We straddle the divide between full infiltration by Google Home and desperately needing an upgrade from e-scooters. Many devices have already switched to a wireless approach, but you know how it is… it’s never enough. Some of these new gadgets are a necessary step forward in human advancement, while others just take us toward a foreshadowed Black Mirror episode. Life-changing or not, read on and decide.
ForwardX Ovis
Anything that promotes convenience (i.e. laziness) and doesn't look ridiculous gets our stamp of approval. With eyes and cognitive intelligence, this hands-free luggage performs better than some leashed dogs by following you with unwavering loyalty. Ovis carries location tracking, meets required TSA standards, is waterproof and weighs less than 4.5kg. It even provides the unintended entertainment feature of being, what we imagine to be, the perfect hide-and-seek playmate during a long layover. Just don't leave it hiding for too long lest it raises red flags with airport security. More importantly, don't forget to charge it or else we'll regress to our caveman ways of dragging it along.
V-Tex
It's a reverse microwave! Look how far we've come (sorry, no cure for cancer today). Instead, how about a can of coke chilled to 5°C within a minute? Perfect for our weather, we must say. Though it really shows how much patience we have for an ordinary fridge to do its job. All we can picture is an absentminded host who's constantly ill-prepared for guests, and the inventor of ice trays silently crying in the afterlife.
Kuri
There are actually plenty of home robots currently past prototyping stage, but we chose the most Pixar-looking one of the bunch. Kuri maps out your house and can cleverly navigate around it, but its makers present it as more of a companion bot who helps capture life's little moments, rather than a guard dog who alerts you of intruders (it's too cute for that). We're not entirely sure how to feel about the humanising aspects (does its blinking and nodding make it more relatable, or is it eerie knowing that it's all an artificial construct designed for that very purpose?), and do we really need every moment of our lives recorded? We have nosy relatives for that. And what happened to old-fashioned interactions with healthy domestic animals called pets? It's hard trying to wrap the head around having the next generation grow up with an indispensable AI at home, but perhaps that was what our ancestors thought about smartphones three generations ago.
RED Hydrogen One
RED founder Jim Jannard offered us some reassurance about his smartphone with "We have no idea whatsoever what we are doing", and we can only take this word for it. While the handset innovates a new '4-view' display technology that essentially converts standard 2D into a holographic screen, the effects are neat but still has room for improvement, according to reviews. Holograms, along with hover boards, are the ultimate sci-fi dream, so we do see future success for this product, somewhat. And then it will be a matter of time before we get harassing pop-up ads in 3D every 15 minutes.
Boosted Mini
It's the reason why we don't understand e-scooters. Why didn't those guys just skip straight to these? Even before the 'e' factor was added, how much cooler can you look on a scooter than a skateboard? The ages of the respective vehicle's primary target consumer are telling enough. Don't get us started on the mono-wheeled Segway. At just under 7kg, this third-generation electric skateboard is the smallest of the current lineup. It clocks in more than 10km on standard battery life and nearly 30km/h top speed. Until then, a fitting subsitute until our hover boards arrive.
