Members of the Das Keyboard team traveled from sunny Austin to even sunnier Las Vegas last week for this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Three main trends stood out from the tech madness this year:
1. The new industry buzzword for 2014 is “internet of things.”
The phrase “internet of things,” or IoT, was heard everywhere at CES. The “internet of things” refers to a future where everyday physical objects will be connected to the Internet and be able to identify themselves to other devices.
According to ABI Research, more than 30 billion devices will wirelessly connect to the “internet of things” by 2020. The “internet of things” concept is important, because it means that an object that can represent itself digitally becomes a larger entity than the object alone.
So an item such as a lightbulb or a chair will be able to communicate with your cell phone or tablet. Data can be passed between the two objects and eventually to an external server.
2. The “Wrist Revolution” is still a work in progress.
CES dedicated an entire section to the “Wrist Revolution,” but some attendees stated that the gadgets don’t seem ready for mass market release. Many smart watches had large, bulky screens that are slow to load and refresh.
Not all wearable tech disappointed, however. The Flip smartwatch, designed specifically for children, uses GPS and Wi-Fi technology to let parents know where their children are located. It also displays large, easy to read messages that allow parents to communicate with their children. For example, a parent could send the message “Come Home for Dinner” to their child instead of having to call or yell down the street.
3. Data security matters more than ever.
With the recent Target security breach on every news network and blog, data security was top of mind at CES. Utilizing RFID blocking technology prevents electronics from talking to the cloud and determining your location, which is why our CEO kept his gear 100% secure while in his HackShield backpack.
Now we want to hear from you. What trends did you notice this year at CES? Comment below or share with us on Twitter.