CES 2019 Sets the Stage for Innovation
CES is the world’s largest gathering place for those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Earlier this month, attendees convened in Las Vegas for a week of innovation and breakthrough technologies.
CNET shared their top takeaways from this year’s event, from rising televisions and robotic legs, to blemish-erasing skin tools, the famed Impossible Burger, and more. Google had the biggest presence at CES by far, celebrating upgrades to Google Assistant in a massive booth complete with a ride, posters, billboards and more. And though Apple did not make an official appearance, they did announce new partners with Airplay, HomeKit and Samsung. The Impossible Burger, which has been somewhat of a craze in the vegetarian community, shared their phase two product, which Joan Solsman of CNET said, “comes close enough to cow to gross me out.”
5G — though experts anticipated that 5G would dominate CES, it did so only in talk, and not in products. CNET says we’ll have to hold our breath and look out for more 5G compatible products to hit the market in 2019.
Smart Homes — of course, the large Smart Home Display put on by Google Assistant was center stage, but they weren’t the only ones looking to smart home technology. Amazon showed off partner products with Alexa, while KitchenAid and Whirlpool demonstrated substantial investments in smart kitchen tech, and GE shared WiFi enabled light fixtures. Netatmo debuted a Smart Video Doorbell, the first of its kind that “has no subscription fees for video storage, person detection, or other features that its competitors commonly make you pay for.”
TVs — televisions continue to grow in size, with Sony and Samsung debuting 8k TVs spanning an eye-popping 98 inches. One of the biggest surprises, however, came from Apple, as “the iPhone company opened up its ecocystem to work with TV makers. Samsung, Sony, LG and Vizio can work with the AirPlay 2 system, which uses iPhones, iPads or Mac computers to control video, music and photo playback on the TV from numerous apps.”
Health Tech — once again, there were products to help us eat better, exercise more, and stay healthy. Vision testing kits, heart health monitoring vests, ECG watches, ultrasound machines — “the fact that you can use it [these technologies] in your own home could be a huge step forward for telemedicine.” There were also a range of exercise devices and sleep aides, including sleep masks and sensors aimed at the cessation of snoring.
Robots — one can’t very well have a technology event without robots, and they were certainly everywhere. Highlights included those that help build skills (such as sports), health monitoring and management, retail purchases, companions and more.
Beauty — a continued trend from last year’s CES, there were “products designed to diagnose skin problems, correct flaws and quantify what was previously unquantifiable.”
Automobiles — autonomous vehicles were also a repeat trend, with a focus less on the technology itself, and more on what the human experience in a self-driving car will be once we take our hands off the wheel.
VR — the biggest conversation in VR surrounded Oculus Quest, which Facebook will release later this year with a price tag of about $400. There were smaller steps made in AR, which emerged primarily in smart glasses, phone technology, and car displays.
Haven’t satiated your taste for tech yet? Read the full list of takeaways here.