There are a lot of “maybes” and “hope tos” uttered at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), as many of the products demoed there take months or years to launch. And that’s if they even make it to market at all; prototypes, previews, and proofs of concept are running themes at the annual tech convention in Las Vegas. But fortunately for anyone eager to get their hands on the latest gadgets, there are a few exceptions every year.

Below, we’ve rounded up a list of products from CES 2024 that are actually available for purchase or preorder immediately, including innovative wearables, stick-on TVs, and a physical manifestation of AI. Some of them blew us away, while others just weirded us out.

1. Clicks Creator Keyboard Founders Edition

The Y2K revival rages on. Featuring a physical backlit keyboard that supports standard shortcuts (like CMD + A for “Select All”), this unibody case evoking the Sidekicks and Blackberries of yore is Clicks Technology’s debut product. It’s available in “BumbleBee” (yellow) and “London Sky” (gray) for the iPhone 14 Pro, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max.

2. Garmin Lily 2

Garmin’s latest smartwatch is easily its most fashion-forward wearable to date, with a metal case and patterned lenses that act like stylish screensavers when the display is powered off. It comes with sleep monitoring and built-in sport apps, including a new dance fitness activity that can track different dance styles, and it lasts up to five days on a single charge. The standard Lily 2 comes in two colors with silicone bands, while the slightly pricier Lily 2 Classic (which adds support for Garmin Pay contactless payments) comes in four colors with nylon or leather bands.

3. Apollo

Read Mashable’s full review of the Apollo.

Apollo Neuro says its new wellness wearable can improve your focus, help you sleep better, and ease your stress with the power of “good vibes” — i.e., by stimulating your vagus nerve (which regulates important bodily functions like heart rate and breathing). It didn’t live up to all of those claims when Mashable tech editor Kim Gedeon tried it for three weeks ahead of CES, though it did have a positive effect on her social anxiety: “It’s similar to how I feel when I’m listening to binaural beats or ASMR,” she wrote. At the time of publication, it was on sale for almost $70 off via Amazon and the Apollo Neuro website.

4. EVOLVE MVMT

Evolve MVMT’s “first-of-its-kind” ankle wearable aims to make your gait more efficient and joint-friendly by tracking the quality (not quantity) of your steps — more specifically, the way your heel strikes the ground. If you’re a flat-footed person who’s “ever had to pay for expensive orthotics or special footwear, which then has to be replaced every few years, this might be a solid alternative,” wrote tech reporter Cecily Mauran.

5. Nimble

Read Mashable’s hands-on review of the Nimble.

In one of the less dystopian examples of “robots are taking over the world,” the Nimble is a new 12-inch manicure robot that uses scanning technology and AI to do your nails in about half an hour. “Since there was high demand to test out Nimble, I was only able to get one nail painted,” Mauran reported from CES. “But within minutes, I got polish and a topcoat, and my nail was fully dry. … Nimble is precise and on par with the pros.” Its polish capsules will be available in 30 colors, and new features — including pedicures — are supposedly in the works.

6. Displace Flex and Displace Mini

Watch Mashable staff try the Displace Mini.

They’re not quite as exciting as LG’s new transparent TV, but Displace’s new lightweight, wireless 4K displays are still pretty cool in their own right (and certainly more practical): They have battery-powered suction that allows them to stick onto almost any wall or window — no mounting required. “It’s impossible to pull off unless you actually want to take it off,” said tech reporter Matt Binder, who took part in a demo at CES. Both the 55-inch Flex model and the 27-inch Mini variant are expected to ship out in late 2024.

7. Acer Swift Go 14

Read Mashable’s hands-on review of the Acer Swift Go 14.

The new Acer Swift Go 14 looks like a very average laptop until you pull up YouTube, which triggers a set of light-up media controls on its touchpad — a neat feature for those who use a PC as their primary entertainment device. (Support for other platforms like Twitch and Spotify are expected to be added at launch in March.) The base configuration is powered by a 13th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, but you can upgrade to a newer Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU.

8. HP Spectre x360 14

Read Mashable’s hands-on review of the HP Spectre x360 14.

HP’s newly refreshed convertible boasts next-gen specs (including an Intel Core Ultra processor with AI tools), a 14-inch OLED touchscreen, and a 9MP webcam. But the real star of the show is its clickety-clackety keyboard, which Gedeon called “the best thing I’ve ever tested.” “I actually contemplated chucking my MacBook Pro out the window for that sweet, sweet typing experience on this irresistible HP laptop,” she wrote.

9. Wacom Cintiq Pro tablets

Available in three sizes (17-, 22-, or 27-inch), Wacom’s stunning and spacious new drawing slates were the best tablets Mashable saw at CES. Each one sports a vivid 4K display with a 120Hz refresh rate and customizable ExpressKeys for different settings and functions. They also come with the new Wacom Pro Pen 3, an ergonomic, pressure-sensitive stylus that “allowed me to use natural touch gestures, including rotating, zooming, and panning,” Gedeon said post-demo.

10. Wehead GPT Edition

Read Mashable’s hands-on review of the Wehead GPT Edition.

The Wehead puts a literal (emotionless, disembodied) face to OpenAI’s large-language model GPT via two screens, and it’s as creepy as it sounds. But in its defense, “it gave some practical advice about surviving CES (stay hydrated, wear comfortable shoes) so there might be some redeemable qualities — if you’re willing to spend $5,000,” wrote Gedeon and Mauran. If you don’t want to curse yourself to a lifetime with this thing, you’ve also got the option of renting it for $199 per month.

Honorable mention: Skyted Mask

Another CES gadget that toed the fine line between “wowing” and “weirding out,” the Skyted Muzzle Mask has sound absorption technology that lets you make confidential voice calls when you’re out in public. “[We’re] sure some people who are serious about their privacy may find it to be a must-buy for their lifestyle,” said Gedeon and Mauran. “However, we can’t see ourselves using this product – it’s just too outlandish for our tastes.” Those who fall into the former category can save a serious chunk of cash by backing it on Kickstarter through early February.

Honorable mention: Stern ‘Jaws’ pinball machine

Read Mashable’s hands-on review of the Stern JAWS pinball machine.

Stern’s faithful pinball adaptation of the 1975 classic includes that awesome John Williams score, some new voiceover lines from Richard Dreyfuss, and a playfield filled with movie references that’s “immensely fun to look at,” said tech and games reporter Alex Perry. Now, for the catch (of the day): It appears to be limited to commercial dealers and distributors, and it starts at a whopping $7,000; you can go all the way up to $13,000 for the limited-edition model with different cosmetics. Maybe just wait for it to show up at your local dive bar.

As it turns out, a different type of AI made a big splash at CES 2024: AI companionship. We were expecting generative and predictive AI, but this one threw us for a loop.

Are we really that lonely? How bad has it gotten that vendors are seeking to give us non-human companionship in a world filled with, well, humans? And that’s not the only bizarre trend I’ve been seeing. Here are the top five trends I’ve spotted at the world-famous Las Vegas showcase.

1. AI companionship

As I mentioned at the outset, more than any other technology, AI companionship was, by far, the most popular trend I saw at CES 2024.

Mashable’s Matt Binder interacting with Mirokai
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Take a look at Ballie, for example, Samsung’s new rolling yellow ball that is, in part, designed to keep users company. I also checked out an anime-inspired robot called Mirokai, which has a use case for lonely patients in the medical sector. And finally, there’s WeHead, a bizarre 3D structure that puts a face to ChatGPT.

WeHead caught a lot of eyes at Pepcom.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Hell, even at Lenovo’s CES suite, it showcased a concept of a robot companion that can be snapped to the lid of your laptop.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I can’t help but wonder, are vendors seeking to fill some sort of companionship void that is plaguing us humans?

2. Wearable rings

The Oura ring, which had a presence at CES 2024, is a rising star in the compact wearable space. But this year, it looks like a swath of vendors are vying for Oura’s throne.

Rinconn’s Smart Ring at CES 2024
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

From RinConn’s Smart Ring, a wearable that claims to “understand your body and maximize your health” to the Amazfit Heli Ring, a sports-focused wearable that can be paired with a performance watch of your choice, rings seemed to take over CES this year, outpacing smartwatches like Garmin.

3. Air gestures

Mashable’s Cecily Mauran checked out a smart mirror at Unveiled, a CES 2024 pre-show for the press, and it’s not just its wellness benefits that caught her eye, but its interactive functions.

Cecily Mauran interacts with a smart mirror
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

You can use air gestures to swipe through the UI on the funky smart mirror. The Mudra band is another striking tech product we spotted at CES 2024. It lets you navigate through all of your iDevices using air gestures, too.

4. Sleep tech

Many adults suffer from sleep issues, including myself. Quieting one’s mind to get a good night’s rest is much more challenging than it seems. As such, I’ve seen a few vendors attempt to solve this issue with technology. One of them is the Frenz Brainband, which I happened to review for a couple of months ahead of CES 2024. (Stay tuned for whether that was helpful for my insomnia.)

Mashable’s Kimberly Gedeon wearing the Frenz Brainband.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

This rubbery crown, which is meant to be worn around the forehead, uses AI to determine which binaural beats and voice coaching to use for the most optimal, personalized sleep.

myWaves can reportedly help you sleep
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I also stumbled upon myWaves, a device that can reportedly read your delta waves before using them to feed back sleep-inducing sound waves personalized for you.

5. Live captioning with smart glasses

TCL’s RayNeo X2 Lite glasses, billed as the world’s lightest full-color AR glasses, utilizes true AR, applying interactive, digital overlays on top of a real-world environment.

Mashable’s Cecily Mauran testing the TCL RayNeo X2 Lite glasses
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

You can engage with an AI-powered avatar with your voice, use touch gestures to interact with a virtual menu, and more. But a trend that I’ve been noticing, starting with the RayNeo X2 Lite glasses, is live captioning. These quirky glasses can also translate languages, live captioning everything that is being said to you in your native language. (For example, in our demo with the RayNeo X2 Lite glasses, the rep spoke Korean and we could see the words being transcribed — before our very eyes — into English.

XanderGlasses allowing user to “see” what is being said.
Credit: Xander

However, the RayNeo X2 Lite glasses aren’t the only spectacles that can do this. The XanderGlasses also made an appearance at CES 2024. Unlike the X2 Lite, the XanderGlasses target the accessibility market. It is made for users who are hard of hearing. The XanderGlasses can deliver lines of scrolling words to users, allowing them to rely on their visual senses (i.e., reading) to understand others who are speaking to them.

Sometimes the best things at CES aren’t even really at CES.

While walking back to our hotel late at night to wind down from a big event, Mashable’s Matt Binder and I stumbled upon a peculiar-looking SUV parked outside on display. It turns out Razer and Lexus have teamed up to create what can only be described as a “gaming car,” and it wound up being one of the wilder things we saw in Vegas.

To be more specific, it’s a 2024 Lexus TX that’s been tricked out Razer-style with all sorts of gaming goodies. Is it street legal? Possibly not, according to a press release from December. Does that matter? Nope!

A mobile LAN party

Those are gaming chairs.
Credit: Matt Binder/Mashable

For starters, this thing is eye-catching from 50 yards away. It’s a black Lexus TX with green (by default) Razer lighting that can change colors on command around the exterior of the vehicle. However, it’s what’s on the inside that makes this the ultimate gaming car — street legality be damned.

The Lexus TX has three rows of seating, and this particular version of it replaces the normal seats in the back two rows with gaming chairs. Yes, they put gaming chairs in a car. Each seat has a widescreen gaming monitor, and one of the seats even had a desk with a keyboard for PC gaming.

Look at this!
Credit: Matt Binder/Mashable

And then you open the trunk and see the craziest stuff the Razer Lexus TX has to offer. Instead of regular trunk space, there’s a docking station for up to four Razer gaming laptops (yes, it charges them) and a built-in Xbox Series X. There are a couple of open spaces for baggage, but aside from that, it’s all gaming, all the time in the Razer Lexus TX.

Party in the back.
Credit: Matt Binder/Mashable

To be clear, this seems to be a concept vehicle that I highly doubt will ever be a real thing you can buy for yourself. It’s really just a promotional crossover between Razer and Lexus. Personally, I have my concerns about what all that gaming hardware would do to a car battery over time. But none of that matters because this is CES and CES is all about wild tech stuff that you don’t see anywhere else.

I can’t think of anything we saw in Vegas that exemplifies that attitude more than a powerhouse gaming car.

MatPat is retiring … sort of. In a video uploaded earlier today, the 37-year-old YouTuber announced he will host his last video on his Game Theorists YouTube channel on March 9. After that, he will hand the channel and its three spin-offs — Film Theory, Food Theory, and Style Theory — over to four members of his staff.

MatPat, whose given name is Matthew Patrick, created his Game Theory series in 2011. His highly-edited, fast-paced videos exploring game lore remain among the platform’s most celebrated and long-running projects, and have spawned multiple related channels that have accumulated over 40 million combined subscribers.

Patrick and his wife and COO Stephanie have also become some of YouTube’s most recognizable and interesting creative forces off the platform. They’ve raised over $5 million for St. Jude’s Hospital through charity live streams and co-produced the Broadway play Grey House in 2023.

The Patricks have also pioneered new ways for online creators to turn YouTube channels into a viable business: in 2022, the couple sold The Game Theorists to a U.K.-based startup called LunarX in an attempt to expand the channel’s programming without snuffing out their creativity in the process.

In the video announcing his retirement from The Game Theorists, Patrick notes that the wear and tear of content creation played a large role in his decision to step down. “I don’t love the fact that Steph and I have been work-first for over a decade … I miss the days where I could just sit down on the couch with her and play video games and it’s not for content.”

Still, Patrick plans to stay involved in content development on the backend of the business and even appear on the business’s other channels. He also plans to livestream on his GT Live channel through the end of the summer and says he will host a Style Theory series about creator-crafted fashion lines in April.

Patrick’s is the latest in a line of YouTube creators who have recently announced their semi-retirement from the platform. On Jan. 1, science creator Tom Scott announced he would be stepping back from his channel for the foreseeable future and, in December, gaming creator CaptainSparklez announced he would stop posting Minecraft gameplay videos after 13 years.

It’s a tough day to be an Our Flag Means Death fan.

After giving us two seasons of queer pirates, mermaids, and oceanic drag queens, series creator David Jenkins announced that the beloved pirate comedy will not be returning for a third season on Max.

“I’m very sad I won’t set foot on the Revenge again with my friends, some of whom have become close to family,” Jenkins wrote in an Instagram post. “But I couldn’t be more grateful for being allowed to captain the damn thing in the first place.”

Jenkins also paid tribute to the show’s passionate fan base, saying:

“The second season was made possible by the enthusiasm of one of the most likable fan communities in the history of this medium. Your voices made a difference, your art made a difference, your viewership made a difference in securing more [Our Flag Means Death]. Getting to share this show with you and watching you make it yours has been a dream come true.”

Understandably, heartbroken fans took to social media to express their dismay and celebrate the community the show managed to build over its run.

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Jenkins’ announcement marks one of the first major TV cancellations of 2024. And although Our Flag Means Death will surely live on in fan art and fanfiction, it’s always painful to lose a show that meant so much to so many people — especially after only two seasons. Here’s hoping it isn’t pulled from the Max library entirely in order to cut costs, a fate suffered by other canceled series like Infinity Train and Raised by Wolves.

The portable gaming PC marketplace exploded in 2023, and 2024 looks to be no different.

After a year that brought us the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and Steam Deck OLED, MSI is ready to enter the fray with the Claw. On paper and in practice, it’s very similar to its competitors. It’s got enough juice to run modern AAA games, a similar control scheme to something like the Steam Deck, and a nice display to make games really pop. It will launch in the first half of 2024, starting at $699.

MSI brought the Claw to CES 2024 and I got to (briefly) put my hands on it. As much as I love the Steam Deck, its use of SteamOS is a problem for people who have games in other online libraries. MSI went a different route, and if the company can work out a couple of kinks, this could be a viable alternative for those who don’t want to be locked into Steam.

MSI Claw: Specs

Two peas in a pod.
Credit: Kim Gedeon/Mashable

Before I get to my experience with the Claw, it’s worth taking some time to lay out what’s under the hood of this handheld bad boy:

• 7-inch display with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate

• Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 processor

• Windows 11 built in

• 16GB RAM

• 53Wh battery

• Up to 1TB storage

There are a couple of points worth digging into here. First is the display, which one-ups the Steam Deck with 1080p resolution (as opposed to Steam Deck’s 800p) and a 120Hz refresh rate, beating the 90Hz rate on Valve’s handheld. Its Intel Meteor Lake processor is newer and theoretically more powerful than what’s in the Steam Deck, which is running on hardware that’s almost two years old at this point.

Like the ROG Ally and Legion Go, the Claw runs on Windows 11, as opposed to Valve’s choice to use the custom Linux-based SteamOS. This means the Claw is able to natively and easily run games from non-Steam libraries like Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games Store, and more. A Steam Deck can technically do that too, but you have to have some technical know-how and patience to pull it off.

Therein lies the best potential aspect of the Claw. The device can run in regular Windows 11 desktop mode if you want it to, but MSI built a simple and clean custom UI that brings all your different libraries together under one roof. It marries the simplicity of SteamOS with the functionality of Windows 11. To be clear, MSI isn’t a pioneer in this regard; the Legion Go, for example, had its own hub software with similar functionality, but the cluttered, ugly UI was enough of an impediment to stop me from using it entirely.

The Claw’s menu, on the other hand, is self-explanatory and seems worthwhile. I did have some troubles with finicky menu selection in certain spots, but MSI assured me the UI is still a work in progress. In particular, trying to force quit a game at the system level took more effort than I would’ve liked.

Last but not least, we brought a Steam Deck with us to the event and found that the two devices are nearly identical in weight. The spec sheet backs this up; MSI Claw comes in at 1.48 pounds and Steam Deck at 1.41 pounds.

MSI Claw hands-on

The fans seem to do their job.
Credit: Kim Gedeon/Mashable

As for how the device actually plays, my time with it was ever-so-brief but still illuminating enough.

Like its competitors, the Claw has two analog sticks, a D-pad, four shoulder buttons, and four face buttons. There are also two customizable macro buttons on the back. Unlike the Steam Deck, however, there are no touchpads to emulate mouse controls. There is a touch screen, but some people might prefer a touchpad. I don’t really care about that, but it’s worth pointing out.

I wasn’t able to get enough time with the Claw to do detailed performance analysis, and MSI didn’t have an onscreen frame rate counter for me to use like the Steam Deck does (though I was assured this is in the works). Judging by the eye test, Assassin’s Creed Mirage ran at a pretty stable 30FPS on low settings and looked excellent on the display. Sonic Superstars was even better, running at or close to 60FPS without much in the way of noticeable drops.

These are recent AAA releases (though maybe Superstars doesn’t qualify, even if it is a nice looking game), so seeing the Claw run them admirably was encouraging. MSI talked a big game about its proprietary cooling system that is supposed to keep the device from running hot, and sure enough, I didn’t notice any uncomfortable warmth in my time with it. A demo unit that had been running Mirage continuously for at least 20 minutes was a little warm, but well within acceptable parameters.

As for battery life, MSI says it has been able to run Forza Horizon 5 for two straight hours on a single charge. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but by the standards of portable gaming PCs, that’s pretty dang good. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until we have a review unit later this year to test that ourselves.

In all, MSI Claw could be another worthy entrant in the suddenly crowded portable PC landscape. Aside from maybe its newer processor, there isn’t anything about the hardware that screams must-have compared to a Steam Deck OLED just yet. But it’s great that there are so many options right now, and none of them are abjectly bad.

Previously, your manicure options were going to the salon and spending at least $20 (way more if you live in NYC), or trying to do it yourself at home.

Now there’s a third option that gets you the professional salon look, in the comfort of your home, without lifting a finger. At CES 2024, Nimble Beauty showed off its manicure robot that can paint and dry all ten fingers in about 25 minutes. After a few long days at CES, I jumped at the chance for a self-care moment.

Founder Omri Moran came up with the idea in 2016 after a first date was very late due to a botched manicure. The woman tried to fix it herself, then ultimately bailed and removed the whole manicure before rushing out the door. The woman’s story got Moran thinking that a manicure is a very different experience from what he expected. “I imagined it with friend, very relaxing,” said Moran. “Turns out for many people, it’s more like ongoing maintenance. And when they do it at home, it’s a chore.”

For many, manicures are maintenance or a chore, which is why Moran came up with Nimble.
Credit: Nimble

When Moran looked into it, he found a huge market and potential demand. Nimble’s Kickstarter campaign initially launched with a $50,000 goal, but ended up raising $2 million. For anyone who gets their nails done, this is obvious, but: manicures are a big business. And by the way, the date ended up becoming Moran’s wife, he says.

Back at the booth, trying not to think of Paul Atreides and the Bene Gesserit test, I put my hand inside the 12-inch cube. Once my fingers were correctly and comfortably fitted in between the ridges that ensure proper placement, I pressed the start button on the top of the cube. The accompanying app told me that Nimble was now in the process of calibrating. Using machine vision, tiny cameras, and 3D image processing, Nimble scanned the size and shape of each nail for accurate painting.

Then it got to work. Nimble has developed an AI robotic arm that has the same tactility of human hand to precisely paint each nail.

The app showing the initial calibration phase which is when Nimble scans the size and shape of the nails.
Credit: Nimble

The Nimble app was key to the user experience so I could know exactly what was happening inside the cube.
Credit: Nimble

It was a little weird feeling the cold, wet polish on my nails without being able to see it, and then the fan blowing air to dry it off. But the Dune comparison stopped as soon as the manicure started, since nothing scary or painful happened, and I was able to follow the process through the app. The app was a critical part of the experience, so I could know exactly what was happening. I only wish there was some kind of status bar on the machine. Otherwise, I was comfortable, especially since Nimble also comes with a little foam pillow to put under your wrist or forearm, allowing you to rest your arm while you wait.

Since there was high demand to test out Nimble, I was only able to get one nail painted. But within minutes, I got polish and a topcoat, and my nail was fully dry. The average manicure might take about 30 minutes, which includes soaking your hands, cuticle clean-up etc. But that doesn’t count drying, which Nimble does. In that sense, it might not replace the full salon experience. But if you’re like me and struggle with painting your dominant hand, and just want a convenient and clean paint job, Nimble is precise and on par with the pros.

With my single nail polished and dry, I was impressed with the results. The polish was almost perfectly painted on the nail and didn’t get on any of the cuticle or surrounding skin. This, Moran told me is also contingent on keeping your hand still, but Nimble’s AI algorithm means the robot arm is able to account for small movements and recalibrate accordingly.

For $599, Nimble doesn’t come cheap. But if you’re someone who regularly gets their nails done, this might pay for itself over time. Moran says they’re also planning new services and features like gel polish and pedicures. If that sounds like you, Nimble is available for pre-order and ships in March. Moran says widespread availability is expected this May.

Amid Samsung’s many wild announcements at CES 2024 (the return of Ballie anyone?!), the tech giant had the crowd at its press conference gasping over some of its new entertainment display options.

The two showstoppers from Samsung are the Transparent Micro LED display and the first-of-its-kind wireless Premiere 8K Projector. Basically, Samsung made sure that the other TV giants at CES — namely LG and TCL — didn’t walk away with all the television-related headlines.

Transparent Micro LED

First up, Samsung’s Transparent Micro LED display. This screen looks like a see-through slab of glass when turned off. However, when the display is turned on, a Micro LED chip projects a crystal-clear image onto the glass, transforming it into a TV screen.

Samsung unveils its Transparent Micro LED.
Credit: Mashable

If you’ve been following CES 2024 so far, a transparent TV screen may sound familiar. That’s because LG previously snagged headlines by unveiling its own transparent television first at the tech conference. Unlike Samsung’s Transparent Micro LED display, LG’s is an OLED TV called OLED T with the “T” standing for “transparent.” 

Also, unlike LG’s which the company says consumers will be able to buy later this year, Samsung’s Transparent Micro LED doesn’t appear to be a purchase-ready consumer product. So, LG has the upper hand here, but Samsung has its own version of a transparent television in the works too.

Premiere 8K Projector 

Samsung announces its Premiere 8K projector at CES 2024.
Credit: Mashable

In addition to its Transparent Micro LED display, Samsung also unveiled the Premiere 8K projector. According to Samsung, the Premiere 8K is the first wireless projector, meaning there’s no need to connect your entire home entertainment system and surround sound to the projector with messy wiring. (Note: The projector still takes conventional power via a cord.) 

The Premiere 8K is an ultra-short throw projector, meaning it can cast a big, clear image on your wall from a very short distance. In the Premiere 8K projector’s case, this means projecting an image as large as a whopping 150 inches.

The wireless ultra-short throw 8K projector doesn’t require much space to project a crisp, large image.
Credit: Mashable

Earlier in the week at CES, Mashable was able to get up-close with TCL’s new 115-inch QM89, which the company says is the largest 4K mini-LED television set. When it comes to TVs overall, there have been monster-sized displays shown at CES, but no consumer-ready television set quite as large as the QM89. It was quite impressive, particularly since it’s not a flashy conceptual announcement, but a retail item that will be in stores in the near future.

While a projector is of course not a TV set, Samsung’s Premiere 8K boasts that it can dwarf that with its 150 inch projection, which is much larger than the average projector size for home projectors. And, Samsung is offering 8K opposed to TCL’s 4K.

Mashable can’t compare the quality quite yet as we’ve yet to experience the Premiere 8K in the same way we did TCL’s QM89. But, both LG and TCL were running away as the clear winners in the TV category at CES 2024 with their respective transparent display and super-sized screen departments. That is until Samsung reminded CES that along with smartphones, robotics, and its slew of other products, it’s still the biggest player in the TV arena as well.

If we’re going to have somewhat creepy robot companions running our homes as we move into the future, at least they should be cute.

That seems to be Samsung’s M.O., anyway. The Korean tech giant at its CES 2024 press conference showed off the new and improved Ballie, a spherical robot friend originally announced all the way back in the increasingly distant pre-COVID days of early 2020. The new Ballie, who doesn’t yet have a price or release date, appears to be larger, with a smoother exterior texture than the prototype shown four years ago.

Samsung didn’t bring Ballie on stage or anything, instead opting for a quick proof-of-concept trailer video. In the trailer, you can see Ballie remotely warn its owner that their dog is up to no good before refilling the dog’s (smart?) food bowl. Ballie can also remotely control Samsung smart home devices like lights and other appliances. Communication between Ballie and its owner appears to be in the form of a text message-like app.

Unanswered questions about Ballie (besides when we can get our hands on it and for how much) include how well it can roll around on different surfaces, how long its battery lasts, how it charges, and whether or not your dog will get along with it or seek to eliminate it.

But at least we know Ballie lives. That’s what’s really important.

Lenovo brought the heat at CES 2024 with a new-ish snap-on technology that lets you attach useful gadgets onto the lid. “New-ish” is the operative word here because Magic Bay — the name of the attachable tech — is already in the market, allowing you to snap-on a 4K webcam to a laptop like this year’s ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 with ease.

However, Lenovo took it one step further this year, testing out wacky new Magic Bay concepts that had us scratching our heads.

‘Snap on’ a small tablet

The upcoming ThinkBook 13x Gen 14, featuring Magic Bay, is the laptop I used to test these swappable accessories inside Lenovo’s CES 2024 suite.

The Magic Bay tech uses pogo pins that power its snap-on gadgets with USB-C 3.0. As such, Lenovo has been experimenting with “add-ons” that users may find to be useful for their workflow, including this bizarre tiny tablet that humorously looks like a parasite that latched onto its laptop host.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Again, this is just a concept, so it didn’t work smoothly. After snapping it on, the laptop took several seconds too long to “recognize” the tablet as its secondary monitor. However, even if the kinks were ironed out, and this Magic Bay tablet accessory rolled out to market, how could this be useful?

‘Snap on’ a robot companion

Funnily enough, the robot companion may be more practical than the tablet.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

When I snapped on the robofriend to the 13x Gen 14, it didn’t do much but smile and wink. However, I’d imagine that a more polished variant would be more interactive, giving me the extra nudge I need to plow through tedious work.

‘Snap on’ a fan

Hear me out. A snap-on fan makes sense.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

You can plop a fan in front of you without worrying about your laptop obstructing your air flow — you’re getting cool wind delivered directly to you, from your laptop’s lid to your face.

‘Snap on’ a mirror and mini ring light

Another concept I played about with is the snap-on mirror. On top of giving you the option to look at yourself every now and then, it emanates a small ring light, too. This is a dream come true for vainglorious users.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Other bizarre concepts Lenovo is ruminating over is an aromatherapy snap-on, allowing you to put essential oils into a cartridge that can dispense healthful fumes. I’m not sure if that’s for me, but perhaps it may appease the wellness, new-agey crowd.

The ThinkBook 13x Gen 14, packed with its Magic Bay tech, should be available in Q1. It’s set to come with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to a 2TB SSD.