CES 2017: Best gadgets on display at the world's biggest technology show

CES 2017 was all about smarter, intelligent devices. From phones to cars, the technology showcased usually points out at the trends for the year. However, this year, it gave us a sneak peek into something beyond that. 2017 could most likely be a stepping stone to futuristic products that can turn into reality. Among the hordes of products on display, here are our favourite five products. 

 

Asus Zenfone AR

The Asus Zenfone AR is one of the most innovative devices to come from the CES 2017. It’s known as the Tango phone which means the TriCam setup (in addition to the 23MP sensor, there are two more camera) together helps users with motion tracking and depth sensing. 

 

The USP of the device is it's the second phone to support Google Tango after the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. However, it is also Daydream-ready and comes in a more compact form factor. It supports Cardboard as well as Daydream, so you get a dose of both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. But, that's not all. Asus has ensured it packs in specs that put it at par with high-end competitors such as the Google Pixel.

 

Project Tango uses depth sensing and motion tracking to build onscreen 3D experiences that allow users to get a better view of the physical environment around them. On specs front, it packs in a 5.7-inch AMOLED display with 2560 x 1440 pixels of resolution, Snapdragon 821, 8GB RAM, 5000mAh battery, QuickCharge 3.0 and runs Android Nougat.

 

It will be available sometime around second quarter of the year, but there is no word on the exact pricing or availability.

 

 

LG Hub Robot

This white machine with glowing eyes is LG's Hub Robot. Those adorable eyes can be discerning as its one mean machine. It’s a smart home gateway that comes powered by Amazon's Alexa. The Hub Robot can be controlled by your voice. Now, what sets it apart from the rest is its ability to instruct an oven to pre-heat or robotic vacuum cleaner to get to work, and likewise.

 

However, this would mean owning connected appliances like a smart fridge, washing machine, oven and would cost you a fortune, at least now. However, there is no denying that the Hub is essentially giving us a sneak peek into the future with more intelligent appliances.

 

Considering connected appliances slowly yet steadily becoming a trend, we hope to see smarter appliances go mainstream with prices within the reach of users.

 

Razer Project Ariana

The future of gaming is here with Razer's project Ariana. A full-room projector that will take gaming content out of the display, and to the entire room. It claims at brining a VR-like experience sans the need for a headset. The Project Ariana uses Razer Chroma lighting technology and combines it with laser sensors, 4K video projection.

 

It aims at a hyper immersive gaming experience that will in the future allow the projector to be plugged directly into the computer, point the projector at the TV and the built-in sensing camera will take the game beyond the edges of the TV. Though a concept, the company wants to develop a consumer-ready model this year.  

 

Toyota Concept-i

Toyota took us to a friendly future with the Concept-i autonomous car at the CES 20017. A concept design, the Concept-i claims to measure your emotional response to places and using all that information, it builds a relationship with the driver. Hypothetically it is aimed at 2030 with no plans of going into production anytime soon.

 

Concept-i was nonetheless a head-turner. It has Siri-like Yui digital assistant onboard who is capable of operating every function in the car given a voice input. And, just in case, Yui feels that you aren't focusing on your driving, the car will simply takeover, reports TopGear.

 

Also, it offers several hints that would be handy when travelling to your destination with insights about the place, gauging your mood and so on. While this seems like a far-fetched concept, more and more people are looking at technology that would connect them to their devices, cars and so on. 

 

Dell XPS 2-in-1

Dell XPS 13 stayed favourite among tech enthusiasts last year. And, the XPS 2-in-1 showcased at the CES 2017, has taken the liking notch higher. It isn't simply the XPS 13 with a flexible 360-degrees hinge, but comes with improvements in terms of 13-inch touchscreen display, stylus support, 7th gen Intel Core processors, up to 1TB storage and up to 16GB of RAM. It starts at $999.99 and the price goes up to $1399.99 (approx. Rs 68,300 to Rs 95,000).