CES 2026 has officially begun, with massive crowds gathering around the convention center and vying to be the first onto the show floor in Central Hall. I’ve done a few too many CES’ so I took the sensible route and went to BMW’s installation in the convention center car park instead.
In addition to a closer look at a potential Car of the Year 2026 contender, I watched degenerates quaff cocktails at 9 AM, saw a robot do the robot, and almost tossed my phone into an exceptionally large combine harvester when the constant text and email pings got a bit too much. Here are the least violent highlights.
BMW gives us a glimpse of the (near) future
The big thing every Blimmer fan is looking forward to is the release of the iX3 — which is the Bavarian company’s attempt to create a modern-day Neue Klasse. CES allows attendees to get close to (and interact with) a pre-production version of the highly anticipated vehicle.
There’s also a hands-on element, which allows a select few to experience the vehicle’s infotainment system firsthand. Sitting in an IX3, it’s hard not to surrender to all of the hype. The interior itself is clad in a faux leather that’s so convincing I had to double check it wasn’t once part of a cow. The seats are comfortable, and most importantly, the quality control is there. Because there’s nothing like a loose bit of thread to take the shine off a new car.
So the atmosphere is all well and good, but what about the new infotainment system? It’s frankly superb. You get a customizable full dash display, customizable elements like lighting, and a highly advanced AI assistant. The actual customization part is where BMW has really nailed it. You move the various widgets around by opening a menu, then just dragging them over to where you want them to be. If you want to get rid of one, it’s gone with a simple tap. The Manual has a lot more to come on the iX3, including an in-depth look at the vehicle itself and a hands-on with the new Alexa+ enhanced assistant. Watch this space.
It wouldn’t be CES without a robot
Humanoid robots are another thing that’s apparently just around the corner. The most famous is Tesla’s “Optimus,” but other manufacturers are currently working on similar devices. “Agibot” is human-sized, human-shaped, and has a friendly digital face. In terms of motor skills, it can fold a shirt apparently — which is more impressive than it sounds. However, its creators haven’t actually built it for domestic work.
It’s an enterprise-level product with a “five-figure” price tag, and mainly designed for interaction. It can chat with a person, comment on things like how they are dressed, remember names, and shake hands. It can also walk, wave, and stand up like a Terminator if it gets knocked over. It is only about 5 ft tall, though, so you should be able to take it out if the machines do rise up.
Ice, Ice, Baby
Vanilla Ice was absolutely awful. What isn’t bad is “Euhomy’s 5-Minute Ice Maker.” It can craft perfectly clear ice in any shape, and is the perfect accompaniment to any high-end home bar. The ice-maker is also portable, so you can commandeer the mixology station at every BBQ this summer. Mind, the price is also pretty premium with the top-tier unit retailing for around $500.
The range was launched in a typical Vegas fashion. Euhomy trapped a contortionist in a see-through plastic bubble and started dishing out cocktails at nine in the morning. Coffee and pastries were also available for those who had a tech conference to cover and were a bit too old to start blasting bourbon at breakfast time.
