.

This is frightening: The New Orleans attacker used Meta’s smart glasses to record Bourbon Street months before his rampage. With the glasses’ video recording capabilities, he was able to quietly survey the area and plan the attack that killed 14 people. Tech has incredible potential for good; the opposite is true in the wrong hands.

$19 trillion

In bitcoin transactions last year. To put it into perspective, bitcoin transactions totaled $8.7 trillion in 2023. This marks the first time since 2021 that the price of bitcoin has gone up, not down. How can you tell who owns bitcoin at a party? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.