Attendees at the Samsung booth during last year's CES show in Las Vegas. Photo / Chris Farina
Attendees at the Samsung booth during last year's CES show in Las Vegas. Photo / Chris Farina
The eyes of the tech world will be firmly fixed on Las Vegas when the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off next week.
CES 2017 also marks the event's 50th anniversary and news.com.au's technology editor Matthew Dunn will be there to take in all the action, and there's plenty to look forward to.
"One of the big themes is going to be connectivity," Jeff Joseph, senior vice president for communications and strategic relationships at the Consumer Technology Association, which hosts CES, said.
"For example, Internet of Things, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, voice-activated communication with things like Alexa and Google Home and higher-value content - 4K-produced content that you can move from device to device."
Companies such as Samsung have been aggressively touting high-resolution 4K technologies such as TVs and smartphones, helping fuel consumer demand for 4K content. Samsung will launch three new Smart TV services at CES, it announced this week.
Another home entertainment technology generating plenty of buzz is LG's new Levitating Portable Speaker, which will be on show at CES.
The Internet of Things, which aims to connect a broad array of consumer gadgets, has been one of the biggest technology trends in recent years.
Carnival chief executive Arnold Donald will use CES to showcase the cruise line's efforts to improve guest experiences by harnessing the Internet of Things.
Interesting announcements could also be on deck around content for augmented and virtual reality devices at CES, according to Mr Joseph, as well as wireless charging for cars.
"That's possible now," he said. "They started to show some prototypes of that last year at CES, but I expect to see more this year."
The CTA executive also cited personal privacy around cyber security and robotics as key technologies at CES 2017, specifically around personal assistant robots in the home.
The 2016 CES show in Las Vegas. Photo / Chris Farina
"The interactions are becoming much more natural with things like voice activation, as opposed to manual activation," he said.
"Another theme is around mobility," he added, highlighting the emergence of parking assist and driver alert technologies for cars.
As in previous years, CES will offer a host of "marketplaces" where specific technologies are grouped around a theme, such as 3D printing, sports technology or drones. Some 39 companies, for example, will be displaying their products in the drone marketplace. The show's Eureka Park exhibit area will host around 600 start-ups, up from 500 a year earlier.
Intel booth during the 2016 CES show in Las Vegas. Photo / Chris Farina
A new "Sleep Tech" marketplace, launched in partnership with the National Sleep Foundation, will also debut at CES 2017. "We will see more advanced sleep monitors that will help us track sleep patterns and technologies that help us achieve improved sleep, such as, for example, mattresses with embedded sensors," Joseph said.
"Beauty Tech" and "Baby Tech" marketplaces will also feature for the first time at CES. The show, which is spread across a number of venues in Las Vegas, will take up 2.5 million square feet of space, the most in the event's history. Some 3800 exhibitors will be at the show with an estimated 165,000 attendees.
Inside the 2016 gadget fair in Las Vegas. Photo / Chris Farina
This is all a far cry from the show's debut in 1967. "It started in New York with 117 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees. There was a lot of audio [technology], some colour TVs, portable radios - these were all the big breakout devices," Joseph told FoxNews.com.
