[io caption = “CES stands for the Consumer Electronics Show that takes place each year in Las Vegas (via wikimedia commons/Doug Kline).”]

Last week, the Consumer Electronics Show took place from January 6th through the 9th, in which thousands of new devices were on display in Las Vegas, Nevada. There were a large quantity of electronics shown off in such a small period of time, so it was easy to get lost in all the clutter. So, I will underscore some of the most important devices and underlying themes of this year’s show. While no major product unveilings occur anymore at this event (as occurred previously), certain interesting novelties get revealed that give insight into the direction of the industry for the coming years.

Televisions are always a cornerstone of CES, and the evolution has been apparent: bigger, brighter, better. A few years ago, every major television manufacturer had a 3D TV on display, but recently there has been a shift to pixels with 4K and astoundingly 8K resolutions. This is coupled with new backlighting technology to make the pictures more vibrant and extremely large screen sizes like 170 inches. Along with this, LG presented a new and fascinating display technology in which its screen can roll up like a newspaper.

The small kickstarted company Bragi again demonstrated the innovation of its company with a more current prototype of the now eagerly anticipated Dash wireless earbud. These completely wireless earbuds can either be played independently of any device through 4 gigabytes of internal storage or be played in conjunction with a smartphone or any bluetooth enabled device (while also tracking fitness activities). The company has already begun shipping its awaited product to Kickstarter backers as of the beginning of this month and will later move to those who pre-ordered the final product.

Finally, the wave of “rideables” continues as more companies push out electrically powered skateboards, unicycles, and hoverboards. Notably, the company Acton, known for their rocket skates seen last year at CES 2015, unveiled a motorized Penny board style skateboard that has a range of 5-6 miles, charges in 2 hours, and costs $499. In addition, Razor, the principal scooter manufacturer, created its own hoverboard that they claim will not explode like the popularized Chinese manufactured boards.  Swagway, one of the many companies plagued by the explosion issues, revealed a new device called the Swagtron, introducing new features, including speakers at the bottom, a handle, phone connectivity, and safety prioritization.

As with most years, the Consumer Electronics Show is an event for leading members of the press and technological spheres to see some of the greatest advances made by smaller companies and huge corporations alike. From cars to cameras to headphones, almost anyone can find something interesting at this Las Vegas venue, and I think the industry as a whole will be looking forward to next year’s 2017 edition of the showcase.

Sources: CNET, Acton, The Verge Photo Sources: Wikimedia, Flickr