CES It’s one of my favorite lectures because it offers a small glimpse into the future. Sometimes it’s an alternate future where crazy, impractical products are funded and introduced, but it’s a great way to see trends. Many companies pre-announce products they plan to introduce later this year, so you can’t always count on the product to hit shelves.
This year, sensors are everywhere. Parrot features a sensor that will tell you when your plants need to be watered. It also comes with an app that tells you about plant care, so even people who thought they were brown thumbs would have a chance to get into gardening. An entire section of the trade show floor is dedicated to step sensors, heart monitors, and other personal care sensors that work with your smartphone. There’s even a fork that senses how fast you eat and gives you feedback to encourage slower meals. Several companies have introduced sensors that can be used to track lost children or adults. One company cleverly installed the sensor inside a watch phone that could be called up to five different pre-approved numbers.
Not only did Lego introduce an update to Mindstorms, but it also has competition in the cool brick space.
Your next phone will probably be a phablet and it will probably be waterproof. It will connect wirelessly to everything using NFC support to speed up Bluetooth pairing and will charge inductively. Companies would really like it if you upgraded your TV to an ultra-high resolution display. Sony is even willing to re-digitize parts of your media for you to do. By the way, Sony didn’t mention a word about 3D TV. Hisense presented a 3D television without glasses. (The results were better than one of those Cracker Jack prizes that you tilt to watch it move, but still not as good as The Hobbit at high frame rates.)
There will also be battle robots in the future, and your car will always know where you’ve parked (and will probably rat you out to your insurance company if you speed). Your camera will run Android, even if it’s not your phone. So far there are no hoverboards, but there are a few days of the trade fair left.
