CES 2019 has finally come to an and while they weren’t many smartphones at the event, it was still graced by some amazing piece of technology, from big TVs to VRs and superpower laptops as well as desktop components. Also, not forgetting the software side of things which brings all the hardware to life. Now, a whole lot was showcased at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and while most of it was futuristic; pretty much a prototype, some others were set to hit the shelves as soon as Q1 this year. Without further ado, Let’s get right down to the good kinds of stuff.
Google was pretty much everywhere at this year’s CES, mostly on the software front with their Google assistant. Google assistant was also announced to part of various upcoming smart home devices and other IoT. They also announced the long-awaited support for the Sonos One and Sonos Beam speakers which was released last year and possibly to other smart speakers as the Google assistant is expected to be on one Billion devices before the end of January 2019.
Google also announced the integration of Google assistant to more Google and non-google apps on Android devices. Google assistant have been integrated into Google Maps and can help you do a thing like a check into your airline flight. If you’re an Android User, Google assistant will not only be able to reply SMS but also reply WhatsApp, Hangouts, Viber, Telegram, Messenger and more instant Messaging apps. HumX, which is a Verizon tech announced at the even and gives users car diagnostic when plugged into a car is also based on Google Assistant.
Google Assistant also announced the Google Assistant Connect which makes it possible for companies to connect their devices to a smart speaker or smart display which will eliminate the need to add a microphone or speakers. However, the is still new and more details about this will be coming later on. The Android operating system is also set to receive an update which will make interacting with Google assistant on a lock screen possible, allowing to perform searches, set alarms etc.
Samsung
Samsung didn’t announce any smartphone, just in case you were wondering. The Samsung Galaxy S Series as well as the budget M series was probably saved for MWC(Mobile World Congress). However, the Korean company still had a couple of things to show. One of which was the superbug 98-inch QLED 8K TV which has support for HDMI 2.1. They also announced some smart fridges, robots, a new odyssey gaming laptop and a notebook 9 Pen which according to Samsung, has 15-hour battery life.
Samsung also announced that iTunes Movies and Tv shows will also be offered on their Smart TVs as well as support for AirPlay 2. Users of Samsung’s Smart TVs will also be able to Control it via Google Assistant or Using an Amazon’s Alexa Powered device. Speaking about controlling, Samsung also hinted that Bixby – Samsung’s Android Assistant – will be able to control Google Apps on their Android devices.
Nvidia
Nvidia had a blast with their keynote at this year’s CES delivered by Nvidia CEO himself, Jensen Huang with the announcement of over 40 new laptops with the Geforce RTX 20 Series graphics cards. The company also went on to showcase the highly anticipated RTX 2060 which played Battlefield V with 1440p screen resolution and at 60 frames per second with ray tracing switched on which I must admit made the game look a lot more realistic.
Nvidia is also working on drivers to support A-Sync Monitors so gamers don’t have to spend extra to purchase those G-Sync Monitors. Already, 12 Monitors out of the 400 Monitors tested qualified and will be called “G-sync Compatible Monitors” as well as other Monitors that will qualify in the future.
Smartphones, Finally
While smartphones were not the order of the day, some still managed to make their way in. For a start, the HiSense U30 was unveiled, being the first smartphone to use the newly released Snapdragon 675 Chipset. It also has a punch-hold camera which is actually a 48MP sensor from Samsung. Other details about the device include a 4,500mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4.0, a 6.3-inch Fullview display, Dual-rear cameras, 6GB/8GB of RAM and a non-expandable 128GB of Internal storage.
Alcatel also released two new budget-friendly smartphones; Alcatel 1x 2019 and Alcatel 1c 2019. Alcatel 1c 2019 is a 5-inch device powered by Spreadtrum’s SC7731E Chipset with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and 2,000mAh battery. Alcatel 1x 2019, on the other hand, is a bigger 5.5-inch device with MediaTek’s MT6739 Chipset on board, 2GB RAM, 16GB Storage and a 3,000mAh battery capacity.
Last but not least is the Cat S48c which is a rugged smartphone. It has a 5-inch screen, Snapdragon 660 Chipset on the Inside, 4,000mAh and a USB Type-C connector. It also has IP68 certification so it is both water and dust resistant. As expected, it is durable as it is expected for outdoor use. Other details about the Cat S48c includes 4GB of RAM, 64GB Storage, 13MP rear camera and 5MP selfie camera, runs Android 8.0 Oreo with Pie coming soon.
