CES 2019 ~
The Consumer Electronics Show, A Gadget
Showcase….
©
2019 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BOB SKIDMORE
CORRESPONDENT
The
annual Consumer Electronics Show, CES, held in Las Vegas this past January 8 -
11th was bigger and better than ever. Showcasing some 4500+
exhibitors that occupied 2.9 million net square feet of exhibit space and
attracting over 180,000 attendees from around the globe, displayed the latest
in innovative technology for 2019. In recent years this show transformed from a
mid-year retailer Christmas buying exhibition held in Chicago, to a technology
show held annually in Las Vegas that showcases the latest gadgetry. That being
said, many items being shown may, or may not actually make it to market. In
many cases it’s a way for manufactures, big and small, to test the waters to
see if a concept has merit, needs improvement, or has no market appeal. Such is
the case this year as Eureka Park, the home of startups at CES, featured more
than 1200 companies from over 50 countries offering unique innovations in hopes
of attracting investors and big-name brands. It’s impossible to highlight
everything, so we’ll limit our discussion to some technological trends and a few
rather unique products.
5G
technologies will be incorporated into many of our smartphone products, as
service providers are eager to add this capability. Eleven of the leading
automobile manufacturers highlighted the future of transportation. This
included an air taxi from Bell Helicopter and an electric motorcycle from
Harley-Davidson.
Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric
Motorcycle $29,799.00
Self-driving
technology was also widely featured in numerous exhibits. Digital health
technologies were a major theme, a 25% increase over last year, highlighting
the latest advances and trends in health care. Over 260 doctors and other
health professionals attended the “Disruptive Innovations In Health Care”
conference, which offered Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits at CES for
the very first time. Pricey 8K flat screen technology was heavily promoted even
though the consumer is leaning strongly towards 4K. This trend will probably
continue until the 8K format becomes more in line with 4K pricing and program
providers offer more 8K programming. 8K, by the way, produces 16 times the
resolution of standard HD….. As
expected, lots of gadgets for Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple voice
activated products with Amazon claiming 4500 brands, 28,000 devices and 70,000+
skills that can be controlled by users giving voice commands to Alexa.
Synamedia,
a UK software provider, unveiled the new AI (artificial intelligence) - powered
system designed to stop the rise of account sharing of streaming services like
Netflix and Amazon Prime. Roughly 26% of millennials give out their passwords
to other people according to a recent study. The program uses AI, machine
learning and behavioral analytics, to identify where an account has been
accessed from, what time it is used, what content is being watched and by what
device. It then identifies patterns that indicate a shared password, passing
the information onto the show provider through a probability score indicating
that the software has found an infringer. Family plans would be recognized and
not be affected by the software. So far, none of the program providers have
announced incorporating this software into their marketing plans.
Samsung’s 219 inch “THE WALL” TV
Samsung
displayed, “THE WALL” TV, a 219 inch 4K MicroLED television set that
creates a brighter image while using less energy than current TVs. Price to be
announced and probably just as big!
TytoHome
TytoHome
showed an expanded series of home medical devices that work with your
smartphone so your doctor can examine your heart, lungs, throat, ears, skin, abdomen,
heart rate and body temperature, as well as diagnose and treat many of the most
common conditions such as: Ear infections, Cold & Flu, Fever, Headaches,
Eye Irritation, Congestion, Sinus Pain, Allergies, Sore Throat, Coughs &
Upped Respiratory Diseases, Bug Bites & Rashes, Constipation & Stomach
Aches. It also allows your doctor to monitor chronic conditions and monitor
your health after surgery, or a procedure. It’s not intended to replace seeing
the doctor, but rather aid in determining what’s going on and if a visit is
necessary. Allied Physicians Group and Tyto Care recently signed an agreement
to bring remote Telehealth Exams to Allied’s vast network of patients. Sounds
like a trend in remote health care is headed our way!
LG Roll UP TV
This
year LG plans to sell TV’s that roll up like posters. The 65” OLED TVs will
retract automatically at the touch of a button like a garage door. It can leave
a portion of the screen still visible when retracted so select data and
features are still viewable. This model
introduction is an effort to revive the OLED market, which up to now has only a
1.1% of the market while LCD’s tout 98% market share.
YubiKey
YubiKey
security technology has been around for a while. It’s an all-in-one security
key. With a simple touch, the multi-protocol YubiKey protects access to
computers, networks, and online services by providing a two-step authentication
consisting of your password and the YubiKey. At CES the YubiKey 5 NFC series
was introduced. This series now also interfaces with the iPhone as well as working
with Windows and Mac login, Gmail, Dropbox, Facebook, Salesforce, Duo, and many
more services. For further details,
available models and pricing: https://bit.ly/1NzOncU
So,
what happens in Vegas isn’t necessarily staying in Vegas! That’s a snapshot of
things to come as presented at CES 2019.
Now
that I have peaked your interest, watch along with me as the Washington Post’s tech columnist,
Geoffrey Fowler, shows us, “JUST A FEW WEIRD TECH PRODUCTS WE SAW AT
CES 2019”. Just double click the link below to begin the brief tour:
Images: By the manufacturer or 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. In some cases news services and press releases made
available to the GADGETEER are used to compile this column.
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