Smart, stylish and state of the art – the latest tech to deck out your home
There’s no place like home, especially if it’s a smart home and CES 2019 proved that almost everything can and will be connected in our pads of the future. Some won’t break the bank either!
Viewing pleasure
The TVs of the very near future are getting bigger, have ultra-high resolution, respond to your voice commands and can even roll away out of sight!
Most of us have heard of 4K – the current pinnacle of display resolution. Well, now 8K is coming, doubling the number of horizontal pixels and creating another evolutionary leap in image quality. Considering a standard 4K movie is an estimated 100 gigabytes, you can only imagine how big an 8K movie will be to stream or download, which of course will require a fast connection.
More TVs, at all price points, are also including support for connected voice assistants, like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple Homepod, allowing you to change channels and search for content just by talking. Great for when you can’t find the remote!
#CES2019 has become the place where TV manufacturers try to outdo each other with extreme displays that draw oohs and ahhs but there are plenty of promising TVs you can actually afford.https://t.co/pj3eTjxRre
— CNET (@CNET) January 10, 2019
We flagged this in an earlier blog but it’s worth another look. Who would’ve thought – a TV that actually rolls away out of sight when you’re not using it. LG made a huge splash with their first rollable TV, which is expected to hit the market later this year. They even use these new versions to create an amazing TV tunnel.
One of the main attractions this year at #CES2019 is the @LGUS OLED Falls. It features a combination of 260 55in TVs. See it in action: https://t.co/uhJRhtEXbD
— CES (@CES) January 11, 2019
Our not-so-humble homes
Our humble home appliances and fixtures keep getting smarter, even the toilet.
A number of big name brands unveiled updated connected fridges, washing machines and ovens. Fridges can now write to-do lists, which can then be shared to all of your family’s devices, check the contents of your fridge remotely and ask for cooking tips. Your phone will even get a ping if you’ve left the door open. Many now come with voice assistant support for when your hands are full of dirty laundry or dishes.
Meantime, Kohler unveiled a voice-enabled throne at CES 2019. Using Amazon Alexa, you can tell it to raise or warm the lid and play music. Most importantly, you can tell if to flush afterwards.
We are excited to announce that we were awarded the "Best of CES" in the "Smart Home" category for Numi 2.0 by @DigitalTrends! #CES2019 #DTCES
https://t.co/ubOmZcTKeM pic.twitter.com/v5RhQPWrGm— KOHLER (@Kohler) January 10, 2019
Smart shade
Even Ikea got in on the act at CES 2019, unveiling a series of low-cost smart blinds which allow you to raise or lower them using your home voice assistant, smartphone or provided remote control.
Now, if only they could find a way to make their flatpacks build themselves.
New #CES2019 Feature: Ikea #SmartHome Window Blinds https://t.co/S2m7W6gLqI Complete with an included remote and smartphone control, it makes it easy for you to lower and raise the shades. And it's Alexa compatible! #IoT pic.twitter.com/QVQrF89P7z
— Gadget Flow (@GadgetFlow) January 9, 2019
Immersive gaming
Our PCs continue to keep powering up to handle the size and complexity of the latest games, and new accessories are hitting the market to create even more immersive experience.
Audeze will soon release its motion-aware headphones for first-person shooter fans. They detect and recreate the movements of your head. For example, you’ll be able to peek around a corner just by moving your head.
It has been an incredible time showing off #HeadGestureKeybinds, the #CIPHER Bluetooth Module, and the rest of the Audeze product line here at #CES 2019! There’s still much more in store from #Audeze, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears listening!#Mobius #WavesNx #gaming pic.twitter.com/eBvysCpxXB
— Audeze (@Audeze) January 9, 2019
We hit our target of switching on 200 5G sites across Aus by the end of 2018. Experiencing the awesome gaming demos from @NETGEAR at #CES2019 I couldn't be more excited to get devices into our customers' hands so they can experience it on Australia's first #5G network! pic.twitter.com/UA1hvkJ3WI
— Andrew Penn (@andy_penn) January 9, 2019
More “reality” is being added to virtual reality games too, with Cybershoes showing off shoes that allow to walk yourself through the virtual world.
#CES #Oculus Step into VR with Cybershoes pic.twitter.com/pxVJhvs2Vr
— Cybershoes on Indiegogo (@CybershoesVR) January 8, 2019
Just imagine all of these things in one home. It’s a lot of connected tech and, as we continue to add more things to our home networks, fast and reliable connections will be a must.
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The Author
Campbell is the External Editorial Lead at Telstra, and is responsible for Telstra Exchange's editorial strategy and publishing. In his role, Campbell finds interesting stories from within our business and shares them in new and innovative ways. He came to Telstra after working as a technology journalist for over a decade at websites like Gizmodo, CNET and PC World, and has a longtime love of tech and gadgets. When he's not writing, Campbell spends his downtime outdoors whenever possible, hiking, camping or mountain biking around New South Wales.