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Takeaways from CES 2014 [St. Joseph News-Press (MO)](St. Joseph News-Press (MO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Consumer Electronics Show (more commonly known as CES) is held every year in Las Vegas, and it's always a technological spectacle. Although CES often has been a haven for gimmicky products and tech curiosities, this yearly expo also has hosted the very important announcements of global commodities like the HDTV, the DVD player, the camcorder, the Blu-ray player, the Xbox and the VCR. In recent years, CES has become not only a good indicator of what's hot, but also what has floundered. For example, Vizio made a big splash this year with its 2014 HDTV lineup, which lacks 3-D capabilities. In 2010, electronics makers were heralding 3-D as the wave of the future, but it was so strongly disliked by consumers that Vizio and other companies have stopped making 3-D TVs altogether. With this in mind, we've checked in with a few experts who attended CES 2014 last week to see what they took away from the biggest consumer technology event of the year. The 4K generation is nearly here Manufacturers like Samsung, Sony and LG unveiled their first 4K TV sets at CES 2013 and dazzled audiences. The new displays - which had twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of the 1080p HDTV format (long considered the best picture around) and four times as many pixels overall - offered images that were more crisp, clear, colorful and vivid than any TV that was on the market. The only problem came when CES guests looked at the price tags. The 84-inch displays from Sony and LG came at steep rates between $20,000 and $25,000, perhaps a realistic purchase for a tech-savvy millionaire, but certainly not for the average consumer. It looks as if that will change in 2014. At this year's CES, Vizio revealed pricing for its new P-Series of 4K (Ultra HD) TVs, and its 50-inch 4K set will retail for a shockingly low $999. The other P-Series TVs also are relatively cheap: a 55-inch for $1,399; a 60-inch for $1,799; a 65-inch for $2,199; and a 70-inch for $2,599. Last year, the Consumer Electronics Association predicted that the average 4K set would cost $2,800 in 2014, so it would seem Vizio has jumped well ahead of the curve. According to Engadget.com's Daniel Cooper, Polaroid and Australian manufacturer Kogan have since made plans to release 4K sets for less than $999 later this year. Not to be outdone, Sony showed off its new FDR-AX100 4K Camcorder, the first 4K camcorder to come in at a price less than $2,000. Despite the big price drops, however, 4K hasn't reached mass effect. According to Jamie Lendino, PCMag.com's lead consumer electronics analyst, the manufacturers are ready, but the content providers aren't quite there yet. "It's not like 3-D, where there was virtually no good content to watch," Mr. Lendino says. "There are in fact many movies already shot in 4K. But given bandwidth limitations, getting that content into your home and watching it is another story, and whether it's by disc, by streaming Netflix, watching YouTube or another method, it's still too early to tell just how that's going to play out." Wearable technology is getting a bigger push You might have seen some folks strutting around St. Joseph with their FitBit wellness wrist bands or their Nike Fuelbands with digital displays. In 2014, more companies will create wearable technology because of the success of those products. Epson unveiled both a fitness band and a pair of ultra-light glasses with health sensors that give you vital updates. Meanwhile, Garmin is out to challenge FitBit with a new fitness band of its own called the Vivofit. The wristband will learn your current fitness and activity level, and then begin setting goals for you that get increasingly more difficult as you attain milestones. Pebble may have made the first truly desirable smartwatch with its classy Steel line. And let's not forget Intel, which seemingly wants to make everything "smart." Intel has created its own smartwatch, as well as a number of wearable devices with semiconductors, including headphones and a headset that lets you interact with your phone hands-free. While the fitness-based bands are widely expected to keep selling, not everyone who attended CES was sold on the wearable tech products designed for convenience. Count GQ consumer technology reporter Kevin Sintumuang among the doubters. "The statistic that a lot of wearable manufacturers were trotting out was that, on average, we check our phones 150 times a day. And so with a smart watch, I'll check it half as much? I'm not convinced that looking at my watch for a text or an e-mail alert and then picking up my phone to read said e-mail is any more efficient then just taking the (darn) phone out," he says. Companies are all about the curve Whether consumers want them or not, the major TV manufacturers are coming out with curved-screen sets. LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony were among the manufacturers showing off curved sets at CES this year. Industry officials say the concave-shaped televisions provide less glare, better viewing angles and a more immersive experience, much like IMAX theater screens. Samsung plans to bring its 105-inch curved Ultra HD TV and an 85- inch bendable UHD TV to the market in the second half of 2014. The latter transforms from a flat screen to a curved display with the touch of a button. Pricing for the new televisions have not yet been announced. But TVs weren't the only things with curved displays revealed at CES. Samsung and LG also released curved-screen smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy Round is curved slightly from side to side, while the LG G-Flex is bent inward from top to bottom to feel like a landline phone handset. "It actually works - you come to appreciate the display as you hold it against your face for calls," Mr. Lendino says. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |