Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is one of the biggest trade convention in tech and CES 2017 was no different. Techies from around the world gathered in America’s Playground (aka Las Vegas), rubbing shoulders with some of the most well known names in tech. We were there too, checking out the newest in tech, and figuring out ways we can use all of this cool new stuff to help our clients.

2016 represented a year of monumental growth for the world of tech and 2017 looks to be even bigger. CES showed off some major new advances and capabilities and point the way to new enterprise ventures in a variety of new fields and sectors. So, let’s dive right in and start talking about the highlights of CES 2017.

1. Alexa

a. The biggest thing about CES 2017 wasn’t even debuted at CES. We’re talking about Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service (AVS) app that accompanies their Smart Speaker, Echo. With possibly over 1000 products at CES capable of supporting Alexa, it’s clear that Amazon is aiming much higher than the just the Smart Home market. They want to be the unifying center for the entire Internet of Things. What about the competition? Well, Microsoft’s Cortana seems to be focusing phones Computers, Apple, with Siri and Homekit simply don’t support the wide array of IoT devices that Alexa does, and Google Home was only just released. While Google (as always) will definitely give Amazon a run for its money, Alexa already has a significant head start.

2. Virtual and Augmented Reality

a. You can’t say you didn’t expect it; VR and AR were the hot ticket items of 2016. It when the internet wasn’t all twitterpated about the US Presidential Race, it was about Oculus, or Pokemon Go, or Gear VR. CES was no different:

i. The Vive VR Headset was debuted a year ago, but HTC upped their game this year with the TPCAST addon. The TPCAST allows Vive Users to go entirely wireless. At $220, it’s pricey, but worth it! HTC wowed our guys even more with small device (Tracker) that allows a user to track pretty much anything in VR. Combined with a massive launch of new VR services (games, movies, trips, everything) it’s clear that HTC is going full boar on the VR thing.

ii. Osterhout Design Group (ODG) just released their new AR/VR glasses, the R8. Unlike competitors (Oculus or Gear VR), R8 is a slim and sleek looking set of glasses, similar to Google Glass. The other good news? 720p vision in both eyes for under a grand.

iii. Want more than some eyewear? How about a full body motorcycle-type VR controller? The Hypersuit was debuted this year and offers a whole new (and totally awesome) way of interacting with a Virtual Reality. Users can experience what it’s like to fly like Superman, without ever leaving the ground.

3. Sony’s Bravia Flagship TV

a. New televisions are always the most anticipated toys of CES. This year, Sony decided to make us all scratch our heads in amazement over their Acoustic Surface technology. What is it? A screen that makes noise. Yup, the sound from a Bravia XBR-A1E is all produced from the screen (and backed by a truly huge subwoofer hidden from sight).

4. Drones

a. Drones were another big part of CES, a clear predictor that this tech is set to take off this year. Let’s take a look at some of our favorites:

i. Ever been out with your Drone and wanted to send it plunging nearly 100 feet underwater? Of course, the inferior technology of last year prevented you from such aquatic delights – thus PowerRay was built. This drone is waterproof, and uses sonar to help fisherman track fish. While currently aimed at recreational fishing, there are other obvious applications, including tracking schools of fish or other aquatic creatures for research purposes, and for military purposes, such as protecting a ship from divers or mines.

ii. Or, you could get a drone that spends most of it’s time looking like a Dinosaur egg. The PowerEgg is literally just that – a four and half pound off-white egg. When you need it to do something, it just pops out of the shell and does it’s drone thing, then goes on back to the shell. While it might be confused for an interesting home decor choice, it’s actually pretty cool. Both the PowerEgg and the PowerRay were built by PowerVision (i’m sensing a theme here).

iii. Strange egg drones and AquaDrones not your thing? How about a drone that looks identical to a bird? And no, it’s not for creeps, spying on people. The RoBird (from Clear Flight Solutions) is being used to help improve Aviation safety. It’s designed to resemble a predator bird, and lets out a truly horrifying noise that scares birds out of an Aviation area.

There were some other truly amazing things at CES – including an awesome new toy from Lego that helps kids to code and program robots (important in a world that needs “New Collar” jobs). But we must wrap up soon and we wanted to cover what all of this means for Tech Startups or entrepreneurs looking to start their own enterprise venture.

First, Virtual Personal Assistants that connect all of your Smart Devices will be a massive growth market in 2017 and beyond. In addition to Alexa, Baidu (Often called China’s Google) released its own AI-based Smart Home Speaker. Plus Google Home is just getting started. There’s still plenty of room for other players in this field. Don’t hesitate!

Next, Robits! In addition to aforementioned drones, there was also a robot to help with household chores. When combined with other advances in robotics of the past few years, it indicates that robots will soon be everywhere. And where there are robots, there need to be apps that help people interface with them!

Finally, Gaming will continue to be huge. With VR/AR popping up everywhere, there’s going to be a huge new market for reinvention of classic games, as well as the need for new ones. Plus, there were several other big Gaming devices at CES, including Razer’s Project Valerie (sweet gaming laptop) and Project Ariana (a Pseudo-VR Projector).

So got an idea? Well, SDI has the development tools you need! Give us a call at 408.805.0495/408.621.8481 – or click to contact us!