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The 2018 Consumer Electronics Show is wrapping up today, bringing an end to a week's worth of non-stop announcements about all of the new products we can expect to see over the course of the year.

For our last video, we asked MacRumors videographer Dan to spend some time on the show floor, hunting down the most interesting products he could find. Not everything we're sharing today is Apple related, but we thought MacRumors readers might want to see some of the zanier things on display at CES.


Robots were big at CES, some of which were offering an impressive level of detail and intelligence. Jibo, a $900 "social" robot that's already for sale, was on display, as was the CLOi Robot from LG. LG's CLOi is designed to control smart home products, but it had a bit of a rough start this week when it failed to perform at an LG event.

ces2018lgrobot-800x478.jpg
LG's CLOi​

You might have seen Jibo in person already, because the company has been showing it off at mall kiosks and other locations. Jibo has a built-in camera for both facial recognition and capturing "special moments," plus he can dance, answer questions, play music, and more.

ces2018jibo-800x548.jpg
Jibo​

Other robots on display were just plain odd. Robotis had a bunch of its programmable $499 Mini Humanoid Robots set in a choreographed dance to South Korean hit song "Gangnam Style." Robotis also had a pet dog robot on hand, which was able to roll over, wag its tail, and even pretend to go to the bathroom.

ces2018robotis-800x451.jpg
Robotis Mini​

Some robots were more conceptual than consumer oriented. Omron, for example, was showing off its Forpheus ping pong robot, which can play a mean game of table tennis. In the future, Omron has goals beyond ping pong or Forpheus, but for now, it's an interesting proof of concept demonstrating what robots are capable of.

ces2018pingpongrobot-800x450.jpg
Omron's ping pong robot

Beyond robots, there was some impressive TV tech being demonstrated at CES. LG created an entire tunnel filled with OLED TVs to simulate walking through a forest, while Samsung showed off its 146-inch microLED modular TV, "The Wall."

The Wall scales out to as large as 146 inches, which is the average size wall a consumer might have in a house. It's modular, though, so if your wall is smaller, it can be built smaller, too. Samsung hasn't provided pricing on The Wall, but we imagine it's going to be a lot more than most people want to spend for a TV set, even one as cool as this.

samsungthewall-800x548.jpg
The Wall from Samsung​

Though not quite as visually interesting, the latest Vivo phone was being shown off on the show floor. The Vivo is notable because it's the first phone that includes an in-display fingerprint sensor, courtesy of Synaptics. Apple was rumored to be working on this kind of technology, but the company ultimately went with Face ID.

synapticsclearid-800x409.jpg
Synaptics' Clear ID in-display fingerprint sensor​

Cars and other alternative transportation methods were also a highlight of CES, with companies showing off everything from the luxurious to the futuristic. There were also plenty of electric bikes and scooters, including an FAA-approved collapsible electric scooter from Immotor. It's sleek, folds down into a tiny package, and offers a 16 mile range on one charge, but it's expensive at $1,500.

ces2018immotorscooter-800x546.jpg
Immotor Go​

Our CES coverage is at an end for 2018, but we'll be seeing more of many of these products over the course of the year. If you want to catch up on our coverage, make sure to check out our CES 2018 hub, and don't miss our roundup of some of the best Apple-related accessories we saw at the show.

Article Link: The Most Interesting Products We Saw at CES 2018
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
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Somewhat of a lethargic 2018 CES, but I question a lot of practicality for those who actually would use some of this technology in their lifestyle.

I will say that I think it's interesting that Samsung introduced the Micro-Led TV. At least it shows that this technology will Eventually be here, once it can be achieved on a mass production level.
 
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TheWatchfulOne

macrumors 6502a
Jun 19, 2009
807
923
When "The Wall" and make and receive video calls... then Spaceballs will be closer to being reality!

Oh, and of course they should have a Pink Floyd edition. ;)
 
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macduke

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
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I wish Apple would have put in-display Touch ID and Face ID into the iPhone X. Then they could fill in the gaps where the other one fails. Face ID is great when you have gloves on, for instance. But Touch ID is better when you're in bed or have your phone on a table. Hopefully Apple is able to get a wider-angle Face ID working in future iterations.
 

Omega Mac

macrumors 6502a
Aug 16, 2013
579
346
I wish Apple would have put in-display Touch ID and Face ID into the iPhone X. Then they could fill in the gaps where the other one fails. Face ID is great when you have gloves on, for instance. But Touch ID is better when you're in bed or have your phone on a table. Hopefully Apple is able to get a wider-angle Face ID working in future iterations.

I fully realised when watching this video why Apple took the FaceID path in the end. The broad reason they wanted to run with face ID was in part justification and utilisation of Apple's investment in that company that allowed them create the Animoji and other spin off of HQ FaceID features and functionality.

Security + novel functionality/features.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,643
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In terms of user experience, it's on the screen, not on the button.

This is what you stated below: which is incorrect. THe Actual sensor is embedded under the display, "not on the display". The user is just touching the display to unlock the phone. You interjected the button argument, I did not. It's a simple correction. But thanks for the discussion.

Finger print sensor on screen!
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,021
5,986
Bay Area
I wish Apple would have put in-display Touch ID and Face ID into the iPhone X. Then they could fill in the gaps where the other one fails. Face ID is great when you have gloves on, for instance. But Touch ID is better when you're in bed or have your phone on a table. Hopefully Apple is able to get a wider-angle Face ID working in future iterations.
Absolutely. It seems undeniable that having both technologies available is better than having only one (though I'm sure someone will deny it, this being macrumors...). Unfortunately, Apple has now gone so all-in on FaceID that they almost can't add TouchID back without admitting they were wrong. Too bad.
 

JPLC

macrumors 6502
Dec 20, 2011
429
1,089
Netherlands
Those “silly robots” are used for programming. Dancing is just a demo to show what you can do with it but that doesn’t make them silly. Dance demos are often used to show what a robot is capable of.
 

WhoDaKat

macrumors 6502
May 20, 2006
379
665
The robots at CES are a huge fail, but maybe I've watched too much TV and expect too much. But robots that do the job of low income workers does not impress me, and I will certainly not be giving any of my money to companies that employ robot bellhops and servers.

Also, of note, if you like watching Apple's presentations, you should try and watch LGs from CES. Emphasis on try. It will show you that they aren't as easy to do as one would think. I would have to consider LGs presentation as painful to watch. LOL, and Cloi the robot won't be around for long, don't waste your money. She gave the best performance of the night for LG.
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Absolutely. It seems undeniable that having both technologies available is better than having only one (though I'm sure someone will deny it, this being macrumors...). Unfortunately, Apple has now gone so all-in on FaceID that they almost can't add TouchID back without admitting they were wrong. Too bad.

Get used to it. FaceID, I think, is better than the first rendition of TouchID. Give it a generation or two and it will be better. It needs to be a bit faster, and have a bit wider viewing angle, like when its sitting on the table. But better for passwords!
 
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velocityg4

macrumors 604
Dec 19, 2004
7,323
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Georgia
I'm guessing the average person who can afford "The Wall" and is willing to pay that much. Likely has 10 to 12 foot ceilings and a 20 to 25 foot wall in their theater room. "The Wall" still would not cover the wall for them. At least in the McMansions.

I'd have no reason to go to a movie theater again. How long until these are $500?
 

tonyr6

macrumors 68000
Oct 13, 2011
1,736
728
Brooklyn NY
What a snoozefest CES was. It seems all these conferences are getting more boring every year. Enough with the voice assistance who cares about Alexa, Siri, Cortana. I have a Echo that is collecting dust simply because I don't like talking to it. I rather type on a keyboard and use a UI to load music.
 

acblue94

macrumors 6502a
Jul 26, 2011
509
864
New York, NY.
I wish Apple would have put in-display Touch ID and Face ID into the iPhone X. Then they could fill in the gaps where the other one fails. Face ID is great when you have gloves on, for instance. But Touch ID is better when you're in bed or have your phone on a table. Hopefully Apple is able to get a wider-angle Face ID working in future iterations.
Phone on a table? Why unlock the phone on a table if you don’t plan on “looking at it” and using it?
 
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SeattleMoose

macrumors 68000
Jul 17, 2009
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Der Wald
So at consumer price points, useful robotics is still a LONG way off. We have all seen cool robots...but only in labs or at high price points.
 

rafark

macrumors 68000
Sep 1, 2017
1,696
2,827
Somewhat of a lethargic 2018 CES, but I question a lot of practicality for those who actually would use some of this technology in their lifestyle.

Ever heard of fashion shows?
[doublepost=1515799279][/doublepost]
I'm guessing the average person who can afford "The Wall" and is willing to pay that much. Likely has 10 to 12 foot ceilings and a 20 to 25 foot wall in their theater room. "The Wall" still would not cover the wall for them. At least in the McMansions.

I'd have no reason to go to a movie theater again. How long until these are $500?

To be honest, sony already has a tv that size. some company also sells a 250+ inch tv (in the hundred thousands $). The size is not really that impressive in-my-opinion, but the modular technology.
 
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