Connecting cars, homes, devices: CES

The Consumer Electronics Show is showcasing gadgets that will connect consumers' homes, cars and devices.

Technology in the near future will let consumers control lights in the house while still in the car, shop straight from the refrigerator door, and will be marked by the presence of increasingly smarter and internet-enabled devices.

Companies including Ford, Samsung, and Bosch have revealed the latest gadgets in media briefings at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES.

The world's biggest consumer technology fair, underway at Las Vegas, draws some 3600 companies and more than 150,000 participants from 150 countries.

The event also showcased advances in virtual reality, drones, high definition TVs, wearable gadgets and the importance of tightening security in a world with ever more web-enabled objects.

Tech company Cisco expects 50 billion more objects will be connected to the internet by 2020.

Among the major announcements Tuesday was carmaker Ford's tie-up with e-commerce giant Amazon to connect the car with the "smart home".

The integration of Ford cars with Amazon's system for the control of intelligent homes, called Amazon Echo, will allow users to open the garage door before reaching home, control house lights, thermostats, home security system and other devices from the car.

Ford CEO Mark Fields said in a news conference at Las Vegas they are eager to offer this to consumers towards the end of this year.

Ford also announced it was planning to triple the number of autonomous vehicles, Ford Fusion Hybrid, to 30, in California, Arizona and Michigan, to speed up its plans for developing self-driving cars.

"This gives us the auto industry's largest autonomous vehicle development fleet," said Ford Chief Technology Officer Raj Nair in the press conference.

Fitbit, manufacturer of electronic wearable devices, also launched its own smartwatch on Tuesday, pitting it against the Apple Watch, but failed to convince Wall Street investors causing Fitbit shares to fall 18 per cent.

Meanwhile, Samsung grabbed attention with its new smart-fridge, which includes a touchscreen which one can use to shop.

Chinese manufacturer Huawei introduced its new high end mobile phone, Mate 8, which besides other features, allows 17 hours of HD video recording and has a 16 megapixel camera.

Also making their debut at CES will be the much-talked about smart showerhead, which warns against excessive water usage; app-connected sports shoes that help regulate foot temperature and have self-tying laces; and "OMbra," the first smart-bra, developed by a San Francisco firm to help monitor female users' physical activity and vital signs, besides Hairmax, a laser treatment claiming to re-strengthen weak hair.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world