The Global Stage For
Innovation
© 2014 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BOB SKIDMORE
CORRESPONDENT
Well the start of a new year
brings CES, The Consumer Electronics Show, or, perhaps, THE GLOBAL STAGE FOR INNOVATION. This annual event held in Las Vegas
featured over 3200 exhibitors and attracted some 150,000, including 35,000 international attendees. This year,
considering the unusual worldwide weather conditions, could still be a record
breaker since official figures will not be released till some time in late
spring.
This show was originally
created as a semi-annual preorder sales event for retailers with a summer show
in Chicago. In recent years it’s become a sort of testing ground for new
products and gadgets such as Ultra HD 4K Television and wearable technology. It
gives the manufacturer the opportunity to meet the resale giants and show many
prototype products allowing them to evaluate interest, make improvements prior
to a release and to brainstorm on what to offer in the future. In short, it’s a
toy store of interesting gadgets many of which may never make it to the market
place. Interestingly enough, the exhibitors over the years have expanded to
include automobiles and some appliances along with computer related products,
and all the technology that makes them appealing. The show is not open to the
general public, although a few years ago the show did sell tickets on the last
day to consumers. Typically, exhibitors send most of the staff home on the
show’s last day so one would assume that they were unable to cope with the
inquiring consumers and thus the show remains industry affiliation only. Unlike
CES, European shows generally offer public access on specific days.
Ford showed the C-MAX, a
Solar Energi Concept car that’s a plug-in hybrid with photovoltaic panels on
its roof that when parked can fully charge the car in one day. It has a 620-mile
range, but can only rely on sunshine energy for 21 miles. C-MAX is a series of
energy efficient models that currently exist, but minus the solar power
feature. As usual, cost and availability is unknown, that’s why it’s a concept
car… BMW and Audi unveiled their latest driverless cars with demo rides on the
streets of Vegas. Nevada is one of the few states where it’s legal to test
drive self-driving vehicles, although a person must sit in the driver’s seat…
Toyota showed a four-seat concept car that looked like a futuristic Prius. It’s
powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and will also be capable of powering your home
for a week during an emergency. Toyota plans to start selling a version of this
car in the U. S. next year. No price available, however they claim a big cost
savings by utilizing an electric powertrain already in production in their
current hybrid models. Bosch showed a smartphone app that parks your car in
tight spots. No availability given… Chevrolet showed its “APP SHOP” feature that
allows owners to add features to their cars thru apps. Sounds like a GM moneymaker
to me!
Phonesoap Charger is a
gadget that’s available for fifty bucks. Not only is it a phone charger, but it
also sanitizes your phone by using UV technology, and it’s an acoustic audio
amplifier. The two UV-C lamps in the device produce a very specific wavelength
of light, which encompasses your phone, and pass through the cell walls of
bacteria and virus to impair their DNA. Once exposed the cells die. Works with
most smartphones and comes with a micro USB cable or you can use the 30 pin
cable that came with your phone.
Wearable technology was all
over CES. Exhibits included a Zepp sensor that mounts on golf balls, baseballs
and tennis balls or even on a golf glove to analyze 1,000 data points per
second that create 3D representations of a player’s swing. Or how about the
Qardiocore heart monitor that can send an EKG to a smartphone and then forward
to a physician for remote heart monitoring? And many more smartwatches that
interface with your smartphone to provide duplicate functions on your wrist.
Still waiting for one that’s totally compatible with the iPhone. Maybe Apple
will offer one soon that’s really smart? Apple pulled out of CES several years
ago to devote their time and efforts to their own events.
Last, but not least, Ultra 4K
HD was again much on display. The difference this year was Samsung’s new
concept of curved screens that create the ultimate immersive experience. Much
like the old Cinemascope days that have come and gone, this technology promotes
a new dimension to your viewing experience. They offer several large sizes
including 105 and 110” models which seems to indicate that size is a factor to
enjoying the experience. While certainly interesting, the big problem is
there’s little to no programming available for the Ultra 4K format and none
really on the horizon. The networks certainly are not gearing up for Ultra 4K
HD since it’s all they can do to keep afloat with the competition of competing
media of all kinds and there’s no prerecorded software since devices capable of
such quality are presently out of the consumer’s price range. Think this may go
by the way of all the 3D attempts of the past as that technology is slowly
disappearing too? Your guess is as good as mine, but then that’s what creates
the excitement in the technology industry and keeps us wanting more!
MSRP: Curved Ultra 4K HD unknown,
but could be $5K - $10,000+ (Probably five years off from product availability
at retail, if then)
Graphic
credits: Google Images
Bob Skidmore is a freelance
writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent,
or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his
points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally
supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is
received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of
review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior
ratings. Some information for this article may be gathered from
various sources available to the author.
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