Digital birth certificates, transparent TV and new Android features win spotlight at CES
▶ Launches, innovations and weird gadgets feature at Las Vegas event, reports
CES, the world’s biggest technology exhibition, is in full swing and, once again, it has failed to disappoint. The Las Vegas event, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, has become a platform for major announcements, innovations and, at times, the unveiling of some of the technology industry’s weird and wonderful creations.
Below are some of the highlights so far from CES 2024.
LG’s transparent TV
South Korea’s LG Electronics, one of the world’s biggest appliance manufacturers, unveiled what it called the world’s first transparent OLED television, the LG Signature OLED T.
The TV’s Zero Connect Box wirelessly transmits 4K images and sound to the OLED T. The TV also doubles as a piece of furniture that blends in with its environment thanks to its transparency, or as some sort of digital aquarium.
In 2021, LG unveiled the Signature OLED R, which has a rollable display and is priced at $100,000. LG has yet to announce the Signature OLED T’s availability and price.
Samsung brings back Ballie
Samsung is further leaning into the artificial intelligence game with a revamped version of its Ballie robot. The rolling machine, which resembles a tennis ball and was first introduced at CES 2020, can now act as a projector while following you around.
Aside from communicating with it and issuing commands, Ballie can interact with other smart home devices and, apparently, check on your pet and even “feed” it.
On the hardware side, Samsung announced new visual display products and digital appliances, the Galaxy Book4 laptop and the new Spatial AI service to boost interaction between users and its devices – all underpinned by AI.
Samsung, the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer, is scheduled to introduce its next smartphone line-up on January 17 in San Francisco.
‘Birth certificates’ to images
Japan’s Sony capped off the first day of CES by committing to fight off misinformation – by giving “birth certificates” to images shot on their cameras.
The Tokyo-based company said it has developed in-camera digital technology that would verify the authenticity of an image, which very much resembles the concept of non-fungible tokens.
The initiative, in collaboration with the Associated Press and “other industry leaders to create a digital birth certificate for images shot on our cameras, … will validate the origin of their content and help safeguard facts and combat misinformation”, Neal Manowitz, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, said at CES.
Other highlights of Sony’s presentation include boosting the creator community by introducing new services, from creating digital scenes ahead of principal photography to supporting the growth of virtual production, and a new fan engagement experience in collaboration with English football team Manchester City.
The company is also taking aim at Meta Platforms and Apple in the high-tech headset game with the introduction of a new mixed-reality headset in co-operation with Germany’s Siemens. The device is expected to be available later this year.
Sony drove the latest version of the Afeela electric car, made by the Sony Honda Mobility joint venture, on stage – using a PlayStation controller.
Volkswagen’s AI push
Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest car maker, has joined the
generative AI race by integrating a ChatGPT-powered bot into a number of its vehicles.
The chatbot will be integrated into its IDA digital assistant, and “offers a multitude of new capabilities that go far beyond the previous voice control”, the German company said.
That includes controlling the infotainment system, navigation and air conditioning, or answering general knowledge questions.
It will initially be introduced in Europe, with a US launch “being considered”.
The chatbot will be available on the ID.703, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.703 electric car models, and the new versions of the Golf04, Passat and Tiguan.
Kia’s ‘swappable’ vehicles
Kia announced new modular vehicles that let users customise them according to their needs. This is part of the
Korean car maker’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) future transport strategy, which includes five modular vehicles that are set to enter mass production in 2025.
“Behind a fixed cab, or ‘driver zone’, a variety of interchangeable upper bodies, or ‘life modules’, can be connected to the base vehicle via a hybrid electromagnetic and mechanical coupling technology, turning the PBV into a taxi during the day, a delivery van at night and a personal recreational vehicle on weekends,” it said.
Android in ‘pairs’
Google announced updates for its Android mobile operating system, centred on seamless connection between devices.
The Alphabet-owned company introduced Quick Share, which will allow users to connect and share to other Android and Chromebook devices – drawing parallels to Apple’s AirDrop.
Quick Share is actually a Samsung concept. However, the two companies collaborated to merge it into a “singular cross-Android solution”.
Google also said Android Auto would be integrated into more cars, particularly electric vehicles, in the coming months, with Ford’s Mustang
Mach-E and F-150 Lightning going first.
It also introduced Fast Pair, which can connect Bluetooth devices such as headphones to Android devices much quicker, as well as updates to casting, including directly sending TikTok content to Chromecast.
Casting on Amazon
Amazon announced Matter Casting, which lets users cast content to its Fire TV and Echo Show 15 devices directly from supported streaming apps on Android and Apple’s iOS.
The world’s biggest e-commerce company said it has been “a long-time supporter of using open technology standards to give customers more choice over the devices and services they use in their homes”.
Amazon also said that its Alexa digital voice assistant would get new generative AI-powered tools.
Amazon’s smart transport unit Zoox unveiled its latest purpose-built vehicle.
The California company, which Amazon acquired in 2020 reportedly for $1.2 billion, also gave the audience an exclusive opportunity to join its wait-list and be among the first to sign up for its self-driving, ride-hailing service.
Wow, what a gesture
Apple made watch gestures popular, letting you control your digital timepiece with your fingers and wrist.
Now, there is a new challenger on the block.
Doublepoint Technologies, a touch interface company based in Helsinki, unveiled its Wow Mouse app, which allows users to perform gestures to control Android-powered smartwatches.
The app is now available on Google Play and can control almost anything with Bluetooth, from smartphones to computers and headsets to smart lights.
Google’s updates for its Android mobile operating system are focused on seamless connection between devices