A tech lover’s take on #CES2018: DAY 1

Intel’s stunning opening lightshow

Despite the gloomy weather, the world’s largest tech show officially kicked off today as hundreds of thousands of industry players flock to Las Vegas.

CES has a reputation of unveiling to the world the latest in consumer electronics- from gadgets and gizmos, to the latest software and cars.

Last year alone the 4 day conference saw over 184,000 people ‘ooh and ahh’ at new innovations from 4,000 exhibitors and over 1200 speakers.

So what is on the menu for CES2018? I hit the main floor at LVCC ‘s Central Hall today to have a squiz.

Upon first glance, a few themes are very clear, and they’re all underpinned by enhancing and simplifying the lives of the consumer.

The connected home:

Haier’s smart wardrobe will help you pick your outfits

Walking around the central showfloor feels more like walking around a futuristic version of Ikea, rather than being at a tech show.

From Sony to Samsung, the tech giants are stepping up the design game. Modern, simplistic decors are complemented by new devices that fit perfectly into the environment. There’s an increased emphasis on how tech can be integrated more seamlessly into our everyday lives.

Think TVs that camouflage as picture frames (note: not actually new tech!), wardrobes that catalogue and fold your clothes, fridges that spit out recipes based on their contents and bathroom mirrors that help plan your day. (I’ll cover a few of my favourites in the next post)

The ability to digitally control your home environment has been around for a while, but it’s clearly still on the agenda for tech companies, who continue to connect the things that make up living spaces.

Perhaps living like the Jetsons is closer than we think.

AI, IoT and Smart EVERYTHINGStraight off the bat, it’s very clear that AI, IoT and data is a core strategy for both blue-chip and small companies.

It feels like everyone is using data to make dumb tech smarter. For Intel and Samsung in particular, AI underpins almost all of their product roadmaps and strategy.

A few to note:

• Samsung’s Smart Things Hub: From fridges to TVs, all of their tech will be ‘smart’ by 2020. President and CEO BK Yoon was explicing in emphasising the importance of AI and IoT to the company’s future.
• Intel’s latest chip: ‘Loihi’, a neuromorphic chip that learns like a brain
• Hyundai Intelligent Personal Agent: (_Another ) A_ssistant that allows you to control your car’s features and devices with your voice.
• Nvidia’s foray into autonomous vehicles

(I’m also pulling together a summary list of key announcements you can follow HERE)

VR

Intel will create the world’s largest VR experience during the 2018 Winter Olympics

If you don’t have a VR offering at CES, you’re clearly not one of the cool kids. Almost every major vendor has some form of VR headset on show. Coming up to the Winter Olympics, everyone wants a slice of the action. From Samsung’s skiing and snowboarding attractions to Intel’s deal to deliver the world’s largest VR experience at the Games, ‘immersive experiences’ are all the rage. It means getting the best seat in the house, attending events from across the globe and taking entertainment to a new (kinda creepy) level.

Robots, drones and autonomous vehicles

Sony’s Aibo AI pup is great if you need a low maintenance canine friend

You can’t have a tech show without flying, driving and talking robots, right? So far we’ve seen robo dogs, pole dancing sex robots to vacuum cleaners and personal butlers just to name a few. I’m calling hype on most of these (Sony’s Aibo puppy was a massive yawn, #sorrynotsorry) because a lot are completely pointless or just plain wacky. Again, Intel is funnelling a chunk of their energy into this space with mini drone fleets (pretty, but pointless), autonomous vehicles and one of the few things that’s wowed me so far, the Volocopter- a (freakin awesome) drone/helicopter hybrid pegged to be the future of personal transport- more on that to come. Apart from that, the major car companies are (still, as expected) in an arms race to get their autonomous vehicles to market first with Ford seeming to be the most vocal about their progress thus far.

If I’m honest, I haven’t been completely blown away yet, but let’s see what Day 2 has in store for us tomorrow.

For those who want to join me live, I’m also sharing content live from Las Vegas across and Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (feliciacoco).