CES 2019: The Coolest Technologies and Gadgets from the Show Floor

By Anna Breuer on 8 January 2019
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The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show opens its doors on Tuesday but the show’s media Days on Sunday and Monday brought myriad announcements and new products and cool gadgets of high-tech wizardry.

Apple is opening its services up to television manufacturers including LG Samsung, Sony, and Vizio, partnering with them on iTunes, AirPlay 2, and HomeKit.

Samsung said its smart TVs this year will support Apple iTunes for movies and television shows via a dedicated app, and that the TVs will also support AirPlay 2, Apple’s streaming technology that allows someone to stream video or audio directly to a TV from an Apple iPhone or iPad. Other manufacturers are not yet supporting an app but using AirPlay to support link to their devices.

Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, which makes Philips Hue, and Google announced support for voice commands to fade lights on and off such as for bedtime or waking up. Previously this feature was only available in limited form via the Philips Hue app and not with voice commands. Signify says it is the first integration of the Philips Hue sleep and wake up feature with a digital assistant platform.

LG introduced its highly anticipated rollable OLED TV, the Signature OLED TV R, which will be available in the second half of 2019.

Volvo and CCC Information Services are introducing the Accident Advisor post-crash service that will collect and send data to the automaker’s systems in real time. CCC’s AI-based platform will translate that into steps for the driver to follow, first concerning emergency services and then regarding insurance and collision repairs.

Finally, Audi and Disney are turning passengering into a virtual reality experience, with the immersive technology in Marvel’s Avengers: Rockets Rescue Run. Passengers in an Audi E-tron wearing VR glasses will experience content that adopts the movements of the vehicle. If the vehicle turns right or brakes suddenly, so will the content.

Audi and Disney have formed a joint venture, holoride, which will commercialize the offering and make it available to other auto manufacturers.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)

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