Reflecting on CES 2018

In early January, I made my annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). A couple days before the official opening of the largest tech expo in the world, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) puts on an event called CES Unveiled to provide a small taste of what attendees can expect to see at CES. As I walked into the hotel ballroom for CES Unveiled this year I saw a photographer taking a photo of the CEO and president of CTA, Gary Shapiro, who commutes from his home in Franklin, Michigan to the CTA offices in D.C. Shapiro jumped off the ground as high as he could as the photographer managed to catch him many feet off the ground in mid-air.

That photo was appropriate because it summed up Shapiro’s excitement for the 51st CES – the largest show in CTA’s history. Trying to put into words everything I saw and experienced at this year’s CES is an impossible task. The most common question I receive after I return each year from CES is: What was the most impressive new technology there. That is no simple question because wherever you turn, there are impressive tech innovations that will revolutionize our world.

The show has grown over the years and now seems to take over the entire Vegas strip. More than 3,900 exhibitors showcased world-changing technologies that spanned more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space across Las Vegas. Shapiro’s excitement for CES was shared around the world as there were close to a million tweets about CES 2018 on Twitter. This year’s CES will be remembered as the year when a blackout shut down large parts of CES for over an hour, but overall this was a minor interruption in an extraordinary event. As news reports correctly pointed out, the Amazon Alexa and Google Home technology is becoming commonplace in most home appliances and tech products. Kohler even unveiled an Amazon-Alexa controlled toilet. Yes, a toilet! Intel even got itself into the Guinness Book of World Records when its advanced software fleet of 100 drones that were controlled without GPS by only one pilot put on a spectacular light show over the water at the Bellagio Hotel.

While the big news coming out of CES was about the billion-dollar brands, like LG, Samsung, Google, Amazon and Panasonic, that showcased their latest consumer products, what I always enjoy the most is visiting Eureka Park at CES, which has 900 startups reflecting the vibrant future of the global tech industry.

I loved learning more about tech innovations like virtual/augmented reality, 5G, smart cities, digital health, and artificial intelligence. What I was very excited to understand further were autonomous vehicles. Before CES officially opened on the first day, I headed to the area in the parking lot where the ride service company Lyft was offering complimentary rides around the Vegas strip in autonomously driven BMWs. I inquired as to how I could get a ride and was told to use my phone at exactly 10:00 AM to order an autonomous Lyft ride.

I then headed to a conference session on the state of artificial intelligence featuring Deepu Talla, the vice president and general manager of Autonomous Machines at NVIDIA. Talla discussed the future of autonomous cars and the artificial intelligence breakthroughs from various industries. He documented the rise of artificial intelligence from early tech periods beginning with the advent of the personal computer to mobile technology and then cloud technology until the current era of AI, which will include autonomous vehicles.

At the end of the session it was 10:00 AM so I took out my phone and ordered my autonomous Lyft ride. The modified BMW 5-series was outfitted with Aptiv’s autonomous driving technology. A human driver sat in the driver’s seat and a representative from Aptiv (formerly Delphi Automotive) sat in the passenger seat. Nandita Mangal from Aptiv explained that according to Nevada law the man in the driver’s seat would actually drive the car while we were on private property (the parking lot of the convention center and any hotel parking lots), but when we were on the street the car would go into autonomous mode. Mangal is in charge of the user experience when it comes to Aptiv’s autonomous driving technology. We had a fascinating discussion about the pros and cons to the consumer when autonomous vehicles become mainstream.

My Favorite New Tech Gadgets from CES

Apple Watch, Apple Watch, Apple Watch. Everyone's talking about the Apple Watch. And I'm just tuning out. While I love tech gadgets, I just can't get excited about this large watch that allows you to use your iPhone without having to reach into your pocket. There are just too many things that it doesn't do; not to mention that it will be one more way that users are never able to unplug from the tether of their technology. I'm a fan of tech with a purpose. If it doesn't improve my life, make it easier or quicker to do tasks, and make me more productive I'm not interested.

It's been a little more than two months since the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and I've had a chance to test out several impressive and useful tech gadgets. CES is the world's biggest tech show and that means there's a lot of technology innovation throughout the convention halls. There's also tons of duplication and many things that look cool, but really have no usefulness. Here's a rundown of a few of my favorite tech gadgets I picked up at CES along with links on how to obtain one for yourself:

SWIFTPOINT GTTM MOUSE - Swiftpoint, a New Zealand company that distributes this impressive ultra-portable wireless ergonomic mouse from Georgia, won innovation awards at CES for both the computer accessories and computer peripherals categories -- and deservedly so. After using this mouse for a couple months, I can see why they won these awards and why everyone at CES was talking about this little mouse that makes using a laptop on an airplane so hassle-free. Swiftpoint boasts that this is the world’s first mouse with truly natural touch gestures. Some might not like it for everyday use because of its size, but I've been enjoying it on a daily basis. The mouse combines natural touch gestures with the precision and convenience of a traditional mouse. It uses a full range of touch gestures with a natural finger and wrist action for swiping, flicking, zooming (think of holding a pen to multitask). There really isn't a more comfortable mouse on the market. It's multiple times more costly than other wireless mouse options, but it's worth it.

$139 at http://ap.swiftpoint.com/

Israeli Startups Impress at CES 2015

In my recent Jews in the Digital Age column for the Detroit Jewish News I looked at just five of the many Israeli technology startups I encountered at CES 2015. While I only focused on ZUtA Labs, MediSafe, Umoove, Silentium and Sensibo, there truly is some amazing innovation coming out of StartUp Nation. Here's my article:

Israeli Tech Innovation at Vegas Electronics Show

It usually takes me a few weeks to recover from my annual trek to Las Vegas for the International Consumer Electronics Show (better known as “CES”).  The convention floor alone  is the equivalent of 35 football fields -- around two miles long.

This year was bigger and better than ever before, with the main focus on what’s known as IOT (the Internet of Things). IOT will become the biggest buzzword as we progress further into the 21st century and find new opportunities to connect everyday items like cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices like our computers and smartphones. These new technologies will afford us greater control and management of our everyday lives.

While it’s unusual to find anything truly brand new at CES, there are always a half dozen products that are the big talk of the town. These products have been improved upon over the years and with these improvements come more applications for consumer use. From 3D printers and full body scanning technology to flying drones and high-tech health/fitness wearables, it was a dizzying experience trying to keep track of all of the impressive gadgets.

As in years past I find myself keeping my ears open for the sound of Hebrew being spoken at CES. I’m always interested in new technology coming out of Israel and where I hear Hebrew, I know that an Israeli startup usually isn’t too far away. Of the more than 200,000 attendees at CES, there is an unusually high percentage of Israelis. The same is true with the exhibitors as there are always a large number of Israeli companies, startups, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

Here is a rundown of five of the Israeli companies I encountered at CES this year:

ZUtA Labs:

One of my favorite new gadgets at CES is a little robot that is actually a printer. This mini robot has small wheels and is going to disrupt the printing industry. Rather than having paper feed through a printer, this robot runs on the paper and prints. It’s a mobile printer that you can keep in your car’s glove box and take anywhere. ZUtA claims they have created the smallest printer in the world and yet it can print on any size of paper no matter where you are. The company began with a successful Kickstarter campaign and it was no surprise to me that ZUtA Labs took home a Best of Innovation award at this year’s CES and they are a South By Southwest (SXSW) Accelerator finalist for this year. I promise you’ll be hearing more about this company in the years to come.