CES starts tomorrow, are you ready for the meh-lstrom?
There was a time when CES was really important to me. I mean, it still is, but the last couple of years I went my interest narrowed to a couple of events that were not CES exclusive, and it became an expense I can’t justify.
I’d spend the days walking through aisles of tech consumerism compacted, nearly every company saying they were the first, the smallest, the best.
When I did find the amazing, it ended up getting licensed and never seen again quite often. Lordy, the air conditioning clothing could have revolutionized the world already.
I quit going a couple of years back. It was hard enough going (week off of work, compensation for generally strung out on what I could review the rest of the year,) but with two kids and everything deciding to explode back at home in January (pipes like to freeze, my cat decided to die, schools like to close because it’s cold (no, seriously,) meaning I got texts left and right about bored kids…)
This year it looks like it’s going to be the year of robot cats, and every device claiming it’s got AI. TVs with 8K being standard, I’m sure there will be a TV with 9K just because. Meanwhile the streaming services are still claiming 4K with an effective resolution being somewhere around 1080p.
I went to bed last night with an empty inbox, there’re 82 requests for meetings today. Looks like SSD storage is tripling, Eton’s managed to make a WiFi connected Carbon Monoxide / Gas detector, and a road buddy that looks like a gun turret from Portal.
More connected deadbolts, check. Inexpensive GPS trackers that will be available soon and allow you to stalk in near real time, check. Phone and tablet cases that are as expensive as some of the phones, check. Several “world’s first” earbuds with a slightly different left/right connectivity technology.
More bluetooth trackers that require the rest of the world to run the tracking apps if you want to locate a stolen item, a smart device that realistically could just be an app that suggests meals based on what food you have (ok, that one’s interesting.)
It’ll be interesting to see if they’ve come up with revolutionary new this year. It’s time. I feel like we’ve been in the miniscule development phase for so long on the connected side that it’s become boring.
If you spot anything interesting, shoot me a note and I’ll grab a press kit and talk to the firm.
