For those in, and who love, technology going to CES is for us, like going to a giant magical toy shop. There are gadgets, gizmos and innovations as far as the eye can see. Some are a little weird, some are years away from production, but some are ready to the market very soon, making them even more exciting.
Here’s a look at some of the things that caught our eye at CES 2020 both on a professional and a tech geek level.
Samsung Wall MicroLED TV
We’ve come to expect that we’ll see big TVs at CES 2020, but even we were not ready for the sight of the floor demo model of the Samsung Wall MicroLED TV. It measured 292 inches (that’s over 24 feet or 7.4 meters) and was easily the biggest TV at CES ever.
This huge version was primarily for show only. The version that is being rolled out into production is smaller at 150-inch and there are plans, the company said, for 88-, 93 and 110-inch versions. Which are all still pretty big.
The big deal about these TVs however is the MicroLED functionality. MicroLED is the first new screen technology in a decade and is more akin to OLED than LCD. It delivers perfect black levels and high brightness because it uses millions of tiny LEDs to create the image directly, for picture quality. It supports 8K too, although common adoption of that is still a few years away (at least)
Razer Sila 5G Home Router
More and more even console gaming is going online, and gamers are demanding more and more from their Internet connection. Couple that with the fact that handheld consoles are hot again, thanks to the Nintendo Switch, and a home router that can deliver wireless speeds to satisfy gamers is a a must.
Razer have long been known for their gaming hardware, but never before as a router provider. The Razer Sila they exhibited at CES 2020 aims to change that.
The router, Razer says, can optimize network prioritization to sustain low latency and high bandwidth for gaming and differentiate between different gaming systems, such as console or PC, as well as lock in bandwidth for online play and address some unique challenges posed by cloud gaming.
The problem is – for gamers interested in giving it a try – is that as of now there are no plans for it to be released into markets outside Razer’s Singapore home. However, the Sila can serve as inspiration for manufacturers closer to home to create something similar for North American gamers.
Dabby
Speaking of demands on your home network more and more people are ‘cutting the cord’ and consuming most of their TV entertainment from the growing number of streaming services available.
This can get a little confusing though. Endlessly scrolling through Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and many more services to find something to watch. The Dabby aims to solve that. It’s The touch device (which basically looks like a thicker tablet) pairs with a TV dongle, and lets you use voice commands to search not only every paid streaming service, but also free sites and social media. A neat idea, although the $400 price tag quoted at CES 2020 might be a bit much for some.
Jabra Elite Active 75t True Wireless Earbuds
Jabra earbuds are hugely popular for use by office workers and call center staff as they are reliable, efficient and even relatively affordable. The Jabra Elite Active 75t true wireless earbuds – which will be available in just a few weeks – take that to a new level, offering four-microphone technology for clear calls, a seven-hour battery life and dust and sweat resistance. In fact they are waterproof, for those who make calls underwater…
Charmin Rollbot
We have to finish on a weird one. The Charmin Rollbot. It’s basically what it sounds like. A rolling bot that will bring you a roll of toilet paper should you be caught in a delicate situation and an empty toilet roll. It has a happy bear face too. We’re not sure why it exsits. But then again the Charmin bears have always been a little confusing anyway.