Robots, Powerful Notebook PCs, High-End TVs Share CES 2017 Spotlight

From the latest notebook models to new smart home devices, Consumer Electronics Show 2017 was as big as ever in terms of the diversity of the technology on display in the exhibit halls of Las Vegas.

Lenovo was one of the first big companies to make an impact at CES with the announcement of its new smart home appliance, the Smart Assistant. The device was designed in partnership with Amazon and comes bundled with Alexa, Amazon’s virtual personal assistant. It also offers a 360-degree microphone and speakers, putting it in direct competition to the Amazon Echo.

A small robot that goes by the name Kuri could prove to be useful to consumers and enterprise customers. The robot can be programmed as a household companion that can keep an eye on children or as a security watchdog to look for anything out of the ordinary and alert owners to the trouble. Best of all, Kuri is a full telepresence device that enables owners to communicate with others from afar.

Norton might be best known for security software, but the company at CES unveiled a new secure WiFi router it’s calling the Norton Core. The device is designed to look like a sculpture sitting in a home or office, but is a full wireless router that relies on Norton’s security features to root out malware and other dangers that could be attacking the network. It’s similar to BitDefender’s security router.

Razer at CES unveiled Project Valerie, an effort by the company to design a notebook equipped with three screens. The concept was shown off at the show and includes a traditional notebook design. However, on both sides of the main display are additional 17.3-inch screens. The feature effectively makes a notebook feel like a multi-monitor desktop setup. If it is released eventually, it could prove to be big productivity driver.

The Blink XT is a simple outdoor security camera that requires just two AA batteries to work. The device can be attached to just about anything outdoors and is designed to continue working in rain, snow and other poor environmental conditions. Best of all, it’s completely wire-free, so users can simply access the device’s recordings over WiFi and not worry about routing wires.

Dish unveiled the AirTV set-top box at this year’s CES. The device is ideal for cord-cutters and other folks who might want to try out some new entertainment possibilities. The AirTV has a built-in antenna that can acquire over-the-air broadcasts and beam them to the attached television. It also comes with support for Netflix, Google Play and other streaming apps. No subscription is required to use it.

Samsung showcased a new series of televisions it calls QLED. The televisions are based on LED and Quantum Dot technology and, according to Samsung, offer the best picture quality the company has ever offered in a television. More specifically, Samsung says its new televisions can deliver accurate colors at any brightness level.

A company named AirBar showed off a new plug-and-play accessory for the MacBook Air that adds touch features to the device. Once the AirBar is attached to the MacBook Air’s screen, users simply plug it into a USB port and they can touch the screen with a pencil, their finger or another object to interact with the display. AirBar currently only works with MacBook Air, no other Mac models.

In addition to computers, HP showed off a new high-end monitor called the Omen X 35. The monitor measures 35 inches diagonally and has a curved design. It’s also the first HP display to offer Nvidia G-Sync, a technology that improves frame rates and reduces lag between the computer and monitor.

LG delivered one of the more impressive products at CES this year with its LG Signature OLED W7 television. The TV is just 0.2mm thick and LG calls it “picture-on-wall.” It’s the thinnest television LG has ever offered. Since the television can’t house actual television components behind the screen, it is tethered to a bar beneath the screen that doubles as a sound bar. All of the television components live inside that bar and beam programming to the screen.