CES Unveiled in NYC – Technology for 2014 and Beyond

November 11, 2013

It always comes in mid-November. I attend about 84% of the time. And I ALWAYS get some good stories and some neat evaluation units to play with. But this year, I can’t make it to CES Unveiled in New York City because of my work schedule and other deadlines. So, instead of leaving this spot blank, I figured I’d share some of the info I’ve received already from the tech companies exhibiting this year.

*CES Unveiled will also take place in Las Vegas in January and I WILL be at that event. The New York version of the event is a great way for CEA to set the stage for CES and give a ‘state of consumer electronics’ presentation to major media outlets in the Northeast.

So, without any gadgets in hand, here is the info I got from a variety of sources about the technology you might want to be on the lookout for this year.

1. Rayovac. In past years, this company has introduced some really cool charging gadgets for mobile devices. I’m bummed to miss them in New York and will be requesting some review units later this week. Here’s what they said in their note to me offering interview opportunities…

Rayovac, a worldwide leader in battery power and innovation, will be unveiling a new family of portable power chargers at the 2013 CES Unveiled NY event. This innovative new line will redefine the mobile charging device category and will include several new rechargeable devices, each providing users with a new level of power and performance.

2. CSR aptX Wireless Codec Technology. While not exactly a gadget-producing company, CSR provides some of the technology that you find in your other tech and audio products. This year, they are partnering with Monster to help make a tablet computer even faster. Here’s what they had to say in their press release…

CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) today announces that Monster, Inc., famous for creating high-performance headphones, connectivity solutions and A/V accessories, has enabled its 7 inch Monster® M7 Android-based tablet with aptX® Low Latency. The audio codec enables consumers using aptX Low Latency enabled Bluetooth® headphones or speakers to watch videos and play games while enjoying CD-like quality wireless audio on mobile devices with no lip or action-synchronization issues.

“Monster’s tablet is the first device to market that matches innovative design with a high fidelity, low latency wireless audio experience that is perfect for listening to music, watching video or mobile gaming,” says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. “Enabling this tablet with aptX Low Latency demonstrates Monster’s commitment to maximizing the sound quality and experience users can expect from their devices.”

Although standard Bluetooth technology can be used to stream stereo audio wirelessly from mobile handsets and tablets to headphones and speakers, its inherent latency of more than 150 ms is not ideal for video or gaming applications. This is because there is a significant time lapse between the sound and video experienced by the viewer.

CSR aptX Low Latency technology is designed to mitigate this problem by delivering a total end-to-end latency of just under 40 ms, well within recommended limits for audio and video synchronization applications. This means consumers can enjoy watching video and playing games on their tablets with their wireless audio devices, without the annoyance of speech or sound effects such as gun shots being out of sync with what is on screen.

3. Impossible America. While I haven’t seen or used their products in the past, I have had good experiences with their representative PR people. This year, Impossible is introducing what looks like a mobile device printer. It allows you – from what I could tell without a full-on briefing – print photos right from your iPhone. Here’s what I got on their site…

The Impossible Instant Lab transforms any digital image into a real, unique analog instant photo via your iPhone or iPod touch. Simply select any photo from your iPhone, place it on the Instant Lab and within seconds it ejects your analog photo, ready to develop in front of your eyes. Works with iPhone 4/4S/5/5S and iPod Touch 4th and 5th generation. iPhone and film are not included.

4. Prescient Audio. The surge of new audio technologies doesn’t stop. Headphones, speakers, devices and more are all being driven by the audio that’s built into our technology. To that end, Prescient is promising a smaller speaker with outstanding sound. I’ve sent a note over to see if I can get some samples. This is what they sent me about their appearance at CES Unveiled in NYC…

Prescient Audio is attending the CES Unveiled New York show next Tuesday…and is offering a sneak peek of its ThinDriver^TM technology, TD-12, which is the thinnest, lightest and coolest 12-inch subwoofer available on the market.  The TD-12 is a high-performance 1000 watt speaker that repositions the components from behind the speaker, to its perimeter.  While it’s the thinnest speaker profile in the industry, it still provides a rich, superior true-to-signal sound and incredible bass throughout all audible levels.

And that’s about it for now. The show usually has about 40 different exhibitors and I have other emails in my inbox to look at. But since time was short I wanted to at least get a post out there about a few of the cool things I saw come over my transom.

Let me know if there are technologies you’d like me to cover when I’m in Vegas in January. Or let me know what tech you really think will be the next big thing.

Thanks for reading!