Five CES products that make you ask… ‘but why?’

The tech industry loves to breathlessly sell you its latest, greatest, greatest new idea. Presentations need to be quick and aggressive, because if you take more than a second to think about what they're selling, you might miss out on your wallet. As flashy as the products of CES 2024 in Las Vegas, they often have a fatal weakness. That is, not having an answer to the most important question of all: “so what?”

One: LG's Wireless Transparent OLED TV

LG OLED T
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

LG came to CES to show off a 77-inch wireless 4K OLED TV that is transparent for some reason. You can play images of a singer, an aquarium, or other screensaver-like elements as a talking piece in your home. But it turns out that being transparent isn't ideal for watching TV, which is why it comes with a drop-down black background to make your transparent TV look more transparent. I can imagine it used as an advertising screen or as an installation in a museum or corporate office. But why would you spend so much money on a TV whose main feature is an obstacle to its proper functioning?

Two: Kohler PureWash E930 Bidet Seat

A white toilet (with a stylish bidet seat) installed in an upscale bathroom (green, floral-patterned walls outside the throne room).
Kohler

It's important that devices are designed with accessibility as a primary concern, rather than settling for it at the end. No one would hate a voice-activated toilet that could help people with access needs go about their day. But Kohler's bidet seat is deeply integrated with Alexa or Google Home. Why on earth would you spend over two thousand dollars to give Amazon or Google detailed information about your bathroom habits?

Three: Lockly Visage Face Scan Smart Lock

A person's face is scanned by a keyhole.
Lockdown

The Lockly Face smart lock uses facial recognition to grant access to your home, opening the door if it spots you. Aside from the hideous privacy and security implications of smart locks, one thing you should never connect to the internet is a crazy idea. Why would you leave something as important as access to your home to the whims of an unproven sensor or gadget?

Four: Urtopia’s ChatGPT compatible e-bike

A gray, white and black Urtopia Fusion electric bike rests on its kickstand on the blue carpet at the CES 2024 show.
Urtopia

The Urtopia Fusion is an electric bike equipped with a 540 Wh battery promising a range of 75 miles, a powerful mid-drive motor and air suspension forks. It's also, for some reason, equipped with ChatGPT which the company claims will allow you to “talk” to your bike. Its personalized assistant will help you, when asked, to “explore new routes”, “get real-time information” and even “start entertaining conversations”. Why on earth would you want to have a conversation with your bike when you should be focusing on something else.

Five: The Hyundai S-A2 air taxi concept

A gray and blue plane.
Hyundai

Hyundai has introduced a new VTOL air taxi concept that it hopes would take people on short trips of up to 40 miles. It can reach a top speed of 120 miles per hour and will probably never come to the real world. After all, why bother reorganizing the entire world to deal with this disaster waiting to happen?

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Follow all the news from the show here.

This article was originally published on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/five-ces-products-that-make-you-ask-but-why-150010098.html?src=rss

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