APPLIANCES OF SCIENCE

The gadgets of the future were showcased at the recent Consumer Electronics Show

- DAVID PHELAN

Every year in January, some 175,000 gadget geeks from across the globe descend on Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s biggest tech gathering. Some 4,500 companies use the exhibition to show off their newest creations – here are some of the best to have been unveiled this year. Some are hitting stores already, but most will arrive by the summer.

CLEER MIRAGE SPEAKER

£799 On sale: spring

cleeraudio.com

One day, perhaps, there will be a screen on every gadget. This Cleer speaker has an eight-inch one supplied by collaborator Royole, whose skill is in making flexible displays (it beat Samsung and other rivals to create the first foldable phone). Here, the screen wraps around the cylindrical speaker and can be used for video visualisations alongside the music. A camera on board means video calls are possible, and microphones help it to work with Amazon’s virtual personal assistant, Alexa. Cleer’s audio excellence ensures it should sound great, too – as you would expect at this price.

LENOVO THINKPAD X1 FOLD

£2,499

On sale: summer

lenovo.com

The flexible display of this 13.3-inch tablet means it can fold in half. You can set the bottom part up as a virtual onscreen keyboard to create a super-portable Windows laptop, but there’s also a Bluetooth keyboard accessory with physical keys that can attach magnetically if you value the sensation of keys moving under your fingers rather than the unyielding glass of the tablet. Fold it in half and the keyboard charges automatically. It’s not cheap, partly because of the complexity of the design and the leather folio cover.

JBL CLUB ONE HEADPHONES

£329.99

On sale: spring