The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was recently held from 7 -10 January in Las Vegas where the world's most innovative products were on display for all to see. There were a plethora of new and exciting products from rotating TVs, wild concept cars, smart rotating speakers and more on the show floor.
CES 2020 certainly has no shortage of next-generation products to show but it certainly can be difficult to cut through the swathes of products and find the ones that really matter? Fortunately, The Peak has picked out all the new technology products that you should be paying close attention to this year.
Toyota’s City of the Future
An announcement by car-maker Toyota to build a prototype ‘city of the future’ was among the larger scale exciting news to come out of CES this week. Named the Woven City, it will occupy a 175-acre site at the base of Mount Fuji. The city will be a fully functioning smart city with 5G connected infrastructure and homes.
President of Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda unveiled the plan in the company’s press conference, explaining that the city will be a “living laboratory†populated by researchers that can develop and test new technologies in the realm of autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and AI in a “real-world environmentâ€.
The city will be open for collaboration with other commercial and academic organisations who are looking to advance their research into the ways technology will create a future city. The city will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and solar power, with Danish architect Bjarke Ingels commissioned to lead the design of the Woven City. Groundbreaking on the site is scheduled for early 2021.
Vizio Elevate Soundbar
A soundbar that is able to move & rotate its speakers to give you, the listener, the best audio experience is one of the several rotating tech that CES goers witnessed this year.
The Vizio Elevate is a sleek sound system that wouldn’t look amiss in a modernly decorated living room, but underneath the minimal exterior sits a smart system of speakers that rotates to change your listening experience. The whole system consists of two-way left, centre and right front speakers, an 8-inch subwoofer, two satellite surround speakers and four upfiring speakers.
The upfiring speakers in the bar are front-facing to provide the best audio for stereo and 5.1 content, but then automatically rotates to point upward when playing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X coded content. So you don’t really have to fix multiple speakers in several locations in your room, because the Elevate is able to manipulate that automatically to give you best listening experience from a single soundbar.
Samsung Ballie & robotic life companions
In Samsung’s keynote speech at CES, the tech giant announced their new step into an Age of Experience and previewed their new releases for the year that focus on creating smart homes and building intelligent cities.
Most of their new products for 2020 integrates the use of intelligent robotics, 5G connectivity, AI and edge computing. But the most interesting has to be the introduction of the AI assistant by the name of Ballie. Contained inside the body of a small yellow ball is the first example of what Samsung evisions to be a staple in the future – ‘robotic life companions’ attuned to your every need.
It seems quite nifty to have a little R2D2 like robot taking care of your needs at home, and it’s a definite step forward from just AI-integrated stationary tech, so it’ll be interesting to see what else Samsung can launched from this starting point.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
Last year we saw the launch of the world’s first foldable phone, and 2020 will continue that trend with Lenovo unveiling the world’s first foldable laptop. The ThinkPad X1 Fold was first teased in May 2019 and now is finally here and set to revolutionise mobile computing. The X1 Fold houses a full 13.3-inch OLED display, which when unfolded can be used as a large screen tablet.
When folded, the screen can be split to maximise productivity, allowing you to multitask without having to compromise with a smaller task window. It can also be used like a normal laptop, converting the lower screen into a touch keypad, as you’d find on your smartphone but at a better angle, or connected to the Mini Fold Keyboard.
The X1 Fold can also be used as a full sized monitor, propped up on its kickstand and connected to an external mouse and keyboard through USB-C. After all of that, fold the device shut and it has the sleek silhouette of a small leather folio that you can slip into your bag. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold will be available mid-2020 with an expected price tag of USD2499.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Photography buffs, listen up, cause you’ll want to get your hands on the new Canon EOS-1D Mark III, the all-new flagship camera from the Japanese imaging brand.
A big step up from its predecessor, the Mark III promises unparalleled speed and performance in what will prove to be favourite new tool amongst photo professionals. The Mark III is able to capture hi-res images at up to 20fps and can also shoot 4K UHD and DCI videos at 60p and 50p respectively. The new 20.1 megapixel 35mm full frame CMOS sensor combined with the new DIGIC X image processor delivers sharp images in any shooting situation.
And these features are only the top of the list, with many more that proves the EOS-1D Mark III is more than just another camera. The Mark III will be available at Canon authorised retailers in Malaysia in February.
