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Smartwatches, intelligent homes shine at Berlin exhibition

Berlin - If there is a word to describe electronics and appliances launched this year, it would be "smart".

Smartwatches, intelligent homes and drones that follow users wherever they go are on show at Berlin's mega consumer electronics fair, which opened its doors to the public on Friday.
Samsung, Huawei and Motorola pick spherical faces for their latest smartwatch offers, giving them a different look to Apple Watch, which has a rectangular face.
Keeping track of emails, water versus caffeine intake or how many steps taken in a day, are among the myriad functions offered by the intelligent wristwatches.
The Android smartwatch makers are hoping their models will claw back some market share from Apple, which shipped about four million smartwatches globally in the second quarter, market researcher Strategy Analytics estimated in July. Samsung had shipped just 400,000 units in the same period.
If there is a word to describe electronics and appliances launched this year, it would be "smart". Household must-haves from refrigerators to washing machines to coffee makers can all be hooked up to the Internet and controlled through an app on a smartphone.
Italy's Cuciniale is showcasing a cooker that takes orders from a smartphone, and can cook a steak to perfection - be it rare, medium rare or well done. Love plants but can't remember to water them? French company Parrot has a sensor that waters automatically.
Samsung Electronics has meanwhile unveiled a series of gadgets called 'Smart Things', including plugs and a hub that coordinates or goes with intelligent white goods.
Its vision is for the homeowner to programme daily routines that the house can run on its own.
For skiers who want photos of themselves in action on the slopes, camera drone maker DJI says it has the answer. Among several new features for its 'Phantom' series is a function that keeps the drone hovering over its user wherever he or she goes. And, if the drone loses signal, there is another new feature called home lock which would take it back home.
Polaroid returns to its roots with a digital camera that prints snapshots instantly - on special paper without requiring ink.
No IT show would be complete without 3D printers. Taiwanese maker XYZprinting is showcasing one in Berlin that ... prints food.

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