20,000 products are about to launch at CES 2017

As January comes around each year, startups and tech companies head to Las Vegas, as do the media and technology enthusiasts, about 200,000 people in all. It’s time for CES, a tech show that has come to stand for revealing the directions technology is headed in for the next year or two. Some of what’s on show at Las Vegas never makes it to consumers, but it’s still the event where companies network and make deals and plans on the upcoming technologies that will impact our lives — such as 5G, for example, or new smart home tech. This time, it’s more high profile than ever as it’s the 50th anniversary of the show and products have started being announced even before the kick-off date that is today (January 5). Here’s a taste of what’s going on before the three-day CES 2017 begins...

A couple of days ago, LG kicked things off with a levitating speaker. This trick has been done before, but perhaps not as interestingly because when its battery begins to run out, the Levitating Portable Speaker or PJ9 descends to its dock or ‘Levitation Station’ to charge. That would be after ten hours of play. It’s also supposed to sound quite good in the bargain, emitting front firing music but with a sub speaker. The PJ9 can connect to two Bluetooth devices.

And LG is not done with speakers as it also comes up with ones that you wear around your neck. The horseshoe shaped Tone Studio is your own personal 3D surround sound speaker. It has four speakers embedded and a DAC. There are also earbuds for when you don’t want others to hear your music.

Dell’s XPS 13 has been a success story, in its various versions over the years. Slim, stylish and sturdy from the start, the XPS 13 has shown its durability as one of the flagship products for the company. Now it’s going 2-in-1 with a stunning looking Infinity Edge display that leaves just about no room for bezels. It’s also capable of rotating all the way around like Lenovo’s Yoga Book. The laptop is already on Dell’s website and expected to show at CES.

VR and AR are going to be prominent at the show again. Lenovo is launching a VR headset that works with Windows’ Holographic platform. Lighter than the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, Lenovo’s VR headset is thought to be comfortable and uses a different way of placing lenses on the inside. It has OLED panels and two cameras. What’s different about it is that it will make mixed reality use possible.

To enable the smooth use of VR, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 is about to be launched at the show. Among other capabilities, the 835 is supposed to boost performance for VR by 20 per cent and generally by 27 per cent while consuming 40 per cent less power. It’s a smaller chip, which will allow for thinner phones.

Asus will also probably be launching a ZenFone AR, which will be able to use AR and VR applications based on Google’s Project Tango that uses augmented reality in everyday useful tasks. The capability first featured in Lenovo’s Phab 2 Plus.

Artificial Intelligence, the other preoccupation of the past year, is going to be in many of the products being showcased this year. LG, for example is about to showcase some AI robots. It’s rumoured that these will include a personal assistant robot, one that works to make your home smart, and another to look after the outdoor area around your house. There are also some AI robots that will be for use in public places.

BlackBerry’s keyboard, beloved to many long-time fans, is set to reappear at the CES on the new Mercury handset, manufactured by the company TCL. It’s to be an Android phone and may be named DTEK70. The phone is thought to be an unusual size.

Over the years, CES has seen more and more participation from automobile majors showcasing their latest technology and concepts. This year promises more of the same, with a number of companies lining up their most innovative and glitzy technology for all to see. Self-driving cars, touted to be the future of the automobile industry, are a highlight to watch out for.

Hyundai will be displaying an autonomous version of its Ioniq sedan at the show; and automotive supplier Delphi will be showcasing its self-driving technology fitted on an Audi. Ford will also be introducing its next generation Fusion Hybrid autonomous research cars at the exhibition, which will also see concept cars from the likes of Honda and Toyota on display.

Apart from this, electric car manufacturer Faraday will put on show its first production car, which is rumoured to be a crossover, at CES.

And CES is not without its absolutely crazy gadgets, of which one is undoubtedly a smart umbrella, spotted by the BBC , which begs not to be left behind. This Bluetooth connected and beautifully designed brolly will send its owner an alert when it’s in danger of being forgotten somewhere — it’s an unforgettable umbrella.