CES: The Main Halls

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

There were more transportation announcements and concepts than I could cover in the time available; however, there was one more that got my attention that was real and available. Harley Davidson, in partnership with Panasonic Automotive, released the LiveWire electric beast of a motorcycle a few months ago and showed it at CES. This advanced vehicle has built-in GPS and LTE connectivity with up to 4G LTE speeds, with its status being shown on a 4.3-inch liquid crystal touch-screen display with integrated navigation and music built into the dashboard. The motorcycle (if you can call it that) has an impressive build but is somewhat lightweight. It reportedly can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds. Its range is 110 miles per charge. The selling price is just under $30K.

Highlights

Before we wrap up the coverage of CES 2020, here are a few additional items that I found interesting.

Smartphones

As expected, there were lots of smartphones, many with no new features—just the next digit in the series. Most smartphones had notable improvements but not huge advances. Some examples include the Galaxy Note 10 Lite with a sizable 6.7-inch screen and 4,500-mAh battery, and Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 Lite appears to be a workhorse. The Note 10 Lite will come with a headphone jack (something that those of us who demand the highest quality sound from a wired headphone like), three cameras on the back—main, telephoto, and ultrawide-angle lenses at 12 megapixels each—and a stylus. However, there’s no pricing or release date yet.

Another example is the TCL 10 Pro. You may know TCL for its affordable TVs, but this good-looking and reasonably priced $500 phone should help extend its brand awareness. It appears like a Galaxy S10 clone, comes with four rear cameras, a headphone jack, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. But the device's design—with a crisp screen, curved sides, and attractive colors—sets it apart from other mid-priced phones. TCL is also working on a foldable phone. This foldable prototype could come out later this year. The eye-catching phone will, when open, offer a 7.2-inch screen and cost less than the $1,500 foldable Motorola Razr flip phone, which also was a noticeable topic of discussion with many seeming to be waiting for the rebirth of the Razr. 

IoT and Smart Homes

Another category that is getting more attention than ever before is IoT, with the key focus being on smart homes. A smart home is one that has incorporated connected control over much of what you do in your home, including turning on and off lights, temperature control, security, playing music, and just about everything from the sublime to the ridiculous—in other words, controlling everything from your location, whether it be from a different room, state, or country. It can be by specific control from your internet-connected device or by incorporating home automation. Home automation is exactly what it sounds like: automating the ability to control items around the house, from your thermostat to window shades, pet feeders, and even checking on the condition of your baby’s diaper. All of these actions are done on a schedule, with the simple push of a button, or by voice command.

There are many smart home product categories at CES, and there are also many benefits and drawbacks. Many of the things you can do with connected devices are cool and fun, such as asking your digital assistant to play a specific song, but there is a price, such as the potential invasion of your privacy. If there is a microphone in your house connected to the internet, you potentially have no privacy. On the other hand, if “you have fallen and cannot get up,” there is the safety factor of being able to ask for help.

At CES, there were hundreds of smart devices and controls. The IoT and smart environments, along with connected digital and robotic assistants, are changing our lives far more than we realize. The entire topic of IoT and smart homes is something that we will be reviewing in more detail in upcoming articles.

Samsung’s Neon Project

Samsung’s Neon project was also very interesting, with its realistic digital people. Samsung’s Samsung Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Labs debuted at CES this year. It described its Neon unit as "a computationally created virtual being that looks and behaves like a real human, with the ability to show emotions and intelligence."  

Neon makes video chatbots that look and act like real people. Neons aren't all-knowing smart assistants like Alexa or Cortana, nor are they androids, surrogates, or copies of real humans, the company said in an FAQ shared with reporters. "Neons are not AI assistants," the company said. "Neons are more like us—an independent but virtual living being who can show emotions and learn from experiences. Unlike AI assistants, Neons do not know it all, and they are not an interface to the internet to ask for weather updates or to play your favorite music."

They are designed to have conversations and behave like real humans. They form memories and learn new skills but don't have a physical embodiment yet. Neons can help with "goal-oriented tasks, or can be personalized to assist in tasks that require human touch." They can act as teachers, financial advisers, health care providers, concierges, actors, spokespeople, or TV anchors. While they can borrow traits of real people and have a similar look and voice, they can't be exact copies of existing humans, Neon said. And each Neon is unique, with its own personality. 

Are they real or not? Is it all true? Does it sound scary? Think of all the possible ramifications. It has been stated that Neon could change everything. Amazing advanced capabilities or really scary? You decide. Here is a video if you want to see more.

Looking Forward

What are the things to watch in the coming year? That depends on your interests. If you build or use high-end computers, watch the new CPU chips from AMD, and let’s see if Intel regains its edge. If smartphones are your thing, then watch for foldable, easy-to-carry, mini portable computers with longer battery life. If you’re interested in remote activities, including everything from gaming to remote surgery and virtual assistants instructing you on how to do a repair or project or even walk on the moon, then follow XR (we will be covering the AEW VR event in a few months). And if all you want is a huge, lifelike TV, then watch that category, especially the pricing trends before you buy. There is so much amazing progress being made and so many unbelievable technologies and devices.

In other words, if it is technology-related—good, bad, amazing, or ridiculous—it was at CES, and there will be some incredible advances in the next 12 months. In the meantime, we will be watching and bringing you updates. As always, stay tuned. 

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