Bear-proof glass, glow-in-the-dark toilet seats, and more weird stuff at IBS 2016

By Nick Mokey Published January 22, 2016

From contractors to architects, designers, and even the guy who plans where gas lines should go, putting a literal roof over your head takes a lot of people. Once a year, representatives of all these groups convene in Las Vegas for the International Builder’s Show, where you can find everything from state-of-the-art appliances and solar arrays to faucets and all the latest styles of bathroom flooring.

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That’s the stuff you expect, anyway. But along the way, we bumped into more than a few oddities that made us stop in our tracks and wonder what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. These are those.

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Nick Mokey

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…

Smart Home

This smart display alternative just added a powerful new feature to help track your chores

Skylight is responsible for a variety of smart display alternatives with a focus on organization and schedule planning. Last summer, it launched the premium Cal Max -- a 27-inch smart calendar that we called a “streamlined smart display alternative.” Since its arrival, Skylight has continued to roll out new features to the device, and now you’ll find a powerful feature called Routines available across the Skylight Calendar lineup. Designed to simplify chores and build good habits for the entire family, it’s a unique new feature that changes how you interact with the display.

The idea behind Routines is simple -- offer visual feedback and an easy-to-use interface to make it easier than ever to keep track of (and complete) all your chores. These can be set up on a recurring schedule, allowing you to program in everything from a quick 15 minutes of reading before bedtime or a few minutes each morning for your kids to brush their teeth. Routines can be customized with various emojis and color-coding to help keep track of them, and a fun confetti animation is triggered once they’re complete.

Smart Home

Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite: which is the better smart lock?

A person opening the Yale Assure Lock 2 with their Apple Watch.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 and Lockly Vision Elite are among the best smart locks on the market. One offers a streamlined design and multiple formats, while the other is packed with features that make it an all-in-one powerhouse. Rest assured -- you can’t go wrong choosing either product. But there are some big differences between the two, and one is likely a better fit for your preferences than the other.

With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite. From pricing and design to installation and notable features, we’ll cover everything you need to know before making a purchase.

Smart Home

Unlock $618 savings on the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra

Couple relaxing while robot pool cleaner works

Owning a pool is fantastic, but maintaining it? Not so much. Between random yard debris, birds using it as a bath, and whatever mystery gunk floats on top after a storm, it’s a lot. That’s where Beatbot’s AquaSense 2 Ultra steps in and right now, it’s stepping in with a hefty $618 discount.
From April 14 through April 27 you can snag the world’s first AI-powered 5-in-1 robotic pool cleaner or their Amazon store. That’s not a typo, that’s next-level pool tech at a next-level price.
Why the AquaSense 2 Ultra isn’t just another robot in the pool
This isn’t your average robotic cleaner that aimlessly bounces around like a cheap robot vacuum with no sense of direction. The AquaSense 2 Ultra is smarter. Like "I’ve-got-this-go-enjoy-your-margarita" smart.