Thanks for reading my Consumer Electronics Show review! The 2016 CES convention was huge, overwhelming, amazing and an experience I will never forget! With a relatively low cost of entry, only $99 for my pass, it won’t break the bank and it will provide days of entertainment and tons of opportunity. Here are a few things that stood out to me at CES 2016:
The IOT or Internet of Things
Think Smart Homes, wifi connected lights, locks, appliances and just about anything else you can think of. I saw an internet connected coffee maker as well that seemed to be hooked up to a XBOX Kinect for facial recognition. I have to admit that I could not figure out what you would possibly want with a coffee maker featuring facial recognition. Due to the low cost of the hardware required to bring any device online I expect that we are going to start seeing a LOT of connected devices that just don’t make sense. However I am intrigued by the possibilities and plan on experimenting with connected home devices and writing about it here on noahlopata.com.
Drones
Drones were absolutely everywhere at CES 2016. There were drones large enough to carry human sized passengers down to micro drones that came two to a set with the intention of flying them around in battle with one another in some sort of shooter type game. There were some that stood out to me like the ProDrone which allows you to attach virtually any type of camera to your drone and folds up into the size of an iPad which you can slip right into a backpack. I think a drone like this will make the device more appealing to the general public, I know I want one!
Virtual Reality
I think Virtual Reality, or VR is going to become mainstream more quickly than people may think. There were some very slick looking VR setups with lots of exciting features but none seemed to completely hit the mark for me. The technology is at it’s infancy right now and has a lot of room to grow and I think it’s going to happen fast. The VR gear at CES ranged from low cost VR goggles used with your smartphone to larger setups that would need to be mounted to the ceiling but allow you to play VR games using your body as the controller. I played one of these for a few minutes and found it to be both exciting and captivating. I was focused solely on the game without much thought of the technology or the surround hustle and bustle of the convention. I am going to have a lot to say about Virtual Reality or VR in the near future and recommend you keep your eye on the technology as well!
HAVE A QUESTION OR NEED SOME HELP?
Tips
Here are my tips if you are attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for the first time:
- Take the time to look at the map and figure out where the things are that you want to see. The show took up 3 gigantic venues that were all located in different venues. I actually missed several booths that I wanted to check out because they were located at the Aria Hotel and Casino which was closed on Saturday. Unfortunately I didn’t realize that it was a good distance from the other venues and therefor had planned on going on the last day once I figured everything out. I would have much rather had mapped everything out and been aware of where I wanted to go and what days those locations were available.
- Wear comfortable shoes. This show is gigantic if you didn’t catch that already. I hit 23,000 steps on my step counting app one day and between 15,000 and 18,000 the other two days. That is a LOT of walking! I would even consider putting some inserts in your shoes if you don’t have them already.
- Prioritize what you want to see. There is just no way you are going to see everything, that would be impossible. If you are trying to source products figure out where those product booths are and make a list based on location as I saw products that seemed similar to me spread far across the show. Break it up into different days and leave some time at the end of the day to go back to the booths that you were most interested in so you can view those products or have those important conversations.
In short CES was great and exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend you sign up for the next one without hesitation if you have any interest in where technology and the world are headed in the very near future.