STACK #184 Feb 2020

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF ODD Part of the fun of CES is the weird stuff. Cars were big this year, from the Mercedes Benz Vision AVTR concept car – or, as we and everybody else called it, the Avacar – which was inspired by the James Cameron movies. Sony also got their wheels on, introducing us to the electric Sony Vision-S, offering tech including a 360-degree view of what’s going on outside. But amongst everything from heavy-lifting exoskeletons to bog roll delivery robots, Samsung’s Bot Chef weirded us out the most. It’s a pair of robotic arms attached to your kitchen to help with everything from chopping to making a cuppa.

What was the hottest gear on show at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show? Read on for some of the highlights from this year’s power grid draining Las Vegas

extravaganza. Words Amy Flower

S-M-R-T… we mean S-M-A-R-T Our living areas are becoming

SAFE FROM HARM While on the subject of smart security, Aussie experts Swann unveiled a new line of smart wireless cameras and doorbells with facial recognition – the Swann Security app can tell you who’s at your door, for

increasingly connected all the time and, as you’d expect, smart home products took up a lot of space this year. While some may be a tad fanciful – like smart bathroom tap and loo systems – it’s quickly becoming apparent that the world of The Jetsons is here today (well save for flying cars – oh wait, Hyundai showed off one!). From the wow section we have Samsung’s latest Family Hub fridges that can work out recipes from the ingredients inside them (aww, not cheese and eggs again!), and an LG oven that shows the cooking progress via a front screen (no more fogged-up glasses). Outside the kitchen, try LG’s fabric-detecting ThinQ washer and Weber’s system of AI probes to help you become the perfect barbie boss. Meanwhile, plenty of familiar but continually evolving tech like smart lighting (both practical and ornamental) were on show from the likes of Philips, Lenovo and LIFX, as well as new smart security products.

Swan Camera

example – as well as motion tracking. Meanwhile, smart door locks are becoming a big thing, and this year saw everything from a kit to turn your existing deadlock into a touchpad smart lock, to tech that’s hidden within your door. Yep, it may look as dumb as a normal door lock, but inside are the workings of a smart home that are still key compatible. After all, sometimes it’s sounder not to advertise.

LG Rollable OLEDTV

TV TIME It’s hard to go past a big screen TV, and this year “big” reached new dimensions, with Samsung showing off a 292-inch (that’s no typo) incarnation of their MicroLED ‘The Wall’. Promising OLED-type black levels with superb brightness, home versions are planned up to a still mind-bogglingly huge 150 inches. LG were on hand showing off their wild rollable 65-inch OLED. Finished watching TV and don’t like that big black mirror hanging on the wall? Just roll it up into its box! Press a button on the remote and it will unroll itself again, ready for you to watch something new. Also big in the TV sphere was ‘Filmmaker Mode’, which is set to start appearing in 2020 model tellies from several brands. Backed by directors including Martin Scorsese, Patty Jenkins and Rian Johnson, it turns off many of the picture enhancements like motion smoothing that can be great for standard TV shows, but interferes with the director’s visual intent when it comes to movie viewing.

HEAR, HEAR! Speaking of sound…

there was some cool new audio technology happening at CES 2020. We start with

something that you can’t see – a new Bluetooth audio codec called

LC3, which offers a 50 per cent improvement in quality over some existing tech, as well as benefits for the hearing impaired. With a vast array of new personal audio products from all the big players on display, this tech is sure to be put to good use. Meanwhile, Sony were showing off their personalised 360 Reality Audio tech via wireless headphone, subwoofer and speaker setups, while LG unveiled their 7.1.4 channel SN11RG, a home audio solution that uses “AI room calibration” to ensure the best possible sonic performance in your room.

Samsung FamilyHub Fridge

LGThinQ washer

LG SN11RG

30 FEBRUARY 2020

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