Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon
The mission of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system is to break down the barrier between the PC and tablet, but it's also a challenge to PC makers to rethink the fundamentals of computer design. Lenovo picked up the gauntlet and ran with it, creating a huge 27-inch monitor that lays flat and becomes an interactive table. The IdeaCentre Horizon has an HD screen, i7 processor, a 2-hour battery, and a specialized multi-user UI called Aura with games and activities oriented towards multiple users. The Horizon should go on sale this summer for around $1600.
Canonical Ubuntu For Android
Ubuntu—the cultish, open-source computer Linux operating system—has made it onto a phone. And gestures are king in Ubuntu for Android, the first foray onto smartphones by Ubuntu's for-profit arm, Canonical. Due in late 2013, the open-source phone OS swipes uses swipes from the sides to reveal favorite apps or running apps. A drag-down windowpane reveals elegant, horizontally scrollable access to the phone's settings. The interface is a beautiful take on classic smartphone icons, which aren't stuck in a static grid but instead come and go as they're updated. For instance, they change size to display recent posts on Twitter or active text message conversations.
Ford's Open Developer Program
Ford has been working with a small group of developers to come up with innovative apps for its in-dash Sync environment. At CES this year, the company announced the program now would be open to all interested. Entrepreneurs will pitch ideas for apps, which Ford engineers will review for safety and approve the app for work. Ford sends out a development kit, application programming interface, and grants access to Ford's library of Sync intellectual property without a licensing cost.
Samsung Smart TV Platform
Samsung has won an Editor's Choice Award before for its smart TV platform, which helps users navigate the increasingly complex and diverse world of video entertainment with custom apps, as well as voice and gesture control. This year, the company has launched a big update to its platform with a quad-core processor, facial recognition that customizes content to the individual viewer, plus improved natural language and gesture controls. Samsung's line of 2013 smart TVs also uses predictive analysis to monitor viewing habits and suggest relevant content. And, as it has in years' past, Samsung offers an Evolution Kit that bumps up older sets to the new processor and interface.
Sony Xperia Z
Sony's newest smartphone is a model of corporate synergy done right, incorporating the company's display and image capture technology into its stunning 5-inch 1080p touchscreen display, and also including the world's first smartphone sensor that can take HDR video. The Z has smart features such as NFC connectivity with other Sony devices, and a battery-saving mode that turns off power-intensive apps when the screen is off. But our favorite feature is the one every phone should have: The Z is seriously water-resistant. You'd never know it from its sleek profile but this Sony phone can sit under a meter of water for a half-hour.
iTwin Connect
The beauty of the iTwin Connect is its simplicity: Plug one half of the device into the computer you're using and you can browse the Internet via VPN through one of the company's servers. Or you can create your own VPN using two computers—one at home, say, and the other in an insecure public network—to tunnel your Internet browsing through your personal computer and keep your browsing safe and secure. The Connect, which costs $129 and is available now, protects all browsing with AES 256-bit encryption.
Vehicle Diagnostics by Delphi
The lightning fast development of in-car electronics has been a boon to automotive techies, but much of the benefits are lost to used car owners. Now Delphi has released the Vehicle Diagnostics, a dongle that plugs into the OBD-II port found in any vehicle built since 1996. The dongle has a Verizon data connection and GPS sensors that send position and vehicle data up to the cloud. A smartphone or tablet can access all the vehicle data, diagnostic information, speed, and remotely unlock the doors or start the car via web. Other neat stuff: You can set up geofences to alert if the car leaves or enters and area, starts speeding, or does all kinds of things you don't want your teenagers to do. Pricing will be set by Verizon and the unit will go on sale by the end of the first quarter.
LG Smart Control Appliances
By embedding its home appliances with NFC chips, LG allows everything from washers and dryers to vacuum cleaners to be operated via smartphones (you can also control them through LG's TVs). With a single tap, appliances and phones pair for remote control and diagnostic alerts. The appliances also work together, too. LG's smart refrigerator, for instance, preheats the oven based on a chosen recipe, generated from the ingredients on hand. The camera-equipped vacuum cleaner, an update the LG's Hom-bot, doubles as a surveillance device. These, and all other LG smart appliances, respond to natural-language input. They're also built to maximize energy efficiency, showing that the smart grid starts at home, not just at the utility level.
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