CES 2014 Is Here! So What?

January is here, so it is time for another Consumer Electronics Show.  CES used to be an event I looked forward to every year.  Because it used to be the time all the major companies showed their latest crazy gadgets, but for the most part they all do that at their own shows now, so CES seems like it is more of the same every year.  Though I am still keeping an eye on it, so here are my impressions.

More Giant TVs:

If you thought TVs were already huge, then you better look away from CES.  50″ is now the small size with 105″ TVs becoming the show pieces.  The major reason for this size increase is that they need a reason to push the new Ultra HD 4K resolution on us.  With a smaller TV you could never tell the difference, but on a TV 80″ or over you defiantly can.  In five years or so you are going to need a very large wall for your TV set.

Wearable Everything:

Ever since there was rumors that Apple was releasing an iWatch, everybody had to make something to wear.  There are watches, glasses, fitness bracelets, and more.  Just about everybody has a high tech piece of jewelry for you.  Nothing I want or find useful, but it might make you feel more like James Bond.

Steam Boxes:

Valve came out with a new OS built around their popular online store Steam, creatively named SteamOS based on Linux, so this is their year to gain partners to try and get it out there to the public.  They are trying to bill this as a console alternative that plays PC games.  The only problem is that most of the games in their store only run on Windows, so you wouldn’t be able to use them on your Steam Box.  Plus there is no uniform architecture for a Steam box, so it is not any easier on developers to make games for the platform, and it looks like they are going to be way more expensive than the PS4 and Xbox One.  Still it will be an interesting idea to watch, but for now I would just spend the money to beef up your PC and hook it up to your TV.

Dual Booting Android And Windows:

This was one of the more interesting ideas at this year’s show, and it is being pushed by Intel.  The idea is that people want Android tablets, but they still want their Windows apps, so why not dual boot the two.  The problem is that Windows 8 is already kind of confusing in the way that it flips between the desktop and the new Start area, so to now flip again to Android sounds like a mess, but we will see.  If they can make so it is like Parallels for Mac, where your Windows apps can run seamlessly in Android, they may be on to something.

That was pretty much all the major trends from CES 2014.  There was nothing too exciting, but still, I do love new tech.  I just hope CES can find a way to bring back more of the major players from its past, so we can get back to seeing the really good stuff again.