Of course Electronics Consumer Show. The consumer electronics show in Las Vegas (January 8-11) should be called the Koreanics Consumer Show. The presentations and the most interesting events, the gigantic scenographic effects, extra expensive, colossal, have been monopolized by them: Samsung and LG Electronics in a glittering succession of announcements of a dream hi-tech future. Most of these announcements remain unchanged, as has been the case for example for about 10 years for the much acclaimed fridge with TV that tidies up supplies and so on. And all of them writing rivers of bits, of twitter, of web-articles on the two chaebols. The only big one that contrasts them in terms of innovation is Whirlpool but without the excessive pomp of the Koreans. Before bringing out the news from CES, in the sense of Consumer Electronics Show correctly understood, it is appropriate to take a look again at the data that we first anticipated and that is that, as GFK announced, worldwide hi-tech sales exceeded one trillion euros for the first time. And which, let's take it into account, are becoming App Controlled for the most part.
8K TV, it's just marketing
Ihe CES with all the announcements on 8K TVs is above all marketing. Sharp, Samsung, TCL and LG unveiled 8K TVs as many wondered: why burn the 4K considering that the 4K content ecosystem is still incomplete? While the ATSC 3.0 specification for 4K broadcasting was finally released earlier this year, wide diffusion among national broadcasters both in the US and in other countries will not be there until 2020. Meanwhile, HF TV is doing very well thanks to the excellent quality of the images. Do you remember 3D, curved TV, the one that folds and rolls up and the transparent one? Either finished immediately or in any case pure prototypes. Too little for the enormous mass of investments that have required and still require…According to Strategy Analytic i 8K TVs sold will be just 2 percent of the total by 2023. Instead, the LG TVs are already ready, the Oled Falls, extremely spectacular, very thin, with adjustable curvature.
The success of voice assistants
Foldable smartphones yes, like those of Samsung, however they continue to innovate and perhaps we will see some foldable smartphones by 2019 (what good is it not clear). After years of stagnation, voice assistants are finally selling, but because they are integrated into the devices. Sales should have caught up 39,2 million units in 2018, up 44% from last year, reaching a revenue of 3,2 billion dollars, up 64%. Amazon sold 1 million Alexas and had stock shortages everywhere with the release of the very affordable version, the Echo Dot. These are true figures and even Amazon voice assistants are also used to place orders for online purchases. Siri from Apple and Google Home they have sold much more - 800 million and 1 billion respectively - but these are functions integrated into their smartphones. Alexa, on the other hand, is present in the most diverse devices of 4.500 manufacturers.
Samsung and Apple, the fun is over
After years and years of commercial dominance by the two big names who alone held well over 50 percent of the world smartphone market, last September their share dropped below for the first time, stopping at 49,9 percent. A decline that started in 2016 and which is due to the growing expansion of the big Chinese, Oppo, Huawei, Hisense, Xiaomi and Vivo and excellent value for money. So in September, Chinese manufacturers sold in total - according to the data Newzoo-1,2 billion smartphones. And they will soon take away ever higher shares. What really matters is that the universal remote control for the home, office, car and entertainment is the smartphone...regardless of the brand.
Micro but mega TV
Microled is the new technology that Samsung been studying for some time and again this year the tvs are back, one of which from 219 ", consisting of panels con millions of microscopic LEDs with its own light and the novelty is that the panels are modular and can be hooked up to create large made-to-measure TV walls. Even at home, depending on the space and the type of programme. For the second year LG brings its mega roll-up Oled TV to CES that comes out of an aluminum container lifted by two motorized supports; it can remain fully or partially raised to show the clock, a music player, a photo… And it is obviously compatible with Alexa, AirPlay, HomeKit. The musical power is a good 100 watts. LG says it will go on sale within the year but without communicating the price.
The voice and the AI
LG has chosen Google Assistant for the sound bars of the mega TVs and at the same time to control the whole house by voice. “Hey Google – says the user addressing the sound bar – order the dishwasher to start the program and then close the TV and the air conditioner, we'll go out in an hour”. The CTO J.Park, of LG Electronics announced that the first AI chip for home appliances, which combines speech recognition, visual recognition, Wi-Fi connectivity and sensor interfaces, is ready and enables a wide range of devices to learn and evolve.
The fridge recognizes broccoli
On the whole stands out the recognition, that is, the Artificial Intelligence that makes even the humble toothbrush that tells the parents if the child has pretended to wash them truly smart. The microwave Whirlpool Smart Countertop he recognizes the foods placed inside and cooks well with the right temperatures and times he takes care of it also because he is able to choose the recipe and type of cooking without making mistakes .Faces, animals, pollution, smells, dirt, everything that needs to be analyzed and recognized is immediately identified by sensors and intelligent systems in real time. The Italian pet food dispenser Volta – which we have already mentioned – recognizes the cat or dog and supplies the relevant food and the right dose without being influenced by meows or howls and then invariably informs the hosts on the smartphone if by chance the poor animals are alone at home, they get into some trouble: The videophone…. The new version - yet another - of Samsung Family Hubs, the smart fridge-freezer recognizes courgettes, broccoli, melons and plums because it has 60 different types of vegetables stored and for each it indicates the quantity, possible reordering, recipe. Bosch has brought, after its debut at IFA in Berlin, PAI, a projector that transforms the work surface into a touchscreen and allows users to access digital services while cooking, even if their fingers are greasy. And from the touch choices it recognizes the appliance, the function to be performed… And since it is increasingly fashionable among housewives all over the world to exchange recipes and set tables through Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, here is Polaroid with its ultra-compact instant-print digital camera. Also Kodak it is very suitable for quick shooting and photos with its Smile equipped with an integrated instant digital printer. A return to the past but with exceptional compactness, quality and speed. Images can be downloaded via the micro slot for the microDS card. And with Bluetooth you can finally print photos from your smartphone, without apps or complicated operations.
The disco and lounge car, how boring
Another feature of CES is the continuous growth of the space dedicated to obviously smart cars; as we announced BMW and Nissan presented sound and light platforms to entertain the occupants while the car drives itself. In short, the self-disco. . But Bose, a high quality Hi Fi specialist, has decided to apply its noise reduction system in helmets and headphones, even in electric cars. Since the electric car is very silent, external noises can become annoying; Quiet Comfort by Bose measures external noises through sensors and algorithms while inside special microphones absorb them and neutralize them.
The flying taxi is not far from reality Nexus by Uber-Bell, a mini helicopter for 5 people with a range of 240 km and a maximum speed of 240 km/h. It obviously requires an airstrip on skyscrapers (the film Blade Runner had anticipated it) and the pilot who will however be replaced by AI. Nissan announced Invisible-to-Visible, a breakthrough technology that helps drivers see the invisible by combining the real and virtual worlds for a cutting-edge connected car solution.
Appliances dedicated to care and hygiene
Kim Quantum thanks to virtual reality which identifies the area to be treated with extreme precision, it improves the results of Kinesitherapy. My Special Aflack Duck, connected to with voice assistant, is a robot plush toy for children with cancer, which accompanies with gestures, smiles and words the delivery of the chemotherapy dose. The toothbrush Magic of Kolibree for children, while brushing the teeth, it transmits the images to the parents in virtual reality so that they can verify that the cleaning has taken place. Catsprad it is dedicated to those who make sure that their dog eats - the amount dispensed at the right time - and behaves well without making any trouble while away from home. LG Electronics has developed an automatic back support system that anyone with mobility impairments can use to become independent and move with less pain and less fatigue. Immediately followed by Samsung ... And the health of bees, who thinks about it? The French Pascal Nuti with his start-up Co-Coon, an App Controlled hive which regulates the temperature of the hive so the bees are comfortable and make more honey. And of course it can also be managed remotely with live video footage of the dear critters.
Robots everywhere
Apart from the robots that play, sing, and talk (but unsuccessfully), there are also those that, in the absence of the hosts, go around, checking everything with cameras that can see even in the dark and can also check for the presence of strangers near home. Then transmitting very clear and detailed images. The suitcase-robot Forward Ovis, follows its master faithfully thanks to cameras and sensors and manages to avoid people and objects just like the cleaning robots have been able to do for some years and which now climb up the windows without falling disastrously like happened to previous models. Virtual Reality maintains an excellent pace of innovation like that of the French Gizmo who created a 3D App that allows customers to geolocate real estate ads and virtually visit the building, the apartment, the villa having a complete experience before they are built. An online platform will soon be launched - an absolute novelty and very useful - which will also include existing buildings. The German bus company Flixbus offers passengers of its means of transport in the United States a virtual reality helmet for video games and to experience exciting journeys, in space, in the Arctic, all over the world with extraordinary effects.
