The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) kicked off its 51st CES yesterday filling the Las Vegas Convention Center with the world’s most cutting edge technology. There are an expected 3,900 exhibitors for this year’s showcase. As leaders in the tech industry come to the show from all over the world, we have compiled a list of those who you may want to keep an eye out for in 2018.
Day 1 Highlights:
The skies opened up over the typically dry Las Vegas strip, putting Google’s booth unveiling at a standstill. The two-level outdoor CES booth is filled with Google’s latest products, a slide with a ball pit, and an entire video wall–leaving no room for Google to take a chance on the weather. Hopefully Day 2 will shed some light on Google.
Hey #Google, come back later: Search giant’s CES booth unveiling washed out due to heavy rain https://t.co/cX5cxPFfLF via @GeekWire
— MJ Thompson (@mjt_lotus823) January 10, 2018
As the war between Alexa’s Amazon and Google’s Assistant has been unofficially declared, Amazon is winning by a large margin. However, both companies have partnered with First Alert, who recently announced its OneLink Safe & Sound product. This product combines a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector with Alexa/Assistant. There is currently no word on price or availability for either.
New at #CES2018 Meet the Onelink ‘Safe & Sound’ by @FirstAlert, a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm with Alexa: https://t.co/e8DQ7JtEYs pic.twitter.com/3OZQc8QMjG
— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) January 9, 2018
Vuzix Blade also announced its partnership with Amazon, with Alexa-enabled smart glasses. Now Alexa can stay on the go with consumers, with Alexa’s answers appearing on the display of the glasses for viewing.
Vuzix is launching the first Alexa-enabled AR glasses at CES https://t.co/QMoKsOKasL
— Engadget (@engadget) January 6, 2018
Sophia the super-intelligent humanoid robot, was also turning heads at CES as she took her first steps. She was even granted legal citizenship in Saudi Arabia this past October. Created by Hanson Robotics in Hong Kong, the company hopes that Sophia will one day have the capabilities to work alongside humans in factory situations.
The rumors are true. I took my first steps today at #CES2018 with legs provided by DRC-Hubo. One small step for me – one giant leap for robotkind. https://t.co/ADQWsz1Zyr
— Sophia (@RealSophiaRobot) January 8, 2018
Across the trade show floor were a number of presentations with notable speakers including Kerry Washington and Neil Patrick Harris. Representatives from companies such as IBM, Facebook, Spotify, Samba TV, and Disney also took the stage to talk about the latest trends and advancements in the tech market.
In the automotive sector, smart cars are paving the way of the future at CES. Byton announced the first truly smart car. “What we want to try to do is merge your life outside of the car with your experience inside the car,” explained Jeff Chung, head of Byton’s Intelligent Car Experience division. It seems that Tesla has some competition with Byton’s model being nearly half the price of the brand’s famous smart car.
Byton’s electric SUV concept is another wild stab at the future of cars https://t.co/ov3IP50xAO pic.twitter.com/O3Q1LWjKkW
— The Verge (@verge) January 7, 2018
As Day 2 begins, more trends and products will take CES by storm. What are you looking forward to this week at CES? Be sure to check in on our blog for more CES highlights this week and connect with us on Twitter!