CES 2017 proves that 5G is the next evolution in wireless

Tech Republic

If this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is any indication, 2017 will undoubtedly be the year that investments in 5G technologies explode. On Tuesday, Qualcomm, Ericsson, and AT&T joined forces to collaborate on new trials that could boost the development of large-scale 5G deployments.

Officially, according to a press release, the companies are working together “to conduct interoperability testing and over-the-air field trials based on the expected 5G New Radio (NR) specifications being developed by 3GPP, which will form the basis of the global standards.” The goal is to accelerate the move of the mobile ecosystem to a 5G network, with the proper infrastructure and specifications in place.

Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson will be providing the base station prototypes, while AT&T will be handling the spectrum needs for the tests, the release stated. The trials will work along the millimeter Wave (mmWave) spectrum, the release said, specifically looking to boost “commercial deployments in the 28GHz and 39GHz bands.”

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5G, virtual reality, IoT poised to dominate CES 2017

Fierce Wireless

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show is shaping up as a sort of coming-out party for 5G, but it remains to be seen whether the technology will live up to the increasingly noisy level of hype.

The annual CES show kicks off this week in Las Vegas, and it typically attracts technology companies from one end of the industry to the other. Events at the show generally stretch from one end of the Vegas strip to the other, show topics range from high-definition TVs to cutting-edge wireless technologies, and more than 100,000 attendees from all over the world make CES the tech industry’s main, massive, exhausting trade show.

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CES 2017 proves that smart mobile technology is taking over the world

Alphr.com

If there’s a world capital of weirdness, Las Vegas is probably it. After a while, you become inured to its oddities. A hotel that’s shaped like a pyramid? Sure, why not. A bar that features a giant beheaded statue of Lenin outside? Of course. People desperately playing slot machines at 8am, their eyes glazed over as they feed money in in search of the $10 million dollar prize? Yeah. Naturally.

This weirdness means it’s the natural home for CES, the world’s biggest and most important technology show. CES fits Las Vegas like a glove because it, too, is an oddity: a show that seems to get bigger and bigger every year, at a time when trade shows seem to be losing their relevance. Perhaps this is because CES has never stood still and has, over 50 years, reinvented itself many times.

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CES 2017: Has tech’s sensor obsession gone too far?

BBC

The Consumer Electronics Show gives insights into all sorts of problems you never knew you had.

How do I manage to go to sleep at night without knowing my bed is monitoring my heart rate? Why don’t my home speakers levitate? How did I survive childbirth – twice – without an app to time my contractions?

My alarm clock is not smart enough to remind me to pack the kids’ PE kits on a Tuesday, and my shower doesn’t light up if I’m using too much water.

The show hasn’t even started yet and already I feel in need of therapy.

I have just returned from CES Unveiled – a bustling curtain raiser before the enormous trade fair itself begins.

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Snapdragon 835 specs: this is the tiny new chip that will control your life

Tech Radar

The heart of your next smartphone has been unveiled at CES 2017 today, and you may have missed it because it’s incredibly small.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset is the first-ever 10nm chipset and despite its diminutive size, it’s poised to power large-scale entertainment experiences.

It’s about to take everyone’s ambitious dreams for virtual reality to the next level with proper capabilities for VR and AR head-mounted displays.

You’re also going to find the Snapdragon 835 chipset in security cameras, mobile PCs and even Windows 10 devices in addition to Android handsets.

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CES 2017: T-Mobile Unveils IoT Pricing Plans For Consumers, Partners See Opportunity With Business Customers

CRN

T-Mobile took to CES 2017 to debut new pricing plans for Internet of Things devices. The new IoT Access Packs bundle wireless data with a Category 1 module, which the carrier – and its partners – believe could help simplify IoT adoption.

The two IoT Access Packs can be used for applications and devices that require little data, such as wearables, and include the Cat1 modem. The first IoT Access Pack offers up to 5 MB of data per month for $20 per year for each device in the first year, and $6 per year, per device after the first year.

The second IoT Access Pack includes unlimited data at 64 Kbps, for $25 per year, per device. For a limited time, unlimited data customers will  receive $5 off the first year for each device, according to Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile.

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FTC: IoT Security, Privacy Concerns Need To Be Addressed By Businesses, Consumers And Government

International Business Times

Refrigerators that let you know when you’re out of milk, dolls your children can talk to when the play with them and cars that will autonomously drive you around all seem like lifestyle and technological advancements for the future that should be celebrated, but there are inherent risks to this increasingly connected life. These, and so many other IoT devices, are reliant on collecting your data and personal information.

Those privacy and data security concerns were at the forefront of a discussion at CES 2017 with Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez.

“… IoT brings a lot of benefits to consumers; smart homes, smart thermostat, fitness devices but in addition to all of the benefits … they also raise privacy and data security challenges,” Ramirez said Thursday at CES. “… It’s very typical of us to see headlines about data breaches and that’s an issue that we need to be playing really close attention to.”

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CES 2017: Car-makers choose virtual assistants

BBC

Four leading car brands have announced deals with three tech giants to add virtual assistants to new cars.

Microsoft’s Cortana netted two of the deals, the others went to Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant.

The announcements were made at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.

One analyst said there would be a “battle of the giants” over the adoption of virtual assistants in 2017, since they can be built in to a variety of appliances.

Nissan and BMW have opted to work with Microsoft to bring Cortana to selected vehicles in the near future.

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CES 2017: Panasonic Shows Off a Bendable Lithium-ion Battery for IoT, Wearables

Spectrum IEEE

Most wireless electronic devices look the way they do because of their batteries. Batteries are bulky and rigid components that can’t easily be modified or eliminated. So when product developers design a new device, the battery is often the limiting factor in determining size, shape, and flexibility.

But this year at CES in Las Vegas, Panasonic is showing off a new type of lithium-ion battery that could change that. The razor-thin silver wafer can be twisted or bent 1,000 times and still maintain 80 percent of its capacity. Panasonic presented three versions of the new battery at CES: Each is slightly smaller than a credit card and bendy enough to fit around a soda can’s contours.

The project has been under way since 2008, but Panasonic just started talking about it in September. Yoriko Yagi, assistant chief of planning in Panasonic’s wearable energy department, said the battery is now ready for mass production, which she expects will begin sometime between April 2018 and March 2019.

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