Ultra High Definition (4K) TVs
We've known for some time that 4K television was going to be everywhere at CES, and that has largely proven to be the case. It's still a ways off in terms of whether you should care, since there's basically zero 4K content available that you can watch on it. But theaters have been showing movies in 4K for several years now. Consider this a first, solid stab at the kind of televisions we'll all be watching five to 10 years from now. Sharp even jumped the line and unveiled an 85-inch 8K TV
(pictured) with 7,680-by-4,320-pixel resolution. It's not just about TV, either; Gigabyte unveiled a software driver for its PC motherboards that supports 4K display resolutions using multiple standard 1080p monitors, which should make for one hell of a Skyrim session.
Touch-Screen PCs
Love Windows 8 or hate it, PC manufacturers are responding to its touch-friendliness with verve. And to be fair, a lot of vitriol directed against Windows 8 has to do with trying to use its finger-friendly interface on a PC without a touch screen. As a result, all across CES, we're seeing new all-in-one PCs with touch screens, ultrabook convertibles that can convert into tablets, and touch-enabled laptops from Dell (pictured) and other hardware vendors. The next-generation spec for ultrabooks even includes touch as a mandatory feature. PC display manufacturers have also jumped into the fray, with new touch-screen 1080p monitors from HP, Samsung, and other vendors. Speaking of resolution, 1080p is the new norm on tablets and high-end laptops, while 4K is beginning to surface on all-in-one desktops.
Next-Generation Mobile Chipsets
Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Intel are all throwing down in the mobile space this year with next-generation SoCs (system-on-a-chips) that promise faster performance and more battery life. Specs aren't as important as they once were; it's really more about new capabilities. For example, Qualcomm is promising its upcoming 28-nanometer, quad-core Snapdragon 800 is capable of capturing and playing back 4K video, which is four times the pixel density of 1080p, thanks to its Adreno 330 GPU. It also supports 802.11ac Broad connectivity for faster Wi-Fi. The Nvidia Tegra 4 (pictured) will let users apply HDR to live video with moving objects, instead of just to still shots. Intel's latest Atom Z2760 processor is already powering full-blown Windows 8 tablets, but a quad-core Atom CPU is on the horizon for later this year that should deliver desktop-like performance.
In-Car Smartphone Integration
Automakers are finally getting the idea that people don't want expensive, outdated, $2,000 navigation systems just because they're built into the dashboard, especially when they've already got a smartphone in their pocket that's much more powerful. Carmakers like Ford (pictured) and GM are moving fast to standardize and open up their in-car platforms so programmers can develop dedicated third-party apps, which hook into your smartphone's 4G LTE data connection that you're already paying for, instead of having to sign up for another one just for the car. Oversized multitouch screens, projected heads-up displays, and even the beginnings of augmented reality are the order of the day.
Digital Health
Everyone has already gone mobile, so why not work some fitness into the equation? Fitbit announced the Flex, a wristband that syncs via Bluetooth 4.0 to Android and iOS devices and tracks your steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, and how much you're sleeping. The Smart 'Hapifork' and 'Hapispoon' (pictured) are actual, electronic utensils that monitors your eating habits, with the idea being to make sure you eat smaller meals more slowly. The Withings Body Analyzer smart scale tracks your heart rate and ambient air quality, while the company's new Activity Tracker is a Fitbit-like device that measures calories burned, sleep quality, and walking and running performance.
Non-Traditional Gaming Devices
Normally when we think of gaming, it conjures up images of consoles hooked up to an HDTV, portable systems, custom-built PCs, and more recently, phones and tablets. Manufacturers are now moving even past these categories into new realms. Nvidia's "Project Shield" is a clamshell, handheld, Android-based portable with a Tegra 4 chipset, a 5-inch 720p screen, a D-pad, analog sticks, and various buttons and bumpers. The Razer Edge Pro (pictured), formerly known as Project Fiona, is a 10.1-inch tablet running Windows 8 with an Intel Core i7 chip and internal storage up to 256GB; it has separate tablet, keyboard dock, gamepad controller, and docking station modes depending on the accessories you use. Xi3's 'Piston' appears to be the long-awaited "Steam Box" from Valve; it's a striking, miniature PC dedicated to running Steam games in a living room setting using Big Picture mode.
Wireless Audio and Video
The days of the iPod speaker dock are numbered, at least in its current form. There's much more demand now for wireless music playback, now that people are streaming music straight from cloud-based apps like Spotify, Google Play, Pandora, and the still-in-transition iTunes 11. Plus, Android smartphones are everywhere, and none of them fit Apple's dock connector. Even Apple went and switched the connector out for a new one, and by now everyone is tired of syncing iPods to their PCs with wires anyway. As for video, the big news is actually a protocol, as D-Link, Amped Wireless, Buffalo, and other manufacturers release the first big wave of 802.11ac-compatible products for faster streaming performance. We're also seeing new set-top boxes like the Netgear NeoTV Prime (pictured), all ready to take advantage of cloud-based services from Google, Netflix, and others.
Wireless Cameras
As our camera analyst Jim Fisher has been reporting, all of the new Samsungs, the Canon PowerShot N (pictured) and one of the Canon Elph models, and a Polaroid Android-powered camera are among the new crop of Wi-Fi-enabled shooters. Once a niche feature, wireless capability has taken hold. It's not just about syncing photos to your PC anymore, either; it's being able to post photos to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other sharing sites without moving through a PC first, just like you can do with an (inferior) cell phone camera. And speaking of Instagram, many cameras are gaining the ability to give your photos a faded or vintage look right from the camera, without having to use what has now become a rather controversial photo sharing service.
(pictured) with 7,680-by-4,320-pixel resolution. It's not just about TV, either; Gigabyte unveiled a software driver for its PC motherboards that supports 4K display resolutions using multiple standard 1080p monitors, which should make for one hell of a Skyrim session.
Touch-Screen PCs
Love Windows 8 or hate it, PC manufacturers are responding to its touch-friendliness with verve. And to be fair, a lot of vitriol directed against Windows 8 has to do with trying to use its finger-friendly interface on a PC without a touch screen. As a result, all across CES, we're seeing new all-in-one PCs with touch screens, ultrabook convertibles that can convert into tablets, and touch-enabled laptops from Dell (pictured) and other hardware vendors. The next-generation spec for ultrabooks even includes touch as a mandatory feature. PC display manufacturers have also jumped into the fray, with new touch-screen 1080p monitors from HP, Samsung, and other vendors. Speaking of resolution, 1080p is the new norm on tablets and high-end laptops, while 4K is beginning to surface on all-in-one desktops.Next-Generation Mobile Chipsets
In-Car Smartphone Integration
Digital Health
Non-Traditional Gaming Devices
Normally when we think of gaming, it conjures up images of consoles hooked up to an HDTV, portable systems, custom-built PCs, and more recently, phones and tablets. Manufacturers are now moving even past these categories into new realms. Nvidia's "Project Shield" is a clamshell, handheld, Android-based portable with a Tegra 4 chipset, a 5-inch 720p screen, a D-pad, analog sticks, and various buttons and bumpers. The Razer Edge Pro (pictured), formerly known as Project Fiona, is a 10.1-inch tablet running Windows 8 with an Intel Core i7 chip and internal storage up to 256GB; it has separate tablet, keyboard dock, gamepad controller, and docking station modes depending on the accessories you use. Xi3's 'Piston' appears to be the long-awaited "Steam Box" from Valve; it's a striking, miniature PC dedicated to running Steam games in a living room setting using Big Picture mode.Wireless Audio and Video
The days of the iPod speaker dock are numbered, at least in its current form. There's much more demand now for wireless music playback, now that people are streaming music straight from cloud-based apps like Spotify, Google Play, Pandora, and the still-in-transition iTunes 11. Plus, Android smartphones are everywhere, and none of them fit Apple's dock connector. Even Apple went and switched the connector out for a new one, and by now everyone is tired of syncing iPods to their PCs with wires anyway. As for video, the big news is actually a protocol, as D-Link, Amped Wireless, Buffalo, and other manufacturers release the first big wave of 802.11ac-compatible products for faster streaming performance. We're also seeing new set-top boxes like the Netgear NeoTV Prime (pictured), all ready to take advantage of cloud-based services from Google, Netflix, and others.
Wireless Cameras
As our camera analyst Jim Fisher has been reporting, all of the new Samsungs, the Canon PowerShot N (pictured) and one of the Canon Elph models, and a Polaroid Android-powered camera are among the new crop of Wi-Fi-enabled shooters. Once a niche feature, wireless capability has taken hold. It's not just about syncing photos to your PC anymore, either; it's being able to post photos to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other sharing sites without moving through a PC first, just like you can do with an (inferior) cell phone camera. And speaking of Instagram, many cameras are gaining the ability to give your photos a faded or vintage look right from the camera, without having to use what has now become a rather controversial photo sharing service.
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