Consumer Electronics Show 2018
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world’s gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has proved time and again to be a platform where experts and innovators break through the tech shell and evolve beyond. It is owned by Consumer Technology Association (CTA) aimed at brainstorming technology to suffice the future. We see amazing technology and appliances we can use in our daily life. These appliances are indeed becoming smarter and its not too long before we will live in a Star War’s era.
This year, companies like Qualcomm, Baidu and Verizon discussed how 5G would enable the future. Aspects of topics like virtual reality and augmented reality were discussed so that they can be innovated more to make them more feasible. The main objective is to get tie-ups and collaborations between companies or start-ups to get business done in the field of entrepreneurship. There were exhibitions put up where the prototypes of the ideas were displayed. Some of the coolest things that were displayed this year are: Sennheiser’s 3D Sound Bar, Peloton Treadmill, Dynamic Wallet Card, Hyperkin Gameboy, etc.
However, what stood out the most was Razer’s innovative mouse. In this product, they designed a smart USB mouse pad which will be connected to the desired system having the power. The mouse won’t have any power and hence will be extremely light. The mouse will just have a capacitor which will work though electric induction from the smart mouse pad.
Everyone felt that it was out of place as Nvidia, a company best known for graphics processors that power everything from gaming computers, displayed their driverless car.
The HTC Vive Pro was a People’s Choice recipient this year at the CES 2018. Nearly every company infused their tech with AI and voice assistants, meaning our smart products are about to get even smarter. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa emerged as the winners of the voice assistant at CES 2018. There was also the world’s first smartphone with an in-display fingerprint scanner by Vivo in the exhibition. The Wall by Samsung stole the show as their modular MicroLED TV was way better than the current OLED TVs. Moreover, this year was focussed on Convertible Tablets/Laptops, Smart Home Devices, Augmented Reality, Companion Robots, Chip Wars, Artificial Intelligence in Everything, Health Sensors, 5G Technology, Smarter Cars, Facial Recognition, Virtual Realty, Smart Cities, Wireless Charging, LED TVs, Drones, etc.
Most of the companies are focusing on interfacing screens everywhere around us in daily life ranging from smart TVs to smart refrigerators having screens. This was mainly incorporated by both Samsung and LG as they flaunted their new refrigerators with built-in screens for showing information like shopping lists and the weather. Samsung’s new Family Hub fridge also works with the company’s voice-activated Bixby personal assistant, while LG’s InstaView ThinQ model integrates with Amazon’s Alexa.
Companies like Google, Lenovo, and Chinese search giant Baidu used CES to showcase new voice-centric computers with screens resembling tablets meant to be home appliances. Lenovo and Google jointly announced their new Smart Display, a voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant. It’s like the Google Home, but the Smart Display includes a touchscreen. The hardware is also made by Lenovo rather than Google. The Lenovo Smart Display puts up some supplementary information on the screen while answering voice commands. For example, if asked for recommendations for restaurants, the Smart Display will show nearby places on its screen with the related results and then the users can tap into it to learn more.
Innovations in technology in this platform boosts enterprise and hence is a key to staying competitive in the digital world.