CES favorites from the folks not buried in CES
You've probably noticed that over 9000 people from Mobile Nations — including our own Phil, Alex, Andrew, Russell and Justin — are on the ground at CES 2015 looking at all the things. Phones, tablets, TVs and almost anything else you can think of that run Android or work together with Android have invaded Las Vegas, and we need an army to see it all.
But not all of us are there. We still need people to run things back home, and sleep in their own beds and eat food that doesn't come from a booth. At the same time, we spend all day virtually at CES through the Internet. Trust me, I have more CES going on in my office than the Las Vegas Convention Center does. We've seen it all, through the eye of the camera, and we all have our own favorites.
Have a look at them.
Simon Sage — The Mad Catz L.Y.N.X. 9
The $300 gaming controller announced by Mad Catz is obnoxiously overpriced, even by console standards, and yet I want to see just how good this plays. It looks like it's built sturdy, while being extremely modular. The wear on those moving parts may become apparent over time, but customer support on a purchase like this would have to be pretty good. Obviously I'd never spend my money on something like this, but I can't help but admire the audacity of a company for trying to sell it.
Ara Wagoner — New Android TV-powered televisions
When Android TV was announced at Google I/O last year, it had some promise, but it also brought a lot of questions: what manufacturers would be willing to give up their own UI and design for something that looks top-to-bottom like Android? Chromecasts are still some of our favorite devices, but would having them built into the TV make it easier for your mom and dad to find something to watch on a Wednesday? Would users accept another TV with Google in it after years and years of failure in the living room? This year we got our answer, as Sharp unveiled a line of Android TVs, and Sony went all-in on Android TV with their announcement that all 2015 Bravia TVs would run Android TV. Sony is still one of the most well-known names in televisions, and the Bravia line is front and center in many an electronics store. This will put Android TV front and center for mainstream consumers, and if all goes well it will help nudge other makers towards Google's latest attempt to take over the living room.
Jerry Hildenbrand — The Dell Venue 8
I'm a sucker for a nice — and competitively priced — Android tablet. It certainly appears that Dell has shown me just that with their new Venue 8. An awesome OLED QHD display (Richard says it looks amazzazazing) packed into the thinnest tablet available at 6mm certainly grabs my attention. Front facing speakers and 32GB of storage round things out, and the new Intel Atom (running Android) is something I've been wanting to have a look at. Yes, it's not running Lollipop just yet, but Dell promises an update soon — hopefully when all the bugs are ironed out in Android 5.0.
This is one I'm itching to get my hands on.
You've seen our award-winners, and now you've read the picks from the staff at home. Here's where you jump in the comments and share your favorite things from this year's CES.
