CES 2015

Pella Corporation has been making innovative door and window products for nearly 90 years and now the company is branching into technology with its new Insynctive line of sensors and control devices enabling homeowners to have simplified control over their home’s security, comfort and convenience features.

The Internet of Things has expanded to include a new high performance rifle from TrackingPoint nicknamed the “Mile Maker” for its “tag and shoot” technology that virtually guarantees anyone can hit a plate-sized target at up to one mile even on targets moving up to 30 mph! This technology puts the level of shooting skills the likes of Navy SEAL and Delta Force snipers that have spent years honing their craft into virtually anyone’s trigger finger.

I’ve seen plenty of cool product concepts in my time. A lot of them, perhaps the majority, have imploded along the way as the fragile dreamscape of the theoretical world is thoroughly trashed by the much harsher, take-no-prisoners landscape of the real world. Since nothing other than beta units have shipped yet, it’s not possible to tell whether or not Ecovent’s intelligent HVAC vents and environmental sensor network will manage to be more than a brief blast of hot air. But I truly hope so, because it’s one the most exciting products I can every remember coming across.

Put simply, Ecovent makes...

CES isn’t the place many speaker manufacturers choose to launch new in-wall or in-ceiling speaker models, but Paradigm is bucking this trend by launching two new speaker lines. The company has streamlined its AMS, SA and SIG offerings into two new lines, CI Pro and CI Elite. Paradigm listened to dealer and installer feedback to improve both the aesthetics and installation ergonomics of the new lines which have been redesigned to deliver better sound and a cleaner finished look to the end-user and an easier, faster install.

Astell&Kern has made a name for itself with ultra-high-resolution portable music players like the AK240 and AK120, allowing users to listen to their high-res FLAC and DSD audio files while on the road. At CES the company unveiled its new AK500N Ultimate Network Audio Player, bringing audiophile listening into the living room.

After achieving success with 2013's passive Triton Seven mini-tower ($700 each) and last year's powered Triton One flagship ($2,500 each), GoldenEar Technology has plans to introduce another affordable passive tower, the Triton Five.

If your home is filled with an array of Bluetooth speakers, you know the challenge of introducing “new” technology into your system. Since everything old is new again, Ion Audio has just introduced a vinyl turntable with a Bluetooth output so you can wirelessly break out your old LPs and 45s.