The Consumer Electronics Show always provides new technology products that gets everyone excited for the future. This year was no different. Checkout a few of this years more interesting products.
Alexa: the voice-controlled smart home
Numerous companies announced that they are using Amazon’s Alexa voice-response technology to control their devices with spoken commands. Alexa has jumped out ahead of rivals such as Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google Assistant, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Cortana and Apple’s (AAPL) Siri in what is shaping up as the next big computing platform. A number of home control companies, such as Crestron, also announced partnerships with Amazon’s Alexa at last years CEDIA. Alexa is can now be used by homeowners to control all functions of the house via voice command.
Robots as Part of the Family?
Since the Jetson’s cartoon aired in 1962, the idea of having a home robot that is part of the family has fascinated people. 55 years later, technology is catching up to fiction. For years, the CES show has featured robots, but most of them were gimmicks. That can’t be said anymore. Robots are know transitioning to real consumer products. Pepper, Kuri (featured above) and LG’s Hub Robot are designed for consumers or businesses in the real world. Consumers will be able to buy these robots soon, in some cases for less than $1,000.
Dish AirTV Combines Streaming and Broadcast TV
AirTV is a streaming box from a subsidiary of DISH that combines free over-the-air channel reception with Netflix, Sling TV, YouTube, and other apps in the Google Play store, in a single user experience. AirTV addresses a demand for people that want to put together their own alternative to cable or satellite television. Although the design of the product could be improved, it still fills a need in the market.
LG’s Wallpaper 4K OLED TV
One of the biggest highlights of this year’s CES was LG’s Signature W-Series OLED TV — also known as the Wallpaper OLED TV. Although the TV will be available in 75-inch and 65-inch varieties, only the 65-inch Signature W7 model appears to be available for pre-order at this time. The picture is impressive, but to truly appreciate just how thin the TV panel is — 1/10 of an inch thick, to be exact — you’ll need to see it in person. The 65 inch TV is already available for pre-order, and we expect it will be in high-demand come late March when it officially launches.
Razer Project Ariana: Immersive Gaming
With Ariana, Razer lets you play a PC title on the TV or monitor on your wall. A gaming projector works in tandem with the TV and splashes images from the game’s periphery on the rest of the space. The combination of a TV and projector results in a virtual light show, with immersive imagery cast upon walls and furniture. Ariana is currently an experimental technology, but an interesting concept.
Lego Boost: Inspire STEM
The acronym STEM stands for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. In todays landscape, it’s important to teach children at a young age how technology works. Lego, for years, have provided tools for children to build. Now, its new Boost set lets children at the age of 7 and up to build five different motorized creations and program their actions with the accompanying tablet app. It’s similar to Lego Mindstorms but much simpler — created with younger builders in mind.