Gadgets
fromgizmodo.com
2 hours agoThe Best Gadgets of January 2026
CES 2026 and January launches showcased numerous innovative consumer gadgets, including Lego's sensor-packed Smart Bricks and Shokz's OpenFit Pro with open-ear noise reduction.
Lego Group design manager Maarten Simons whipped out a "Lego ruler" made of standard Lego bricks divided into segments that were each 10 Lego studs, or roughly 8cm (3.15 inches) long. He attached a Smart Brick to one end of the ruler, and dragged a second Smart Brick along its length. The Smart Bricks changed color every time another 10 ten studs was passed, exactly at the dividing lines of each segment.
When The Lego Group announced that its biggest innovation since 1978 would be a tiny proprietary computer brick, the reactions were divided. I heard from people concerned this was the death of imagination from a company that's all about imagination - and from people who thought it sounded pretty cool! Personally, I walked in skeptical. My kids loved Lego's previous computer bricks, the Lego Mario toys, but don't play with them for long because they're predictable and fiddly to use!