Get excited gadget-lovers! The consumer electronics chaos that is CES kicked off in Las Vegas this week. Let’s recap five things we’ve learned so far:
1) Smart and connected devices are emerging everywhere.
From phones and tablets to cars, wearables, clothes, appliances, robots, homes and even toothbrushes, everything is seemingly becoming smarter and more connected than ever before. Not only will many of these emerging devices have an app serving as the face of their product that will have to be tested; they’ll require in-the-wild testing if vendors want to be truly confident their products deliver consistently rich experiences in the real world.
2) Wearables have seemingly reached the peak of their hype cycle.
Wearable computing is poised for significant growth over the next couple of years, and at CES we got a glimpse into some of the emerging products. LG announced Lifeband Touch and Heart Rate Earphones that when paired with a smartphone send heart rate and oxygen consumption data to a phone via Bluetooth. Razer announced Nabu smartwatch and fitness tracker that tracks activity, sleep and location and can deliver alerts via email and text. Kickstarter darling Pebble announced the Pebble Steel, a more sophisticated metal model with Corning Gorilla Glass. It’s hard not to get excited about pondering how wearables will change the way workers do their jobs and how consumers manage their lives.
3) Forget 3D; 4K and flexible displays are the future.
After years of hype, TV manufacturers are finally throwing in the towel on 3D displays. So what technology innovations will they push now to win back the minds – and wallets – of consumers? Look no further than Samsung’s recent announcement. It unveiled an 85-inch LED model with 4K resolution that transforms from flat-screen to curved with the press of a button. Not only do your displays need to be large and ultra high-def (UHD), but now they have to bend and curve.
4) Major in-car apps are on the verge of launching.
Major car manufacturers like Honda, BMW, GM, Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Audi and Hyundai all shared news at CES about technology behind the wheel. We saw announcements about solar panels that recharge your car batteries, in-car apps that can book hotel reservations, traffic optimization apps and technology that automatically takes control of your vehicle in the event of an emergency, such as a hard break.
5) Michael Bay should probably stick to behind-the-camera work.
If you missed the cringe-worthy YouTube videos that went viral, Michael Bay delivered something at CES he hasn’t been able to in his movies: a plot twist. Bay was on stage to talk up Samsung’s new 105-inch curved UHD television when he went off-script, his teleprompter got lost and ultimately failed and he eventually succumbed to stage fright by apologetically walking off the stage. In his defense, he was the quick to admit: “I guess live shows aren’t my thing.“
Let’s not forget that we’re only two days into CES, so many more announcements are still to come. With more releases just around the corner, let’s hope vendors small and large continue to deliver not just delightful experiences, but consistently rich brand experiences in 2014 and beyond.