Quite a few weeks have passed since the 2015 International CES – Consumer Electronics Show ended in Las Vegas. I’ve had quite some time to rest up, get back to normality and put my thoughts together about all that I experienced in Las Vegas.
Hopefully you were following my tweets for bits of live coverage from the press conferences, the show floor and reading my recap posts. It was a jaunting task to perform from early morning into the late evening.
• Having attended CES for over 10 years, this may have been the largest in terms of show floor space. Hoping I can manage to navigate it next year if it expands even more.
• Wearable devices were huge on the show floor. It is a category to keep an eye on in the years to come. These wearables include smartwatches, smart eyewear, fitness activity and health devices. Look for these types of technology to expand and grow as they connect with our mobile devices more and more.
• Smart pet gear is another growing market at CES. Most of them are mainly for dogs, wearable and work with apps on your mobile devices.
• Action cameras have gotten a boost, with more consumers using GoPros to film different activities. They are starting to get smaller and have the ability to film in 360-degrees.
• The 3D printing area expanded to more than double its size from last year. New types of printers were on the show floor, including one that used a liquid-based material and one that was a food printer. Demand for 3D printers have been on the rise recently and their pricing has become more affordable to the average consumer.
• The number of drone manufacturers have increased this year. Some of these are a lot larger than I expected them to be. I know that these are for recreational purposes, but seeing the sheer number of them concerns me a bit on regulating their usage.
• TVs are getting thinner, about the thickness of a smartphone or tablet. Still not sure about the whole thing about curved TVs. Quality, resolution and technology on the new generation of TVs have better color and sound.
• After the CES show floor closes for the day, the after hours events begin. Most are found via social media and many are by invite only, held at the various hotels along the Las Vegas Strip. Here you can network, socialize and mingle with exhibitors and public relations representatives.
• The Las Vegas Strip is a little too crowded for me to be out there during CES. I normally stay at The California Hotel and Casino in Downtown area of Las Vegas. There was a time when I used to stay at the Venetian/Palazzo, since it was conveniently close to show. The Fremont Experience in Downtown was close by and had some fun things going on.
• Dining choices in Las Vegas are too numerous. Choices range from buffets to quick fast food. My friends and I tried the buffet at Wicked Spoon in The Cosmopolitan for the first time, which was so good. We also went to our usual Vegas eating places for all-you-can-eat sushi and Hawaiian food, Hikari and Aloha Specialties.
The 2016 International CES returns to Las Vegas from January 6-9. It’s still a year away, but I am already counting the days until I can repeat all the fun and excitement again!
