CES is the world’s gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 year.
This year CES 2019 is held January 8-11 at Las Vegas. So the show starts tomorrow. And some press events by some companies seem to start already today.
Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracts the world’s business leaders and leading companies. This year CES showcases more than 4,500 exhibiting companies, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems and more.
What to expect at CES?
Here are some of my picks what new to expect:
LG and Samsung are going to introduce 8K image resolution TV products at CES 2019. The attractiveness of 8K products is hampered not only by the high price but also by the fact that content produced with 8K accuracy is not yet widely available. LG is adding artificial intelligence to signal processing on TVs.
The most revolutionary innovations in mobile technology are expected to be 5G and foldable phone displays. Samsung, LG and Royolen expected to say something about the forthcoming fold-phone market CES. 5G technology is to be featured in several speeches, and at the fair twenty companies present 5G products and services.
For the first time last year, Google, which was impressively represented at CES, is expected to have an outperformance last year this year. I expect to see smart phones and IoT products from Google.
Here are links to some articles worth to check out to get the idea what to expect to be released at CES 2018:
https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/31/what-to-expect-from-ces-2019/
https://www.ces.tech/Media/News/Press-Releases.aspx
https://www.inverse.com/article/52169-foldable-smartphones-2019-samsung-apple-lg
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-is-primed-to-go-big-at-ces-again/
200 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Videolan says it expects VLC to surpass 3B downloads on Friday and that Airplay support is coming to the main VLC app, possibly arriving in about a month — Open source video player app VLC was mere hours away from surpassing 3 billion downloads Friday, and the Videolan team celebrated …
VLC Expected to Break 3B Downloads at CES, Will Add Airplay Soon
https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/vlc-3-billion-downloads-1203104910/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jesus Diaz / Fast Company:
IKEA’s battery-powered smart blinds that support HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and IKEA’s Trådfri will arrive in Europe on Feb. 2 and in the US on April 1
It’s official: Ikea’s smart blinds are coming to the U.S. this spring
https://www.fastcompany.com/90289846/its-official-ikeas-smart-blinds-are-coming-to-the-u-s-this-spring
Tomi Engdahl says:
Timothy W. Martin / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Samsung plans to unveil a fully functional foldable screen phone and the 10th anniversary Galaxy S10 phone lineup on February 20 — Tech giant to also unveil its 10th anniversary flagship phones at events in San Francisco and London — SEOUL— Samsung Electronics Co. plans …
Samsung to Show Off Its New Foldable Phone in February
https://www.wsj.com/articles/samsung-to-show-fully-functional-foldable-phone-in-february-11547102973
Tech giant to also unveil its 10th anniversary flagship phones at events in San Francisco and London
Tomi Engdahl says:
John Callaham / Android Authority:
T-Mobile launches call verification tech that detects scammers spoofing local numbers and displays a “Caller Verified” label otherwise, on Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — If you own a smartphone, you have likely seen and answered calls that appear to come from your local area code, but are actually automated messages and scams.
T-Mobile is taking on phone scammers with new Caller Verified technology
https://www.androidauthority.com/t-mobile-call-scammers-942143/
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon’s IMDb launches Freedive, an ad-supported streaming service offering movies and TV shows in the US; site now lists 130+ free movies and 29 shows
Amazon’s IMDb Launches Free Ad-Supported Movie, TV Service in U.S.
https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/amazon-imdb-freedive-avod-free-ad-supported-1203104648/
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Autonomous car hits autonomous robot in bizarre collision
https://www.gpsworld.com/autonomous-car-hits-autonomous-robot-in-bizarre-collision/
In a unique car accident, a self-driving Tesla Model S hit and destroyed an autonomous Promobot, the robot model v4, on Jan. 6 in Las Vegas. The incident took place at 3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The best and worst of CES 2019: Monster displays, VR in cars and crazy personal gadgets
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/08/the-best-and-worst-of-ces-2019-monster-displays-vr-in-cars-and-crazy-personal-gadgets/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teslasuit simulates touch in VR with small electrical shocks
https://www.iltalehti.fi/digiuutiset/a/0f0ad461-7f02-4c1d-8bcd-4a3ef5535454
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/01/11/suomalaisyritys-vahvistuu-autonaytoissa-myos-puheohjaus/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview that reserves ~7GB of disk space for updates, apps, and more to ensure critical OS functions always have space
Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with disk space, Reset this PC, and Subsystem for Linux improvements
https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/09/microsoft-releases-new-windows-10-preview-with-disk-space-reset-this-pc-and-subsystem-for-linux-improvements/
Microsoft today released a new Windows 10 preview with improvements to disk space management, Reset this PC, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The update bumps Windows 10 from build 18309 (made available to testers on January 3) to build 18312. These builds are from the 19H1 branch, which represents the Windows 10 update that will arrive in the first half of this year.
Windows 10 is being developed as a service, meaning it receives new features on a regular basis. Microsoft has released six major updates so far: November Update, Anniversary Update, Creators Update, Fall Creators Update, April 2018 Update, and October 2018 Update.
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http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8919-tarvitaanko-autossa-nopeinta-wifia-ilmeisesti-tarvitaan
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Is Robo-Pizza the Next Big Thing?
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1334162
You can learn a lot from delivering pizzas. What lessons did Ford learn from its pizza delivery experiment via self-driving cars?
If this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is any indication, the automotive industry’s pivot is clear: Self-driving vehicles are first for delivery of goods and next for people delivery by robo-taxi.
The implication is that reality has sunk in. The self-driving future is not just around the corner in 2020 or 2021, as many tech and carmakers originally promised. The corner is way up there somewhere because, let’s face it, autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies are damn hard.
But whether AVs are carrying goods or people, it turns out that building the right “human-robocar” interface is equally tough.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Best of CES 2019: Only the cream of the crop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHreov2zl1U
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CES 2019 | Coolest Tech!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYy5jthywRs
Jake from B&H runs around the show floor of CES 2019 looking for the coolest tech he can find. In his travels he comes across a Hoverbike, 8K OLED TVs, magical suitcase, a massage chair and much more!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home> Community > Blogs > 5G Waves
5G and autonomous vehicles might not go hand-in-hand
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461460/5G-and-autonomous-vehicles-might-not-go-hand-in-hand
The transition to 5G will happen, but it looks like it is going to take many more years than one might have assumed after listening to years’ worth of 5G hype. Part of the reason is that the business models for some of the applications that were expected to drive 5G demand are not coming together. Worse, from the communications industry’s perspective, some are coming together, but without 5G as a necessity. The development of autonomous vehicles (AV) is falling into that latter category, according to a variety of automotive industry participants at the CES 2019 show in Las Vegas.
Hyundai Motor Co. senior vice president Jungsik Suh talked about “transcending” connectivity at a press conference here early in the week. He said each vehicle will become its own cloud and all vehicles together become “a large cloud data center.”
In a session on 5G supporting edge computing, AVs were mentioned, but other applications inspired more detailed examination from the speakers, and possibly more excitement. Craig Farrell, IBM VP and CTO of the company’s global telecom industry unit, mentioned AVs, but touted the value of caching popular video at the edge, of localized ad insertion, of supporting smart medical devices such as asthma inhalers, and of supporting augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and gaming.
In a session called “The Future of Connected Cars with 5G,” panelists were confident 5G will happen, but not in the next few years. Panelists agreed that the type of global coverage that would be useful to support autonomous driving is still lacking in 4G, and that since 5G will require far more base stations, it is unreasonable to rely completely on 5G connectivity.
“5G will happen,” said BlackBerry Certicom vice president Jim Alfred. “How it will happen and who it will benefit is all up in the air. When do we get it, and what does it mean? Up in the air. Some applications do not require 5G.”
5G has inherent and legitimate promise for enabling new use cases based on new performance characteristics that include faster data rates and lower latency. One of the marquee use cases for 5G based on its low-latency capabilities was going to be supporting autonomous vehicles, but auto makers, their suppliers, and their technology partners here at CES are clearly not basing their plans for vehicle autonomy on the availability of 5G coverage.
There are a lot of moving parts here, and they’re not synchronized. There is vehicle technology, there’s communications technology, and there are marketing considerations. Auto makers are continuously reevaluating the relative importance of assisted driving (Levels 1, 2, and 3) and autonomous driving (Levels 4 and 5) against what the market needs and wants.
At a more fundamental technological level, safe autonomous driving will require significant computing resources. As generally conceived, it will require more computing resources than it will be economical to build into AVs. Offloading to data centers is impractical; distance is time, expressed as network latency. Too much latency (the commonly cited maximum is 20 milliseconds) is intolerable when supporting AVs that need to react in real time.
That’s an argument for using 5G in low-latency mode. It is also the argument for pushing more processing to the network edge. But if the processing is already at the network edge, do you still need 5G, given that 4G is already there – and, more to the point – 5G isn’t there yet?
5G networks, as such, still barely exist. T-Mobile has decided to wait until 2020. In mid-2018, Verizon started installing non-standard 5G equipment
Some auto makers that were founded in the last few years as electric vehicle (EV) companies seem to believe they can get to Level 4 and Level 5 autonomy within the next few years. Most traditional auto makers believe that L4/L5 AVs won’t start appearing before the 2024
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home> Community > Blogs > Brian’s Brain
Will Apple SoCs obsolete x86 CPUs?
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4461457/Will-Apple-SoCs-obsolete-x86-CPUs-
that I’d shortly begin working on “a broader treatise of whether or not (and if so, how and when) Apple will obsolete x86-based computers in favor of its own SoC-powered successors.” The time for that “near-future post of its own” is now.
Rumors and prognostications about Apple migrating Macs away from Intel and to its own Arm-based application processors periodically rise (and fall away) in the tech press and analyst world, but in recent times they’ve seemingly hit a crescendo. Why?
And now, of course, Apple’s expanding beyond the primary processor core into other system building block areas; the company’s reportedly now doing its own graphics IP (to the detriment of longstanding partner Imagination Technology’s business), has brought power management IC development in-house, and is even rumored to be pursuing development of its own cellular voice-plus-data technologies. What’s next; flash memory?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s latest products: processor upgrades all around
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4461345/Apple-s-latest-products–processor-upgrades-all-around
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU LOMID VR project creates lightweight microchips & organic LEDs
https://www.electropages.com/2019/01/eu-vr-project-creates-lightweight-microchips-organic-leds/?utm_campaign=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=EU+LOMID+VR+project+creates+lightweight+microchips+%26+organic+LEDs
Microchips and organic LEDs that deliver 4K-like high resolution displays a quarter of the size and half the weight of existing virtual reality (VR) headsets have been developed under a European Union project.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel vihdoin 10 nanometriin
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8909&via=n&datum=2019-01-09_14:48:47&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
Big Brother Is Watching You Play
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1334163
At an international conference where audio, video, smartphones, smart homes, smart security, and especially autonomous automobiles compete for the spotlight’s glow, sports technology — not including video games — occupies the shadows of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), but it does convey a consistent theme: Big Brother is watching you play.
Two panels on cutting-edge sports technology on Tuesday revealed a relative paucity of dazzling new products. But an eclectic array of expert panelists addressed the ability of gadgets — with wearables, cameras, radar, and global positioning technology — to keep athletes, both elite and amateur, under relentless scrutiny.
an athlete’s every smooth move and every blunder are rendered eternal in the vast cloud of big data. Citing the growing use of such devices for children’s soccer
Kids like this welcome added pressure, she said, because “they do want to train like Olympic athletes train.”
She also noted that the constant body-monitoring now possible poses issues previously unheard of for athletes. “We’re all a little scared when we hear they’ve got this new heart rate monitor,” she said. A bad reading, she said, could get you booted from the team.
Webster offered a note of caution to all of this techno-enthusiasm, saying, “It’s very important in sports that we don’t give up our agency in coaching to machines.”
The game is watching the fan
Fans might be watching the game, but the game — with a greater sense of lucrative purpose — is watching the fans. As noted by panelist Carola Jain, chief marketing officer for Spartan Race, Inc., the promoters of sporting events depend on real-time feedback from spectators.
“We do a lot of live-streaming. We get a lot of sentiment from our viewers,” she said. The goal is to seek out fan interest in particular athletes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AMD Takes Center Stage at CES
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1334164
Su announced that the Radeon VII GPU would be available starting next month and that its second-generation Ryzen mobile processors would begin showing up in ultrathin and gaming laptops by the end of the first quarter. Su also teased AMD’s third-generation Ryzen desktop processor and its second-generation EPYC server processor, both of which are implemented in 7 nm and will be available starting later this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Dots to Shrink MicroLED Display Pixels
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1334167
Nanoco Technologies and Plessey Semiconductors have partnered to shrink the pixel size of monolithic microLED displays using Nanoco’s cadmium-free quantum-dot (CFQD quantum dots) semiconductor nanoparticle technology.
Using its existing gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon monolithic process, Plessey will integrate the CFQD quantum dots into selected regions of blue LED wafers to add red and green light, shrinking the smallest practical pixel size from today’s 30 µm to 4 µm, a reduction of 87%. The process will enable the production of smaller, higher-resolution microLED displays in applications such as AR/VR devices, watches, and mobile devices while enhancing both color rendition and energy efficiency.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
AMD announces the 7-nanometer AMD Radeon VII GPU, which it says will be 27% to 62% faster, coming in Feb. for $700; CEO Su says 400M+ gamers use Radeon graphics
AMD CEO Lisa Su unveils 7-nanometer Radeon VII GPU
https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/09/amd-ceo-lisa-su-unveils-7-nanometer-radeon-vii-gpu/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Best Stuff We Saw at CES 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtgSM-r9VhA
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2019 | Coolest Tech!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYy5jthywRs
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who won CES 2019?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCOx2rPrxxQ
In this video I take a look at the 3 main keynotes from CES 2019, starting with AMD’s Lisa Su, then Jensen Huang’s RTX 2060 announcement, and finally taking a look at Intel’s Foveros Lakefield.
Tomi Engdahl says:
2019 Will Be the Year of Open Source
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/2019-will-be-year-open-source/174144007660005?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=7033&elq_cid=876648
From software and even hardware, we saw more activity in open source than ever before in 2018. And the momentum isn’t likely to slow down in 2019.
After decades of being looked at as more of a subculture (or arguably counter-culture) in the larger technology landscape, open source is finally getting its due. 2018 saw some big moves in the open source landscape—from automotive startups leveraging open source in their innovative products to some big acquisitions and further growth of the open-source hardware market.
That’s not to say that open source has shed all of its challenges, critics, or even stigma. But the road ahead offers plenty to be optimistic about for open source enthusiasts.
Big Acquisitions Mean Big Faith
Tomi Engdahl says:
ARRIS Introduces The Ultimate Wi-Fi® 6 Mesh System
https://markets.financialcontent.com/pennwell.cabling/news/read/37528647/arris_introduces_the_ultimate_wi
ARRIS International plc (NASDAQ: ARRS) today introduced the world’s most advanced solution for delivering Gigabit Wi-Fi performance to every device in every room: The SURFboard mAX™ Pro Mesh Wi-Fi System.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Continental showcases smart cities innovations at CES 2019
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2019/01/continental-showcases-smart-cities-innovations-at-ces-2019.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2019-01-07&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2338224
At CES 2019, Continental will demonstrate its solutions and key technologies for future cities around the theme “Mobility at your service. Freedom to Live.” Per a company statement, “Today half the world’s population lives in cities; in three decades this number will grow by another 2.5 billion1 , adding more vehicles to the already overcrowded roads. As more cities approach the population tipping point, digitalization will lead the shift to a new mobility ecosystem.”
“Intelligent mobility is an essential pillar of the smart city. The number of connected devices exceeds the world’s population today, facilitating real-time exchange of information between vehicles, infrastructure and people. At CES 2019, Continental will demonstrate solutions that foster mobility intelligence, ease traffic congestion and reduce accidents and pollution, addressing the most critical challenges of urban mobility,” said Helmut Matschi, member of the Continental Executive Board and head of the Interior Division.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8911-alexa-mita-reittia-kannattaa-ajaa
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8909-intel-vihdoin-10-nanometriin
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/01/09/lapinakyva-aurinkokenno-auton-katoksi-tai-konepelliksi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Baidu announces Apollo Enterprise, its new platform for mass-produced autonomous vehicles
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/08/baidu-announces-apollo-enterprise-its-new-platform-for-mass-produced-autonomous-vehicles/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Baidu made several big announcements about Apollo, its open-source autonomous vehicle technology platform, today at CES.
The company claims that Apollo is already used by 130 partners around the world.
WM Motors, plans to deploy level 3 autonomous vehicles by 2021.
Baidu also released Apollo 3.5, the latest version of its platform, which now supports “complex urban and suburban driving environments.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: Amazon to double down on gaming with a new streaming service
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/report-amazon-to-double-down-on-gaming-with-a-new-streaming-service/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Earlier this week, when Razer announced that it would integrate Amazon’s Alexa into its gaming platform
today The Information reports just that: Amazon is now developing its own streamed gaming service, according to its sources.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Coolest And Wackiest Tech Revealed At CES 2019 So Far
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/the-coolest-and-wackiest-tech-revealed-at-ces-2019-so-far/
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2019: Has Dimenco Cracked the Code for Glasses-Free 3-D?
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/consumer-electronics/audiovideo/ces-2019-has-dimenco-cracked-the-code-for-glassesfree-3d
Nine years ago, 3D was touted as the next big thing in display technolog
By 2011 it was already becoming clear that people weren’t going to wear special glasses to watch TV at home, and tech companies began tinkering with glasses-free 3D technology
Tech innovators pretty much stopped talking about putting 3D into traditional TV displays and instead moved to creating virtual 3D worlds via head-mounted displays.
But at least one company didn’t give up on the quest for a viable 3D television display. Dimenco, a company from the Netherlands, arrived at CES 2019 with what it calls “Simulated Reality” technology.
Dimenco is displaying interactive 3D video images using a lenticular filter
over an 8K LCD display. With an 8K image, a video feed split into right and left eye images still gives you a 4K resolution
Tomi Engdahl says:
“SportsArt’s new Verde treadmill. The machine generates electricity while users run, helping to cut down on energy bills and promote clean energy.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
IT asset disposition in the age of IoT
https://ces.eetimes.com/it-asset-disposition-in-the-age-of-iot/
Disposing of IT assets has become even more challenging in the age of the internet of things (IoT) and the industrial IoT (IIoT). Electronic devices contain toxic components, which can be harmful to the environment. These devices often contain personal and proprietary data, too. But there are other potential uses for end-of-life electronics, beyond simply throwing them away.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES 2019: Heat, Pulse, or Vibrate? Wearables Take Different Approaches to Stress Relief
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/consumer-electronics/portable-devices/ces-2019-heat-pulse-or-vibrate-wearables-take-different-approaches-for-stress-relief
Gadgets that promise stress relief aren’t new to CES, the giant consumer electronics show held in Las Vegas this week. Biofeedback wearables that prompt you to work on your stress response and measure your success by tracking your heart rate or brain waves have been around for years. That approach takes effort and practice, however.
This year at CES, I saw three wearables that aim to relieve your stress with no effort on your part, other than the effort it takes to switch them on. And they’re easier to carry into a meeting or presentation than a massage chair.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google cans the Chromecast Audio
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/11/google-cans-the-chromecast-audio/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Congratulations. VLC has now reached 3 billions downloads and still no toolbar, adware, malware or other bad stuff bundled. Open source, FTW. #Linux #Unix #macOS https://twitter.com/nixcraft/status/1084137763656544256
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES revokes award from female-founded sex tech company
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/08/ces-revokes-award-from-female-founded-sex-tech-company/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Sex tech has been done at the Consumer Electronics Show. This year, however, seems to be different, with the organization behind CES, the Consumer Technology Association, revoking an innovation award from a company geared toward women’s sexual health.
The CTA revoked an innovation award from Lora DiCarlo
“Vela does not fit into any of our existing product categories and should not have been accepted for the Innovation Awards Program,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Pierce / Wall Street Journal:
How MicroLED display technology, demoed by Samsung at CES, may let customers assemble their own TVs to the exact size and shape they want, like Lego bricks — MicroLED is better looking, more efficient and more versatile than any previous display tech. Now all Samsung, Sony …
This Really Is the Next Revolution in TV Technology
https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-really-is-the-next-revolution-in-tv-technology-11546956347
MicroLED is better looking, more efficient and more versatile than any previous display tech. Now all Samsung, Sony, LG and others have to do is figure out how to manufacture it affordably
LAS VEGAS—One of the most exciting things I’ve seen at this year’s CES tech show was a man putting a TV together. It looked more like he was hanging photos. He’d grab square tiles off a pile, attach them to the wall, then screw a small plate up top. A moment later, the surface would spring to life
Tomi Engdahl says:
South China Morning Post:
Chinese tech companies at CES say the US-China trade war has adversely impacted their business but, despite the lower margins, the US market remains important
Giant CES fair in Vegas shows US remains too big to ignore for Chinese tech firms even as trade war swirls
https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/2181661/giant-ces-fair-vegas-shows-us-remains-too-big-ignore-chinese-tech-firms
Times are tough in 2019 thanks to the US-China trade war and an escalating war of words between Washington and Beijing over tech leadership
Chinese companies at CES all agreed though that while the trade war has adversely impacted their business in the US, it remains a very important market
Tomi Engdahl says:
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Google has stopped making its Chromecast Audio streaming adapter, focusing on smart speakers instead
https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/chromecast-audio-discontinued-1203105595/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sidney Fussell / The Atlantic:
Automation may not completely replace service workers, but will likely reduce hours, lower pay, and conceal intense demands on labor and poor working conditions
The Quiet Ways Automation Is Remaking Service Work
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/01/automation-hotel-strike-ai-jobs/579433/
Workers may not be replaced by robots anytime soon, but they’ll likely face shorter hours, lower pay, and stolen time.
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There’s a simple reason why your new smart TV was so affordable: It’s collecting and selling your data
https://nordic.businessinsider.com/smart-tv-data-collection-advertising-2019-1?utm_content=topbar&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-ti%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook&utm_term=desktop&referrer=facebook&r=US&IR=T
The vast majority of televisions available today are “smart” TVs, with internet connections, ad placement, and streaming services built in.
Despite the added functionality, TV prices are lower than ever – especially from companies like TCL and Vizio, which specialize in low-cost, high-tech smart TVs.
There’s a simple reason that smart TV prices are so low: some TV makers collect user data and sell it to third-parties, which can offset the cost.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xiaomi’s five-year plan is a $1.5 billion bet on smart homes
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/11/xiaomis-five-year-plan-is-a-1-5-billion-bet-on-smart-homes/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Xiaomi, the Chinese company best known for budget phones, is betting big on a future of connected homes. It plans to plough at least 100 billion yuan, or $1.48 billion, into the so-called “AIoT” sector over the next five years, founder and chief operating officer Lei Jun announced on Friday.
AIoT, short for “AI + IoT,” is an upgrade from devices connected to the internet, known as the Internet of Things. AIoTs are intelligent, run on automated systems and can learn from users’ habits, like lights that automatically turn on when you get home.
Tomi Engdahl says:
An AR glasses pioneer collapses
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/an-ar-glasses-pioneer-collapses/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
After 20 years, ODG falls apart as acquisition offers dissipate
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is Samsung getting serious about robotics?
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/is-samsung-getting-serious-about-robotics/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
The company showed off a trio of robots and an exoskeleton at CES 2019