Covering CES while LA deals with wildfires
Navigating CES, the LA wildfires, and sharing my top tech highlights.
Hey there and thanks for opening my newsletter.
This turned out to be quite the week.
I was scheduled to be in Las Vegas for CES 2025, one of the biggest tech events of the year aside from the annual launch of the iPhone. My stay was supposed to last a full seven days, including coverage for KTLA and our affiliated stations, social media and culminating with my live radio show from Las Vegas.
That all slowly crumbled starting Tuesday. I was scrolling X and saw a dire warning from the National Weather Service about dangerously high winds in Southern California. I thought it must be a mistake. I couldn’t find another word about it. Still, I re-posted the message and sent a screenshot to my wife. She hadn’t heard anything about it either.
Next thing you know, Pacific Palisades is on fire. Now, to give you some perspective on this area of Los Angeles, it’s a spectacularly wealthy enclave carved into the side of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Since my wife is from the nearby Westside of Los Angeles, she grew up attending school there and has many family friends who live there. It didn’t seem real that it could be on fire.
Yet it was - and here I was, worried about the safety of her family and mine. At one point, it seemed that fires were closing in all around the residents of Los Angeles.
Still, with my immediate family safe and my videographer’s, we continued to cover the show. But it felt out of touch to post about silly robots and other gadgets while so many people were dealing with increasing devastation in LA. We also send my segments to various stations around the country, so we forged ahead, knowing fully well that KTLA was wall-to-wall fire coverage. Our pieces would have to wait there.
With five pieces done and countless other clips captured, I made the decision to head home earlier than planned. Although my family was still safe, it felt better to be home and with them. My camera roll is filled with CES gadgets I will be posting when things settle down in Los Angeles.
One of the big aspects of CES is not just the tech you see, but the people you meet up with. With over 100,000 people descending upon Vegas from around the world, you’re sure to run into just about everyone you know. And you do. Not only do you see tech friends and old colleagues, but also the people you email with all year long for stories, reviews and more. That’s half the fun of it all.
I was amazed at how many people started their conversation with me, asking how my family was doing and sending their best to the people of Los Angeles. It’s reassuing to know that in times like this people go back to the basics of wanting to help fellow humans.
For my part, I turned my social media into somewhat of a clearinghouse for tech tips, resources and more related to the fires. If I could help just one person, then it’s all worth it.
So, thank you for your concern and support, and, as I said in a post, LA has always been ready for its close-up; we just never imagined it would be like this.
CES Gadgets
I walked an average of 7 miles a day at CES 2025. You can set up all the meetings in advance you want, but I find that the best way to experience the randomness of the show truly is just to walk around and see what catches your eye.
Here are a few of my highlights.
Samsung Ballie - Samsung’s rolling robot with built-in AI and a projector is making its way to homes in 2025. It can handle voice commands and adjust smart home settings, but I’m not buying it. Seems more gimmicky than helpful.
Roborock Vacuum with arm - How many times has your Rooma gotten stuck on a sock or something else in it’s way? This robot vacuum has a mechanical arm that pops out of the top to move items out of it’s way.
ColdSnap Instant Ice Cream Machine - A K-Cup machine, but for frozen things like ice cream, smoothies and more. Pop in a pod and it quick freezes it in about two minutes, then dispenses the goods. I tried vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. This one is $3,000 but a consumer version is planned soon.
HoloConnects Mini Hologram Box - I mean, who doesn’t want to become a hologram! Super fun. We might start to see these pop up in more places.
ASUS ZenBook A14 - This laptop was so light it felt fake. Under 2.5 pounds and has the latest AI smarts built in.
Plantaform Smart Indoor Garden - One of my favorites of the show. It looks like an alien space capsule crashed down in your living room and started to grow plants, complete with a fog based watering system. Super cool and I want one.
Petcube UV Filtration Water Fountain - We demand clean water, now your pets can have super purified water too thanks to UV filtration.
Pawport Smart Pet Door - Installs over a standard pet door to make it smart. Comes with a Bluetooth tag you put on your pet’s collar so they can come in but random animals can’t. You can also set schedules so your pet has a curfew.
XREAL Augmented Reality Glasses - Super impressed with these. They look like sunglasses, but you can plug them into your phone or computer and instantly see your screen projected right in front of you. Work, watch movies or use an app. Best AR glasses I’ve tried yet.
Amazon Project Kuiper - Starlink is about to get some competition. Amazon has plans to launch thousands of satellites into space that will provide internet connections anywhere at higher speeds and lower prices.
PaintCam Paintball Security Camera - Think video camera, but with a way to shoot paintballs at intruders or unwanted animals on your property.
Loomos AI Glasses - A less expensive version of the Meta Ray Ban smart glasses. These can capture photos and videos and have ChatGPT built in as opposed to Meta AI. They are lightweight and look great.
Roam - If you love sparkling water, this system makes it on the go in an insulated water bottle. It’s a little bulky, but pretty neat. Like a SodaStream in your Hydroflask.
Rocksteady Speakers - I was impressed with these Bluetooth speakers that let you link up an unlimited number of them for sound throughout your house or backyard.
OpticWash - You’ve seen this “carwash for glasses” at the airport, now they’re making a version for home use. It uses a spray of water and UV to clean and sanitize your glasses in minutes. When I asked who could afford the $3000 price tag, the rep said it would be perfect for a Yacht.
Fun Tech at CES
Here’s one of my CES segments that did air on KTLA this week. It features some fun gadgets.
Fire Resources
I’ve compiled a list of fire resources to help others out or get assistance. Take a look and share and let me know if something should be added.
Whoops!
One of the funnier moments at CES was when I accidentally knocked over a robot. I watched it walk around and play with a ball, and the company rep assured me it could handle a hit. When he invited me to give it a try, I asked how hard. He said, "Just go for it," so I did—and, well, this happened. The real surprise? How quickly it got back up. You've been warned!
Rich’s Reading List
I typically listen to non-fiction books and read fiction books on my Kindle. Recently, I finished listening to “Carson the Magnificent,” which is all about Johnny Carson. Carson was a bit before my time, but as a teen, I was really into David Letterman and, later, Jay Leno. Anyway, the interesting thing about the book is that you don’t come away feeling that you know any more about Johnny Carson the person than you did before reading the book. And that’s sort of the thesis - this guy was on TV for 30 years in front of millions of people and just sort of disappeared from the limelight when he was done. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about his rise to success and personal struggles.
That’s all, folks
That’s going to do it for this edition of the newsletter. I sincerely thank every one of you for subscribing, and a reminder if you’re a paid subscriber, you get to listen to a high-quality, ad-free version of my podcast (my radio show). Plus, you get access to the archive of every newsletter I’ve written.
Don’t forget to check out a handy new feature on my website - search! Just look for the magnifying glass at the top. You’ll be impressed at how easy it is to find something I’ve mentioned on TV or the radio with just a keyword or two.
Stay safe out there. My thoughts are with everyone affected by these wildfires.
Rich