With 2017’s Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, now underway, gamers, lovers of gadgets, computers, TVs and just about anyone that likes to know about and have the latest and greatest technology will be eagerly watching the announcements as the new tech for 2017 is unveiled.
CES takes place each January in Las Vegas and is scheduled to run from January 5th-8th. CES sees market leaders in electronics come together to showcase their latest inventions to the lucky attendees as well as some companies providing live streams for others to watch. 2017 will include major electronic companies such as Samsung, who have launched their new class of ‘QLED’ TV’s. QLED stands for Quantum dot LED. Samsung have released three new high-end panels, the Samsung Q9F, Samsung Q7, available in flat and curved editions and finally the curved Samsung Q8C. The SUHD, which was Samsung’s flagship line, will now be replaced by these all new panels. Sizes range from 55” to 88”. No price or date of release have been confirmed by Samsung but are expected to ship around March 2017.
Dell are another big name attending CES 2017. Dell brought with them the new Dell XPS 13 laptops, and they did not wait until the start of CES before announcing the new XPS, instead breaking silence on the eve of CES. The New XPS 13 is going to be a 2-in-1 convertible configuration. The XPS 13 will have a touch screen, and full HD and QHD models can be purchased. The foldable hinge in the ever popular 2-in-1 laptop styles gives you the freedom to use the XPS in many various ways. More exciting on the face of the Dell XPS 13 is that it will come with, depending on spec at purchase, either the Intel i5 or i7 CPUs, but they will be the latest Intel Kaby Lake chips.
The list of exhibitors is truly astonishing, CES 2017 has more than enough for anyone to get their eyes on, including the likes of Acer’s new line of laptops. Acer also have a crazy, curved PC monitor, titled the Predator 21X, costing an eye watering £9,000. Companies such as Amazon have released details that their Alexa AI from the company’s new speaker system will now be integrated into a fridge after teaming up with electronics giant LG.
Probably the most exciting news is that BUDDY: The Family Companion Robot, one of my favourite inventions and probably the most ambitious, will be at CES 2017. BUDDY is a small, motorized robot with a screen display for a face. BUDDY moves around your home and keeps track of your daily tasks: It works as an interactive alarm clock, intruder guard, plays music, suggests cooking recipes, acts as an away from home camera that is remotely controllable from your mobile device, and could even alert emergency services if it detects a fire at your property. BUDDY is a remarkable invention from Blue Frog Robotics.
The main focus for gamers is the Nvidia Conference set to stream live at 2am GMT on January 5th. Nvidia has already just announced the launch of the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050TI chips for use in laptops within the first three months of 2017. Following this Nvidia may be launching two of their popular Shield TV models along with a whole new re-designed controller. This, up to now, is only rumour but will hopefully be revealed at the Nvidia Conference. Nvidia has stated that CEO Jen-Hsun Huang will lead the first ever keynote at CES and has promised that he will have new info on “some of the areas” it’s focused on, including artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, virtual reality, and gaming. Another hotly anticipated rumour in the Nvidia camp is the release of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. This comes after the leaks of specs on the card and GP102 architecture soon after the GTX 1080 launch. Plus, in addition to the leaked specs, not long before the end of 2016, a job post from Nvidia on Linkedin was leaked that detailed a position to promote their new GeForce elite program. The job listing from Nvidia’s advertisement wrote “As a Senior Marketing Manager, you will be a key member of NVIDIA Global Consumer Marketing team, working cross-functionally to build & market a GeForce rewards program, delighting millions of gamers who are part of our GeForce Experience community while earning an enduring loyalty to our platform”.
“You will champion the voice of our player community and leverage NVIDIA’s position as a leader in PC Gaming to work with partners to identify & secure exciting rewards that provides compelling entertainment value to one of the industry’s largest (and fastest-growing) community of PC gamers. You will partner with some of the industry’s best talent to launch a gamer loyalty program that helps firmly establish GeForce as the best platform for PC gaming,”.
The listing also outlined tasks that included ensuring that GeForce GTX 980 Ti owners “get first spot in line for 1080 Ti pre-orders”, or “Step Up offer”.
This has got fans of both Nvidia and AMD fans alike exited to see what happens at today’s Nvidia Conference. Anyone wanting to see the live conference can do so HERE through Nvidia’s official website.
CES will play host to many more brands over the next few days, and more information can be found on the official CES website HERE.