CES 2017 Highlights

Expected with enthusiasm at the beginning of each year by fans of technology and professionals, CES ended last Sunday in Las Vegas. Bringing together leaders of the industry and an array of companies and startups, the biggest event of its kind always gives a good idea of what the upcoming year has in store in terms of technology. Overview of the major themes and innovations announced at this 50th edition of the Consumer Electronic Show.

Main Themes of CES 2017

The 2016 edition of CES had been all about connected devices and virtual reality and 2017 has pursued this trend. Connected objects were still well represented this year, both in the smart home and in the wearables categories. Intel took the opportunity to unveil its Compute Card, a "microcomputer" whose ambition is to accelerate the deployment of Internet of things (IoT). 5mm thick and the size of a credit card, the compute platform will offer businesses an additional option for connecting their products. A company will only have to build a slot for the card into their devices and choose the features that meet their needs. The technology will accelerate and facilitate the research and development of manufacturers by providing a "standardized" solution, but will also have the advantage of being interchangeable if it is compromised (virus or breakage) or when the card’s performance becomes obsolete. Increasingly present in our everyday life, artificial intelligence has been one of the great themes of this edition, especially with Alexa, Amazon’s intelligent personal assistant. Launched in 2014, Alexa was everywhere at CES 2017, whether for smart home devices or in the automotive industry with the announcement by Ford and Volkswagen of its integration into their vehicles. While less visible, other manufacturers nevertheless made announcements for similar solutions by Google (Google Home/Ok Google) and Apple (Homekit/Siri). Several robots with incredibly diverse functions were also presented. We can also mention the increasing importance of car manufacturers, as the CES has become one of the events where they unveil futuristic concepts and technologies that will be integrated in their future models. Artificial intelligence and the self-driving car were at the forefront with concepts like the Chrysler Portal, Honda NeuV or Volkswagen ID. Special mention to the impressive Faraday Future FF91, an electric supercar going from 0-100 km/h in 2,39 seconds.

New Products From Lenovo

The world's largest PC manufacturer Lenovo unveiled several new devices at CES including an upgrade of its ThinkPad X1 lineup consisting of the X1 Carbon notebook, X1 tablet and the 2-in-1 Yoga X1, devices very much appreciated by our customers for their performance. Thinner and lighter than its predecessors, the 5th generation of the X1 Carbon has a 14-inch full-HD display and takes advantage of Intel's new Kaby Lake processors which support 4K video and offer increased performance. Lenovo announces a maximum battery life of 15 hours; it will also be possible to add an optional LTE Advanced modem from Qualcomm for more connectivity. The model will also be compatible with the ThinkPad WiGig wireless docking station. Carbon X1 will be available in February. The X1 Tablet and Yoga also get a processor upgrade, more storage space, better battery life and compatibility with the WiGig docking station. In addition to full-HD, the Yoga X1 will also be available with an OLED screen offering a 2560x1440 resolution. Announced just before CES, Lenovo also upgraded its L and T series. As for the X1 family, they will have Intel’s newest processors, faster DDR4 memory and optimized hard drive. The new T570 which will be available in March will be equipped with a new Intel memory type: Optane, a technology Intel claims to be as much as 10 times faster than current SSD.

A Montreal Startup Honored

Montreal-based company Mirametrix has been honored with an Innovation Award for its Glance software platform which can "read" a user’s face. Lenovo will be their first partner and will offer the technology - which allows the computer to lock and unlock based on the presence of the user in front of its screen - as an option on some of its models (including the X1 Carbon) by the end of the year.

Multiple 2-in-1 Laptops

This year we had a lot of new 2-in-1 laptop models, many of them aimed at the business market. HP unveiled the EliteBook x360, a 2-in-1 which is the thinnest and lightest ever offered in their business models. The device equipped with a Kaby Lake chip will have a full-HD screen or optional Ultra HD, up to 16GB of memory and a battery life of up to 16 hours. The company also announced a new version of its high-end 2-in-1 Spectre x360. As for Dell, they introduced the Latitude 7285, the world’s first wireless charging 2-in-1 laptop. A technology using magnetic resonance similar to the one used with some mobile phones. The result of a collaboration with WiTricity, the charging mat should equip more and more of Dell’s models, who seeks ‘’the ultimate wireless experience’’.

CES 50th Anniversary

As I mentioned earlier, CES celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Nostalgic types and technology fans must not miss this slideshow, which retraces the evolution of this event. A journey back in time tracing the history of technology from the 60s to today! As usual, CES 2017 was filled with innovations, new devices and gadgets to please both amateurs and industry professionals. From the products announced, we can expect another very interesting year in terms of technology! Did you like this article? Subscribe to our blog or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with IT news and our business!