CES 2022: Smartphones, Laptops and Wacky Devices Among Top New Releases

(CNN Business) – The CES 2022, one of the largest technology trade events in the world, begins this Wednesday in Las Vegas with its first face-to-face act since the start of the pandemic. While the conference may look a little different in 2022, it still showcases the familiar mix of innovative and quirky products that show up year after year.

Beyond laptops, tablets, and smartphones, the event will feature a number of quirky gadgets, including dehumidifying headphones (yes, you read that right), smart light bulbs that control your sleep, and even smart bathroom technology that allows the bathtub fills itself.

Here’s a look at some of the products to look out for at CES 2022, based on company announcements and featured Tuesday during a press event.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE smartphone

Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 FE 5G smartphone – FE stands for fan edition – borrows some of the best features from its S21 line and packs them into a more affordable device. The smartphone, which starts at $ 699 and is available from January 11, costs $ 100 less than last year’s S21 for the same processors, refresh rates and triple camera system. With a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, it’s slightly larger than the S21 and comes with an aluminum frame, a slight camera bump on the edge of the phone, and a fingerprint scanner. It may not be as flashy as the S21, but the cheaper price and different colors (olive, lavender, white or silver) could make it an attractive alternative.

Dell Alienware Flexible Gaming Configuration

Alienware, Dell’s gaming hardware division, showcased a game setup called Concept Nyx that would allow you to seamlessly switch from playing a game on a PC in the bedroom to playing on a TV screen in the living room, just picking up where one player left off using a single controller. The system, which is still in the prototype stage, would be based on edge computing, which could also mean higher bandwidth and less lag when gaming.

Sengled Smart Light Bulb

Sengled’s new smart light bulb tracks your sleeping patterns without the need for a smartwatch. The lighting company has added radar technology to its bulbs that monitors biometric measurements such as heart rate, body temperature, and other vital signs. Multiple Bluetooth-enabled light bulbs used together in a home can create a mesh network to “help detect human behavior and determine if someone has fallen and call for help,” according to the company.

Intelligent Bird Feeder Bird Buddy

If you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with feathered friends visiting your backyard, Bird Buddy, a $ 199 chamber bird feeder, could help. Available for pre-order now and shipping in June, the feeder connects to your home WiFi network, captures photos and videos of visiting birds, and broadcasts live to an app on your phone. The app uses artificial intelligence so you know what kind of birds you are looking at and will save an album that tracks bird visitor history to share with family and friends.

Kohler Smart Bathroom Technology

Tired of waiting for the bathtub to fill up at the end of the day? Most people probably never thought of it as a problem, but Kohler has announced the new “PerfectFill Smart Bathing” technology that will allow users to preset their (and their children or partner’s) preferences for bath temperatures and baths. fill levels, and take a bath with a voice command. The product, which starts at $ 2,700, is not yet in the delivery stage, but the company has a link for customers to be notified when it is available on its website.

Dog nose prints, temporary tattoo printer and dehumidifying headphones

Samsung’s C-Lab startups, the company’s in-house accelerator program, did not disappoint this year, with some unusual but lovely products. The Petnow app allows you to use your dog’s nose print to identify it if it is lost instead of using an implanted microchip. The app uses artificial intelligence to analyze the unique wrinkles on the dog’s nose, which remain unchanged over time, much like fingerprints, and aims to help reunite pets with their owners.

An app from Prinker Korea creates temporary tattoos by choosing the design and then printing it on your skin via a handheld device, which starts at $ 199. And Linkface’s DearBuds, a Bluetooth headset, track moisture inside the ear, which the creators say causes bacterial overgrowth, as well as releasing light and heat to soothe sticky and moist ear canals (the startup exceeded its Kickstarter target last year, but suspended funding due to problems with supplying parts for the headphones and said he planned to redesign the product).

John Deere autonomous tractor

John Deere has long offered tractors with GPS-guided automated steering, but its latest model, coming later this year, will till the fields on its own. The autonomous farm tractor includes six stereo cameras and many sensors, so farmers can monitor their progress using a smartphone app that provides real-time data and video. Meanwhile, the built-in AI will keep an eye out for obstacles or problems. If something looks wrong, the tractor can stop and ask the farmer for help.

Dell XPS 13 Plus Laptop

Dell made some significant changes to its XPS 13 laptop, most notably with a “capacitive function row” in place of the F keys, which allow you to adjust brightness and volume, not unlike Apple’s controversial Touch Bar. But early reviews applaud the change, along with the introduction of a glass haptic touchpad, a growing trend in thinner laptops. The sleek premium laptop will launch this spring with a starting price of $ 1,100.

Samsung Freestyle

Samsung’s sleek new Freestyle device ($ 899) offers the customization capabilities of Samsung’s smart TVs with portability. Weighing less than two pounds, the versatile and stylish projector creates exciting entertainment experiences, anytime, anywhere. It will play music, display decorative lighting, or project videos on the walls or ceiling while you are lying on your bed.

CNN Business’s Peter Valdés-Dapena contributed to this story.