Technology

Top tech trends and gadgets from CES 2018 a– so far

Best tech gadgets 2018

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off in spectacular fashion this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s the tech show on the annual calendar and the one where you’ll get to hear about all the latest weird, wacky, and just plain cool tech that’ll be released during the coming year. After day one, CES 2018 has not disappointed. Announcements by major tech companies including Google, Apple, Samsung, Nvidia, and Amazon are flying around. It’s an annual tech bonanza like none other. We take a look at some of the top trends after day one of CES 2018.

Related: Coolest AI-enabled gadgets at CES 2017

Samsung announces 8k TV that uses Artificial Intelligence

Back in 2013, Samsung introduced a $40k 85-inch 4K TV that had an easel-like design. In 2014, they showed off an 8K demo model. This year, at CES 2018, they’re upping the ante and showing off their 8k 85-inch TV. It has the same design strategy as their demo model but has plenty more AI inside.  LG is also bringing an 8k OLED TV to the table and at 88-inches, it sure looks like the battle is on.

Samsung hasn’t provided any indication of release dates for their Q95 monster as yet but whenever that is, it’s going to be impressive. The TV features a "proprietary algorithm" that upscales lower-res video for its Super Hi-Vision screen. Artificial intelligence comes into the picture with the machine learning ability that’ll certainly be interesting to see.

It’s not only TVs that Samsung has made noise about either. The 8k TV comes with their answer to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in. Bixby will help you control your TV via voice activation, but will also control the new ‘smart fridge’ which the tech giant also announced at CES 2018.

And then there’s the new MicroLED technology to talk about too. Samsung’s 150-inch MicroLED TV which they’re calling, ‘The Wall’, uses modular technology that allows you to configure the viewing panels however you please.

Laptops are getting even thinner

Acer came to the party early this year, announcing – once again – the thinnest laptop in the world. At 8.98mm and running on Windows 10, the Acer Swift 7 comes with a 4th gen Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 356GB of PCIe SSD storage. The full HD 14-inch screen has a 1080p resolution and there’s integrated 4G LTE connectivity available. Not mind-blowingly impressive on the spec side, but man, 8.98mm is damn thin for a laptop!

Electric and autonomous cars at CES 2018

The highlight on the electric car front for CES 2018 so far has got to be the Byton electric car. Images of the car’s interior and exterior have been revealed in all its glory at the tech show, and there’s no doubt there’s some impressive stuff going on here. The car sports four self-driving capabilities, front seats that turn to face the rear ones when the car is in autonomous mode, and large displays attached to the rear of the front seats for passenger entertainment and information.

Byton claims that the car will go from 0-60mph in 5 seconds and the car can be controlled using touch, voice, or gestures. They’re expected to hit the roads en masse in 2019.

In other news, Intel showed off a ‘flying car’. But it’s really a drone if you’re honest about it. They promised us flying cars, saying that it’s closer than we think. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich showed off the Volocopter on CES 2018 day one. It’s an autonomous passenger drone, which he called "essentially a flying car."

"Imagine pulling out your phone, opening up a transportation app, and summoning your own personalized ride by air taxi," Krzanich said during his keynote speech. "That sci-fi vision of the future is actually much closer than you might think." Don’t expect that to happen just quite yet though. The Volocopter won't be available in the US until it receives authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

Keen to know what’s happening at CES 2018? Keep an eye on our Twitter stream or our Facebook page for the latest buzz. We’ll keep you posted on all the major mobile and tech releases.

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