Trends:<\/p>\n
Sea of sensors \u2013 Internet connected\/Bluetooth\/RFID or Nearfield communicating sensors are powerful, and people are finding new and interesting ways to use them.<\/p>\n
The Rise of USB-C, while only on the latest notebooks \u2013 Expect to see this everywhere, and slowly replace out power adapters, video connections, network connections, and anything else that plugs into a mobile or laptop device.\u00a0\u00a0 One plug truly can do it all, as power can flow in either direction with this technology.<\/p>\n
3d printing\/scanning is slowly maturing.\u00a0 Nice pieces of hardware, tied with complicated software means slow innovations at the lower end levels.<\/p>\n
Innovations are now being demonstrated in many cases have been pitched on kickstarter.com and Indiegogo.com long before they made it to CES.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s obvious that many people will not wait for trade events to push things forward.<\/p>\n
WonderCube for Apple\/Android\u2013\u00a0 Imagine a 1\u201d square can go on your keychain that acts as a charging cable, but also has an SD Card slot (for extra memory), and has a built in flashlight.\u00a0 If all else fails in your life, the little cube also has a 9v battery terminal for the times you forgot to charge your phone.\u00a0\u00a0 Plug a 9v into the cube, plug the cube into the phone and you\u2019re back in business.\u00a0 Pretty cool accessory for the market, and comes in both Apple lighting and android flavors.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.thewondercube.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Sick of batteries, we\u2019re now seeing little portable fuel cells.\u00a0The JAQ claims that they can get a full charge on a cell phone using one of their cards, which largely contain salt and water.\u00a0\u00a0 1A of USB charging power, which is similar to a slower charge. Estimated street price about $150.\u00a0The Cards will be approximately 50 cents, working on reusable ones to keep the price down.\u00a0\u00a0 Currently sold in Europe, but just starting there.\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.myfcpower.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Probably useful for people camping\u2026Not sure of the practical uses, but definitely a new concept that hasn\u2019t been fully tapped yet.\u00a0\u00a0 Honda also demonstrated a 9KW hydrogen fuel cell generator, which they used to power their booth.\u00a0\u00a0 (concept) – http:\/\/world.honda.com\/news\/2016\/c160106eng.html<\/a><\/p>\n Sticking with Fuel Cells \u2013 PURI Engine \u2013 Revolutionary Design Products LLC \u2013 claiming to have created a small fuel cell that can produce electricity for less than 3 cents per KWH.\u00a0 It appears to be a fuel cell\/battery combination.\u00a0 Demonstrated using some form of magnesium.\u00a0 www.rdpusallc.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Very new, but if it works could easily change how many things are powered.\u00a0 Looking for investors, so the chances of hitting mainstream anytime soon is remote.<\/p>\n Radio Field Identification (RFID) is obviously mainstream.\u00a0 It\u2019s now in your passports, credit cards, hotel keys, CES Badges, and just about everything else as no physical contact is needed to read this information.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The ability to read RFID has been built into several newer generation cell phones.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RFID blocking wallets, purses, and cases are now really popular.\u00a0\u00a0 What\u2019s new at CES are active devices.\u00a0\u00a0 www.armourcard.com<\/a> will Jam all RFID signals, insuring that no one reads anything at any point, with a single button for disabling temporarily.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Will be a growth industry, as smart thieves will only need to be within close proximity to read your personal info.<\/p>\n Some concepts are really simple, and this one was no exception \u2013 www.resetplug.com<\/a> \u2013 If your WIFI drops, it will un-power for a few seconds and re-power a device.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $60.\u00a0\u00a0 Simple, cheap, and effective for bad devices\/cable modems.<\/p>\n Wireless Charging via Bluetooth 4.1 is pushing out for your cell phones.\u00a0 Personally, I really don\u2019t hate cords, and the thought of more energy in the air really doesn\u2019t excite me.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 These are all 3rd<\/sup> party manufacturers for cell phones, usually some sort of case, so I really don\u2019t expect any traction any time soon.\u00a0 An example would be http:\/\/bench-soft.com\/blogs\/news<\/a> which also incorporates additional storage\/data sync into the case.<\/p>\n Medical Technology is improving at a fairly rapid clip \u2013 Dexcom threw down the gauntlet this fall (www.dexcom.com<\/a>) by creating a blood sugar sensor (in the G5 platform) that now directly pairs with Bluetooth devices. (Iphone\/Android)\u00a0\u00a0 By doing so, the medical hardware\/software device certification has now essentially been cut in half.\u00a0\u00a0 A wide range of medical devices from non-invasive devices (e.g. www.cercacor.com<\/a>\u00a0 \u2013 Ember, which tracks Hemoglobin in athletes, www.temptraq.com<\/a> \u2013 a single use wireless thermometer 24hour sticker that pairs with your cell phone) to a wide range of pacemakers makers that will be able to report when your pacemaker is losing control via the cloud.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible a doctor will know about things before the patient will.\u00a0\u00a0 IHealth has taken the ECG and made it a 24 hour wearable device that uses your cell phone, and the cloud.\u00a0 (https:\/\/www.ihealthlabs.com\/buzz\/ihealth-rhythm-named-ces-2016-innovation-award-honoree\/<\/a>), http:\/\/www.bewell-connect.com\/product\/myecg\/<\/a> now sells pocket quick ECG\u2019s as well\u2026<\/p>\n As much as everyone wants to make fun of the Apple Watch for being too expensive, not useful, etc \u2013 All the watch and fitness equipment makers are extremely intimidated by it and will clearly be improving whatever you wear on your wrist.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To use the example, the Fitbit (total new generation of fitbits) will track your steps,\u00a0 monitor your heart rate, create\/suggest\/monitor your workouts, has connected GPS, track your sleep with silent alarm, and still pair with your cell phone for texts, call, calendar, and text alerts with 5 day battery life.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Has a whole developer program too.\u00a0 Only one of many demonstrated at the show, we\u2019re beyond glorified pedometers now.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.fitbit.com\/blaze<\/a> also 3rd party support from apps like www.rungoapp.com<\/a><\/p>\n When most laymen people talk about the cloud, it\u2019s usually about cost reduction for the same thing they were doing last year.\u00a0\u00a0 I have to admit, I never saw the cloud that way as the most of the applications users run today were written long before the internet existed.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cloud enabling these applications in many cases is like bolting a car to an aircraft \u2013 It can be done, but is rarely pretty.\u00a0\u00a0 As time progresses, we are seeing cloud applications\/cloud enabled that were written from the ground up are now sprouting and creating new markets.<\/p>\n www.getsmartplate.com<\/a> , www.smartypans.io<\/a>\u00a0 or www.smartdietscale.com<\/a> are examples of scales\/pans that reach out to the cloud find out the nutritional value of the food you put on it.\u00a0\u00a0 (through sensors, cameras and user input)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The technology is reaching the mainstream, and there is now 3rd<\/sup> party apps for these things too.<\/p>\n www.rapidspar.com<\/a> is an example of a hard disk data recovery tool, that will pull information from hard disks, clone the good information from bad ones, and translate data.\u00a0 Pulls information from the cloud to ensure that all formats are consistent, techniques are current and up to date.\u00a0 Not cheap, but very powerful.\u00a0 It<\/p>\n Parrot also released the successor to their flower power device.\u00a0 You too can purchase a parrot pot, and it will water and feed your plants for you.\u00a0 I\u2019d probably still kill most plants, but there is hope.\u00a0 www.parrot.com\/ces\/<\/a>\u00a0 It reaches out to the cloud, and learns what is the right water\/nutrient combo based on your plant type.<\/p>\n Nest may have created a new industry, but they\u2019ve Expect your smoke detector to get smarter too.\u00a0\u00a0 The Halo will detect smoke and carbon monoxide but also pulls from the ether for hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods in your area.\u00a0 10 year battery life means you should be able to install and forget unless something bad happens.<\/p>\n http:\/\/halosmartlabs.com\/halo-plus\/<\/a><\/p>\n USB and wireless keyboards have been around for years.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s a whole new generation of new musical tools that really take music learning to the next level.. www.jamstik.com<\/a><\/p>\n 4 years ago when Parrot created the AR Drone, it was impressive.\u00a0 Today the personal drone industry is now worth billions and has really matured in ways that I really never thought possible.\u00a0\u00a0 Flir www.flir.com<\/a> now makes drones with infrared cameras.\u00a0\u00a0 This will allow for a wide range of applications for law enforcement, rescue, and home inspection with far more speed and accuracy than ever before.\u00a0\u00a0 Parrot also introduced an airplane drone www.parrot.com<\/a> that is an aircraft and we saw underwater cabled personal drones as well.\u00a0\u00a0 At the low end, you will be able to purchase a 6 pack and a drone at your local bodega pretty soon as pocket drones (yes, they fly) are now below the $30 price point.<\/p>\n Quick Charging with many devices becomes more and more important.\u00a0 Performance designed products has built an add on for Xbox controllers that can re-charge within 60 seconds for up to 2 hours of use, and displays how quickly your battery will die.\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.pdp.com\/pages\/pdp-at-ces-2016<\/a><\/p>\n Rise Robotics is basically 4 guys who graduated from MIT who became bored.\u00a0\u00a0 Their first product is the Bacon, a new take on the air compressor.\u00a0\u00a0 Refills in seconds, light, powerful and far quieter than the competition.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.riserobotics.com\/blog\/<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Still needs funding, but has serious potential.<\/p>\n Glowforge has taken the laser engraver to the next level.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Laser engravers have been around for quite some time, but the level of software integration with this unit exceeds anything I have ever seen before. \u00a0Auto senses material, and has 12 cameras\u2026. www.glowforge.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Roost Smart Battery also adds intelligence to normally dumb smoke alarms, although I\u2019m not sure why this would not work with any device that makes noise.\u00a0 Powerful, cheap, and effective.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.getroost.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n One of the few neat uses in business was the Joan Assistant.\u00a0 Works with a wide range of email\/calendaring platforms to monitor room\/set up conference room usage.\u00a0\u00a0 Looked simple, powerful and uses e-ink technology similar to what is found in the Kindle Paperwhites.\u00a0 https:\/\/joanassistant.com\/<\/a>\u00a0 Prototype ordered.\u00a0 I think I know many people who might want this\u2026.<\/p>\n Beyond the useful items, you have the entertaining options:<\/p>\n By the end of the show our feet were completely obliterated.\u00a0 It always made us wonder whether these displayed at the show would have helped..<\/p>\n http:\/\/en.enko-running-shoes.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n People always ask about the large companies like LG, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, etc.\u00a0\u00a0 LG had the most impressive TV display by far, with hundreds of OLED TV\u2019s used in unison.\u00a0\u00a0 Samsung only demonstrated its flexible display technology at a distance, and Sony employees were demonstrating new products.<\/p>\n In terms of TV\u2019s, there are 8k models now in the wild, light years ahead of broadcast technology.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Innovation is slowing there, because frankly the technology is light years ahead of the content and the consumer dollar.<\/p>\n Sony is phasing out of the consumer markets, so even employees are confused on their long term direction of their divisions.\u00a0 The play station and movie business seem to be safe, everything else is an unknown.<\/p>\n LG, Samsung, and Panasonic are slowly gravitating into large appliances (Think washer\/dryers, HVAC, systems, etc.) and will most likely be a major force there soon.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Expect to see more growth in this area as it still has a higher profit margin unlike say\u2026TV Sets.<\/p>\n Thanks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Trends: Sea of sensors \u2013 Internet connected\/Bluetooth\/RFID or Nearfield communicating sensors are powerful, and people are finding new and interesting ways to use them. The Rise of USB-C, while only on the latest notebooks \u2013 Expect to see this everywhere, and slowly replace out power adapters, video connections, network connections, and anything else that plugs […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11782"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11788,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11782\/revisions\/11788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarlingrealities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n