For 2019
Wireless chargers, paper-thin roll-up screens and personal massagers sound like your thing? They soon may be
IN EARLY January each year the eyes of the tech world turn to Las Vegas and the giant Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for an early glimpse of the key tech trends for the coming year. Here are my picks of the thousands of gadgets and gizmos on show over the past week.
Real wireless charging
The current breed of wireless chargers aren’t really wireless. Sure, it’s more convenient to pop your smartphone on to a puck or a pad rather than fiddle with a cord, but with induction charging, as it’s called, you still need a power outlet and the phone needs to be in contact with the charging device.
That may all be about to change thanks to a company called Wi-charge which uses “safe, invisible light” to charge a phone from across a room. It’s slower than corded or inductive charging, but a lot more versatile as it can be fitted into everyday objects, like light fittings, and the uses go way beyond mobile phones.
The company believes its tech is perfect for powering the coming generation of Internet of Things (IOT) devices, starting with smart locks and sensors for doors and windows.
ORIELLE BERRY
Roll-up TV
A paper-thin video screen you can roll-up like a piece of parchment is a staple of science fiction movies. LG’S taken this concept and supersized it as the world’s first rollable OLED TV.
At the touch of a button the screen emerges from its soundbar base, at first just partially to show you information like the time and weather. Another push of the button and it rises further, transforming into a fully-fledged TV.
LG showed off a prototype at the last CES, but this year’s launch of its Signature OLED R was the first confirmation that the South Koreabased tech heavyweight plans to sell the device.
Robot sex toy
One of the most talked about gadgets at CES this year wasn’t even on show. The Osé personal massager, a hands-free robotic sex toy from start-up Lora Dicarlo, won an award for innovation at the show but controversially had it revoked. Worse, it was barred from even displaying the product.
In an open letter, company chief executive Lora Haddock accused show organisers of sexism, pointing to the plethora of sex gadgets for men on show at CES, including “A literal sex doll for men”. She added that “a VR porn company exhibits there every year, allowing men to watch pornography in public as consumers walk by”.
On the plus side, the Osé has probably notched up a lot more publicity thanks to the row than if the show organisers simply did the right thing.
Wall-sized TV
One award that CES judges didn’t pull was Samsung’s Best of Innovation gong for its humungous and aptly named The Wall TV.
The Wall made its debut at last year’s CES, but this year’s version is more impressive. It comprises a cluster of completely bezel-less, modular Microled panels that, when joined together, form a single, 219inch 4K TV.
Impressively, Samsung has managed to slash the thickness of the device from 80mm to 30mm.
The company also announced a more consumer-friendly 75-inch version for those of us with more modest sized walls and wallets.
Ultra-wide monitors
While nowhere near wall-sized, two near desk-width monitors from Lenovo were impressive in their own right. Both the Legion Y44w, aimed at gamers, and the Thinkvision P44W, for business users, boast curved 43.4inch screens, the equivalent of having two 24-inch, 16:10 monitors next to each other.
Apart from displaying games and movies in all their full-width glory, the monitors will allow users to play two different video feeds or display two PC desktops next to one other.
Samsung says they’re due for US release in April at $1199 for the Legion Y44w and $1299 for the Thinkvision P44W. No word yet on local pricing and availability.