What To Expect At The 2013 International CES

With more than 3200 registered exhibitors and 150,000 expected attendees this year, the 2013 International CES is sure to be quite the show. Here’s a preview of some of the exciting new technologies you can expect to see on display in Las Vegas from Jan. 8 to 11.

LG Google TVs

LG has announced two new Google TV sets, the GA7900 and GA6400, both of which will be featured at the show (Fig. 1). Major new features include a second-generation Magic Qwerty remote, the ability to voice search programs, and a near borderless screen. They will come in various sizes, feature LED display technology, and sport LG’s proprietary Cinema 3D TV tech, which will work with the company’s own 3D glasses.

The Google graphic user interface (GUI) will allow Internet browsing, access to movie services like Netflix, and showcase apps. The GUI can be navigated by voice or by using the LG Magic remote, which works like a Nintendo Wii controller. The remote’s built-in microphone allows you to give Siri-like commands, like “Go to the Disney Channel.”

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1. LG’s Google TVs will feature a second-generation Magic Qwerty remote, the ability to voice search programs, and a nearly borderless screen.

LG Hecto Laser TV

LG has also announced a 100-inch Laser TV (i.e., projector) that features both Smart TV and Digital TV capabilities (Fig. 2). The LG Hecto Laser TV comes with a special screen and a projector to offer Full HD 1080p resolution. The interesting part of this new technology is that, unlike traditional projectors, the Hecto is capable of creating a 100-inch screen from just 22 inches away. On the spec front, it offers a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 10-W speakers built in, and three HDMI ports. LG claims that the laser system will run for up to 25,000 hours without needing replacement.

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2. The new LG Hecto Laser TV is capable of creating a 100-inch screen from just 22 inches away.

Vuzix Smart Glasses M100

The Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 has just been awarded a Best of Innovations honor by the CES 2013 board. Users hook the hands-free smart device over their ear like a Bluetooth earpiece (Fig. 3). It comes with an integrated “virtual display” eyepiece, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 20p HD camera, and motion sensors. The M100 smart glasses can sync up to your smart phone or tablet, and they will be great for those who need to be connected to the cloud all the time or those whose jobs require attention to detail and using their hands, such as surgeons. These smart glasses are looking to be great competition for Google Glass.

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3. You can hook the Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 hands-free smart device over your ear like a Bluetooth earpiece.

Nvidia Tegra 4

It is almost certain that Nvidia will roll out its next generation system-on-chip (SoC), the Tegra 4, also known as Wayne or the T40, at the show (Fig. 4). The chips are expected to move from a Cortex-A9 to a Cortex-A15 architecture, which would allow Nvidia to surpass competitors like Qualcomm and Samsung. Like the Tegra 3, the Tegra 4 is due to have a companion core (possibly based on the Cortex-A5 or Cortex-A7) and an upgraded 72-core graphics setup, which is six times as many GPU cores as Tegra 3. The increase is claimed to result in six times the overall visual performance.

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4. The Nvidia Tegra 4 has upgraded 72-core graphics setup, which is six times as many GPU cores as Tegra 3.

Galaxy Skin—Bendable Screen

Bendable technology has been talked about for years, but it appears that Samsung is finally bringing it to life at CES 2013. Dubbed Galaxy Skin, the flexible display can be bent or even rolled up (Fig. 5). It is reported to feature a flexible active-matrix organic LED (AMOLED), which uses a plastic polymer instead of glass. This will increase the durability of the phone, as it is reported to be able to survive falls and blows. It is widely expected that Samsung will showcase the new Samsung Galaxy S4 at CES 2013 to be the first to feature this new technology.