Each year, thousands of companies from all over the world gather in Las Vegas for CES, a tech industry trade show that’s been around since 1967.
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CES isn’t where you should expect to find the newest gadgets you’ll be able to get your hands on in the coming year. Rather, it provides a broad view of where the world’s biggest companies in the technology, home appliances, and automotive sectors, among other industries, are investing their resources. It provides a peek at the world we might live in anywhere from between five and 25 years from now.
This year’s show was full of dazzling TVs, futuristic car prototypes, home robots, and a whole lot more. After scouting the CES show floor over the past four days, here’s a look at the best gadgets, technologies, and concepts I came across.
Sony Vision-S
One of the biggest surprises of CES was the debut of Sony’s Vision-S, a futuristic prototype car that the company says it will be testing on roads later in 2020.
The Vision-S comes decked out with 33 sensors for monitoring activity around the car, speakers with 360-degree audio built into every seat, and a giant panoramic screen that stretches across the dashboard.
Dell Alienware Concept UFO
Dell’s Alienware Concept UFO is essentially a Windows 10 tablet optimized for gaming — whether it be at home or on-the-go.
Much like the Nintendo Switch, the Concept UFO has two controller accessories that attach to the side of the tablet when used in portable mode. If you want to play on a bigger screen, the tablet can be connected to an external monitor or TV.
The Concept UFO has a large, 8-inch display and is full of Alienware-esque design flourishes, like joysticks that glow at their base. But the device’s main draw is the fact that it would give PC gamers access to their entire game library on the go.
It’s yet another indication that industry leaders in the gaming and technology industries are looking for new ways to blend portable and at-home gaming.
The VISION AVTR may be one of the most futuristic concepts at CES this year. It can identify the driver by their heartbeat and their breathing pattern, and it can also sense its passengers’ vital signs and adjust the lighting accordingly. There’s also no steering wheel in the VISION AVTR; rather, there’s a console that “connects” the owner to the vehicle.
TCL 10 Pro
The TCL 10 Pro is a new Android smartphone launching this year that will cost less than $500 and offers high-end features like a curved AMOLED screen, four main cameras, and an in-screen fingerprint sensor, among other capabilities. Some of those features, like the in-screen fingerprint sensor and four-camera setup, aren’t even found on Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.
The TCL 10 Pro will be launching in the US and Canada in the second quarter of 2020.
The launch comes as smartphone prices have increased in recent years, with major smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung, and LG among others selling phones that cost around $1,000.
Hyundai’s flying cars
Hyundai unveiled its concept flying taxi at CES, which it will be partnering with ride-hailing giant Uber to deploy as part of a service that could be up and running by 2023.
The vehicle is designed to fly for up to 60 miles and has a cruising speed of 180 miles per hour. Uber says it hopes to begin demonstration flights this year.
Neon’s digital humans
Neon, a startup coming out of Samsung’s Technology and Advanced Research Labs, debuted it’s first major project at CES: digital humans that are designed to look and behave like real people.
The company created these high-tech avatars, known as “neons,” by analyzing millions of pieces of data about how people move. While “neons” may look like real human beings, they aren’t copies of actual people. And they’re not designed to function as virtual assistants either; rather, the company envisions them being helpful as brand spokespeople, fitness instructors, and other similar roles.
Samsung’s 8K OLED TV with no bezels
8K TVs were everywhere at CES, but it’s Samsung’s virtually borderless design that really makes the Q950 truly stand out. It has a screen-to-body ratio of nearly 99%, which is the highest of any TV on the market, Samsung claims.
The super-slim design appears to be driven by a chip Samsung announced last year, which makes it possible for televisions to deliver 8K resolutions without many internal components.
Segway-Ninebot’s S-Pod
Segway-Ninebot was at CES showing off its personal “transporting pod” called the S-Pod, an egg-shaped electric scooter that quickly drew comparisons to the hover chairs seen in the Disney-Pixar animated film “Wall-E.”
The S-Pod is essentially an electric wheelchair, but the company sees it being useful for quickly moving around enclosed spaces like campuses, theme parks, and malls, for example.
It’s one of many electric mobility devices that was on display at CES, where many automakers and other firms showcased vehicles that could make transportation more efficient, especially in cities.