Gadgets get smarter, friendlier at CES show
Gadgets get smarter, friendlier at CES show
AFP By Glenn Chapman and Sophie Estienne
15 hours ago
Annual tech extravaganza, Consumer Electronics Show, with
more than 3,600 exhibitors, is set to formally start on January 6, 2016, in Las
Vegas
San Francisco (AFP) - From drones, cars and robots to
jewelry, appliances and TVs, the new technology on display at the 2016 Consumer
Electronics Show promises to be smarter and friendlier than ever.
The annual tech extravaganza with more than 3,600
exhibitors set to formally start on Wednesday in Las Vegas is likely to see
innovation across a range of sectors, from health care to autos, connected
homes, virtual reality and gaming.
"There are always a couple of winners at CES, and
sometimes there are the sleepers that turn out to be the cool thing,"
Gartner analyst Brian Blau told AFP.
But Blau said the innovations are "often
evolutionary, not revolutionary."
Televisions will play starring roles at the show as
usual, with giants such as Samsung, Sony, LG and Vizio among contenders in a
market rapidly shifting to ultra-high definition.
"We are in the sweetest of the sweet spot in the TV
market," NPD analyst Stephen Baker told AFP while discussing CES.
"Sales of 4K TVs are exploding right now," he
said, referring to the popular new high-definition format.
Drones are also expected to make a splash at CES, where
an Unmanned Systems Marketplace has doubled in size from a year earlier to
cover 25,000 square feet (2,300 square meters).
Blau expects the drones on display at the show to be more
sophisticated, with easy controls and even applications that let them be
operated using smartphones.
"If you want to make it popular with consumers you
have to make it relatively easy to use and foolproof," he said. "And that
is what a lot of drone manufacturers have been doing."
- Apple presence felt -
Electronics makers are also using building smart
technology into all manner of devices, allowing them to adapt to how people use
them, responding to voice or gesture, for example.
"A lot more of your devices are going to run with
less direction from you but a greater sense of how to help you out," Blau
said.
The trend of once-dumb devices getting smarter will
continue to include light bulbs, remote controls, thermostats and other devices
in the home as well as "wearables" such as jewelry or clothing.
"We are going to see a lot of wearables, and more
smart clothes than last year," Blau said.
Apple does not officially attend CES, but smart household
products tuned to the technology giant's HomeKit and controlled by iPhones were
expected to be plentiful.
Samsung and Google-owned Nest were also expected to make
moves to be at the center of smart homes, where the market is vexed by the lack
of a single standard or system for devices to speak with each other.
- Spotlight on cars -
Cars rolled out at CES may also showcase the potential
for digital technologies enhancing consumer goods, according to NPD analyst
Baker.
Mark Boyadjis of IHS Automotive referred to cars as a
"core pillar" of the show.
Innovation in cars is changing the way people interact
with vehicles, as technology handles more and more aspects of driving.
"In the long run, it means maybe delivering cars
without steering wheels, or steering wheels that can be moved or put
away," Boyadjis said.
"It means physical buttons may all but be gone,
being replaced by display, gesture recognition, speech recognition."
A record 10 automakers will be showing at CES along with
at least 115 automotive tech companies, according to the Consumer Technology
Association, which organizes the show.
- Virtual reality spreads -
CES will also boast a big section devoted to virtual
reality, as product makers jump into the trend ahead of the expected releases
in 2016 of headsets from Oculus, Sony, and Valve.
It remained to be seen whether new contenders would step
up to challenge "the big three" in VR, but CES goers would likely see
uses of the technology extended beyond gaming, according to Blau.
CES will, of course, have its share of colorful creations
including a Haier moving refrigerator designed to resemble the beloved R2-D2 of
blockbuster "Star Wars" film fame.
"As for what sells, we won't know that until later
this year," Baker said of the sea of offerings set to go on display.
The premier consumer electronics show set a record last
year with more than 176,000 people attending.
At this year's CES, officially open from January 6-9,
organizers aim to cap attendance at that level with security ramped up in the
wake of last month's attacks in California.
"While we know of no credible threat against CES, we
remain vigilant," said Gary Shapiro, president of CTA, formerly the
Consumer Electronics Association.
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