20 Cool Gadgets From CES That You Can Actually Afford

At the Consumer Electronics Show, the technology world's annual trade show extravaganza in Las Vegas, big-name brands and startups alike reveal their latest TVs, cameras, drones, smart-home devices, and more. While the priciest and weirdest products get the bulk of the attention — think a $60,000 rollable TV or a robot designed solely to fetch toilet paper — manufacturers also debut more practical gadgets aimed at consumers looking for less expensive options. Here are 20 of the most appealing and affordable offerings, all with price tags of $300 or less.

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Dentists recommend you follow the "2/2 rule" when it comes to toothbrushing — that is, twice a day, for two minutes. In other words, an absolute eternity. Enter the $125 Y-Brush, a French import that promises to vibrate your teeth to squeaky-clean perfection in 10 measly seconds. The mouthguard-like contraption is attached to a motor that uses "sonic vibrating technology." And yes, there are smaller kid-size brushes that promise to help eliminate those nightly did-you-brush battles. Families can share one motor, as long as everyone keeps his or her own brush. Buying one separately from a brush-and-motor combo costs $30.

The most enthusiastic shower singers among us will want to check out a revamped line of Kohler Moxie showerheads, which come with magnetic Bluetooth speakers that fit into the middle. New this year? Harman Kardon audio that will help muffle water noise, plus a model with Amazon's ubiquitous Alexa, who will be more than willing to tell you the day's weather and cue up your favorite anthem for rocking out while scrubbing down. It's expected to retail for $229 later this year.

It may not be grilling weather quite yet, but spring will roll around soon enough, and Weber has unveiled a new toy for the techies among us. The Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub, $130, pairs with the smartphone of a would-be pitmaster with up to four temperature probes, producing step-by-step grilling instructions and cooking countdowns. When to flip or season? You'll know, and in real-time. When you've achieved that perfect medium-rare steak, or simply cooked your meat to a safe temperature? That, too. (Looking for more gear for the grill? Be sure to check out 25 Grilling Accessories You Didn't Know You Needed.)

Stepping on the scale is no one's favorite way to start their day, but what if you could track your weight in a slightly friendlier, fuzzier way? That's the aim of the Mateo Smart Bathroom Mat, which can also track body composition, evaluate your posture, even tell you your kid's shoe size. The secret sauce in this seemingly normal rug? Roughly 7,000 integrated pressure points. All the information, of course, transfers wirelessly to your smartphone, where you can analyze it (or ignore it). The mat is set to launch on Kickstarter later this year for $179.

While plenty of wearables have touted various ways to track sleep, heart rate, and other health metrics, the Withings ScanWatch gets serious about keeping you informed. This clinically tested tech is even pending FDA approval as a medical device, and the list of things it tracks is impressive. Included are 24/7 heart-rate tracking that can alert you of any irregularities and oxygen-saturation monitoring that can help spot sleep apnea. For fitness buffs, there are more than 30 workout modes, GPS, an altimeter, 50-meter water resistance, and even V02 max estimates that play into an overall fitness score. Icing on the cake: smartphone notifications and a truly impressive 30-day battery life (you definitely won't find that on the Apple Watch). Expect the ScanWatch to roll out later this year starting at $249. (Looking for a less pricey option that's available now? Check out our reviews of the Best Affordable Fitness Trackers.)

Smart locks are a dime a dozen these days, but Kwikset's newest twist on the tech is admittedly appealing. The Halo Touch will let you unlock your door with your fingerprint. (Got a big family? The lock can store up to 100 fingerprints for 50 authorized users.) Even better, like the rest of the Halo smart-lock line, it doesn't require any sort of special hub — the lock connects directly to your home Wi-Fi and smartphone. And like most smart locks, you can operate it remotely, or with your voice using Google Assistant or Alexa. It's expected to retail for $249 at major stores and online retailers later this year.

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File this under "things you really don't need, but will probably still want." The Juno Chiller is exactly what it sounds like — a chiller — except that it's sleek and compact enough to sit on your end table, ready to cool down a warm can of beer in one minute or a bottle of wine in three minutes. Of course, this "microwave for cooling" works on other beverages, too — even a hot cup of coffee you'd rather drink as a trendy cold brew. The thermoelectric technology means there are no noisy compressors, too. Juno is available to pre-order on Indiegogo for $199; later, it will retail for $299.

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We've got the Moxie for shower singers; now, here's the Roxie for the commuter crooners who've been watching too much James Corden. It includes a module that plugs into your car's outlet, plus a long-range mic that can be mounted on your dashboard. The system pairs with your smartphone to cue up music that it then pumps through your car stereo — whether you like to rock out with Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify, or another music app, Roxie will minimize the vocals so you can sing along like a pro. It even has a voice-controlled DJ that will play anything you want, leaving your hands free for safe driving. Roxie is on Kickstarter and can be pre-ordered for $99, and is scheduled to ship in March.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to drink more water, the rOcean One wants to make meeting your goal easier than ever. Billing itself as the "first all-in-one smart water device," this sleek countertop device connects to your existing tap and filters, flavors, and carbonates your water for you, producing up to half a liter per minute. It can be used with any bottle or cup you have, and the carbon-block filtration system claims to be 15 times more effective than pitcher filtration systems like Brita. Reusable pods can flavor up to five liters before needing a refill. Sound intriguing? You can pre-order it on the rOcean website for $199 right now, down from $349. Orders are expected to ship later this year.

Tired of faithfully putting food in the oven only to retrieve a dish that's either undercooked or a little too, er, crispy? Whirlpool is aiming to take the guesswork out of dinner with the Yummly Smart Thermometer. Dual temperature sensors track internal food temperature as well as oven temperature, sending an alert to your smartphone when your food is done — no matter what the recipe might say. While the Yummly thermometer is slated to be available soon for $129, the Whirlpool faithful may want to hold off. Later this year, it will be able to connect to select Whirlpool smart ovens, allowing the oven to make any necessary recipe adjustments from the Yummly app while you kick back with a beverage and wait for dinner.

By now, many of us are accustomed to the convenience of controlling lights and small appliances remotely using a smart light switch. But that's often not the case in homes with older wiring because there's no neutral wire. The new C by GE Smart Switches eliminate that need, making the product viable for a lot more homeowners. The other major pro of the new line? No need for any sort of smart hub — the switches sync with your Wi-Fi and phone (plus Alexa or Google Assistant) without any sort of "middleman." Depending on features, the switches will retail from $40 to $60 and should hit the market soon.

There was a time when TiVo was at the forefront of TV tech, freeing us from the tyranny of the VCR by allowing us to digitally record shows using an integrated hard drive. In today's streaming-happy world, the concept of recording a show seems almost quaint, so TiVo is back with a more relevant product: The TiVo Stream 4K. Much like the Roku or Amazon Fire TV Stick, it provides an easy-to-use hub for all your streaming content. The major difference? Instead of forcing you to browse each streaming platform like Netflix, Hulu, or Sling separately, the TiVo Stream 4K will gather everything that you're watching and put it into one easy-to-browse menu, powered by Android TV. Sound promising? Look for it to hit the market in April, retailing for $50.

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There are plenty of affordable Chromebooks on the market, but one of Lenovo's newest offerings, the IdeaPad Duet, may be among its most versatile. The 10.1-inch display is a touchscreen, and you can use it as a tablet by detaching the full-size removable keyboard. Even better, it comes with a stand integrated into the cover that can prop the screen at the perfect angle for watching a show or working, and an optional stylus offers even more options for on-the-go notes. Battery life is nothing to sneeze at either, offering up to 10 hours of power. Pricing will start at $280 when it hits the market in May.

Cats are supposed to be the low-maintenance pet, but it sure is a drag when you have to micromanage mealtime for a feline that might have a medical condition, or feed pets separately because one always eats the other's food. Enter the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder, which actually scans a pet's microchip or RFID collar to allow each pet access only to its food. Other features include integrated scales that guide you to give the proper amount of food, and smartphone alerts that track how much your pets eat and whether their feeding patterns have changed. The feeder and a required hub retail for a little over $250 and are available now.

While we're on the subject of cats, what's the other major pain point of feline ownership? Definitely the litter box. And while there are plenty of self-scooping boxes out there, none of them can actually monitor your furry friend's, er, output to determine whether there are any problems. That is, until LuluPet. This Taiwan-based company promises that its litter box will use "stool and urine image recognition" to track your cat's health. It can also weigh the cat, distinguish between multiple cats, and like all self-respecting gadgets at CES, it can be controlled with Alexa and Google Assistant. Ready to start analyzing some cat poop? Look for the smart litter box to hit Amazon in March at a price of $149, according to Wired.

If your alarm clock only does one thing — wake you up — Harman Kardon has the ultimate upgrade for your bedside table. The Citation Oasis is an alarm clock with an attractive LED display, but it's also a Sonos-like wireless speaker that can stream your favorite music. Not enough? It also has Google Assistant to field all your questions and control your smart-home devices, plus Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay. Still not enough? It has a wireless phone charger on top, too. And if you're worried about all of that tech interrupting your sleep, just put it in sleep mode, which automatically turns off the Oasis' Wi-Fi at night. Slated for a spring release, the Oasis will retail for $200.

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Feeling a little green? Reliefband has unveiled two FDA-approved wearables to help your churning stomach. The drug-free bands rely on pulses that stimulate a specific nerve to send signals to the brain to knock off the nausea. The Reliefband Travel, designed for a single use over a period of two days ($40), three days ($50), or a week ($70), is primarily aimed at the motion-sickness crowd and will be released early this year. The Reliefband Sport ($150) will be waterproof with a rechargeable battery and six intensity levels; it's slated for a mid-year release.

There are plenty of external batteries capable of charging your phone, but Mophie announced at CES that it's thinking bigger. Its new 44,000-megawatt-hour Powerstation Go has two USB ports and a wireless charging pad for portable devices, a 115-volt AC outlet that can supply 65 watts, and even an LED floodlight. But wait, there's more: It even comes with miniature jumper cables that can jump-start a full-size car, truck, or SUV. Get it now on HSN for $110.

The roads can be a dangerous place even for experienced cyclists, but Livall hopes to give them a tech-driven safety boost with its new smartphone-connected Neo smart helmet. Features include integrated lights including brake lights that automatically activate during deceleration, a fall detector that automatically sends a GPS location to emergency contacts, an SOS button that can also alert emergency contacts, a built-in, one-click answer system for phone calls, a walkie-talkie for communicating with other cyclists, GPS voice navigation, and stereo speakers. Best of all, all functions are completely hands-free. The helmet will soon be sold on Amazon for $169.

Ever tried to find a lost family member or friend in a place where you didn't get any sort of cell signal or Wi-Fi? It can be frustrating and, in some cases, downright scary. Available now, LynQ is small, clippable gadget that aims to solve this problem using GPS and an internal compass, telling you exactly how far away someone is, and which direction you need to go to reach them. It has a 3-mile range and can work in groups of 2 to 12. Users are able to set up both a home base for meeting and a safe zone that will trigger an alert if someone wanders too far. Packs of two LynQ units start at $249; standalone add-on units are $149.