Les Vegas, United States
The 2014 International CES kicked off in Las Vegas overnight with CES Unveiled, an annual event that brings together major suppliers and up-and-coming tech brands under one roof to show off their latest products.
Always something of a mixed bag, this year's event saw major brands such as LG, Lenovo and Parrot showcasing products alongside smaller tech start-ups spruiking their wares, as well as a few strange international imports.
Here's our pick of five of the best gadgets on show.
LG G Flex
LG G Flex; the curves are not as pronounced in situ as there are in the press shots.
One of the major attractions at Unveiled was easy to spot, thanks to the press crowding around LG's stand to see the brand's newest smartphone concept. The Flex is a smartphone with a standard enough feature set, including a 6-inch HD P-OLED display, 2.26-GHz Snapdragon processor and 13-megapixel rear camera. However, as the name may suggest, the Flex features a curved body and curved display, which not only makes it more comfortable when rested against the face (according to the LG rep demonstrating the device) but also gives it a real visual point of difference. It is also slightly flexible, meaning it can be pressed flat to the table.
Parrot Mini Drone
Parrot's new Mini Drone.
Well known for its array of fantastic flying machines, Parrot showed off its new Mini Drone at Unveiled 2014. Smaller than the existing AR Drone, the Mini Drone shrinks down the quad-copter design of its predecessor and adds two lightweight circular wings to the side, reminiscent of a Star Wars TIE fighter. This is definitely one for early adopters who have never really grown out of their toys.
Lenovo Horizon 2
The Lenovo Horizon 2 has an enormous screen.
Blurring the boundaries between PC, convertible tablet, TV and coffee table, the Lenovo Horizon 2 features a 27-inch 10-point touchscreen, Intel 4th Generation core i7 processor and measures just 19.5-millimetres thick. Billed as a "multimode PC" this device could easily become a cover-all device in the kitchen or the family room.
Pure Jongo T4 Wireless Speaker
Pure unveiled a new range of Jongo speakers.
With Pure's original Jongo range adding a dash of colour to the audio aisle in Australian retailers last year, the UK brand has added a new device to its range with the Jongo T4. The wireless speaker will also be launched with a new range of colourful grills to modify the design, including a Neutral line-up (colours include Iron and "Goblin Blue") as well as the brighter Vibrant line-up.
WeMo Smart Slow Cooker
Belkin is providing the connectivity for a new Wi-Fi enabled Crock-Pot slow cooker.
A collaboration between Belkin's home automation brand WeMo and the well-known Crock-Pot cooking brand, this appliance is the first smartphone controllable slow cooker: users can turn the appliance on and off, control cooking temperatures and even set times from their smartphone, without being in the house.
