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The tech showdown of CES was full of surprises, ensuring that the year will be full of thrilling electronic goods for everyday use.

The latest edition of the International Consumer Electronic Show- CES 2018 was held from 9 – 12 January at Las Vegas Convention Centre, Nevada, The United States of America. The exposition was power packed with the best innovations from the biggest global brands, but the teeming companies and promising start-ups were not far behind.

We bring to you our pick of CES products and services which would be hitting the Indian market in 2018:

1. The Voice Assistants:

Be it Alexa or Google Assistant – voice assistance technology was virtually seen everywhere at the CES. They were integrated with a staggering range of products, from cars to water systems. Google also introduced “Smart Screens”, purely dedicated to its Assistant. This device would let you use all the Google services including YouTube, something its nearest rival Amazon Alexa is not yet capable of.

2. Your Latest 2017 TV is Now Outdated:

The biggest take-away from the tech show has been the exciting range of televisions that are to hit the market. LG introduced a 65-inch, 4K OLED rollable-like-a-poster TV. It comes with an aesthetic box which the screens-pops out from. The best part, it can roll up to different sizes – it can be an ultra-wide TV for movie or gaming experience, or just be a notification panel. LG also introduced Crystal Sound technology which would mark the end traditional speakers. Samsung, not being far behind, introduced “The Wall”, mammoth 146 diagonal-inch TV.

3. Wireless is the New Normal:

Wireless charging and wireless headphones would be taking over the market this year, going by the CES trends. A lot of brands have debuted into the market, and it would be no surprise if the upcoming releases from One Plus, Pixel, and Galaxy ecosystem come with wireless audio and charging features.

4. VR becomes more real.

Virtual reality headsets have become a lot better this time. HTC introduced Vive Pro with high resolution display and the wireless adaptor. The biggest player however would be the Lenovo Google collab- Lenovo Mirage Solo. This would end the need to place the phone before your eyes and has an additional 3D recording feature.

Feature Image Credits: Business Insider

Nikhil Kumar
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Held every year in January at Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronic Show or CES consistently brings the innovators and visionaries in the field of consumer electronics to showcase the next-generation technological creations. This year, amidst all the futuristic and revolutionary products, there were some strange and freakish gadgets as well.

Here are some of the weirdest devices introduced at CES 2014:

TREWGrip

TREWGrip aspires to revolutionise the field of typing by unveiling a portable accordion style keyboard with an inbuilt mouse. The keyboard is compatible with Bluetooth enabled smart TVs, PCs and smartphones. Also, it features a universal dock which can hold any smartphone at the center. But, this isn’t a normal QWERTY keyboard, the typing keys are behind the device! You need to wrap your fingers around and type on the keyboard placed behind – just like an accordion!

LG Talking Washing Machine

After search engines, smartphones & computers, its washing machines! LG showcased its next-generation washing machines which can interact with users through voice commands. If asked “Wassup?”, the machine may reply ” “I’m just finishing the spin cycle, I won’t be long.” And that’s not all! The machine is connected to LG HomeChat, which allows users to control appliances by sending it instant messages from smartphones!

Kolibree

Even the toothbrush hasn’t been spared! The French company introduced a toothbrush with built in magnetometer, accelerometer and gyroscope which enables it to record how well you brush your teeth. Moreover, it syncs the information over Bluetooth, with a smartphone app that then rates your brushing performance, out of five! It also points out areas, which need more brushing!

Parrot Jumping SumoBot

It is a mini drone, with a built in camera, that can jump up to 80 inches from the floor. The camera enables user to direct the drone or record footage. Equipped with various sensors like ultrasonic, pressure, accelerometer and a gyroscope, it is packed with 1GB of RAM and a 500 MHz processor. Though it’s a cool gadget to play around with, practically there’s nothing present above 80 inches which we can’t already see!

Superbed by Sleep Number

If 1/3^rd of our lives are spent sleeping, why not sleep better? A French company Sleep Number, revealed a state of the art smart bed that monitors your sleeping behavior & patterns and transfers the information to an app for reviewing later. It also features voice commands, with which one can enable the inbuilt massager, bed lights or the anti-snore feature, which slightly raises the bed, temporary relieving users from their partner’s snoring!

Mother

‘Mother’ consists of a base unit and along with some accompanying units called ‘cookies’, One places the smaller units or ‘cookies’ around the house – which will monitor motion and temperature – on people, pets, household items, etc. , and wirelessly send the data to the central device ‘Mother’. Further, this data gets uploaded on the internet. The usage, as mentioned by the developers, gives you “peace of mind” by answering life related questions like “How much water do you drink daily?” or “How many guests visited your house this week?” Not only does this device seem weird, but also looks creepy – it resembles a punch-clown!

Sidhant Malhotra ([email protected])

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