New innovations emerge from CES 2018

By Chong Jinn Xiung | Jan 10, 2018

CES 2018 continues to showcase the best tech products from around the industry
More smart devices with AI built-in and bigger TVs to be expected

NOW that 2018 has come around, it is that time of the year again for the biggest electronics convention in the world, the Consumer Electronics Show. The annual Las Vegas tech show has begun so both visitors to the show and tech fans at home will be showered with loads of tech news from Jan 9 to 12.

We have collected some interesting picks from the lineup of products at CES 2018.

Laptops galore

Of course, there will be laptops at CES but we were surprised that Samsung is back making laptops this year with their new Notebook 7 Spin (2018). (pic, above)

Judging from the specs, it runs on Windows 10 with an Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB solid-state drive (SSD); the South Korean electronics manufacturer is targeting professionals, students and entertainment seekers with this 360-degree rotating touchscreen device.

The option Active Pen (sold separately) would increase the device’s usefulness as a note-taking and sketching device. Apart from that the device includes security with fingerprint log-in capability and smart recording feature, called Voice Note, for capturing every detail of meetings.

There is no word when the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin (2018) will reach Southeast Asia but it is expected to hit stores in the US by the first quarter of 2018.

Apart from Samsung’s surprise re-entry into the notebook space, Asus’ Republic of Gamers unveiled new gaming hardware with the Strix GL12, a gaming desktop made to quench the thirst of power-hungry gamers.

With an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX1080 graphics, this is an eSports-ready setup that lets you effortlessly make system upgrades.

Asus has opted for an unconventional design with aggressive and angular slashes across the front of the chassis and you can even customise the light slipping out of the machine with the Aura Sync lighting effects (pic, right).

As is usually the case with hardware announced out of CES, no pricing or details for the machine is available, but stay tuned.

Bigger screen gaming

Put aside your tiny 27-inch gaming screen because Nvidia wants PC gamers to prepare for the next big thing: big format gaming displays (BFGD). As ridiculous as it sounds, Nvidia’s idea of a large screen measures at 65-inch large with a 4K resolution and 120Hz, that’s a high refresh rate for gamers in case you didn’t know. (pic, below)

To do these massive beasts justice expect to fork out lots of money for a GeForce GTX1080 top of the line graphics card.

The new hardware initiative will be Nvidia collaborating with partners like Acer, Asus and HP to come up with BFGD that will come with some Nvidia technologies on the inside including G-Sync and Nvidia’s Android TV-based Shield platform for streaming games through its GeForce Now service, though you need to be North America or select countries to enjoy this service.

There are no other particular hardware specs at the moment but Nvidia says that the first of these displays are expected to go on sale in the summer while individual partners will make their separate announcements in due course.

A smart device for the home

This year there are more devices that are being labelled as smart devices with virtual assistants built-in. Amazon’s Alexa certainly has more competition entering the space as Lenovo and Google team up for their new Lenovo Smart Display (pic, below) with Google Assistant built into it.

Comprising of a full HD touchscreen, wrapped in a minimalist and modern design, the Smart Display is a home companion that is designed to provide users with the latest weather, traffic and calendar information to its users when they start their day.

In the evening, the Smart Display functions as a communications device that works with Google Duo and as a screen for watching YouTube videos.

Available in either 8-inch or 10-inch sizes, the smart device is powered by the newly announced Qualcomm Home Hub Platform based on the Qualcomm SDA 624 System on Chip (SoC).

The 10-inch Lenovo Smart Display starts at US$249.99 while the 8-inch variant starts at US$199.99 with a summer release date.

Transformative projector

If having a big display isn’t enough for you then consider projectors instead. Fresh from CES 2018, Sony has its Life Space UX (pic, below) products that it claims give users to transform the spaces they inhabit.

It’s new LSPX-A1 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector is expected to launch in spring 2017. It looks super posh and fancy with an artificial marble top and half mirror finished aluminium frame.

It has inbuilt imaging technology that allows you to enjoy 4K HDR projections up to 120-inches in size simply by placing it near a wall. In fact, you may need a bigger room to show off movies and playing games with this projector. It also has subwoofers for a riveting audio experience.

So it looks like movie buffs might get quite excited for the LSPX-A1 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector, however, no official price or availability has been announced just yet.