Well, we are in the data age. According to the Consumer Technology Association, from here it will be AI, Self Driving Cars, and 8K Televisions. You can read that at CTA.Tech  where they tell us where we will spend our money and why.  I saw those trends at CES and in fact, when I was booking my rides with Lyft, I got a message asking if I wouldn’t mind a self driving car. I said sure, why not. But out of about 15 rides, I never got one.

One thing I did hear was that the trend in Smart Homes will be to get the different systems connected together. I think I already have over five different apps on my phone for all the things in the house and my house is not all that connected. I did see several companies at CES trying to solve that problem and that will be a good thing.

How big a television screen do you need? From what I am hearing, to be able to tell the difference between HD and 4K, you need at least 40 inches. To tell the difference between 4K and 8K, you need a 65 inch screen. There were some really neat new 8K TVs out there but wow, the prices. Think I will wait and it sounds like a lot of people will be waiting as well as CTA forecasts that ½ million 8K televisions will ship in 2020.

The good news is there are a lot of new products and ideas coming out to help those that need it most. One that we saw earlier is from MPOWRED that gives light where it is needed.

Another I found is the Solar Cow from Yolk. Yolk is one of those solar panel companies that has in the past shown off some really cool applications and products but this time it is a program to give school children access to a portable power pack to take home. 

Take a closer look at both of these terrific programs.

Something different that I found coming out of Taiwan was Eleclean. They have created a portable device that turns water into hydrogen peroxide.  It uses the world’s first nano-catalysis electrochemical technology to convert water molecules into reactive oxygen species in 15 minutes. Charge it up with a micro-USB cord, add water, and you are ready to go. An eco-friendly solution to keeping things clean. To be used as a hand sanitizer and a disinfecting surfaces spray and for even sanitizing pets. However, the instruction manual is a bit daunting as you have to deal with the "Activated carriers".

And what would CES be without a visit to Catalyst. I have known them for years for their waterproof iPhone cases and I did put them to a test on my trips. Whether it be the beach or ocean, the cases worked absolutely wonderfully in protecting my phone from the elements. In fact, I got some great pictures from the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls!  But now they have branched out for iPads and the Apple Watch4 as well.  Terrific stuff.

We have known about Targus for years for their solid and reliable cases and docking stations but at CES, they were showing of an amazing Quad HD Docking station that allows you to connect four monitors to your computer and span your desktop through all four monitors. Really cool stuff and it is available for $275.

And finally, back again is the Foldimate. The gift for that special person who has everything. The self folding machine that appears to be getting closer and closer to release. Estimated to be $980 when it ships later this year.