CES 2024: AI to EV, what to expect at global tech showcase

Over the years, CES is where tech companies have given the world a peek at modular phones, dual screen laptops, self-driving tech and robots for homes

As sure as taxes and day after night is the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, to establish technology’s path of evolution and anchor a first glimpse at some trends that’ll eventually catch on. The four-day CES 2024 began on January 9, and there’s legacy to ponder. Over the years, CES is where tech companies have given the world a peek at modular phones, dual screen laptops, self-driving tech and robots for homes, and they’ve all caught on in different ways, eventually.

The four-day CES 2024 began on January 9. (Official images)

Computing: New chips, more power

PC makers often align upgrade cycles when Intel makes new chips available, and this year’s launches by Asus, Acer and others are a mix of Meteor Lake chips from late-2023 and new 14th gen mobile processors. It wasn’t too soon for PC keyboards to add a Copilot AI assistant quick-access key that Microsoft wanted.

Larger screens are a new trend, proved by Razer’s 240Hz refresh rate OLED panels for Blade 16 and Blade 18 laptops, as well as LG’s Gram Pro laptops, with 16-inch and 17-inch screens.Laptop designs aren’t exactly changing but HP’s new Spectre and Dell’s updated XPS 14 series’ insist that looking good isn’t optional. But is it 2012 all over again? Acer’s $1,399 (around ₹1,16,000) Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition wants us to like 3D displays, anew. Do you like reality popping out with such zeal?

Automotive: EVs and self-drive

There’s hope to figure out electric vehicle (EV) charging complexity and range anxiety. Taiwanese company Xing’s immersion cooling battery may be crucial for commercial and personal drive EVs. Here, lithium-ion battery cells sit immersed in a special dielectric fluid, for rapid cooling. That’ll mean faster charging and increased range. Anker, a brand known for smartphone accessories, is now shipping its Solix F3800 mobile power station that can also charge EVs, for an eye-watering $3,999.

Nvidia’s Drive Orin chip for self-driving cars is finding a home in cars made by Mercedes Benz and Volvo’s Polestar. Drive Orin can compute 254 trillion operations per second, for a vehicle’s autonomous driving functions. LG will be demoing its new Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) technologies for carmakers.

AI in cars: Virtual assistants in the cockpit

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is providing the foundation for Mercedes Benz’ MBUX chatbot that’s part of the automaker’s MB.0S1 operating system, and for Volkswagen’s IDA in-car voice assistant. Game engine developer Unity has designed visual elements for “Hey Mercedes”. Volkswagen is working with tech company Cerence Inc. to roll out the new chatbot in Q2 2024, enabling control of in-car functionality and also ask the ChatGPT based “Hello IDA” whatever else may be on your mind.

BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant’s generative AI foundations are in the hands of Amazon’s Alexa. The carmaker insists there will be personalisation options aplenty.

Samsung, Hyundai and Kia are working to widen the scope of Samsung’s SmartThings IoT platform. When linked with smart cars, it’ll allow users to control appliances and smart home tech from their cars, and monitor their cars with smart displays and smart speakers at home. But does more tech really simplify things in-car?

Smart home: Revisiting TVs and habits

Is this the future? Samsung’s teased the world’s first transparent micro-LED display and no one knows when it’ll be available and for how much. TCL has made what is the world’s largest MiniLED TV with Quantum Dot tech, at 115-inches. Elsewhere, its AI aplenty. Samsung’s using it for such as picture management dependent on scene while LG has an AI chip for faster processing and better graphics.

You cannot miss LG Lab’s experimental speaker system with a transparent OLED panel with front-firing speakers, a 360-degree speaker and a vacuum tube. The display can be for album art or replicating a fireplace. Then there’s the $130 Oclean X Ultra toothbrush with brushing modes (up to 84,000 cleaning movements a minute), an interactive screen and AI voice prompts on how well you’ve cleaned your teeth.

Phones: Past, and the future

If you’ve been missing BlackBerry phones with physical QWERTY keyboards, a start-up called Clicks Technology has an answer. The $139 or $159 keyboard case gives your Apple iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, London Sky or BumbleBee colour keys to type on. Looking forwards, Finnish startup Doublepoint’s software can transform any Google WearOS watch into a multi-purpose gesture controller for anything via Bluetooth. They call it ‘Ray Casting’. Don’t need a remote to browse Netflix anymore?

Gaming: An eccentric era?

You probably didn’t expect this. Automaker BMW’s iDrive 9 that’s based on Google Android Automotive, will add an ability to game using the car’s infotainment display. Good thing to do, when the EV is charging, we suppose? An update will roll out later this year, with games such as Beach Buggy Racing 2 even supported with wireless controllers.

Continuing with the conventional is MSI Claw, a portable gaming console to compete with the Asus Rog Ally and Valve’s Steam Deck. Prices expected to start at $699 when it ships, running Intel’s latest Core Ultra 5 chip and Windows 11.