Ok, everyone has their wish list and when you travel to CES, the show formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, you come away with wonder in your eyes and maybe even empty pockets. Fortunately for me, the things I see that I really would like to get my hands on are either too expensive or not yet available. What luck.

So, lets begin by tooling around in the NIU TQi-GT. And as they say “ Explore Your City Like Never Before Without Traffic Limitations “.  From the  NIU Newsroom: “TQi Electric Three-Wheeler

Revolutionizing the future and carving the way for a new vehicle category, NIU has reinvented the wheel with a unique twist and more modernized way to ride. Set out to create a vehicle that riders of any experience level would love from the moment they grab the handlebars, NIU invented the TQi-GT. The TQi-GT is NIU’s first self-balancing electric three-wheeler, which comes standard with autonomous driving functionalities, including self-parking. Designed to provide urban commuters with an advantageous way to enjoy their city, the TQi-GT can reach top speeds of 50 miles per hour and has a range of up to 80 miles to provide more than a week of urban commuting range. In order to provide additional safety features for urban drivers, the TQi-GT is also equipped with an anti-lock braking system. The vehicle’s enhanced performance and updated safety features provide drivers with a new, unmatchable way to navigate through crowded city streets.”

Price and availability are not yet released.

Ok, I am a computer guy and a processor that has 64 cores and 128 threads of processing power gets my attention.  For only $3990, you too can build a massive computer based on AMD’s latest Threadripper 3990X CPU.  Of course you will need a new mainboard, video card, and a system capable of handling the 280 watts of power required by the Threadripper.

I still like the Fractal Design cases. Make sure the mainboard supports the new M.2 memory specifications for really fast storage.  

Figure about $7,000 for the entire computer system.

According to CES 2020 Trends, speakers will be the most common purchase this year and we are talking Alexa everywhere. 

Well, it is time to get rid of those tinny sounding cheap speakers and here is what I want in a speaker from Cleer. It is called the Crescent and it is truly cool looking and with an amazing sound. It has its own YouTube Video. 

From HomeTheaterHIFI:  “Upstart Cleer Audio is stepping away from the monotonous design that has dominated the form factor of the modern smart speaker landscape, instead creating a device that compliments and blends into your home interior design, serving as an accent piece as well as a sound system. The sleek and considerate shape are an interior designer’s dream and make this speaker something worth hearing and seeing. With a linear array of eight custom 40mm full-range drivers and two 3.3” subwoofers, the Crescent is emblematic of the premiere audio experience that Cleer is making their name on. Its use of Dysonics’ (a member of the Intel Capital portfolio of companies) SoundShaping™ software marries exceptional industrial design and engineering with the latest technology for a customizable listening experience.” 

Available August 2020 $599.99

Home theater is where it is at according to the big TV makers and you know what, there are a lot of them out there. We get so used to thinking of the big Japanese and Korean TV makers that we forget all about the ones coming in out of China.  And they have some pretty impressive stuff.  

You could go with the TV that rises up out of the cabinet but my favorite is the Wallpaper from LG. Truly super thin, mount it on the wall and it sits out just a mere 0.23 inches! Of course, OLED, 8K display and a true theater experience. Bring your own popcorn.

This one is only $9,999.99 including the sound bar.

Now for my wish list.

What I need are good walking shoes, and a walking stick with built in health and tracking.  Why is it that I need a ton of different apps for my thermostat, lights, alarm system, garage door opener, smoke detector, and timers?  Add to that list the router, doorbell, security lights, oor locks, wifi, and storage devices.

And finally, right now I have two 22-inch monitors on my desktop and I love having the space to have a document open on one side and the internet browser on the other for one just example of using both monitors at the same time. Well, Viewsonic has something that would let me go back to one monitor. The XG350R-C; a 35 inch curved display with a 3440x1440 resolution.  This is compared to my two monitors set at 1680x1050 each for an effective 3360x1050. Since it is a gaming monitor, we are talking super-fast 100Hz refresh rate. Available and in stock for $744.

Robert Sanborn
March 2020