International CES 2015 New Tech and Trends (Part 1 of 3)
Written by: Christian Pena
The international CES 2015 is wrapping up, and maybe by the time you read this it might have finished. The event gave us a brief glimpse of things to come in the field of consumer electronics, gadgets and other mediums of technology. Let us breakdown what we think are going to be the trends this 2015.
Smaller Processors
Intel, the world leading manufacturer of microprocessors unveiled their latest model based on the 14 nanometer architecture. The new processor codenamed “Broadwell” is the next step in the evolution of their Haswell design. This means Intel is now, more than ever, going to enter into the mobile phones and tablet market.
Not to be out gunned, nVidia also launched their latest iteration of the Tegra X1. NVidia claims that this is the most advanced microprocessor currently in existence with 256 GPU cores, eight CPU cores and more than a teraflop of computing power behind it.
Mobile phones leading chip manufacturer Qualcomm also announced its latest model in the snap dragon line up, the Snapdragon 810, which provides phones with better data speeds, longer battery life, and optimized support of 4K video. Its 64-bit double quad-core (8 cores) is leagues ahead of the 32-bit quad-core predecessor, and when it’s paired with the Qualcomm Adreno 430 GPU, it’s capable of handling 3D gaming with astonishing results.
Wearable Technology
Wearable devices which benefited from the microprocessor miniaturization also increased in number this year’s CES. While most of the wearable technologies shown were mostly wrist worn devices, Sony premiered its SmartEyeGlasses, eyeglasses with augmented reality. It’s being touted as a competitor of Google Glass which is something we should wait and see.
Sony also revealed its stainless steel SmartWatch 3, an upgrade of an already existing model. The only thing new is the upgraded strap. If you already own one just buy the strap and put the SmartWatch in and viola, an easy upgrade.
Updating our previous report, Alcatel has introduced its promised Watch at CES, and at US$149 it’s very affordable. It also works with both android and IOS devices.
Razer also showed its wearable technology foray, the Nabu X, an affordable fitness band which will be priced at about USD 20 when it reaches consumers. While the Nabu X is cheap, Razer did not hold back on the technology it has put in the device. ‘We’ve taken what makes the Nabu such a compelling wearable – discreet notifications, activity tracking and band-to-band communication – and incorporated them into the Nabu X,” they said. “It’s the basic alternative to the Nabu that’s extremely affordable and simple to use.’
The Nabu X works with the iPhone 5, 5S, 5C and 6, as well as all smartphones running Android 4.3 and higher. Razer has confirmed that the battery should last between five to seven days of moderate use or 30 days on standby. The device is also water resistant for 30 minutes, up to a depth of one meter.
There were also a lot more exhibitors showing off their latest fit bands like Garmin. They released a total of 4 fitness bands at CES.
There you have it, the first installment of our round up of tech trends from CES 2015. We now hope that some of these amazing tech trends reach us here in the Philippines so we can have them reviewed. So stay tuned for Part 2.
