It’s that time of year: when neon-lit Las Vegas revealed its nerdy side, as gadget-architects from around the world gathered to participate in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week in the Sin City. As usual, the event sent ripples through the tech world with announcements of all the latest in technology – cool gadgets, future tech, mobile phones, and a whole lot more.
But, this year, the hype continued to swirl around mobile and wearable technology, an implication of what today’s consumers are looking for as they desire to work and live life untethered from their desks. Consumers want to detach themselves from their offices, but at the same time maintain productivity.
Other can’t-miss features of CES included the introduction of new phones, tablets by makers like Dell, which will introduce a lineup of new hardware devices, and mobile integration that will allow us to stay connected while safely driving. Let’s check out some of the highlights of the event.
Wearable technology
Among the wearable devices that garnered the biggest crowds at this year’s tech fest, the “smart ring” and the “smart belt” have been the show stealers.
The “ring,” created by a company named Logbar, seemingly turns your finger into a magic wand. The gesture control function of this device lets you control everything in your house – you can turn appliances on and off, or draw curtains or blinds with a simple movement of your finger, and even write letters in mid-air that can be recognized as text. Now, if that’s not cool, I don’t know what is.
On the other hand, Emiota, a Paris-based startup, has created “Belty,” the smart belt that tracks the size of your waistline to help identify early signs of diseases that are correlated with waist circumference.
Apart from these gadgets, CES witnessed a boom of wearable products that promote ultimate connectedness as their common goal. But, how do these products score in terms of practicality? Experts and analysts have taken their sides, but the answer has yet to emerge. Regardless of whether or not these devices go mainstream, they show us what technology can do as opposed to what it should do.
Home appliances with a tech twist
Everyday home appliances like fans and lights bulbs are not typically looked upon as high-tech products. But we will be changing our perception very soon.
The Best of Innovation Award winner duo, Sengled’s “Snap Lightbulb,” and “Haiku” from Big Ass Solutions, offer high-tech twists on mundane devices. The Snap is an LED light bulb that doubles as a home security system, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity, JBL speakers, microphones, and a 1080p security camera. Touted as “the world’s most advanced ceiling fan,” Haiku is a mobile-app connected fan that syncs with the Nest Smart Thermostat to cut down on energy costs. Not to mention, it comes with 39 LEDs, an infrared motion sensor, and the ability to detect environmental conditions.
There are definitely some useful tech advances on the home front, wouldn’t you say?
Mobile technology
When it comes to mobiles, Dell launched its Venue 8 7000 Series, the “world’s thinnest tablet,” along with a slew of products that include its XPS 13 laptop, the world’s smallest 13-incher, new Alienware gaming laptops, and a new range of monitors. Kodak, Lamborghini, Asus and others unveiled their new range of mobile phones, while, shockingly, the more famous names like Samsung and Sony have been relatively quiet about new releases.
And, although mobile integrated cars are becoming a regular fixture at this event, there’s something interesting about the Audi Q7 piloted driving concept car that enables users to start the engine and drive the car using a smartwatch. In fact, Audi’s driverless car “performed the world’s longest hands-off drive — 560 miles from California to Nevada” recently. So piloted driving concepts could make their way into our reality very soon.
Internet of Things is becoming a way of life
With the pervasiveness of the Internet of Things (IoT), there’s nothing that is not connected anymore. My key takeaway from this year’s CES is: Data analytics rule the roost, as we are constantly connected and smartening every device so that it can be informed of our choices and preferences in life. Capturing and decoding this data will give today’s marketers the leverage to sell to their customers exactly what they need, just when they need it. And future developers will be able to deliver more of what we want and need as well.
What were the biggest highlights of CES 2015 for you?
This post was written as part of the Dell Insight Partners program, which provides news and analysis about the evolving world of tech. To learn more about tech news and analysis visit Tech Page One. Dell sponsored this article, but the opinions are our own and don’t necessarily represent Dell’s positions or strategies.
