The Consumer Electronics Show, also known as CES, kicks off this weekend in Las Vegas, and it’s a veritable geek smorgasbord of cutting-edge technology, amazing gadgets, astounding innovation, and spectacular inventions.
CES is a massive show that has been happening for years in Las Vegas.
Major brands and companies debut products here and set the pace for what to expect for tech trends in the upcoming year.
If it’s any indication from what’s been released on the wire so far, 2019 is one year that will not disappoint.
Do you want to have Google Assistant translate into 27 different languages in real-time?
No problem, done.
Do you want to be able to extract moisture out of the air and instantly make drinking water?
Got that too.
Robotic self-driving cars?
Yep, that’s practically run of the mill now.
The Consumer Electronics Show is a massive show. There are over 4,000 companies exhibiting.
The entire show takes up about 2.5 million square feet of exhibition room, and as far as the eyes can see, there are massive displays to distract, entertain, and overwhelm you.
The usual suspects are here, and there are no surprises to see huge banner ads for Alexa, iPhones, Samsung, LG, and anyone else you can think of after looking around in your office or home to see what electronics you may be using in your everyday life.
Table of Contents
The Age of Robots and Artificial Intelligence
The experts, pundits, and social commentators have been saying for a while now that we are in the age of robots.
AI or Artificial Intelligence will be running the planet in the very near future.
We are well on our way already.
So-called smart devices will become Mensa members now as they anticipate your every need and preference.
TVs will have Google Home embedded in them, and even your dishwashers and mattresses will become smarter.
Everything will be interconnected, and faster networks mean more loaded onto it so that your home, your car, your commute, your lifestyle, and your family will be computerized.
Obviously, one big power outage and lack of electricity will bring the most futuristic homes to a standstill, but there is even technology being developed for that scenario.
Embracing the 5G Era and Sustainable Transportation
What does 5G mean?
Well, picture yourself downloading entire movies or TV series in an instant right before you board a plane.
Electric Motorcycles?
Why not?
Dependence on fossil fuels and climate change has driven major manufacturers to innovate and create.
Beauty Tech and Foldable Screens
At past CES shows, we have seen lots of industries and sectors revolutionize and improve upon.
This year is no exception, as we see the beauty industry being featured heavily with skincare apps and devices.
Foldable screens are super cool and cute little robot puppies are amusing but some of what is being debuted is also going to radically change the way we live, the way we cook, the way we travel, the way we learn, the way we shop, and the way we work.
Robotic Fulfillment and Connected Commerce
China’s JD.com is debuting robotic fulfillment centers, drone delivery messengers, and fully automated last-mile e-commerce operations that Amazon has already been working on for years, and we shall soon see what convenience and instant gratification really mean.
If you want it, you can have it at your door in a few hours or less if you work in a major metropolitan center.
Rural centers will enjoy connected commerce very soon and will not have to rely on paying more for perks like Amazon Prime and 2-day delivery.
You may wonder how this really affects you and your hometown.
Well, imagine all the retail stores closed down, no sales tax coming into the city coffers, and entry-level jobs drying up, and you get a pretty good idea of what has been happening lately as E-commerce shopping has exploded over the last several years.
But I digress.
The Software Revolution
So, your phone can talk to you, your car can drive you, and your new gadget can even make homemade beer for you, but how does it all run?
How does it all work?
Software.
The software is the secret sauce, and critical advancements in software development have made the digital revolution commonplace.
We hear terms like web 3.0, digital transformation, and the Internet of Things (IoT) almost daily, and technology is ubiquitous in our lives.
OK, maybe it’s just a first-world thing, and you can picture many third-world countries still not caught up yet to the last age of the industrial revolution, but solar-powered electricity, portable Wi-Fi networks, clean water generators, and building materials are being advanced greatly even in far off remote places far from any power grid so yes my friends, the times they are a changing.
Software development is on full display at CES as well because the engine makes all these gadgets possible.
More than just a bunch of zeros and ones are firing off to enable all these incredible gadgets to come to life.
Blockchain and the Future of Intelligent Transportation
Blockchain technology is radically being transformed into many applications to help run the world, given its very nature of decentralized networking, transparency, and ability to democratize information quickly to be shared and recorded.
Intelligent car and transportation fleets will become way more normalized and put into service as major transportation and distribution of goods clog up our highways, railroad tracks, and city landscapes.
We will have things constantly on the move and constantly available without overloading every thoroughfare built long ago.
Inventory centers will be heavily focused on distribution and fulfillment as less and less we will need to have warehouses sitting idle waiting for orders or requests.
Transparency and the Traceability of Everyday Goods
If someone wants to know where their food is from or how it was grown or raised, they only need to scan a bar code and watch all the info come up on their phone informing them of where the animal was born and raised, where the vegetable was grown, what kind of soil was used, what additives and nutrients were used, when was it harvested, and where has it been living before it made it into your shopping basket or kitchen.
Conclusion
You don’t need to be a CISO or CTO to understand the importance of safeguarding software applications from competitors and cyber threats.
As software continues to evolve and integrate into every aspect of our lives, it becomes the backbone that fuels innovation, making our world more connected, efficient, and intelligent.
While the gadgets on display at CES will always capture our imagination, let’s not forget the developers, programmers, and engineers who bring these innovations to life.
They are the unsung heroes shaping the future, one line of code at a time.