CES 2015: Ultra-light laptops have been the order of the day for Thursday at CES. PC Pro’s roving repoter (and editor-in-chief), Tim Danton, has got his hands on two of the most exciting, as well as taking time to see a 4k quadcopter and E Ink interior decor. Scroll down for more.
Below you’ll find a feed of the latest news, reviews and other cool things from this year’s CES.
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CES is one of the world’s biggest technology trade shows, attracting 160,000 visitors to Las Vegas each January. It’s a time for product launches, keynote speeches and more hype-per-second than should be legal.
CES 2015: news and reviews
There’s no egos here at PC Pro (not bad ones anyway), so there’s no shame when say CES is too big for us to cover by ourselves. To combat that the news section below will be a mix of our own unique reviews as well as the best from the web.
Thursday (8/1/14):
DJI’s 4K eye-in-the-sky Inspire 1 Drone
Despite the fairly dull name, the DJI Inspire 1 Drone is a hugely exciting piece of kit. The tablet-controlled quadcopter can capture 4K video with a steadier hand (or blade) than any human. Check out Tim’s (rather meta) video of the videocopter below.
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E Ink Prism
Bored of your interior decor but don’t want to repaint your house? This colour-changing E Ink wall could be for you.
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Dell XPS 13 laptop with “infinity” screen
Dell may just have come up with a MacBook killer in the XPS 13, with its super-slim bezel, QHD+ resolution screen and impressive internal specs.
Check out Tim’s review for the full picture.
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Lenovo LaVie Z
The other contender for the MacBook Air’s throne is Lenovo’s ultraportable LaVie Z, which comes with a shiny new magnesium-lithium chassis and weighs less than 800g, but falls down when it comes to battery life and storage capacity. Still, we wouldn’t say no to taking it for a test drive.
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Wednesday (7/1/14):
Intel Curie and RealSense
As usual, Intel made a splash in its keynote today, with Curie, a button-sized computer for smart fashion. Apparently, Curie could enable smart handbags, smart rings and other jewellery, and smart clothing. (No, we have no idea why you would want a smart ring either).
CEO Brian Krzanich also showed off new uses for its RealSense camera technology in such scenarios as opening doors using facial recognition, 3D gesture controls on laptops to stop your hardware getting “yucky” while you’re using it in the kitchen, and, er, drone-pong.
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Blu Studio Energy
@BLU_Products unveils a smartphone with a FOUR DAY battery life at #CES2015 – http://t.co/KQ8Ys9pPSL pic.twitter.com/NGpxjgKkI2
— PC Pro (@pcpro) January 7, 2015
Blu Products has unveiled a smartphone with a battery life of four days. Sporting a 5000mAh battery, the Studio Energy claims to last up to four days with “standard” use.
Aside from it’s impressive longevity, it’s fairly underwhelming in terms of specs, with a 1.3GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM. The 720p screen isn’t going to be any real competition to flagships either.
However, if you’re in the market for a bare-bones budget smartphone, with a projected price of $179 (£118 at current conversion rates) coupled with the battery’s enhanced capacity, the Studio Energy could prove a very attractive prospect.
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Sulon Cortex
The Sulon Cortext is a new Oculus Rift-style headset being demo’d at CES 2015 that aims to blend virtual reality with augmented reality. Unlike the Oculus Rift or Sony’s Project Morpheus, the Cortex is an independent device, and does not need to be tethered to a PC or PlayStation.
One of the more interesting features is the ability to produce, via its inbuilt sensors, a life-like digitised version of the user’s surroundings, into which it can then drop AR elements such as portals and game objects.
It can also transition to full-on VR similar to the Oculus Rift, with the added bonus of hand-tracking down to the individual fingers. It’s got some slight teething problems with resolution, software kinks and similar issues, but it’s a very exciting piece of kit that we’ll be keeping a close eye on.
For more information, check out Gizmodo’s coverage:
I fought a dragon in a head-mounted holodeck: http://t.co/tAm9DgXLHV pic.twitter.com/B32rsog84S
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) January 6, 2015
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Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 AnyPen
Hands on: Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 AnyPen – it’s weird, wacky and rather wonderful: a tablet you can write on even with, well, any pen http://t.co/8eHsoBtYeW #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/sdGS5d1JfF
— PC Pro (@pcpro) January 7, 2015
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£249 Toshiba Satellite Click Mini
Toshiba Satellite Click Mini – £249 2-in-1 with undeniable charm and ace battery life http://t.co/jhOJCcn7ZT #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/pNE5NRDT9T
— PC Pro (@pcpro) January 7, 2015
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HP EliteBook Folio 1020: first look
HP EliteBook Folio 1020 – is it wrong to fall in love with a business laptop? http://t.co/Qb4Ss7mjae #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/uToEDdJwqA
— PC Pro (@pcpro) January 7, 2015
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Tuesday (6/1/15):
Smartbelt
This smart belt automatically adjusts itself, depending on how much you’ve eaten: http://t.co/NGhHynjMhJ #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/hESW8hLNuJ
— Mashable (@mashable) January 6, 2015
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Alactel OneTouch Watch
Alcatel OneTouch Watch first look: surprisingly not awful #CES2015 http://t.co/YuCXIdisoQ pic.twitter.com/LCrwnFXYbz
— Wareable (@wareable) January 6, 2015
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Hands on: Asus ZenFone 2 review
Tim Danton muscled his way to the front of a media scrum to get his hands on the new phablet from Asus.
Editor in chief @timdanton has got his hands on the Asus ZenFone 2 at #CES2015 Read his review here: http://t.co/eU1cbuxGGy
— PC Pro (@pcpro) January 6, 2015
By all accounts the ZenFone 2 looks like a clean and powerful smartphone. Click on the link above to read the hands on review.
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Asus Transformer Book T300 Chi: first look
The T300 Chi is a featherweight tablet, docking keyboard and Core M CPU. Asus is making it clear that it want to own the 2-in-1 market.
It’s a clever design, packs all the power most people need, and doesn’t make any major compromises as either a laptop or a tablet (unless you consider its dependence on Windows 8.1 a compromise).
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Sony adds stainless steel strap to SmartWatch 3
Sony’s keynote was a bit of a letdown in terms of new product launches with no new Xperia phones or any sign of the Project Morpheus VR headset.
However, the company did announce something of a new direction in its wearables strategy, with the launch of a stainless steel version of the SmartWatch 3. When it was initially launched in September 2014, the SmartWatch 3 was a fitness wearable through and through. However, the new stainless steel band hints Sony is latching onto the “smartwatch as fashion item” trend.
Additional announcements were a new smart headband for runners, an update to SmartEyeglass, and a new interface and functionality for Lifelog.
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Monday (5/1/15):
Watch a live stream of the Samsung #CES2015 press conference at 10pm GMT. http://t.co/2DedRivwFk #SamsungCES pic.twitter.com/oRcXPoS16c
— PC Pro (@pcpro) January 5, 2015
If you’ve got a burning desire to control your smartfridge with your smartwatch, then we’ve got a live stream of Samsung’s keynote speech with expert analysis via a live blog. Expect lots of wearable news and a strong focus on the Internet of Things.
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Anxious to catch all the latest developments on the Xperia range, Project Morpheus and more? We’re hosting a live stream of Sony’s keynote event, as well as our expert live blog.
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GPU and system-on-a-chip behemoth Nvidia is spreading its wings into the self-driving car market with two new “mobile supercomputers”, the Drive PX and Drive CX, which provide advanced special awareness and human-computer interfaces to autonomous vehicles.
The computers are both powered by the company’s new Tegra X1 chip, which has a whopping 1 teraflop of processing power. According to Nvidia, this is the most powerful mobile processor ever produced.
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The world’s second biggest Chromebook seller, Acer, is looking to build on its success by announcing its largest Chromebook to date.
Acer bets big on Chromebooks with its first 15.6-inch model http://t.co/HPmmfprvwB pic.twitter.com/GAQzvystnM
— WIRED (@WIRED) January 5, 2015
What you need to know about the Chromebook 15 is that it has a 15.6in 1920 x 180 HD display (a cheaper 1366 x 768 display is on offer too). The device comes with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, an HDMI port, 16/32GB SSD and up to 4GB RAM.
Prices start at $249 with UK prices yet to be confirmed. The current conversion puts the Acer Chromebook 15 at £162 pounds, so we’re predicting a maximum UK price of £199.
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The five most bizarre products of CES 2015
CES isn’t all about serious hardware. Companies also use the expo to show off conceptual and sometimes downright bizarre products.
Early nominees for strangest in show include a hovering speaker, smart pedals, a smartwatch for keeping track of tennis scores and a 3D food printer and oven hybrid. Watch this space for more weird and wonderful gadgets.
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LG G Flex 2
The LG G Flex 2 has leaked ahead of its scheduled launch at CES 2015. Posters for the upcoming smartphone appeared on the CES showfloor showcasing the handset’s curved design.
LG is about to announce the G Flex 2 smartphone at #CES2015 http://t.co/btL8ERnSWb pic.twitter.com/5zHy2GOC0u
— The Verge (@verge) January 3, 2015
The smartphone looks to have retained its predecessor’s essential look, but boasts predictably upgraded hardware. Qualcomm teased a new LG device containing a Snapdragon 800-series chipset, and this is likely to be the G Flex 2. However, this could technically refer to their 805 or 808 processors, rather than their bleeding-edge 810 range.
The LG G Flex 2 is set to be officially unveiled on the first day of CES 2015.
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Thursday (18/12/14):
LG’s webOS 2.0 TVs
LG’s webOS 2.0 TVs are coming to CES http://t.co/rhlbY9BFh3pic.twitter.com/jqkOpR6ya2
— The Verge (@verge) December 18, 2014
LG’s new generation of smart TVs will be faster and more capable, according to the tech giant. Whether you actually need an 8K TV is very debatable, considering there is minimal content available for 4K right now.
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Sony’s rival to Google Glass
Sony to rival Google Glass at CES 2015 http://t.co/vOhafq0OgU pic.twitter.com/HvTZMRjPkA
— PC Pro (@pcpro) December 18, 2014
Sony is trying to beat Google at its own game with a new smartglass wearable, on public display at their booth.
Go to page to for our CES 2015 preview.
CES 2015
CES 2015 officially begins on Tuesday 6 January, but we’ve begun our coverage in earnest 24 hours early: that’s when the press conferences start and the fun begins.
We already know that the Internet of Things – or Internet of Everything, as it’s sometimes called – will be a major theme. We’ve already received invites that include those magic words from a dozen different companies, all the way from ARM to Zigbee.
But if you’re hoping to see some “real” hardware then you won’t be disappointed.
We fully expect LG, HTC, Samsung and Sony – to name a few – to have new high-end smartphones, tablets and wearables on show. To whet your appetite, here’s some information on what we expect to see.
CES 2015 smartphones:
Samsung Galaxy S6
Safe bets for 2015: Liverpool won’t win the Premier League; politicians will say something stupid on Twitter; and Samsung will release dozens of new products at CES. We expect everything from smartwatches to a Tizen-powered TV to VR headsets. We wouldn’t be surprised if it announced an internet-connected teapot either (okay, we would).
If you’re hoping to see a Galaxy S6 launched at CES 2015, however, prepare to be disappointed. PC Pro understands the flagship Samsung smartphone isn’t due to launch until March or early April.
The South Korean company’s major press conference is set to take place on Monday 5 January at 10pm UK time. We’ll bring you more information following the event.
Sony Xperia Z4
There has been no mention of a new smartphone arriving at the year’s show, but we’re confident Sony will update its high-end smartphone.
Since January 2013, the Japanese company has launched the Zperia Z, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z3 (below) at CES, all with accompanying compact devices. With that in mind it’s very likely we’ll see the Sony Xperia Z4 arrive at CES 2015, along with some mid-range smartphones.
Like all other major companies, Sony will be hosting a press conference on Monday 5 January to show off its 2015 range.
LG G Flex 2
Alongside the G Watch R2, LG is expected to show off the G Flex 2 smartphone. Unfortunately, we don’t expect the upgrade to be hugely different to the first-generation Flex, which was a gimmicky curved screen device.
As yet the only known upgrade to the device will be a new, super-high-resolution screen. We’d be surprised if LG didn’t also improve key internal specs such as the processor and memory.
CES 2015 smartwatches:
LG G Watch R2
If the rumours are true, LG will be adding a third smartwatch to its current portfolio of the LG G Watch and G Watch R.
Details about the the new watch have been thin on the ground, but one feature consistently being touted is 4G support, meaning it can work without a companion smartphone.
HTC Wear
According to VentureBeat, HTC is set to join the growing list of wearables manufacturers, and will demo its first device at CES 2015.
HTC emphasises the device won’t be a smartwatch – as some previous reports suggested – but another kind of wearable.
Creative Labs team leader, Drew Bamford, shone some light on why the company has taken its time before making this release.
“When we come to market with our product we want to make sure… there is a really compelling reason to strap it on your wrist,” Bamford told Recode in October.
“We honestly don’t think anyone has gotten it right,” he added.
Best CES 2015 products:
Sony’s detachable smartglasses
The Japanese technology giant has announced it will be showing off a detachable module that has the ability to turn any pair of glasses smart.
The glasses, that clip on to regular frames, will only be a concept at CES 2015, but Sony has stated that its serious about smartglasses. Head over to our Sony to rival Google Glass at CES article to find out more.
What not to expect at CES 2015
Hoping to see new products from Apple, Google or Microsoft? Forget it. All three companies hold back their flagship launches for their own events, rather than sharing the news spotlight with hundreds of others.
More to follow…
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