Family Tech Blog

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The Family Tech CES2020 Preview

Every year at CES, tens of thousands of people gather to see the latest that technology has to offer. Every tech media outlet covers CES. They’ll be talking about everything from virtual reality to massage chairs. This is your Family Tech CES2020 preview. There are a lot of interesting topics being covered at CES this year. Here are some that I think are the most interesting and some that are specifically important for families like yours.

TV Talk

Welcome to the age of the 8K television. That’s right, we’ve skipped from 4k resolution to the mind bendingly clear 8k quality. Some say that the human eye can’t even discern that kind of clarity but it sure would be fun to find our for ourselves. The 8k tvs from LG, Samsung, and Sony tout such amazing tech that you need a screen larger that 65 inches to even get the full benefit.

Voice-Enabled Digital Assistants on Everything

Voice assistants are in everything. It’s in your car, your TV remote, even your toilet and shower. That is going to continue at CES 2020. Look to find voice activated technology in more and more gadgets this year. Even our kids are being offered toys and gadgets with voice command tech built in. Voice Assistants aren’t new but seeing them integrated into everything else only proves that this concept is here to stay.

Crazy New Gadgets

There is always some crazy stuff at CES. Some is pretty unimportant but interesting. Some things are said to be the new face of technology but just seem strange to me. Foldable phones fit into that category, so do many of the robot offerings at the conference. Either way I’ll be looking for the most amusing and interesting gadgets to show you at this year’s CES.

5G Technology

5G is a bit of a buzz phrase these days but there is some actual technology behind the term. This fast, “over the air,” data connection is finally starting to spread for real. Many major cities are adding 5G to their infrastructure. It’s expensive and coverage is spotty but wherever it works, it’s lightning fast. The reason 5G is so critical is the role it will play in the roll out of self driving car technology. The connection speed that 5G offers is critical to the success of the self driving revolution.

Self Driving Car Technology

Self Driving Cars are always the bell of the ball at CES. This year will be no different with more and more companies finding ways to implement the improving technology. Not only are the cars themselves a big deal but the tech around mapping, connection speed, and entertainment inside your self driving car is becoming a major reality as well. It isn’t easy to hitch a ride in one of these vehicles at CES but I’m going to try my hardest this year.

What Parents Should Know

The future of technology is always going to include products to entice our children. Coding toys, games, gadgets, and safety tech are all being highlighted at CES2020 and I’ll be there to show you what to look out for and what to look forward to. As I look toward this year’s conference, here is a family tech preview of CES2020.

Ed-Tech

As highlighted last year, education technology is a going to be all over the show floor at CES. I’ll show your new coding games and toys as well as virtual and augmented reality classrooms. Robots will play a major role in training students for future technology jobs as well. Keep your browser open to the Family Tech Blog to see more as the conference starts up next week.

Pet-Tech

The furry members of our family have a place at CES as well. Dog toilets, cat toys that move across the ground, connected leashes, and even fenceless boundaries highlight the pet tech industry at CES. You’d be surprised how much tech can help people care for their pets and help pets care for their people. You probably wouldn’t be surprised, however, at some of the goofy pet tech that shows up at CES as well.

Smart-home/ Home Security

Everyone’s homes are becoming smarter and smarter, even if the way we use the technology isn’t so wise. Technology that can keep our home network and connected devices safe is crucial and thus, a major factor at CES. I’ll be spending quite a bit of time chatting with developers about their products intended to keep your data secure. Some even offer new parental control solutions as well.

Connected Toys

So many of our toys are connected to the internet now. Games, robots, even racetracks are finding ways to connect your tablet or smartphone. You are given an online account in order to fully play with these toys. This is introducing our kids to use of the internet earlier and earlier. What products are coming up that feature connected toys? I’ll gave updated information for you from CES next week.

Avast All-in-One Security and Safety – Omni

I’m very excited to test out one specific piece of family safety technology. Avast’s Omni device is an all-in-one way to protect your network from hackers, malware, spyware, viruses, and even set up parental controls and GPS alerts. I’m excited to have a hands on look at Omni while I visit their booth at CES. I’ll also be able to hear from their VP of Product Deliver as she shares at the Family Tech Summit on Thursday of the conference.

A Long Six Days

Hope you enjoyed this family tech CES2020 preview. This event is a lot of work and makes for long days. It is, however, some of the most useful and rewarding work I do all year. The new tech, updates on the latest trends, and marketing strategy research gives me such great information to pass along to you, parents. Thank you to those who have partnered with BecauseFamily for this trip to Las Vegas. If you would like to partner with our organization just visit our Partnership page. You can follow every detail of my adventure to CES2020 on our Facebook Page, our Instagram, and on YouTube. Thank you again, see you soon, from Vegas!

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January 1, 2020
What Happens in Vegas WILL NOT Stay in Vegas

I leave in just a few days for International CES in Las Vegas Nevada. It is my second year to attend this conference but many of you have just started following us since my last trip so here’s some background.

What is CES?

CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. A high-level business event that touches all industries. A platform for innovators of all sizes to build their brands, every major technology company on the planet participates in CES in some way — by exhibiting, speaking, sponsoring, attending or holding co-located events and business meetings.

CES began in 1970 where it highlighted new, world-changing technology like the videocassette recorder and the Laserdisc Player (1974.) Products that we use every day were on display and demoed at CES over the years, including Compact Discs, Satellite and High Definition TV, Xbox, BluRay players, streaming entertainment, Tablets, and Netbooks. The show now features Virtual Reality, Smart Cities, Self Driving Vehicles, and Artificial Intelligence among a lot more!

Why do I go?

The whole purpose of BecauseFamily and the Family Tech Blog is to protect children and teenagers by bridging the technology gap between kids and their parents. In order to do this, I work to be on the cutting edge of technological advancement. Our world isn’t just digital anymore, it’s connected, marketers are struggling to find new ways to market to younger, more knowledgeable generations, and psychologists are urging app makers and toy manufacturers to cut out screen time whenever possible. These are all facts I learned at CES and use to inform my workshops, blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, and meetings with parents after. There is much more to learn this year and since I am able to attend through media credentials from the blog, I’ll be there. I’ll be learning for you. The parents.

CES 2018 Stats – ces.tech

So Here I Go, Please Join Me

I’m going to enjoy myself at CES. Vegas is a fun city. I enjoy being around the tech industry, I love learning about marketing, kid and teen tech, social media. and video gaming. I am excited to be an authority on these topics for parents so that I can have an answer to nearly every question I am asked when I work with families.

While it will be fun, It is work, and it is important. I am extremely grateful to all who have supported BecauseFamily and who read and share my blog posts. Please stay tuned in to the blog, our social media, and our YouTube channel for coverage from the only tech blog covering CES exclusively for the purpose of educating parents and protecting kids. You can also follow me personally on my YouTube channel for daily travel vlogs from my trip. When I go to Las Vegas, what happens there, comes home, to you!

January 3, 2019
Looking Forward to CES 2019
As CES 2019 approaches (my flight leaves in 17 days) I find myself more and more interested in the different topics that will be discussed at the Kids@Play Family Tech Summit. The summit features leaders in the industries of tech, toys, education, psychology, software, and entertainment. Sessions last all day long and the topics discussed are exactly the kind of information we parents need to know as we raise our kids in this digital age. The problem is, those in attendance are all industry people who are making apps, toys, and technology for our kids and families. There is very little to no representation of those who work to educate parents themselves on the connected age we live in. That’s where I come in.

To my knowledge, BecauseFamily’s FamilyTechBlog, is the only publication in attendance at CES that offers our news and stories exclusively from the viewpoint of helping parents protect their children. While I sit and take notes and record footage of the summit my mind is processing how this information can help parents make quality decisions to keep their kids safe on their tech devices. I am glad that this event exists and happy that leaders in this industry are having serious discussions about how to be responsible while developing their products for children. I am also glad that our donors and readers have made it possible for me to be there, as the only exclusive family tech safety website in attendance, and report back to you.

Here is some of what I’m looking forward to seeing, learning, and reporting on at CES 2019:
- Jobs of the Future
- Coding Without Screens
- Gaming and Creativity
- Tech Addiction
- Data and Privacy for Connected Kid’s Products
- Augmented and Virtual Reality to Help Kids Get More Active
There is a ton more that I’m excited to see and learn but these are going to be the highlights for sure. Parents are always asking about things like gaming and tech addiction and the jobs that are available to our children now will be completely different in ten years. Having some insight on these questions will be pivotal to making decisions as parents. Many of us have issues with keeping our kids active as they’d rather play with tech than each other at times. Can the tech increase their activity without impacting them in other negative ways? Finally, coding will soon be a skill that is not optional if you want to have your pick of the jobs of the future. How can we introduce coding logic and principles to our children without exacerbating the screen addiction problems we already see in out kids? I am looking forward to finding answers or at least more insight on these topics and questions at CES 2019.

You Can Help!

Very briefly, allow me to ask for your help for this trip to Las Vegas for CES 2019. The costs associated with this event are covered solely by donations from our non-profit partners and donors. If you would like to sponsor a meal, an Uber or Lyft ride, or something like that, please visit BecauseFamily.org/partnership to see how you can donate to BecauseFamily and send your family tech safety representative to CES on your behalf. Thank you.
December 18, 2018
Android FamilyLink is A Great Parental Control Solution, Albeit with One Major Flaw.

I had the privilege to hear Saurabh Sharma – Sr. Product Manager with Google, speak on the abilities and development of Android’s parental control solution, FamilyLink. He covered many of the trends they were seeing in kids and families and how those stats encouraged their team to implement some full device control features on the monitoring system. As you can see in the video above, there are some pretty neat features in FamilyLink, including the ability to lock an entire device, not just the data connection. Also, time management and scheduling is a major part of the FamilyLink features. One of the coolest features spoken about at CES was the ability to use Google Home to control FamilyLink. Voice command was all the rage at CES2018 and Google’s parental control apps were no exception.

The app on kids’ devices allows them to see exactly what their parents are seeing. App usage stats, app blocking, bedtime and offtime, and setting the Google’s content filter, “SafeSearch.” While the SafeSearch filter isn’t the most extensive and customizable content management tool, it is a good start, especially for your younger children.

One Major Flaw

When FamilyLink was announced ten months ago my first question was, “Can our kids use this on the older phones we’ve handed down to them?” The answer is listed in the fine print on the Google FamilyLink homepage: “*Children can run Family Link on Android devices running Nougat (7.0) and higher, along with certain Marshmallow (6.1) devices listed in our FAQ.” This was immediately a problem for me since I know many families who use their older Android phones as the solution for their kids. It’s always been pretty easy to just hand down your phone to your kids when you get a new one. While there are many internet safety options available for Android, nothing works as well as an app developed by the same people who made your operating system.

After hearing Saurabh Sharma talk about FamilyLink, I followed him out of the room as he headed towards his next meeting and I asked him about the possibility of making FamilyLink backward compatible with older phones. He replied: Making FamilyLink backward compatible is a “difficult problem but one we are committed to trying to solve.” So there you have it. While it’s understandably not an easy thing to fix, we are assured that it is on the team’s radar and something they’re working towards.

Apple’s iOS has had native parental controls for a long time now. They’re pretty effective but haven’t been updated over the last several operating system upgrades. Hopefully, some time management and monitoring options can be added soon. Thankfully there are apps like Accountable2You and UnGlue to help with some of those needs.

January 17, 2018
CES2018: Experts Say Parents Should Play WITH Their Kids More

There was a lot of conversation about playing at the CES2018 Kids@Play Family Tech Summit. Joining Living in Digital Times‘ founders and producers were inventors, developers, and psychologists. They were all there to discuss the importance of technology in the world we live in and the responsibility of tech developers to know how to create products that are helpful and not harmful. There were conversations about the amount of screen time that is acceptable for kids. There were many new tech gadgets that seek to teach kids about technology without requiring screen usage to do the educating. One of the main focuses of the day’s events, however, was playing. How much time should kids play and what can we learn from how they play? The day started with a panel consisting of a couple a renowned child/family psychologist, a psychologist responsible for Child Development and Learning at Mattel, the president of The Toy Association, and the Vice President of PBS Kids Digital.

Play IS the “Secret Sauce.”

Fred Rodgers said, “Play is the work of childhood.” Educators and toy manufacturers are taking this idea seriously. You will have noticed how more and more toys have some kind of educational element to them. This is no accident. The toy industry is taking note of the importance in play for a child’s development and education. The problem, as discussed in this panel at CES, is that many parents lack the ability to truly play and therefore, forget the benefit it has for their kids.

“Play is how kids explore the world.” Sarah Dewitt – VP, PBS Kids Digital

“Some parents see play as a luxury…we’re doing a lot of work to show parents the benefits of play.” – Dr. Jody Sherman Levos – Dir. Child Development and Learning at Mattel

They say that the key is balance. In fact, I heard that word hundreds of time throughout the discussions that day. We have to work to maintain a proper balance. We should balance how busy kids are doing homework with a healthy amount of play. We also need to keep a proper attitude about how busy we, as parents, are and keep from being so busy we can’t spend time playing and exploring with our children. Parents are letting tech do more than it should do and play roles in their lives it was never meant to play. Erik Fisher, child/family psychologist said: “Tech isn’t the trouble. It’s time with your kids.” he also stated that “our kids are, in some ways, becoming guinea pigs.”

We have used tech to teach our kids to read, entertain them, or even just keep our kids busy. The general consensus is that kids under two shouldn’t have much screen time at all and then they should be slowly introduced to toys and apps that are used mainly for educational purposes. Most importantly is that parents spend time playing with tech alongside their kids. Not only does this increase a parent’s awareness of the benefit (or lack thereof) of the device their kid is using, it also gives kids a sense of security that they can talk to you about the tech they love. This, of course, is always recommended by experts and by those of us at BecauseFamily. Imagine how easy it will be for your 13 years old to talk to you about their time on social media that day if they’ve been discussing their tech usage habits with you since they were four years old.

The Takeaway

Remember that kids don’t have to be inundated with technology to become the next tech giants. In fact, many west coast tech executives send their children to tech-free schools. While technology can add a layer to our kids’ play and education, it’s important that we talk to our kids about their play. Encourage them to be creative and color outside the lines. Remember what it was like to be a kid and allow them to mess up and do it wrong without negative consequences. Most of all, don’t let tech usage, even for educational purposes, outweigh the other areas of play that are so important for your kids.

January 15, 2018
CES 2018: Here’s What Marketing Researchers are Saying About Your Teenagers

Karen Rampacher and Kathy Sheehan from the market and user experience research firm GfK spoke about the changing culture of one of the newest most powerful buying groups. This group is teens and young adults ages 15-24 and they’re calling them Generation NOW. GfK studies the trends of buyers of all ages but they’ve been doing it so long that they can compare different age groups from different eras and track the differences. Here is what they’re saying about your older teens.

Who is GenNow?

GenNow is a major market for businesses and advertisers with $830 billion spent by them or on them. They are digital from birth (digital natives) and don’t have to spend much time getting to know devices and screens. Interestingly they don’t define themselves by their ability to use tech but feel as if it’s something everyone can do now, no big deal. In fact, they don’t really worry too much about how they define themselves at all. The research has shown that they aren’t concerned as much about “standing out” as they are being true to their own identity. Identity brings up a whole new set of issues for marketers, who consider the self-identification of the Now Generation to be a puzzle that they have to solve. This age group’s interest in social justice and equality surpasses any generation before them and they are content to just let people be who they have decided they want to be. They are also less likely to reach the traditional “adulthood milestones” as early as their predecessors. Things, like getting married, having children, moving away from home, and starting a lifelong career, aren’t less important but have been placed on the backburner for most of this group.

GenNow and Advertising

The question of for the meeting I attended was: “How do you market to a group like Generation Now?” The answers may surprise you. First of all the data suggests that, while this younger generation is most likely to adopt new tech, they’re more concerned about their privacy and security than generations before them. They know what data is being collected, who is collecting it, and what it’s being used for. Sometimes they’re ok with it and sometimes they aren’t. A recent mistake by Netflix on Twitter shows that this generation isn’t going to ignore an inappropriate use of their data. This generation understands artificial intelligence to some degree and they aren’t afraid of it. They are, however, smart enough to disapprove of a misuse of their own info and invasion of their privacy.

More interesting data suggested that some in this group may never enter a retail store. They purchase things online and trust user/peer reviews to help them determine what they’d like to buy. They value convenience and there’s nothing less convenient than having to go to a store to buy a pair of pants.

As far as how they consume media, things are changing but not in the ways many have expected. Yes, more kids are viewing streaming media but they haven’t necessarily lost interest in the traditional TV. 85% of Gen Now polled admitted that watching TV makes them happy. They usually define TV, however, as anything you watch on a television. Many even label watching content on any device as TV. Streaming, DVD/BluRay movies, and gaming all fall into the “TV” category for most of the Gen Nowers polled by GfK.

The amount of content watched was no surprise with an average of 29 hours per week being consumed. More than three-quarters of those polled admitted to binge-watching their favorite shows. (Binge watching is defined as watching three or more episodes of a show in one sitting.) Most of them are watching content on “ad-free environments.” Netflix, Hulu, Youtube Red, and other paid streaming services keep them from having to watch commercials.

Media companies have answered with short “six-second” adverts that even run alongside live events like sports games and concerts. Product integration or product placement has also become a very important thing for advertisers. Think, Eggo waffles in Stranger Things. Finally, marketers are having to be more careful about how they use the data they collect from this generation’s online and social media activity. They have to prove that they’re not being “creepy” and that the information is being used to bring value and not inconvenience.

What Parents Should Know

Obviously, all of the information in this post falls into the category of things parents should know. To summarize, Generation Now is bringing some interesting challenges for marketers and corporations as well as for parents. Moms and dads should take heed of some of the trends this research has found. Use this information to help you build your strategy for internet safety, security, and health.

As for advertising you’ve probably already noticed short social media videos and posts being used to promote various products. You’ll also see social media influencers being used more and more by companies to review and sponsor their offerings. Your child’s favorite YouTuber or Instagram influencer will be trying out products on their channels and accounts in no time.

The advertising world is always working as hard as they can to reach our kids with their message. It is important for us as parents to understand the message we want to convey to our kids and retrofit the message that the media is telling them to fit our standards. That’s why this blog is here, to teach you how to do exactly that.

January 10, 2018
Soon, All Tech Will Know Your Face…Get Used to It!

Facial recognition is one of the hot-button topics of 2017. iPhone is featuring it now, several social media platforms have been using it for a while to help you tag your friends in photos. In fact, Facebook has just announced how they’re using facial recognition to help the blind learn more about photos on their timeline. Artificial intelligence in our social media timeline tells us what images and posts we want to see first, it identifies who is in our photos, it even decides what ads we will be most likely to click on. Social media isn’t the end of facial recognition AI, though. As I prepare to head to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (thank you, by the way, your readership of this blog made that possible) I see more and more smart-home and gaming tech using facial recognition for their main functionality.

Security

The application of facial recognition in security tech should be pretty obvious. Amazon has a camera that you mount outside your door that will only allow approved delivery people into your home to drop off your packages. Smart security tech will use motion sensors and facial recognition to identify who enters a room and determine if they belong or not. If you aren’t approved, an alert goes to the homeowner and they can decide to alert the authorities or not based on seeing the picture that the security device took of you.

Smart Home Tech

Smart home technology isn’t early market anymore, it’s actually becoming more of a mainstay in the American household. People are calling out to Alexa, Google, and even Cortana more an more every day. The latest technology will be featuring the ability to recognize you and adjust the “settings” of your home accordingly. Think lights dimmed, music on to your playlists, coffee part started, and your tv turned on to your favorite channel. Most of the latest smart home tools are putting cameras on their devices and making facial recognition standard in their algorithms. That means that more and more “affordable” or “budget” devices will be scanning your face. When you pay less for similar tech, what you usually save money on is the privacy and security side of things. You have to be careful to understand the security settings and privacy policies of any “smart” device you purchase.

What Parents Should Know

Every single new tech development has the challenge of balancing convenience and progressiveness with security and privacy. Having your lights come on because a device saw your face walk into a room sounds like a really convenient thing. Being alerted by Facebook when someone uploads a picture of you is a great idea. It can help you keep photos you don’t like of yourself off of the internet or just help you make sure you are tagged in the photo you’re in. If all of these new technologies can ensure that your identity is secure then it’s a great way to use the latest developments to add convenience to your life.

My advice with the newest releases is always to wait a while. Let the lawsuits and hackers do what they will before you own one of the devices and your personal data is in jeopardy. Once it’s been out for a while then maybe integrate it into your life, but only if you know how to set it up and secure it properly.

December 20, 2017
The iPhone Turns 10 and a Life of Balance for Your Family

I remember being 18 years old and telling my friends I’ll never have a cell phone. “I just don’t want to be reachable all the time,” I would say. “Sometimes I want to be out of pocket.” Boy did that ever change. Now, 14 years later, I’m connected to every single person I know through my phone. Since I have a smartphone, I don’t even have to call anyone anymore. Text messaging and social media are the new “real world” and we are all fully aware of how we were kidding ourselves with that self-righteous “No cell phone for me” talk.

The iPhone turning ten years old today made me realize that many of our kids have never lived in a world without smartphone technology. Our kids are being called “digital natives.” They are comfortable in a world where all desired information is a few taps on a screen away. They can connect with the people they know without ever leaving home. They are accessible all of the time and many of them don’t know any different. As parents, how can we help our kids understand the importance of balance in an extra-digital society?

Take Influence Seriously

Influence is a resource. The impact we have on our children as parents is the most significant force in their lives. Even being uninvolved causes ripples in their lives, behavior, decisions, and thoughts. When it comes to technology our influence over them is just as significant as in any other area of life. Whether it’s the example we set with our tech use or the boundaries we lay out for them for theirs, we have to keep in mind the influence we are having over our kids and their use of their many mobile devices.

As we model a life of balance our children are able to, sometimes without knowing it, have a healthy view of our technology as resources instead of a way of life. Even parents like me, who are tied to their mobile phone or laptop for work, have to make obvious and intentional decisions to separate ourselves from our tech so that we can model a life of balance for our children. A major part of why this site was started in the first place was to help parents make the most of being the first influence in the lives of their children. If our kids are seeing us tapping our tablet screen all day and that’s it, they aren’t being influenced by us in the way that will help them grow into healthy, quality adults.

Dinnertime is FaceTime

There are multiple studies that have been released that show the value of a family mealtime. A common recommendation is at least once a week. Schedule a day when everyone must be home for dinner. Cook or order in something and sit around the table together. Make a rule that the wifi is off or paused and phones are set on a shelf or counter somewhere to charge during the planned dinner time. You may spend the first few attempts staring at each other but it will eventually be the activity that bonds your family like no other experience can. There are even websites and apps dedicated to giving you conversation starter ideas to help you break the ice for those first few experimental attempts.

Balance is not something you find. It’s something you create. – Jana Kingsford (MumsJugglingAct.com)

If we are going to create balance we have to either stop living at either extreme or find a way to exist in each extreme equally. If we take the time to sit and eat a meal together as a family every day or week we can start working towards a more balanced life as a family. If we are always headed our separate ways and even our times together at home are spent using our separate devices in separate areas of our house we will continue to see ourselves grow apart. Balance is the key and a family dinnertime is a great way to start your path toward that balance of screen-time vs facetime.

Understand that Digital is the New Reality

We aren’t living in a passing phase of technology. The digital and social media culture is here to stay and is going to get even more different as the years progress. If the three days of following CES taught me anything it’s that our world is only getting more digital. With virtual and augmented reality becoming a very real option for gaming, movies, and other entertainment it’s only a matter of time until we are updating our instagram stories by hitting a button on our smart-glasses or blinking a pattern so our contacts recognize what we are trying to post. It sounds like science fiction but it’s becoming more and more a reality.

Since this world is becoming increasingly real, we have to understand what’s happening and get on board with helping our children use these new inventions in a healthy way. We can’t blame inventors and CEOs of companies for bringing down our culture with their products when we are the ones buying them and letting our kids have full control of their usage.

I remember being told hundreds of times that folks aren’t ever going to want to type messages on a screen. “You have to have real buttons so you can feel them. I can’t handle that touchscreen stuff.” Well, ten years after the iPhone was announced, it’s hard to find a laptop that doesn’t fold into a touchscreen tablet. We live in the future and it’s coming faster than ever. No matter how futuristic the world seems the same principles apply. Mom and dad have to be the first influence in their children’s lives. This is how we raise kids who are safe, healthy, and whole.

Information about our work with families can be found at SAFE.BecauseFamily.org/about.

January 9, 2017
The Connectivity of Your Home is a Main Feature at CES 2017

If this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is any indication, your home is going to get smarter and smarter. The idea is that the things you used most can help you become better at what you use them for. If they can all communicate with each-other they can do even more, including lower your energy use and costs, increase convenience, and educate you and your family. Check out some of the smart home products, some great, some kind of silly, that you may be buying in the next several years.

Smart Mirror

The smart mirror is a connection hub for you to start your day with the info you want to see most. You set it up to show you what you’d like to see. Maybe your instagram and twitter feeds, perhaps you want to know the weather or news, or just watch your favorite YouTube channel. The smart mirror will respond to your hand gestures or voice commands to provide you with the convenience level you desire.

Smart Bed

Sleep number is at CES showing off their smart bed. Yes, apparently a bed can be smart. This bed will warm your feet, decrease the mattress firmness if you toss and turn, and even tilt your head up if you start to snore. You didn’t know you needed a smart bed did you?

Smart Hairbrush

File this one under more stuff you didn’t know you needed. A smart hairbrush will track your hair brushing technique and teach you how to brush your hair better. The designers of the brush say it will help keep your hair healthier and look better. Maybe this will go in the “stuff you definitely don’t need” file. That’s just my opinion though.

Smart Toothbrush

This toothbrush has computer components built in that will track your brushing habits and give you recommendations to do a better job. The verge’s article says it’s “you-missed-a-spot for dental hygiene.” For someone like me who thinks brushing my teeth is boring, it’s a struggle to do it for as long as is recommended. A smart toothbrush would be pretty good accountability for me. Plus, since I’m a tech nerd, it would probably make me a bit less annoyed to stand in one spot for two minutes with a brush in my mouth.

Toothbrush Game Controller

There’s also a smart toothbrush option for the kids but theirs has a game built in. I know, the kids get all the good stuff. The game helps coach the kids to brush all of their teeth and take all the time necessary. It will distract them from the time they are spending brushing by letting them battle monsters by moving the brush to different areas of their mouths. The app on a phone or tablet provides the instructions and how well they follow those instructions will determine if they win the game or not.

Connected Appliances

Another major product being featured at CES is the connected appliance. I wrote about the washer and dryer yesterday but there are refrigerators, ovens, trash compactors, dishwashers, and even a toaster that will communicate with each-other and allow you to control them from your smartphone or other controller. The apps will let you adjust settings on your washer and dryer, monitor your home while you’re away, and even turn off the off the oven if you’re coming home late. It’s all connected and it’s becoming the majority of what these appliance companies are producing.

Should Your Family Be So Connected?

I look at a smarthome like social media. There are things that make sense for some folks that don’t for others. Is it cool to be on the fringe beginnings of the latest trend? Sure it is, but it isn’t always practical. I, for instance, use Facebook to promote our ministry and this blog and I use Instagram to keep track of friends, Twitter is where I turn for professional growth and information. These smarthome and connected appliances fall into a similar category for me. There are those who are going to feel like they need a smart hairbrush, I will never see the need but some will. I may like having my kitchen all connected and controllable from an app on my phone but you may not. Chalk it up to “different strokes for different folks.”

As for safety and security, the more connected you become, the more you’ll have to keep an eye on how you’re protecting your family. This entire site is dedicated to the fact the being connected online comes with risks. While your oven may not lead your kids down a road to temptation, what if you daughter uses that smart mirror to compare herself with photos of people she thinks is more beautiful? What if your son is using it to watch videos you wouldn’t normally allow him to watch. Some of these smart products are just new screens and new screens mean new parental controls to set up. Do you know how to do that? You should.

January 5, 2017
The Consumer Electronics Show Tells the Future for Your Family’s Home

CES is an annual event put on by the Consumer Electronics Association. All of the major companies are in Las Vegas showing off their latest technology. Smartphones, smart bicycles, smart watches, smart everything. Today kicked off the event with the press day. Every major company had a chance to promo their most impressive new tech for the members of the media who were in attendance. I had my eye on those press conferences and I thought I’d share a few of the innovations that I felt could be relevant for your family. While they may not be products that protect your kids online, they’re definitely going to impact your life and tell us a few things about the direction our society is going.

In Your Home

– Washer and Dryer

How lame is it that I am so excited about this washer and dryer? Seriously though, these things are super cool. Samsung’s Flexwash + Dry features a “twin-wash/dry” system that will let you do four loads at once. The top load washer built in to Flexwash will allow you to wash a seperate smaller load than what’s in the front loader and the dryer has a similar feature to allow you to dry at different temperatures for each compartment. Pretty sweet. Especially for a family like ours that does laundry for six.

– Countertop Induction Oven

This oven by Panasonic is said to cook most recipes in minutes that would normally take an hour or more. This product reminded me of the old Disney “Home of Tomorrow” movies.

– Audio Equipment

While it’s a bit silly to me, our audio listening tech has digressed a bit back to the vinyl age. Panasonic is highlighting their newest turntable and speaker set that provides some of the clearest audio quality around.

– TV “Wallpaper”

While it’s not actually wallpaper, it’s pretty close. LG’s OLED televisions are the width of cardboard. They are so light they can stick to your wall with magnets. My brother, who used to install entertainment systems for Best Buy, told me about the possibilities of OLED years ago and it looks like it’s all coming to pass.

In Your Car

– AI Assistants

Vehicle after vehicle from Chrysler, Toyota, and Hyndai were showing off their ability to use facial and speech recognition to customize the driver experience. They also had new features that would sync with every technology under the sun.

– Automation

The vehicles highlighted at CES all featured some level of automation. Yes, that’s right. Self driving. Chrysler even had a minivan to show off. Most of them are using “Level 3 Automation” which requires the driver to intervene in certain circumstances. The cars use mirrors, cameras, radar, and gps to drive itself and communicate with other cars and the road infrastructure (where available.) We may not be looking at hovercars or Jetson’s space vehicles yet but having to “intervene” to help your car drive iteslf sounds pretty darn futuristic to me.

Just for Fun

– Drones

Selfie sticks are out and selfie drones are the new thing. That’s right, this drone will identify with its user and follow his/her face, taking a selfie whenever they do a certain hand motion. There are drones all over CES with different camera qualities and flying abilities. Some with VR and some with AR, it seems that drones are becoming more of an entertainment item now than a photo/video professional tool.

– Robots

The robots I saw people talking about on press day fell into all different categories. There were some that were for hospitality, some had AI for your smarthome system, there was even one that is designed to help kids with disabilities overcome some of their development issues. Robots are always, always, cool.

– Virtual/Augmented Reality

Finally, this VR thing seems to be staying around. It seems every smartphone manufacturer is providing a way to turn their device into a Virtual Reality headset and the products being promoted at CES were no different. There were new gloves, headsets, bikes, and even a pair of VR shoes that let you feel the virtual world with your feet. Augmented reality was featured at CES as well with a device that will help you find your keys and exercise bikes and other workout equipment.

Thoughts From Day 1

You didn’t see any products on this post that are designed to help your family be safer online but you did see a collection of new tech that proves our homes are becoming more and more connected to the digital world. When your washing machine and exercise bike are using as much computer tech as your smartphone, you know we’re at the point of no return. Some folks wish they had been born years earlier when things were “simpler.” Well, it looks like we are going to have to just get on board or get left behind. Things are progressing towards digital everything faster and faster.

As we raise our children it is important to provide them with the kinds of tools that will help them get ahead in life. Computers designed to help kids learn and exercise equipment that can use their love of gaming to entice them to be more active are tools that can be a blessing and not a burden to our children. Our job is to regulate and even curate their use of these new technological achievements. We must understand what tech they have and what it’s capable of. If we get left behind then we aren’t just putting ourselves at stake, we are putting their safety on the line as well.

I think much of the new technological items being featured for consumer purchase are pretty amazing. This first day of CES has convinced me that some of what I thought was a fad isn’t going away. I recommend you check back in tomorrow and keep your eye on our instagram and twitter as I continue to follow the action at CES and highlight anything I think may be relevant for your family.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODES HERE.

January 4, 2017