Super-sharp TVs with nine-foot screens…digital eyeglasses that put the Internet right in front of your eyes wherever you go…cars that drive themselves. Each year, many of the new gadgets that get the most attention at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas are impractical and prohibitively expensive, at least for the time being.

But hidden among these out-of-reach high-tech marvels are some useful, affordable products that actually might be worth buying, including several much smarter and easier-to-use versions of familiar devices. This year’s CES even featured various tech products designed for older buyers, a group often underserved by the tech sector.

Nine appealing new products from the 2014 CES…

TECH FOR HOME AND FAMILY

A smarter key: Kwikset Kevo. Install this Bluetooth-enabled deadbolt lock, and you won’t have to dig your keys out of your pocket to get into your home. A special key fob alerts the lock that you’re near, allowing keyless entry when you touch the lock with your finger. (Traditional keys are provided as well.) If you have an iPhone 4s, 5, 5c or 5s, you can get into your home even if you forget your key ring and fob—your phone can tell the lock you’re near. (The company hopes to make Kevo compatible with additional smartphones in the future.) Kevo is one of the first in an expected wave of such devices. It also lets you issue electronic “eKeys,” perhaps to neighbors, contractors or visiting relatives, so they can enter when you’re not home. These eKeys allow their smartphones to serve as electronic keys for your lock until you disable them. Kevo runs on four AA batteries, which should last around one year with typical usage. A traditional key must be used if the battery dies. Kevo already is available. Price: Typically $220. Kwikset.com/Kevo

Home_monitorA simple and inexpensive home monitor: Canary lets you keep tabs on your home from anywhere in the world. It features a wireless high-­definition video camera and other sensors that track motion, sound, temperature changes and other activity in the home. It can send a warning to an Apple or Android smartphone if, say, Canary suspects that someone is in the home when it should be vacant or that the furnace has stopped working on a cold day. Or you can look in on Canary’s video feed and activity reports to reassure yourself that a pet or elderly parent is OK. Other security systems can do similar things, but none are as simple to set up. Canary charges no monthly fees, but unlike many security systems, Canary does not notify a central monitoring station if trouble is detected. Wi-Fi network and broadband Internet are required. Homes with more than one entrance will need multiple Canary units for full coverage. Due summer 2014. Price: $199. Canary.is

ReminderHigh-tech reminder system: Mother lets you know when you’ve forgotten to do something. Attach one of its small wireless sensors to a pill bottle, for example, and it will keep track of when the bottle is picked up and send you a notification via text message, e-mail or even a phone call when you miss a dose. Attach one to a watering can, and it will keep track of whether you watered your plants. These sensors can be swapped from one task to another at your discretion. The data Mother collects can be viewed on a computer or an Apple or Android mobile device. High-speed Internet is required. It’s due out in spring. Price: Mother and four wireless sensors sell for $222. SenseMother.com

SMARTPHONES & TABLETS

StylusComputer tablet with a useful stylus: Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 inch. If you don’t like typing on a tablet’s virtual keyboard, you can use Galaxy Note Pro’s stylus to handwrite notes on its screen, much as you would with pen and paper. This tablet will do an impressive job of converting your scribbles into text, which you could save to a file or convert to an e-mail. Unlike earlier stylus-equipped tablets, the new 12.2-inch Note Pro has a very large, clear screen that is particularly easy to read and write on (yet it’s still thin and less than 1.7 pounds) and has handwriting-interpretation software that is truly effective. Expected to be available during the first half of 2014. Price: Not yet announced. Samsung.com

Easy_smartphoneEasy-to-read smartphone: LG G Flex. If your eyesight or hearing isn’t what it used to be, this could be the smartphone for you. Its six-inch low-glare OLED screen is larger and clearer than those of most other smartphones, making it substantially easier to read. And the G Flex is slightly curved so that its earpiece is close to your ear while its ­microphone is near your mouth, better to hear and be heard. As its name implies, the G Flex can bend somewhat without breaking. It’s already available on the Sprint network. Price: $299.99 with a two-year service agreement. (T-Mobile and AT&T are expected to offer the G Flex by mid-2014.) LG.com

Smart_watchEasy-to-read smartwatch: Qualcomm Toq stands out from the increasingly crowded smartwatch pack because of its relatively big “Mirasol” color touchscreen display, which is easy to read even in direct sunlight. In addition to keeping time, smartwatches, including this one, use Bluetooth to wirelessly connect to a smartphone and offer easy access to certain smartphone functions. Check your text messages…get a weather forecast…or see how a stock or sports team is doing just by glancing at your watch. Take a call by tapping the screen without fumbling to find the phone itself. Compatible with Android smartphones. Price: $349.99. Toq.Qualcomm.com

PlaylistViewAudible text on your smartphone: Capti Narrator. This app lets you save text from an online article, book, e-mail or Web site so that Capti can read it to you ­later. Having online text read to you is especially helpful if you struggle to read the small screen of your smartphone…or if you want to hear the text while driving. Capti is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The company hopes to support additional platforms soon. Price: Free (though selecting an alternate narration voice costs $1.99 to $5.99). CaptiVoice.com

TVs & CAMERAS

Smart_TVEasy-to-use smart TV: LG webOS-equipped HDTVs. HDTVs with huge, curved or bendable screens received a lot of attention at this year’s CES, as did “4K” TVs featuring super-detailed resolution. But existing ­HDTVs already are large enough and sharp enough for most viewers, and there isn’t yet much 4K content to watch. Rather than improve on picture quality, LG’s webOS improves on content ­accessibility. Any “smart TV” can access online content through the TV—but webOS, a platform originally designed as an operating system for Palm smartphones, is the first to make it truly easy. With webOS’s help, even nontech-savvy TV viewers should find it easy to switch from watching TV the conventional way to watching content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube or elsewhere on the Internet using a colorful on-screen menu. You can switch from one application to another without backtracking to a home page as with other smart TV systems. And webOS will keep track of your viewing history and make it easy to find shows you’ve watched in the past. Expected to be available on most LG HDTVs by late 2014. Prices: Will vary depending on screen size and other factors. LG.com

CameraLightweight professional-quality camera: Sony a7 is half the weight of the typical professional-quality digital single-lens-reflex camera (DSLR)—around one pound, not counting lenses—yet it produces photos (and videos) that are just as impressive. It can deliver pro-quality photos because it features a very large “full-frame” sensor, which is something of a Holy Grail in the camera world. This 24.3-megapixel sensor can capture a lot more light than cameras with smaller sensors, resulting in vibrant colors and quality images even in low-light situations. It’s already available. Price: $1,699.99 for the camera body only…or $1,999.99 when purchased together with a 28-70 mm ­lens. Additional lenses generally cost $300 to $1,200 apiece. Store.Sony.com

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