CES 2016 sneak peek: biometric bra, livestreaming video camera, headphones
LOS ANGELES — The first major event of the Consumer Electronics Show won’t get underway until Monday. But we’ve already got a sneak peek at some new products that will be on display at the world’s largest trade show.
No, we haven’t caught a glimpse at any of the 100+ drones or wacky new virtual reality headsets, but would you settle for the world’s first biometric bra?
Or how about an audio speaker that looks to take on Sonos, Bose and other Wi-Fi speakers by offering one that can work with any audio source, and run on battery or AC? There’s also that new tiny camera for folks who like to shoot live video, but get tired of holding their phone in their hands for an extended period of time, and a headphone without wires that streams music.
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Here’s our sneak peek:
--OMBra: The smart bra measures heart rate and steps from workout attire. “It’s the first bra that reads a women’s biometrics,” says Shaz Khang, the chief marketing officer for smartwear firm OMsignal. “Women realize that if they’re going to wear clothes all day anyway, they want more information.” The bra is expected to sell for around $150 and will be in stores in the spring.
--True wireless sound: Riva Audio’s latest line of speakers, out in April, connect to bluetooth or Wi-Fi to play music off your smartphone or tablet. And unlike rival wireless speakers that play only certain music services, like Spotify, Pandora or Google Play, the Riva speakers can play anything off your phone or tablet--from Apple Music and Tidal to your library. "It is fully loaded," says Riva founder Rikki Farr. They also can be played with electrical current, or taken outdoors and played off the internal battery.
Meanwhile, the new Aivvy Q headphone from music startup Aivvy has no wires whatsoever and they don’t have to connect to a phone either. But you can store thousands of songs locally on the headphones, and you can listen whether online or offline. “This will make listening to music fun again,” says co-founder David Ring. The headphones are expected to sell for over $200 in the spring.
--Livestream Movi camera. The folks from the Livestream live video service have a new kind of camera for live video recording. The Movi is a little box with a built-in 4K HD camera for live streaming events like weddings, conferences and the like. The advantage over streaming from your phone with the Movi is that you can place it on a stationary surface, and not have to worry about holding it for an extended period of time. Additionally, the camera has built-in cropping tools to change the angle, for a more pleasing production.
“You can control everything from the phone, and have the camera right where the action is,” says Max Haot, founder of Livestream, which counts as an investor Tegna, the company that split from USA TODAY publisher Gannett in 2015.
The CES kicks off Monday with “CES Unveiled,” the Consumer Technology’s Association sanctioned look at over 100 new products, and then later in the evening, mysterious electric car manufacturer Faraday Future is likely to unveil a prototype new vehcile, which is expected to begin production in 2017.
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Stick with USA TODAY for the latest from CES, and follow USA TODAY’s reporters on Twitter: @jeffersongraham, @mikesnider, @edbaig and @marcodellacava.
