On the first of the two pre-CES nights of CES events, we saw the future of electronics waterproofing. HzO makes a nanomaterial that waterproofs electronics from the inside, creating an invisible barrier between the phone's components and the outside. It's miles away from the clunky, hyper-rubberized, hyper-masculinzed cases that we've grown used to. To get the waterproofing to happen within rather than without, HzO coats electronics' guts with WaterBlock, a nanomaterial that creates a barrier between the outside environment and the phone's components. Unlike more common hydrophobic coatings, which can hold up against a splash by repelling water molecules, WaterBlock relies on a physical shield to keep water out, even if the phone is totally submerged.

The main downside is availability: Because HzO works with electronics manufacturers, not consumers, to actually get a phone with W ... Read more »

The Vuzix Smart Glasses combine one old-fashioned technology (glasses) and one new one (tiny screens), giving us (i.e. the besneakered crowds at CES Unveiled) a device that inches us closer to the cyborg future. The M100 high-tech smartphone display runs on Ice Cream Sandwich and beams info from the cloud, displaying it on an eyepiece and streaming audio to a single headphone. The result is essentially a juiced-up Bluetooth headset. And like a Bluetooth headset, favorite of public-monologue holders, the M100 makes for a confused reality, one in which you're unsure what to look at—the Disney video playing on the tiny screen floating in front of your face, or the actual people standing in front of you. If you choose the former, you can play games, watch TV, record video, and read and answer texts and emails. Vuzix plans to launch this glasses this summer and says they'll cost less than $5 ... Read more »

The Consumer Electronics Show has unofficially pre-opened to the non-public with CES Unveiled, a press-preview two days before the show. We've fought our way through rabid reporters and photographers to get the scoop on a few of the most interesting (and baffling) gadgets at the event.