The stories you may have missed from CES 2016
With so many interesting new gadgets appearing at the huge Las Vegas trade show, here are some of the cooler stories that may have passed you by.
We may be in the middle of a desert, but there's been a blizzard this week -- a blizzard of technology news, that is. The technology industry gathered in Las Vegas for giant trade show CES 2016, and with all these exciting stories flying thick and fast you could be forgiven for missing some hidden gems.
So without further ado, let us round up some of the interesting news stories that may have gone under your radar this past week.
They may be deadly rivals, but every now and again Apple and Samsung can play nice together. And this week Samsung announced that its Gear S2 smartwatch will soon work with Apple iPhones and iPads. Speaking of Samsung, the company also showed off a bizarre transformable, dancing TV and an interesting range of digitally connected suits, bags and workout gear.
More smart clothing came down the runway at the FashionWare fashion show, where we saw, among other things, a pair of jeans that cleans the phone in your pocket. And Skechers put a game controller in a pair of shoes, because why not? Pets get in on the action with the WonderWoof smart collar, which tracks your dog's activity to find clues about the pooch's health.
Among the tech titans appearing at the show were a troubled company or two looking to revitalise its fortune. Smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry revealed that it will switch entirely to using Android software from here on out, while camera company Kodak hopes for a comeback with a retro device inspired by the vintage Super 8 camera.
Less well-known companies had plenty to say too. ZTE, Alcatel OneTouch and Huawei, a trio of Chinese companies, brought new devices to the show. Case manufacturer Handscape revealed a clever iPhone and iPad case that turns the back of your phone into a touchpad.
If music is important to you, you might be interested in the Earin and Kanoa wireless earbuds -- but prepare yourself for a hefty price tag. If you want to block out the distracting noise of the world around you, the Here Active Listening headphones cut out specific sounds so you can fine-tune your aural experience.
Or if you want to make your own music, you can strike the right chord with the Phonotonic, a motion sensing device that turns your movements into sounds. Meanwhile the Prizm "music brain" speaker chooses music for you as soon as you walk in the room.
There was tech news away from CES too. Virtual reality fans were stunned when the Oculus Rift headset finally got an official price tag of nearly twice the price many expected.
Back at CES we got our hands on even more cool gadgets. Running out of juice halfway up a mountain is no longer a concern with the Activeon Solar X, a 4K UHD action cam that has its own built-in solar panels to recharge the battery when you're out and about. Speaking of cameras, imagine the selfies you could take with this 100-megapixel camera from Phase One.
A big theme of this show was the growth of connected devices for the smart home. As rain lashed Las Vegas this week, perhaps residents would have benefited from a Delta leak detector, which senses when water is getting where it shouldn't. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the ChefJet Pro is a 3D printer that prints food.
Finally, one of the best things about CES is seeing the weird and wonderful oddities of the tech world. Like, for example, the iNail printer, which prints pretty designs of your choice on your fingernails. Or the BACtrack breathalyser, which lets you check how squiffy your friends are even when you're not in the bar with them. Then there's the Immersit virtual reality sofa system that moves your seat in tandem with the events in the video or game you're watching. There's also the Spire Stone, an activity tracker for your mind.