CES is a huge show. Something like 175,000 people — engineers, designers, buyers, media, influencers, etc — dropped in on Las Vegas to this year to get a first look at the future of consumer tech.
This year, it was easy to get swallowed up by 8K TVs, foldable screens, and electric car stuff.
This is my ninth CES and after nearly a decade of being jaded from covering iterative versions of existing gadgets, CES 2020 brought back the weird. Like the Sublue's Mix Pro, an "underwater scooter" that you grab with two hands and it propels you through the water.
Naturally, when I saw the huge water tank Sublue had installed in its booth, I couldn't resist jumping in to try out the Mix Pro for myself. Sublue didn't need much convincing and the next thing I knew, I was in a back room changing into a wetsuit and climbing up the water tank's stairs for a demo of the "underwater scooter."
First, some basic info on the Mix Pro. Sublue been selling these "underwater scooters" (despite the name, there are no wheels) for years. The Mix Pro slots in just between the company's $549 WhiteShark Mix and $999 Seabow. And, it's just better. It's lighter, faster, and the battery lasts longer.
Like the Segway S-Pod, Mix Pro is dead simple to use. It's that easy.
The tank I was in wasn't very large or deep so I didn't have much space to really glide more than a few feet forward and downward. But that's not important because the Mix Pro basically replaces flippers and the need to kick your legs. It's pretty awesome the second you're pulled forward with the motors.
I tried spinning a few times and failed every time! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's tougher to learn how to do underwater acrobatics like this. Even with coaching from a professional diver, I couldn't get it right. Granted, I only had about 30 minutes to demo play with the Mix Pro, I found it hard to hug the device and look over my shoulder so that the motors could spin me.
Sublue hasn't announced pricing or release information for the Mix Pro yet. The only thing that has me concerned is that they're crowdfunding it on Kickstarter in April. Now, Sublue has already proven itself with the underwater scooters it currently sells, but we all know crowdfunded products can end up wonderful or completely disastrous.