What to Expect Following CES 2013
Written by 5ivecanons Staff
Now that the dust has settled in sin city, we can take a closer look at the innovations and introductions that will be sweeping store shelves soon.
The show did not disappoint, showing exciting products ranging from new gaming technology, to a cutting edge way to see your doctor.
Television
At a show in which a multitude of companies brought 110 inch tv’s, it wasn’t the size that is making headlines, rather it was the picture quality as well as the lack of picture.
Sharp garnered much attention for its 8k LCD display, which makes it 15 times higher resolution than todays standard high definition models. According to PCmag.com, most companies were unveiling their 4k models, and Sharp jumped in and stole the show with its eye popping display.
In an interview with BBC News, Sharp spokesman Brad Lyons said,”If 4k is the next great thing, then you can divide your screen into four sections and run simultaneous football games in full resolution on your 8k television, that has applications in bars. Lyons followed, “Surgeons, would benefit from using TV equipment that can show up minute details hidden by current tech.”
A truly novel idea was brought to the show from the Russian startup company displair, a “screen-less” television. The set itself has no physical screen, instead a humidifier spurts out mist giving the ability for images to be displayed in the mist hanging in the air. The lack of screen is not the only thing that makes this set unique; it is also interactive. With the use of sensors, the software can analyze hand movements and gestures, which allowed for volunteers to play fruit ninja on the mist screen.
Gaming
Many companies chose to use the CES show as their backdrop for new product releases rather than doing so at the E3 gaming conference in June. According to Digital Trends, handheld and portable gaming, although nothing new (think gameboy or PSP), will be making a big splash soon.
Nvidia released their handheld device Project Shield (above) during the show and has drawn mass praise following the show. It is an XBOX 360 style controller with a fold up five inch 720p retinal multi-touch display screen. It comes standard with wi-fi adaptability, and is stocked with the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system from Google, providing access to all your favorite Android applications and games. Popular Science named Project Shield as one of the best products from CES 2013
The Razer Edge is a handheld gaming tablet that holds its own against Project Shield. The Razer Edge features an impressive 10.1 inch display screen (twice as large as Project Shield) and features a windows 8 operating system. Much like the Project Shield, Popular Science named the Razer Edge as one of the best products of CES 2013.
Unlike most other Windows 8 tablets, which are seen as underpowered web browsing machines, Razer instead designed something a bit more powerful. In the process, they managed to stuff the Edge with a full fledged Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB of storage, and intel wi-fi and bluetooth 4.0.
The Razer can be used in four separate modes, tablet, keyboard, mobile console, and home console. In tablet mode, the Razer Edge is transformed into a simple windows 8 tablet with boosted graphics and a faster CPU, making it great for on the go gamers.
In keyboard mode, the edge is dropped into a keyboard, transforming it into a laptop, making it a great option for students and business meetings.
In mobile mode, you attach the Razer edge to a controller that has two handlebars on the sides, giving the feeling of of an extended traditional controller. this is great for limited on the go game play as the controller and extended battery add noticeable yet not substantial weight to the Razer Edge.
Home console mode is seen as the most useful mode for the Razer Edge. A dock with USB, HDMI, and power cords are hooked from the Razer Edge to a TV or computer monitor, giving the excellent gaming speed a larger screen.
Lifestyle
Aside from television, gaming, and tablets, CES has many items to offer for businesses and consumers alike. Healthspot made a major impact at the show with their “hospital in a box” kiosks.
The Healthspot telemedicine Kiosk features sliding doors for privacy that lead into a cubicle fitted with blood pressure gauges, thermometers, and an interactive screen, which allows for a patient and doctor to have face to face contact without being in the same room. Popular Science has already named the Healthspot Kiosk one of the best products of CES 2013 along with Project Shield and Razer Edge.
Considered by many to be the shining star of CES 2013 was the Sony Xperia Z smartphone. from an awards standpoint, the phone took home a dozen awards including TechnoBuffalo naming it the all around star of the show, beating out a field of over 20,000 products. The Sony phone isn’t just pretty either, it packs an amazing punch. It features a 5 inch 1080p HD display, a 13 megapixel camera, HD recording capabilities, 4G LTE, and possibly its most exciting feature, it’s waterproof.
The final product may not be a trailblazer and it may not draw the attention of the masses although it should. Kingston Technologies released its latest flash drive, a 1 TB memory stick. For those unfamiliar, a TB (terabyte) is 1,000 GB, or 1,000,000 MB. The 1TB flash drive, (retailing for $1,750) has the capabilities to store 625 full length movies, 250,000 songs, or 2,000,000 photos.
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