By: Bryan Tropeano
With the largest and most exciting tech show of the year upon us, we here at NewsWatch are packing our bags and checking our flight itineraries as we prep ourselves for a wild week at CES 2018 in Las Vegas.
As in years past, we’ll see some amazing new tech as well as advances for tried and true devices and gadgets. And of course we’ll be on the ground covering the hottest unveilings. To make sure you’re ready we’re going to give you a heads up on the trends we’re expecting to see.
Augmented Reality but Not Much From VR
While VR has played a large role at CES in the past few years, this year it takes a back seat to AR (Augmented Reality). In fact, we’re not expecting to see more than one or two VR headsets on display while there are a number of companies setting up to display their AR devices in South Halls 1 and 2.
Even though they promote their tech as MR (Mixed Reality), there doesn’t seem to be any indication that Florida-based company Magic Leap will be there. That’s a bummer seeing as though they just announced their first official product and have one of the most hyped techs out there.
Wireless Charging…Through the Air
We’re just getting used to Qi tech where we can charge our phones wirelessly by simply setting them down on a small pad. Now it seems several companies are trying to turn everything upside down yet again with wireless charging through the air. We’ll see companies like Powercast unveil their solutions to power up various devices from a distance.
TVs, Of Course
What would CES be without the newest and coolest in the TV realm? While OLED has been the 4 letters on everyone’s lips, there’s a new tech on the horizon that might just smoke it. Rumor has it that Samsung will be unveiling a Micro LED TV that uses miniscule LEDs to deliver an unbelievably crisp picture. Each LED produces its very own light while it’s also said to use less power than OLED displays.
Of course that won’t be all. We’ll still see plenty of awesome OLED TVs and of course the impressive, if currently impractical, 8K TV.
IoT
We’re not done with IoT (Internet of Things), not by a long shot. We’re not done until everything is connected. (Think Black Mirror “White Christmas” episode.) We should see plenty of new ways to link your home and every possession in it. We don’t expect to see the smart home trend die down anytime soon with over 200 exhibitors currently slated to show off their IoT wares.
Hopefully Useful Robots
The movies have been promising us useful robots for close to a hundred years. So where the hell are the integrated robots fiction concocted by Hollywood has promised me? Well, there are plenty of tech companies, big and small, invested in realizing this dream including Sony and LG. So apparently it’s not just me.
While CES is always more fun with robots, they rarely pan out in the real world. This year we should again see plenty of these little guys but we hope there will be at least one revolutionary or, at the very least, practical robot on display.
Stay tuned for much more on CES 2018 from NewsWatch!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryan Tropeano is a senior producer and a regular reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Washington D.C. and loves all things Tech.
