The most exciting and weirdest news from CES 2017
As every year, the tech world gathered in Las Vegas to flood us with a tsunami wave of new gadgets. Foldable laptops, smart hairbrushes or bicycles with Android. There are no limits to the imagination.
The year has barely begun when the CES in Las Vegas heralds the start of the 2017 tech trends with much fanfare. From 5 to 8 January, industry representatives from all over the world will gather in the casino city to present their latest inventions. Ingenuity and absurdity are often just a hair's breadth apart. I have put together the most unusual, weirdest and most interesting products for you.
Purported weather radar: Norton Core
The device looks like a radar station but is actually a Wi-Fi router from the antivirus manufacturer Norton. As expected, the focus is on security. However, you have to pay a subscription fee from the second year onwards. Credit card is mandatory. The design is definitely stylish.
Smart hairbrush
With the intelligent hair brush Hair Coach, L'Oreal is bringing gadgets into the beauty segment. The brush is produced by Withings and has a microphone, a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor. It recognises when hair breaks and creates an individual hair profile. The data is sent to your mobile via Bluetooth, where you can see the quality of your hair - and get a recommendation for the right shampoo. Should be available in autumn.
Version 2.0: Nvidia Shield TV
Nvidia has brought several new features with it. Firstly, the Shield Android TV has been updated with 4K and HDR. In addition to Netflix, Amazon Video is now also supported with maximum quality. The controller has been streamlined and the Google Assistant is also available. The game streaming service Geforce Now is also available again. This will also be available for PC and Mac from spring.
A spot is available for the Shield TV. A small device that makes the Google Assistant accessible throughout your home. They should cost 50 dollars each. Release date still unknown.
Lego Boost - programming for kids
So that kids can embark on their IT careers at an early age, Lego is focussing on programmable building blocks. Similar to Lego Technic, the kits consist of small motors and sensors and can be controlled using the corresponding Android or iOS app. Unlike Lego's more complex Mindstorms system, Lego Boost is aimed at children aged seven and over.
Willow Smart Breast Pump
You've probably always wanted to attach your breasts to smart breast pumps. Smart Breast Pumps are stuffed into the bra and ensure that mums have both hands free. And of course, the Willows connect to your smartphone and tell you your milk level, which is handy if you want to check how much milk you are producing.
Sony's first OLED
LG now has a wide range of OLED TVs on the market. Manufacturers such as Panasonic and Philips have joined the trend and launched a few OLEDs on the market. So far, however, Sony and Samsung have clearly opted in favour of LCD technology. However, Sony has now surprisingly announced at CES that it will also be focussing on OLED TVs in 2017. The first Bravia A1s, as the new flagship will be called, are expected to be available from mid-2017 (55'' / 65'' / 77''). The entire screen is to be used as a speaker, combined with a bass speaker in the stand. Meanwhile, Samsung is continuing to improve its Quantum Dot technology and is still focussing on LCD, which is called QLCD in the combined name.
LG's ultra-thin OLED
LG have unveiled their new flagship at CES. The W of the W7 series is derived from Wallpaper and not without reason. In addition to all the other advantages of OLED, the W7 can be attached to the wall with a magnet and consists only of the panel. The connections of this ultra-thin display (5mm) will be located in the Dolby Atmos soundbar supplied and therefore no longer require any space. The term ultra-thin can now be taken literally.
HTC Vive goes wireless and gets headphones
HTC's VR glasses get new accessories. Firstly, there is the Vive Tracker. This should allow a wide variety of objects to be tracked and integrated into games. Whether plastic pistols, gloves or fire hoses. This opens up numerous new application possibilities for developers.
Another accessory is TPCast, a wireless adapter so you can game without tangled cables. The battery lasts 1h30 but an XL version is already planned. The whole thing is set to be released in the second half of the year for 250 dollars.
If you envied the integrated headphones on the Oculus Rift, you can get the same for HTC's glasses with the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap. Just clip it on and you're done. Release is scheduled for the second quarter.
The Android bike
In principle, the Chinese company LeEco has simply built a bike computer into two bicycles. A bike and a racing bike. The 4-inch devices are powered by a Snapdragon 410, have a generous 6000mAh battery that can be replaced and the operating system is Android - originally named BikeOS. The bikes are capable of navigation, can play music, communicate with other LeEco bikes, measure pressure and speed and even have a built-in light. They are also compatible with various third-party accessories such as heart rate monitors and the like. The corresponding app also tracks your rides, of course.
First PC monitor with HDR for gamers
HDR is becoming more and more popular - even in games. Until now, however, this was only possible with televisions. Asus has now unveiled the ROG Swift PG27UQ at CES. A 27-inch monitor that can handle HDR, 4K, G-Sync and 144Hz. In other words, the whole package to make gamers happy. Price and date are not yet known.
First PC monitor with 8K
4K still too pixelated for you? How about 8K your Serene Highness? The UltraSharp UP3218K from Dell offers just that. It measures 32 inches and should fully cover the AdobeRGB and SRGB colour spaces. If you want to utilise the full 60Hz, you have to connect it via two DisplayPorts cables. The device is aimed at professional users, which can also be seen from the price: 5000 dollars. It is due to be launched in the USA in March.
An assistant with arms
Smart home assistants such as Amazon's ECHO or Google Home are becoming increasingly popular. However, their capabilities are still very limited. Clear the stage for Moro. The 1.2 metre tall robot has two gripper arms and can move around on wheels. It was developed for research centres and universities, but should one day also be available for private users. However, the current price of 30,000 dollars would have to come down quite a bit for this to happen.
Chromebooks take on the iPad Pro and Surface Pro
Since Chromebooks have also become compatible with Android apps, they have become much more useful. The latest promising devices come from Samsung. Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro are the names of the two models, which have a 12.3-inch display, MicroSD card slot, 4 GB RAM and 32 GB memory. They differ primarily in terms of the processor. Both can be folded and operated in tablet mode. This naturally includes a pen that is housed in the casing. Definitely an interesting alternative to the iPad Pro and Surface Pro.
Laptop with three screens
Surround gaming should not just be reserved for desktop gamers. With the Project Valerie prototype, Razer has developed a laptop that consists of three 17-inch displays. 4K, of course. A GTX 1080 powers the monster, which incidentally weighs less than 6 kg. A real featherweight. Whether it will ever go into production is unknown.
Dell XPS 13 becomes foldable
Dell has added another device to the popular XPS 13 series. The XPS 13 2in1 is a little smaller and lighter than its predecessor, but swaps the SD card slot for microSD and full USB ports for USB-C. Although it uses the latest Intel processor, it is not the high-end model but a mobile version with slightly less performance. Nevertheless, a very stylish and practical device that should be available here in February.
Fitness ring
A ring to enslave them all and read their fitness data. Data collection becomes even easier with the Motiv ring. In principle, it does nothing different from conventional fitness trackers such as Fitbit, except that the ring shape is more compact and may be more practical depending on the type of sport. The battery should last up to five days. It measures movement, heart rate and sleep and is set to be launched in the USA in spring.
VR headset with 8K resolution
VR glasses are still particularly weak when it comes to image quality. The Chinese company Pimax has a possible remedy for this. Their headset consists of two 4K displays - LCD instead of OLED, mind you. This results in a total resolution of 7860x2160 pixels with a viewing angle of 200 degrees. Wow. The German tech blog Heise has tested the devices and is absolutely impressed by the image quality, but the delay is still too long. In addition, there will only be unofficial Steam support. The associated controllers look like those of the Oculus Rift and the sensors like those of the HTC Vive. Whether the "inspiration" has paid off left and right remains to be seen.
Samsung renews the A-series
Samsung's mid-range series comes in three different sizes: 4.7, 5.2 and 5.7 inches. As expected from such devices, the features are slightly below the current flagships, but the performance should be absolutely sufficient for most users. The A7 has an eight-core processor with 1.9 GHz, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory. They also look good. The A3 and A5 are definitely coming to Europe and should arrive in February. The availability of the A7 is still unclear.
Honor 6X: Mid-range and flagships are increasingly merging
Huawei offers a lot for the money with the Honor 6X. Dual camera, up to 64 GB memory, up to 4 GB RAM, Kirin 655 processor and all packed into a stylish metal body. And all at an affordable price. The device is expected to be available from February.
Blackberry wants to know once again
The new Blackberry codenamed Mercury gets a physical keyboard again. There is also a fingerprint sensor in the space bar and the keyboard can be used for scrolling as usual. Android Nougat is used as the operating system. Hmm blackberries with Nougat. Yummy. The manufacturer has not yet commented on the other details. Neither the price nor the release date are known.
8GB Ram for a smartphone: ASUS Zenphone AR
Asus has unveiled the first smartphone with a whopping 8GB of RAM. You normally only find that much in notebooks. Otherwise, it has everything you would expect from flagship devices. 5.7-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 821, microSD and dual SIM. The four cameras are another special feature. Three at the back and one at the front. These are needed for Google's Project Tango. It will be the first device to support Project Tango AR and Daydream VR.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.