Clicks is an apologetically gadgety company, making gear that feels charmingly out-of-place in a world where almost every smartphone out there is an all-screen slab. That was obviously two years ago when the company first revealed its keyboard case that brought tactile typing to the iPhone and eventually other Android devices.
Lego bricks come in a bunch of shapes and sizes, but they’re getting a big technical upgrade in 2026 thanks to news announced at CES this year. Meet the Lego Smart Brick, a standard-sized 2 x 4 brick that’s packed with modern technology to enable sets that can respond to how they’re played with or the sets you build.
Lego’s Smart Play system announced at CES 2026 earlier this week is a new embrace of digital technology that we haven’t seen from the company before. While the demo Lego gave at its press conference on Monday was a good start to showing what Smart Bricks are capable of, it really isn’t a substitute for seeing it in person.
OhSnap won our hearts (and a best of CES award) last year with the MCON, its tiny Bluetooth game pad that magnetically connects to your phone.
There are a slew of keyboards and apps that help people learn how to play the piano, but a small company called PopuMusic is showing off an intriguing set of products at CES to make the process easier. PartyKeys and PartyStudio are a 36-key MIDI keyboard and MIDI / Bluetooth speaker that pair together in seamless fashion. The PartyStudio is particularly interesting because it has a built-in library of 128 instrument tones and more than 50 different drum machine patterns. Naturally, it works with the PartyKeys, but any MIDI keyboard can connect to it and use those sounds.
There are way too many online services and subscriptions to keep track of these days, but the flip side is there’s a tool for just about everything. Time is just about up to get a physical gift shipped in time for the holidays, so below we’ve pulled together some of our favorite digital gifts and subscriptions, including time-tested video, music and gaming services as well as tools to clear your mental space and learn new skills. There are also a few subscriptions that provide ongoing, IRL deliveries, if you think your giftee will appreciate the nostalgic charm of a physical object.
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Chromebooks have quietly become some of the most useful laptops for everyday tasks. They boot fast, stay secure with automatic updates and often cost far less than traditional Windows or Mac machines. Modern Chromebooks also look and feel better than ever, with brighter screens, stronger processors and designs that range from simple clamshells to flexible 2-in-1s.
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Another CES is nearly upon us, another year where we’ll see new gadgets aplenty from giant companies and tiny ones you’ve never heard of. And the not-so-secret secret of CES is that many of these things never make it to market — but usually it isn’t things companies like Samsung show off. But here we are, nearly six years since Samsung first showed off its Ballie personal robot and it is nowhere to be found.