Carnival unveils new concierge technology at CES 2017

Carnival, the operator of such cruise lines as Princess, Holland America and Carnival, is unveiling new concierge technology designed to help crew members anticipate and respond to passengers’ needs.

A waiter, for instance, could bring a guest’s favorite cocktail before she asks, or someone could remind a lounging guest that a yoga class is about to start.

Carnival hopes to boost loyalty and ultimately sales.

The development comes as the leisure-cruise industry plays catch-up with travel peers like hotels and airlines, which now let you unlock rooms with a smartwatch or fly with a boarding pass on your phone. Carnival is announcing the system on Wednesday at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas. It’s scheduled to debut on the Regal Princess cruise ship in November.

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Samsung America chief operating officer Tim Baxter opened a flashy press conference Wednesday at CES by acknowledging the “challenging year” Samsung had in 2016 due to its problems with the Galaxy Note 7. The company’s flagship smartphone had to be recalled because of its tendency to burst into flame.

Baxter said the company and third parties have been investigating the problem and the company will be sharing its root cause “very soon.”

The rest of the conference showcased Samsung’s new offerings, including a new form of its quantum dot TV technology called “QLED,” which purports to be sharper and more colorful than other TVs. It is adding Samsung proprietary voice control to its smart refrigerators, echoing a voice-control theme seen throughout CES so far.

And Samsung is introducing a washer-dryer combo that can wash two separate loads at once while drying a regular load and delicate items separately.

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A French startup called Wair is bringing a new scarf to CES, one that it says can double as both fashion accessory … and anti-pollution gas mask.

Wair calls its product, also dubbed Wair, the first “anti-pollution scarf.” Worn one way, it’s a seemingly normal wrap that’s a bit baggy in the middle.

But if air pollution starts to get to you — or if you get an alert from Wair’s companion app, called “Supairman” — you can pull it up over your face and seal a respirator mask over your nose and mouth. (At which point the scarf ceases to look particularly chic.)

The scarf is supposed to contain an embedded filter that can remove dust, gases and bacteria. It’s unclear just how effective it will be, although the startup notes that the filter will need changing every two to four weeks, at roughly $5 to $10 each time.

The product is expected to ship in a few months, starting at about $55 for men and $90 for women.

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Ah l’amour. One of the most whimsical gadgets at CES is the Lovebox, a device that doesn’t have much further use than wrapping up a text message like a present.

The wooden box plugs into an outlet and connects to Wi-Fi. A heart on the outside spins if you get a message. It will keep spinning until you open the lid. A digital screen then displays the message, ideally a message of love.

You decide who can send you love notes through the Lovebox mobile app. Messages are limited to 160 characters. You can reply with a digital heart by rotating the heart on the box.

The box comes from the French startup. It launched in France over Christmas and is due to hit the United States in June.

True love, of course, comes at a price: $120 for one box or $220 for two.

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Nest and other home security systems let you spy on your home if something seems awry. Now you can spy on your groceries.

British company Smarter is launching the Fridge Cam, a small round camera for your fridge. It takes a picture every time you close your fridge door, so you can see if you need bread or sundries if you’re at the store. It also uses visual recognition tools to alert you if you need to replace something. You can sign up for automatic reorders via the app, and it can alert you when products are due to expire.

Similar technology is already built into smart refrigerators, but those are pricey — Samsung’s Family Hub starts at $5,600. Smarter’s Barnaby Sellars says you can instead “spend $149 and turn your refrigerator smart.”

The product is among those being demonstrated at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas this week.