CES – TheTechAgents

Internet January 20, 2023

CES 2023 and the Smart Energy Letdown By Techagents

Held annually in Las Vegas, CES is unquestionably the most famous and influential tech show on the planet.

With the pandemic still hanging around the world last year, its 2022 appearance was a shadow of its former self, attracting just 45,000 people – down from its pre-Covid high of 150,000 – with dozens of exhibitors ramping up their on-floor presence ahead of the show was cancelled.

This year’s event, happily, attracted significantly more attendees, reaching the 115,000 mark, according to the event’s organizer, the Consumer Technology Association.

After logging nearly 80,000 steps, attending over 35 meetings, and spending many hours on the show floor during my five-day stint, I can attest that the event lived up to my expectations.

There were interesting products and solutions, running the gamut from wireless TVs for your toilet to urine sensors that can monitor your kidney health, VR headsets to the latest electric vehicles; There was literally something for everyone.

Putting those product categories aside, I was looking to see what inroads the industry has made in smart home energy management. Over the past several years, some companies have tried to broaden the definition of a smart home to include the ability to manage electricity use as part of their sustainability efforts to reduce carbon and fossil fuels.

In late 2021, I embarked on a long journey into my home to test the theory that smart devices — and ultimately smart appliances — could reduce my electricity use and, most importantly, my electric bills.

A year after upgrading my 1,700-square-foot condo in San Jose, California, with a host of devices specifically designed to monitor my electricity usage in precise detail, the results were surprising and ultimately disappointing.

How do I upgrade my home with smart energy management devices?

As the saying goes, you can’t manage something until you can measure it, and this is important in the field of smart energy management.

Fortunately, there are some ways to accurately measure power consumption. If you’re building a new home, many homeowners opt to install smart energy electrical panels that connect to the home network and provide detailed information on electricity usage to appliances and outlets.

Legacy Electrical For homeowners with legacy panels, a product such as Schneider Electric’s Visor Energy System is a more economical alternative to replacing the entire electrical board. However, you’ll need a certified electrician to install it because the unit gets embedded behind an existing panel.

Wise Energy Home Power Monitor | Image credit: Schneider Electric

Wiser Energy uses machine learning to check all the power you use in your home. It can identify appliances that are on and off, and its intelligence can even identify major appliances and power usage down to the outlet level. I’ve been using it since late 2021, and it helps me determine which devices in my home are in “always on” status, like the refrigerator.

I’ve gone a step further and used several Kasa Smart Wi-Fi power strips to help me dramatically reduce so-called “ghost” power (also known as “vampire” power), because Most devices waste power when they are not on. use or even discontinued. Ghost power is estimated to account for around 20% of all residential energy consumption, so it is a significant phenomenon.

I’ve installed four Casa Smart Wi-Fi power strips in key areas like my bedroom, den, and office, allowing me to automatically power down and power these areas on at specific times in the morning and at night. Plus, these power strips are Amazon Alexa-compatible, so I can wake them up and turn them off via spoken word.

Smart appliances were the next major upgrade.

Despite a lot of momentum classifying the smart home at a higher level, many consumers have been reluctant about upgrading their major devices to “connected” models because the perceived benefits outweigh the costs.

It’s worth mentioning that it cost about $7,000 to upgrade my entire kitchen and laundry room (refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, and washer/dryer) with the latest connected models from Samsung and LG.

For the mainstream consumer, the convenience of remotely changing the refrigerator’s temperature, being notified of when the filter needs to be replaced, or how many times the refrigerator door has been opened, is worth a lot of cash. .

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Sure, the ability to remotely see inside your Samsung refrigerator with its integrated indoor camera to figure out when you need to buy milk when you’re already at the grocery store can be helpful. Nevertheless, the fact that most appliances have a life cycle of more than 15 years facilitates consumer behavior that these in-home machines do not upgrade until they fail.

Strangely, smart appliance makers haven’t aggressively used appliance intelligence to change consumer behavior. Neither LG nor Samsung’s Smart app will advise users to delay doing their dishes or laundry until early morning or late evening, when utilities like Pacific Gas and Electric in California offer less-expensive time-of-use (TOU) plans. offers.

TOU plans are available in California, Arizona and Massachusetts, with scores of other states coming in the coming years. TOU plans are widespread in Western Europe and Asia, and it is only a matter of time before these offers become ubiquitous in the United States.

Appliance apps lack energy provider integration

Connected device manufacturers have a lot of work to do in this area. Suggesting to postpone doing dishes or laundry with a general message about saving money isn’t enough. A great smart home appliance app should be able to connect to my energy provider account so that it can provide specific cost savings based on my behavior and routine.

For example, let’s say my LG dishwasher tells me I’ll save 90 cents by delaying using it until after 9 p.m., which could translate into savings of several dollars a month or a year. In that case, I imagine the behavior would change quickly. Sadly, this capability is not integrated into the LG and Samsung Smart apps.

The Schneider Electric Wiser app provides me with typical kilowatt-hour (kWH) costs for appliances at the zip code level. Yet, it is not directly tied to my utility account and does not provide the personalized messaging needed to change consumer behavior. This situation is a substantial missed opportunity for all parties involved.

On the bright side, the Home Connectivity Alliance formally announced its interface spec at CES 2023, which should provide greater interoperability between individual devices, including paving the way for how connected solutions work in the real world for the consumer. Can provide energy and cost savings. hope springs eternal.

Will smart energy upgrades to my home save me money?

With 2022 now in the rearview mirror, I could do some “behind the envelope” math to figure out the effect. As mentioned earlier, the results were both surprising and disappointing.

First, the good news: Despite the scorching heat in the Bay Area in 2022 and “staying” with friends and relatives more often in 2021 versus last year, when I lived more or less in isolation, my overall electricity use was about 3.5% lower.

I attribute much of this to the elimination of phantom power, but my more efficient intelligent appliances, which I installed in October, also played a part. One notable example: FTC.gov rates the cost of a new LG washing machine for a full year of use at $13 compared to $38 for the older 2007 model it was replaced with.

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Today’s new equipment is dramatically more affordable than the products available 15 years ago. If I pro-rate the savings related to those new appliances for a full year, I could see an even more dramatic reduction in total electricity use in 2023, potentially reducing my annual electricity use by 10% May come This is really a big deal.

But here’s the bad news: Despite that power cut, in 2021 through 2022, my actual power bill climbed About 18%, from $2,508 to $2,954 in 2022. This type of news will reduce the skepticism of smart home energy management.

Yes, California is to blame, as it has some of the highest electricity rates in the nation, despite regularly taking advantage of less expensive TOU plans.

While some may mildly spin this result because it could have been much worse if I hadn’t made all these upgrades to my condo, it’s not the type of message that will be successful with most consumers, as they View the upgrade as a means. In fact now to save money from their expenses.

In the final analysis, my main conclusion is that this underscores how seriously I should consider moving out of California.

Other notable sightings at CES 2023

A few other product demonstrations caught my attention and were worthy of being called out during my five-day stint in Las Vegas.

lenovo thinkbook wireless dock

Image credit: Synaptics

Synaptics, one of the major human interface “component” technology leaders in the world, announced a new capability that Lenovo has used to release a completely wireless docking station, the aptly named Lenovo ThinkBook Wireless Dock .

With the potential to feature seamless, cable-free 4K display connectivity, this capability will resonate with work-from-home users who hate cluttered desktops.

EV Battery Management

Infineon Technologies and Newtron Controls, as shown in my on-site interviews, demonstrated new technology designed to optimize overall battery management and consumption in the EV field.

Given the scores of control systems in the average EV, this capability will find wide appeal by electric car makers looking to optimize as much as possible in a highly coordinated, synchronized manner without sacrificing functionality or safety.

schneider home

Schneider Electric unveils its innovative, sustainable home energy management solution, called Schneider Home.

Image credit: Schneider Electric

Consisting of a home battery for clean energy storage, a high-power solar inverter, a smart electric panel, an EV charger, connected electric sockets and light switches, this attractively designed solution monitors energy consumption by individual appliances Uses an app to manage and decide how to prioritize power during an outage.

While it lays the groundwork for lower electricity costs by taking advantage of solar energy stored in local batteries, its associated app still provides functionality based on individual account linkage with the local energy provider, rather than guiding consumer behavior at the device level. ready to monitor. Nevertheless, it is a good step in the right direction.

material product display

Finally, it was good to see the Matter smart home inoperability initiative making an appearance at CES 2023.

Unlike last year’s CES, the Matter product demos, which promise to allow smart home devices to work together without strict allegiance to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, were on the show floor and behind the NDA sessions. Was visible in both the shows. ,

Unfortunately, MATER-compliant products are still not available at retail, but that should change in the next 60 to 90 days.

Internet January 16, 2023

Nvidia was the brains among the hottest robots at CES By Techagents

Robots have been around for decades, but they’ve mostly been stupid. They were either controlled remotely by humans or ran fixed scripts that allowed almost no latitude in terms of how they operated or what they did. Even though I was born in the year Robbie the Robot became famous, the robots I grew up with were nothing like Robbie. They were as smart as old toasters.

Luckily, that’s changing. Robotics has advanced tremendously over the past decade, partly thanks to the pioneering work Nvidia has done with autonomous vehicles, much of which has translated into autonomous robotics. At CES this year, Nvidia was on the mind among all the top robots, starting with a robotic tractor from John Deere and ending with the GlüxKind, an AI-powered baby stroller I want to buy for my aging dog.

Let’s talk about the Nvidia-powered robots at CES this week. We’ll end with our product of the week, a wireless microphone that just might keep me from getting into a fight on my next air trip.

john deere autonomous tractor

John Deere won the Best of Innovation award for its robotic tractor.

John Deere fully autonomous tractor | Image credit: Deere & Company

I grew up working on a farm. Driving a tractor was fun in the beginning, but it got tiresome very quickly.

The repetition of driving in the heat and long lines was only broken by the excitement of an equipment failure or the prospect of a horrific death should I fall asleep and fall off the tractor. This actually happened years later to my division head at IBM, who died after falling from his tractor into a plow.

John Deere tractors will not bore, will not tire, will not die, so farmers can work on other jobs that need to be done, considering that staffing farms has become a big problem lately. Historically, robots weren’t cheap on farms because labor was cheap. But now you can’t find those workers, and it’s just as difficult to get local people to work on the farm.

Therefore, if farmers want to continue operating, they need to automate, suggesting that the farms of the future may be run entirely by increasingly intelligent robots and robotic equipment. Therefore, this tractor could be the key to ensuring food on our tables in the future.

Agrist Harvesting Robot

Another robot was from Agrist. I am not a fan of it mainly because it was made to cut capsicum and capsicum triggers my gag reflex. Just the smell of things makes me feel sick. Still, if I had to harvest bell peppers (apparently one of my concepts of hell), I’d appreciate a robot like this one that kept my hands, nose, and tongue away from the horrible stuff.

Sometimes you have to grow stuff you don’t like, and this robot will assure me that if I still had a farm—which thankfully I don’t—I could grow bell peppers and plant them without Brought close to something could bite.

Seriously, this robot is designed to work in indoor factory farms, which will be critical to the survival of countries that will be badly affected by climate change and lose the ability to farm as a result. Such robots will be crucial to sustaining humanity as the climate makes outdoor agriculture obsolete.

skydio scout drone

Drones were also covered, with Skydio Drone standing in for its Scout drone.

Skydio is an attractive drone company. There’s also a docked drone solution that reminds me of the old Green Hornet TV show. Can you imagine putting one of these on your car so you can check what’s causing that traffic jam you’re stuck in? Or imagine a police officer on a high-speed chase being able to launch one of these and have it autonomously and covertly pursue the suspect, therefore saving them life and limb while chasing them in the car. didn’t have to risk it.

Skydio drones are used in law enforcement, fire and rescue, power line inspection, construction, transportation, telecommunications, and defense.

Skydio is a powerful company with an increasingly powerful set of autonomous products that could one day save your life, making it potentially one of the most important products launched at CES this year.

GlüxKind ‘Ella’ AI-Powered Stroller

I was looking for a powered stroller for my aging dog a few weeks ago. When the dog gets tired of walking, we put it in a stroller, but the mountain climbing thing gets old. When my wife walks all three of our dogs alone, it becomes exhausting and potentially unsafe to manage the stroller at the same time.

When empty, the GlüxKind Ella stroller will follow you (I don’t want to imagine being a runaway with a baby in it). When occupied, it’s battery-assisted for going up hills where my wife often struggles (I’m currently her go-to solution for going up hills).

Glüxkind was honored with the CES 2023 Innovation Awards for its “Ella” smart stroller. , Image credit: GluxKind Technologies

Sadly its current configuration won’t work for my dog. Otherwise, I would probably have ordered one. But trying to teach a 14-year-old dog to sit like a kid in a stroller is a non-starter, although it does shock others a bit when we walk by. Still, for parents with multiple children or those looking to walk their dog and child at the same time, this powered stroller could be a winner.

Now, if they would just come out with a pet configuration, I’d be all in.

Nubility Delivery Robot

Nubility’s self-driving robot, named Nuby, is one of the newer delivery robots to hit the market.

I’m a little worried about this class of robot. In tests, children and some adults often abused and broke these robots when in use. The Newbie is bigger and more robust from what I’ve seen, but I imagine it may need some sort of defense or high-speed escape capability to work in the real world.

Onboard cameras should capture and record anyone who damages it, but it may take a while for people to leave the thing alone to do their job. For this reason, Nubility is smartly targeting golf courses where the robots can be better protected. Places such as resorts, hospitals and factories would be where such robots could operate most successfully.

I’ll wait to see if they develop one with a built-in taser before putting too much faith in delivery robots outside controlled environments like golf courses and resorts.

Still, once accepted and protected, robots of this class will likely make home delivery by humans a thing of the past, better assured you’re home to receive the delivery and no more to the porch pirates. Make life very difficult whom I hate with a new found obsession after this past Christmas.

Seoul Robotics LV5 Control Tower for Autonomous Parking

Seoul Robotics demonstrated a Level 5 control tower, typical of the way autonomous cars are currently configured. It uses infrastructure outside the vehicle to manage the automobile, potentially enabling any current-generation car with Level 2 technology that is connected to that grid to operate autonomously. Is.

This variant is interesting because, rather than thinking of autonomous cars as they are now, it thinks of them more as how an air traffic controller monitors all cars in range and directs them from a central resource. Eventually, this technology could replace things like traffic lights, effectively moving them into the vehicle when it is being driven by humans and making them invisible to people riding in autonomous cars.

Not only could this approach be much cheaper than putting this technology in every car, but it would also shift maintenance from the car owner to the government, which could maintain it better, although this is not always a given.

It could also help ensure fewer catastrophic problems and allow older cars to better interoperate with newer autonomous vehicles, while providing a viable low-cost upgrade for those building more recent cars. wanted which are not currently autonomous functions like they were. This is arguably the most innovative approach to the autonomous car problem I’ve seen, and I’m thrilled by it.

while the autonomous wheelchair

Finally, Whill presented its autonomous wheelchair designed for people with limited mobility and vision. Older or partially disabled people who cannot see well are heavily dependent on others because the white cane approach does not work in a wheelchair.

Winner of the Best of Innovation Award in the Accessibility category, this wheelchair features unique high-traction tires and a rear bin to hold packages or groceries. It sounds a bit like a science fiction movie.

With 12 miles of range, the ability to climb over 3-inch objects like curbs, and very high stability for rough roads, it could be ideal for aging seniors and those with vision and mobility problems. At 5.5 mph, it’s anything but blazing fast, but if you have mobility and vision problems, you probably don’t want blazing fast.

Weighing in at 250 pounds, it’s lighter than many motorized solutions for people with limited mobility, and its autonomous capability provides freedom that some people might not get any other way.

wrapping up

This list of robots at CES is by no means exhaustive, but I realized that Nvidia was the brainchild of most of the robots I saw, so I thought I’d use that as a theme for this column. The autonomous robot revolution is just getting started, with the hope that we never go far enough to make the book robopocalypse a reality.

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Over the next decade, these will unfold at an increasing pace, and Nvidia has placed itself at the heart (okay, maybe more at the brain) of these efforts. After all, we can be like George Jetson and have a maid like Rosie who’s autonomous, robotic, and with just the right level of snark.

At CES, I Saw My Robotic Future. I can’t wait until I have my own rosé!

mutlhack vr microphone

Before Christmas, I took my last trip of the year to New York. Before taking off on the return flight, I had to do a radio interview over the phone. While the person next to me was fine with it, the guy in front of me was not and it looked like I was talking too loudly because he was about to hit me. I have a trained media voice, and that goes a long way.

Having a solution I can be a lifesaver when doing these things especially if we get to the point where we are making inflight phone calls and don’t want to annoy or accidentally entertain everyone on the plane with our conversations – Let alone accidentally share confidential or personal information.

The Mutlock VR microphone was one of two products launched at CES that can include your voice when you speak.

I’m choosing Mutalk because it was also designed to work with the VR rig I play with in VR, the Mask by Skyted, which was huge and apparently designed for inflight use Made it more appealing to me than it was. , To be honest, I’d be fine with either, and I have to admit that even a whole mutable rig on a plane might be a bit much.

Finally, something I can use for making calls in areas with a lot of ambient noise or when I need to be punched when I need to speak loudly. So, the Mutalk Leakage Voice Suppression Microphone is my Product of the Week.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.

Internet January 6, 2023

Unusual technology emerged at CES 2023 By Techagents

Not all of the gadgetry announced at the Consumer Electronics Show this year solves just business problems. Some new technologies help people have fun, keep track of things, or enhance personal spaces.

Here’s a summary of three new items that check those boxes. We found this emerging technology intriguing, and you may wonder why no one thought of it before.

Verge Motorcycles launches high-performance model

A highly anticipated new electric motorcycle line from Verge Motorcycles is now available for pre-reservations in the US. The company announced that it will start selling in select states during 2023.

By making an early reservation, fans can indicate their interest to be in touch when the long-awaited electric motorcycles go on sale in the United States. Verge announced the start of series production of its other models, the Verge TS and Verge TS Pro, for select European markets in November. Here is their brand clip “Introducing Verge TS Pro – The Electric Superbike”.

The new Verge TS Ultra model (pictured above) is one of the most advanced electric motorcycles out there. The Verge is known for its unique design and innovative integration of the rim motor inside the rear wheel. This pioneering technology enables a bigger battery, more extended range and great performance. Furthermore, the center of gravity is lower, providing a better riding experience than conventional electric motorcycles.

“We see a lot of potential in the market and look forward to [by] Bike enthusiasts will soon be rewarded with even more powerful and futuristic electric motorcycles,” said Tuomo Lehtimäki, CEO of Verge Motorcycles.

The Verge TS Ultra is a high-performance model designed from the ground up with electric drive in mind. The Verge TS and Verge TS Pro models already represent innovation. The performance of the new Ultra model is exceptional, with a range of up to 233 miles and a fast charging time of 25 minutes. With its 201 horsepower output, the bike accelerates from zero to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds.

Commercial Smart Label Tracking Device

Pod Group, a Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) company and the world’s first Enterprise Network Operator (ENO), in partnership with Sodak and Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND), announced on Tuesday the launch of a paper-thin tracking device. form of a smart label.

The device could revolutionize the logistics industry by allowing the tracking of smaller and lighter items. According to the company, this capability has not been possible before using traditional tracking devices.

“Smart mobile devices will play an increasing role in digital transformation across all industries. Due to its form factor and unique technology, smart labels enable a range of new use cases,” said Ingo Pietruska, Vice President of Business Development at LHIND.

Smart labels use low-power cellular connectivity (LTE CAT-M) to transmit data about device location and temperature back to a centralized dashboard, enabling logistics companies to track valuable items.

The package can be as small and light as an envelope containing important documents or as large as a full-size oil painting. The LEAP platform provided by LHIND enables geofences with notifications that can be set to alert the user when a package has entered or left strategic points along the supply chain.

The printed battery keeps the label as light as possible, while the use of low-power connectivity ensures that battery life is optimized and can last up to six months. The label can be used multiple times depending on the frequency of transmission. Alkaline batteries are also more environmentally friendly than traditional lithium batteries, and the materials used are recyclable.

“With smart labels, companies with complex supply chains can track their goods efficiently, reducing spoilage and theft. State-of-the-art low-power cellular communication technology can now deliver real-time tracking from a recyclable ultra-thin device can reliably send position, near temperature and shock alerts,” said Oli Smeenek, co-CEO of IoT hardware company Sodak.

AI powered personalized air improvement solutions

Airosphera, a new company operated by Airovation Technologies, showcased an unprecedented product and concept at CES 2023 – Personal Air Improvement.

AI-powered air improvement solutions personalize a variety of environments for wellbeing and performance at home, work and other indoor locations. Aerosphaera is collaborating with leading brands in home appliances, air purification, and other relevant markets to embed its technology and AI capabilities into their products in a variety of ways and across multiple use scenarios.

The technology uses artificial intelligence, unique remote sensing capability and cloud processing to produce an all-in-one solution designed to create the optimal personal indoor environment customized for each user. Machine learning technology enables bio-sensing to continuously monitor actions such as heart rate, breathing rate and daily routines – all remotely.

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With manually entered data, it creates personalized baseline parameters for an optimal breathing environment.

According to Marat Mayan, founder and CEO of Aerovation Technologies, these air-improvement products will stand out in the market by activating air treatment, monitoring user-critical vital parameters and instructing users to improve their environment with an accompanying app.

Air purifiers also deal with CO₂ Level and treatment of particulate and microbiological pollutants within indoor spaces, thereby improving people’s productivity and well-being.

The Aerosphaera Trio of Air-Improvement Products

Aerosfera Pro Improves the air around users such as students and workplace professionals and helps them be aware of their vitals and surroundings to help improve focus, productivity and learning skills.

aero An air treatment device that improves air quality for the vitality, well-being and improved performance of users. It cleans the air of pollutants and captures CO₂,

aerosphere Junior is an all-in-one air control solution for babies, equipped with multi-sensors that measure and reflect environmental and baby conditions and treat the air to improve baby’s well-being.

Computing December 19, 2022

The Newfound Importance of CES By Techagents

I just finished a series of CES previews by PC vendors, and I can easily say that with the products I saw, Lenovo is likely to win at CES this year. I can’t tell you why or what they’re announcing, but it got me thinking about why CES might be more important than I thought if Lenovo’s using it like that.

I’ve never been a fan of CES because it comes too early for back-to-school or the next holiday shopping season. In addition, it spoils the holidays for those who have to dress up to attend the event, and with a tri-monster underway, it could affect attendees for the worse. People in my age group (my wife would suggest I add the word “advanced”) should participate remotely, as I would because of the risk of serious illness.

But after watching Lenovo’s pitch for its announcement at CES next month, I realize that for those who truly innovate, CES has the potential to set the bar for the rest of the market and take an undisputed leadership position for 2023. Might be the perfect show for that.

Let’s talk about CES and market leadership this week, and we’ll close with our product of the week, a new two-card line of graphics cards by AMD that’s blowing everything else out of the water at the moment.

problems with innovation

We love to talk about innovation, but innovation refers to finding a problem that we cannot fix using existing approaches and technologies. After decades as an analyst, it seems to me that most innovation is more about trying to fix a problem than an existing tool that generally works better.

When innovation emerges, it is because it solves a problem that existing tools either cannot handle or does it in a better way than traditional tools. In other words, innovation for its own sake is stupid. However, when applied to an unsolved or poorly solved problem, innovation can be disastrous if people are convinced that it brings vastly better results.

resistance to change

This brings up the second problem with innovation: it requires high marketing, because with all the hype around innovation, we don’t like change.

We get comfortable with things and can get upset when faced with change. To some extent, it is related to age. The younger you are, the more likely you are to accept and even inspire change. The older you get, the more you cherish stability and tradition. But regardless of age and tolerance for innovation, if someone can’t show you why the innovative product is better in a compelling way, young people probably won’t buy it either.

risk factor

Finally, innovation is risky. When it comes to long-lasting products, you know a lot about what the market currently accepts because the existing product is selling. But when you innovate, you’re guessing what buyers want that they’re not getting, and the risk that you can be wrong increases astronomically.

This introduces risk because you can be wrong. Your company should be tolerant of risk-taking because, despite being written about the need to take risk, most companies reward risk-taking rather than risk-taking.

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For example, I once met with the CEO of Ford, who talked about changing Ford’s culture about risk-taking, but then pointed out that if someone took a risk with Ford’s pickup truck, the F-150, That was Ford’s mainstay, and got it wrong, they would be shot.

Obviously, he didn’t understand the risk-taking at all because the message he was conveying was that Ford really wasn’t willing to support it. The F-150 would stand as an example to others, even if whatever the CEO said, he was not on board with the idea.

In short, you either support risk-taking or you don’t. Granted, risks have to be justified, but if you focus on limiting risk-taking, you will kill innovation. (I should point out that the CEO I met was forced out of Ford several years ago.)

Setting the Bar for Tech Innovation

CES is arguably the place to take the biggest risks because it’s the first major technology show of the year. It set the bar for the year in technological innovation in some markets, including automotive. While we don’t think of it as an auto show, when it comes to technologies like in-car entertainment and autonomous driving, this is where you see those advancements firsthand. Even focused car shows are subject to CES.

Historically, tech vendors haven’t really geared up for their most innovative pushes in January, so it’s not until mid-year that we see the most interesting stuff. As mentioned, this year, I think Lenovo will overwhelm other vendors as much as it did with its Threadripper workstations and aggressive use of water cooling in the professional space. By showing it off at CES instead of later in the year, marketing (which is working impressively) should have the resources to do the heavy lifting.

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Used right, a company can put up a tough fight at CES and be the talk of the industry for next year if it rocks hard enough. Granted, it comes with risk because if the market doesn’t agree with where you innovated, you could dig a hole that will take time to dig out. I’m a big believer in swinging for the fences because if you don’t, you’ll never be able to hit that home run.

Lenovo has been moving steadily towards market leadership of late. The shots it’s taking are risky, but it’s shown it can execute, so keep your eyes on Lenovo. I think you will look at the company differently after the show.

wrapping up

I have a newfound respect for CES, and I think about how it could be even more powerful than it currently is. Being the first major tech show of the year, it sets the bar if the presenting vendors aggressively pursue innovative solutions to problems that have not only not been addressed but were not even known to customers that they had.

Done right, a vendor in a variety of markets, including automotive, appliances, personal technology, PCs, and, increasingly, robotics, can tear apart its competitors like Apple did a few decades ago with smartphones and rule the market. Was.

Lenovo is taking that shot this year, and keep an eye out for Lenovo when it gets off the floor at CES. I think it will surprise the market and show how other vendors can use the show to get ahead of their competitors. So just like that, I get to what CES should always have been: the one show to rule them all (Gollum says “hi”).

AMD RX 7900 XT/XTX graphics card

AMD woke up the gaming world with two graphics cards, the RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX, that are priced well above their suggested retail price, which sadly has largely sold out and is going for a hefty premium. have been

They look great in a case and show how far AMD has come in the competitively priced GPU space.

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Graphics Card | Image credit: AMD

These are truly impressive graphics cards, enhanced by a software driver solution that makes management easy for both professional and amateur gamers alike.

gamers choice

I’ve been watching gaming forums where the dialogue about AMD (both CPU and GPU) has gone from viewing the company as a value player in the space to being the king of performance. I’m a little surprised on the CPU side, not because AMD’s Threadripper CPU isn’t awesome, but because gaming largely depends on GPU performance these days. But many gamers are making fun of their peers who are no longer running AMD CPUs, which shows how much AMD’s image has changed over time.

Utilizing a balance of absolute performance, plug-and-play installation ease, high color accuracy and advanced chiplet technology, these cards set a new bar for gamers, and gamers love them so much they bought out the existing supply Is. So, you might want to wait a little longer before buying one of these cards as prices are getting worse due to lack of supply.

Unlike some other more expensive competing parts, these do not require special connectors, fit most cases, and consume very little power, which helps us keep our rising energy costs down.

If you love gaming and want the best performance for the money at anywhere close to suggested retail, these new AMD cards are a tremendous deal and represent a potential new era for AMD as a power player in the GPU space. We do. At the same time, they were a wake-up call for Nvidia, which went in a very different direction.

In conclusion, like the market, I’m very impressed with the AMD RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX cards, making them my products of the week.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.