Robot. I haven’t gotten over to the robot zone at CES yet, so perhaps this is not the only robot that will make sense to me, but it is the first one. The Mint from Evolution Robotics cleans floors, not rugs, using standard pads made by Swiffer. I have a white kitchen floor (this was not my idea), it’s a nightmare to keep clean. I already use Swiffer sometimes—manually—I’d love to hand my Swiffer pads over to a robot. And, tipping the scales, it’s smaller and cuter than a Roomba; it wouldn’t look awkward parked in the corner. The Mint will ship in the second half of the year, at under $250.
Flipkiller. Everyone has an answer to Flip HD, the popular point, shoot, and upload video camera. I saw a lot of them (including Sony’s Bloggie, the product I’m nominating for worst name); all were fine, but none had a
Keyboard. A keyboard? I’m lusting after a keyboard? Yes, at least, I want to try it. The Ergomotion keyboard from Smartfish Technologies is
Tekla S. Perry is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., she's been covering the people, companies, and technology that make Silicon Valley a special place for more than 40 years. An IEEE member, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.