At CES today, Panasonic announced a partnership with Amazon that will bring Alexa to your car. Dubbed Alexa Onboard, it works with Panasonic's Skip Gen IVI technology and is meant to make life with your virtual assistant more seamless as you move from your home to your vehicle. Alexa Onboard's functions were demonstrated on stage and the most interesting aspect is that it will still have use when offline. As expected, queries like what the weather's like, how far away a destination is and where the nearest gas station is, for example, are answered by Alexa when you ask. You'll also be able to take advantage of Alexa's other skills such as controlling your smart home devices, receiving news briefings and ordering from meal delivery services.

At the end of last year Hisense launched the $10,000 100-inch 4K "Laser TV" projector we saw at CES 2017, and this year it's continuing to push that home theater in a box. According to president Liu Hong Xin, it has more sizes in development (80 and 88-inch sizes will be in its booth), and already owns 60 percent of the market share for 85-inches and above. As far as regular TVs go, the company once again has a wide range of LED-lit LCD televisions ranging in size and price, however the biggest change is that there's no mention of Roku built-in. This time around the high-end H10E (above, which features over 1,000 zones of LED lighting) and H9E Plus series will feature Android TV, while its other models come with the Hisense TV Platform. It's not clear what Hisense is using for that, but it will have apps for Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, YouTube and Fox Sports Go. All of them are Amazon Alexa enabled with voice control access, while the Android models also support Google Assistant.

Samsung-owned Harman International just announced three new models for its JBL Everest line of wireless headphones. The over-ear 710GA, on-ear 310GA and in-ear 110GA all include Google Assistant (hence the GA designation), giving you voice control over your music, phone calls and notifications. All three models will be available this spring for $250, $200 and $100, respectively. Once you've connected either model to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth 4.1, you can use Google Assistant by touching a sensor on the ear cup or earbud. You can then say things like, "volume up," "tell me about my day" or "play some pop music."

Judge Michael Topolski said Mohammed, 36, had been "planning an explosion to kill and maim innocent people in the cause of Islamic State." The judge said El-Hassan, 33, was "ideologically motivated to provide him with support, motivation and assistance."

CES 2018 has kicked off. And with it comes all sort of tat -- except, because it's the future, now that tat is connected to the internet. The Las Vegas spectacular is a gadget show, above all else, and there are thousands being released this week. But gadgets are ultimately a distraction. Toys might be fun, but they aren't where the future of technology can be seen.

Ring is the brand most people think of when it comes to floodlight cams, but Maximus (and its corporate ally Kuna, which provides the underlying technology) is trying harder to get noticed. The Maximus Camera Floodlight, first announced way back at last year's CES is finally available--and it's a compelling value. The Maximus doesn't have an answer for every feature that you'll find in the Ring Floodlight Cam, but it offers some features Ring doesn't (I'm in the process of reviewing Ring's product). The biggest difference is in the floodlight itself. Both companies build their floodlights with LEDs, but where the Ring's are inside somewhat conventional cans, the Maximus' lights are flat rectangular panels.

Amazon's Alexa is headed to Windows PCs, as Amazon aggressively forged partnerships with Acer, Asus, and HP here at CES. Both Amazon and Microsoft had already planned to bring the Alexa digital assistant to smart speakers like the Harman Kardon Invoke, as part of a set of "skills" that allowed third-party app integrations to add additional intelligence. But this is a bit different: Amazon and PC makers are bringing an Alexa app to select Windows PCs, challenging Microsoft's Cortana on her own turf. "Hands-free access to Alexa on PCs can be helpful to customers in many ways, like making it simple to interact with your smart home, get news or weather, set timers, and more," said Steve Rabuchin, vice president of Amazon Alexa, as part of the Acer announcement. "This is a big step toward making Alexa available wherever customers might need her." One of Cortana's greatest weaknesses is a lack of smart-home controls, as our review of the Invoke from our smart-home site, TechHive, indicated earlier this year.

Smell is a powerful thing. The wrong odors can ruin ambiance, wreck your appetite, and even turn a good mood sour. But the right scent creates a sense of peace and calm, boosts your mood, and adds a little extra something that can make any day better. There are a lot of aromatherapy diffusers out there, but none are quite like Moodo. This all-new device, making its official debut at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, offers dozens of scent themes, personalization, and smart features like Amazon Alexa integration--but it does come at a high price around $200.

Whirlpool's smart appliances have already had some voice assistant control, but they're about become particularly AI-savvy. The company has unveiled a 2018 lineup where many appliances support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, letting you control most of your home using the smart speaker (or mobile app) you prefer. You can check the time left on the washing machine, start the dishwasher or change the temperature of your fridge without lifting a finger. Certain appliances have extra perks. The Smart Front Control Range and Smart Over the Range Microwave tie into Yummly's recipe app to help you cook -- you can send instructions directly to the appliance, complete with images and video.

A voice assistant can't help you chop vegetables, but it can talk you through how to get your own to look like they were sliced by a professional. It's one of the reasons that Philips has crammed Google Assistant into its new Android TV for kitchens, the 7703. The 24-inch Android TV comes on a large plinth that is also a 16-watt Bluetooth speaker to fill your kitchen with tunes. The unit also has Chromecast integration, letting you push content from a mobile device to the display with very little fuss. The headline feature here is, of course, the presence of Assistant, which will let you bark instructions at the display when you're otherwise engaged.