We continue to be amazed as we comb the convention centers of Las Vegas, finding the greatest gadgets of CES 2019. From a giant TV that simply rolls itself away to the most alluring vending-machine robot, and even a big surprise from Apple, this year's show is giving me a serious case of FOMO.
Here are some of the biggest highlights from the second day of CES, and the show is still far from over.
The first rollable OLED TV is here
LG has taken on the role of show magician, and we are seriously entertained. With a mere push of a button, the 65-inch 4K LG Signature OLED TV R rolls itself up or down inside of a sleek aluminum box. Don't worry -- no compromises have been made for this magic trick. This screen supports all of the major HDR standards, offers excellent contrast and rocks a 100-watt sound system inside its base.
Byton made the iPhone of cars
One of the biggest debuts of CES 2018 came from Byton, and the China-based electric automotive upstart is back again. This year, we saw the updated Byton M-Byte, which offers more than just the giant 48-inch dashboard-mounted touchscreen display we saw last year.
Byton has added another screen in the steering wheel and a third in the center console. The display in the wheel can act either as a standalone monitor or as a giant touchpad for the dashboard display. And don't worry, this car is not vaporware: The M-Byte comes to China later this year and hits U.S. shores in 2020.
Apple steals the show without a single keynote
Tim Cook doesn't need to set foot in Vegas for Apple to be the name on everybody's lips. Samsung, LG and Vizio all announced that Apple's AirPlay 2 media casting technology is arriving on their smart TVs, a huge change of the tide for Apple, which usually keeps its proprietary technologies to itself.
Even bigger? Samsung TVs are getting iTunes, which feels like the first step towards Apple's forthcoming streaming service being available for those who don't buy Apple hardware.
The MateBook 13 looks like a real MacBook Air killer
If you were disappointed by the MacBook Air's hefty $1,199 price tag or its ho-hum Y-Series Intel CPU, Huawei has made a laptop for you. The Huawei MateBook 13 starts at $999 and packs a Whiskey Lake U-Series chip, which provides more power. Also, we can already tell that the MateBook 13's keyboard is more comfortable for typing than the Air's, as its keys feature noticeably higher vertical travel, so they actually feel like they're moving up and down.
Folding phones are here, and — wow — they're weird
We've heard all the chatter and seen all the renders about Samsung's foldable Galaxy F, but we barely saw it when the company teased that phone at a developers' conference event. We got the exact opposite experience when Royole's FlexPai phone got its time in the spotlight at CES, where we saw the tablet that folds to become a phone, all the while looking like a melting object in a Salvador Dali painting.
The demo on the CES floor showed us that this is definitely a functional device, launching apps and taking photos.
This bread-vending machine will make you wish you were at CES
The BreadBot has a dead-simple name because it performs a brilliantly simple task: making bread. Coming from Wilkinson Baking Company, BreadBot takes you from raw ingredients to freshly baked loaves in about an hour and a half. While it doesn't seem like you or I will own the BreadBot, you might see it in a grocery store near you, as it's going to be tested in markets throughout the country. Oh, and the BreadBot slathers on the butter on its own.
Samsung's Notebook Flash is a fun take on the budget laptop
Budget laptops shouldn't be this interesting, so I have to hand it to Samsung for pulling off something remarkable with its $349 Notebook Flash. How on earth does the Flash pack a Full HD, anti-glare screen, fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C? The answer probably has something to do with its plastic chassis, which sports an utterly unique woven-textile pattern that's carved into the deck.
This AI-powered bowl keeps pets from becoming fat-cats
Got a greedy pup or cat? The Mookkie pet bowl uses cameras and AI to make sure your housemate isn't getting larger portions than you'd prefer.
It doesn't require much setup either. All you do is take a few photos of your pet's face, upload them using the Mookkie app and remember to refill its bowl.
Then, the Mookkie will only dispense food when its cameras recognize your pet, and it supports multiple faces if you're living in a multiple pet household. And if you're looking to learn more about your critter's eating habits, Mookkie keeps tabs on how often your animal is eating.
This gaming PC looks pretty but packs a punch
CyberPower's Syber Cube gaming PC is a beautiful blend of form and function that puts a ton of top-notch components and RGB-lit fans into a glass box that's worthy of display in your living room.
The $4,800 configuration we saw had a Intel Core i9-9900K processor, dual Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti GPUs, 32GB of RGB RAM and a 512GB SSD, but you can configure yours any way you want after the Syber Cube hits stores soon.
One wheel is all you need
Future Motion's OneWheel+ XR looks like a cross between a sled and a skateboard, dominated by one fat wheel right in the middle. Yet it was surprisingly easy for us to stay upright wheeling around a parking lot, as built-in sensors monitor your every lean and head turn to navigate the board.
You can go up to 19 mph on the $1,799 OneWheel+XR, which has a range of 15 to 18 miles. The $1,499 OneWheel+, no XR, has a smaller range of 5 to 7 miles. Both are available now.
Where's the beef? Not here, but you'd never be able to tell
Every hungry techie has to eat sometime, which is why we ventured out of the CES 2019 exhibition hall to cruise over to the Border Grill and check out the Impossible Burger 2.0.
The original plant-based Impossible Burger can be found from Brooklyn to Berkeley, but this new version is even tastier and juicier. You can even toss it on a grill. Expect to see the Impossible Burger 2.0 at your favorite upscale burger bar in March.
