CES 2017: Checking out the Pepcom Digital Experience

Pepcom is an opportunity to check out some of the latest gadgets, gizmos, and services that you never knew you needed until you saw them!

Richard Hay, Senior Content Producer

January 5, 2017

4 Min Read
CES 2017: Checking out the Pepcom Digital Experience

As I wrote last week, this is my first time at CES in Las Vegas and so the new meter has been pegged since I landed on Tuesday morning as I have made my way through the various events I have scheduled.

It all started Tuesday evening when I attended CES Unveiled and was followed by a day full of press conferences on Wednesday from big hitters like LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony.

However, just like at CES Unveiled, there are a lot of smaller companies who are spending a large portion of their annual budgets to come to CES and grab the attention of the tech press for their unique product or service. For some CES Unveiled and last night's event, the Pepcom Digital Experience, is their one shot at garnering that attention that can make or break their product.

The Pepcom Digital Experience is like CES Unveiled on steroids. The room is at least four times as big compared to the CES Unveiled space we were in Tuesday night and it took me almost three hours to work my way around the room at Pepcom compared to CES Unveiled.

Part of the reason it took so long to walk around and see the offerings from over 240 exhibitors was because it is a consumer product lovers dream. There were well established companies like HP and Lenovo showing off their latest Windows 10 hardware announced earlier in the week and then the myriad of connected products for your home, health, and lifestyle needs.

Although it would be impossible to run down every product I saw last night at the Pepcom Digital Experience, I do want to highlight a handful of them here and then I will also post a larger gallery of product images that caught my eye.

Dobby Drone

The Dobby Drone by Zerotech was the first product I saw when I walked into the huge Pepcom space and so it is the first I will mention here because I am also a huge drone fan.

The Dobby Drone is known as the Selfie Drone because it can easily be positioned to hover in one spot using the drones app on iOS or Android plus it has facial recognition to pick out the faces in the scene and also track those as movement occurs.

In the demo I saw it was amazingly steady as it flew and along with its image stabilization system it takes some great pictures.

Norton Core

In a continuing trend here at CES, Norton Core is a secure Wi-Fi router that has built in security and user based controls for access. It can grade your overall security posture on your home network and its connected devices to help you manage the people and things that are attached to your home Wi-Fi network.

I spoke with Norton about this uniquely shaped device and will have that video online later so you can hear and see how Norton Core works.

ADT Services Enhanced by Alexa, LG Canopy, and Samsung Gear S3

If you are an ADT Pulse customer and have other products in your home like an Amazon Echo/Dot, LG Canopy or a Samsung Gear S3 then you can integrate those items into your current alarm system. A device like LG's Canopy to give you alarm coverage in your home without a huge three year commitment and hardware installation while Alexa and Gear S3 gives you more ways to control your alarm system and receive alerts.

I find this very savvy because many connected users may already have these products and to be able to integrate them into your existing alarm service adds another level of control that you can exercise with your security.

Of course, with ADT Pulse you can also add home automation and other controls to make the service the hub of your connected home.

NOMX Personal Email Server

The NOMX Personal Email Server is a way for you to bring all of your email inside the walls of your own home or small business to avoid the possibility of data theft from email providers and to keep all of that email private and not used for ad targeting or other purposes.

It is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows based computers/tablets plus most industry standard email clients.

Just plug it into your home router and then run through the web-based configuration process to set up your email. It comes in three storage sizes (16GB, 64GB, and 128GB).

Altwork Workstation

The last product I want to highlight from Pepcom is also on my wish list to become my new workstation!

The Altwork Station provides an alternative to sitting or standing at a desk all day by giving you the freedom and ability to lay down on the job!

They are not inexpensive but I figure since I work from home I could eliminate purchasing a new bed and shorten my commute even further by just waking up and powering up for the day!

I wonder if there is a coffee maker extension available?

Stay tuned for more CES news as the week here in Las Vegas continues.

But, wait...there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

About the Author

Richard Hay

Senior Content Producer, IT Pro Today (Informa Tech)

I served for 29 plus years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer in November 2011. My work background in the Navy was telecommunications related so my hobby of computers fit well with what I did for the Navy. I consider myself a tech geek and enjoy most things in that arena.

My first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then I used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and WindowsObserver.com is the result of the work I have done on that site since 1995.

In January 2010 my community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when I received my first Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for the Windows Operating System. Since then I have been renewed as a Microsoft MVP each subsequent year since that initial award. I am also a member of the inaugural group of Windows Insider MVPs which began in 2016.

I previously hosted the Observed Tech PODCAST for 10 years and 317 episodes and now host a new podcast called Faith, Tech, and Space. 

I began contributing to Penton Technology websites in January 2015 and in April 2017 I was hired as the Senior Content Producer for Penton Technology which is now Informa Tech. In that role, I contribute to ITPro Today and cover operating systems, enterprise technology, and productivity.

https://twitter.com/winobs

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