Tiny Edison computer steals the show at CES

The International CES 2014 is clearly out to make a splash.

Health technology and wearable devices are more popular than ever, while 3D printing is a larger presence than ever before. And car technology – both from car manufacturers themselves and those providing in-car systems – is also a significant presence at this year’s show.

There were big announcements of curved TVs and 4K from the likes of Samsung, Panasonic, Sony and even Polaroid, and more home automation products than you could keep track of.

The phrase “internet of things” has raised its head on more than a few occasions as smart lightbulbs that have back up battery power in case of a power loss and appliances you can talk to were pushed at attendees.

And there is the usual slew of tablets, from Panasonic's toughened up seven inch device and Lenovo's new Windows devices to Samsung's decision to supersize tablets to 12 inch screens.

Lasting repercussions
But it is Intel's tiny computer, known as Edison, that could have lasting repercussions for the technology industry in the future.

The company unveiled the new system on a chip, which could transform how wearable computing progresses in the future.

It represents a significant departure for Intel, with some industry watchers speculating that the company could be giving up trying to catch up on the smartphone market, where it failed to capitalise early on, and instead will opt to challenge the wearable computing market.

The Quark chip that powers the Edison tiny PC also has an Irish connection; it was designed in Ireland at the company’s Leixlip plant, along with the Galileo board.

The announcement certainly caused some excitement, and Intel was keen to show off what it could contribute to the wearable tech sector, including its own smartwatch and intelligent sensors that could help make life a little easier.

What flew a little more under the radar at the Intel event, however, was the announcement of dual-boot devices, for example PCs that can handle both Android and Windows and allow you to switch easily between operating systems, depending on what you want to use them for.

On the car tech front, there was plenty to get excited about. Toyota unveiled a new fuel cell car at the show that it says will be in production next year. The new hydrogen fuel cell-powered car has a range of more than 300 miles, and has the advantage of refuelling in less than five minutes. That puts it ahead of the current crop of electric vehicles, that require more time to recharge.

“We aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel; just everything necessary to make them turn,” said Toyota motor sales executive Bob Carter.

However, there are some enormous challenges ahead for the technology. The first will be making it for a price that it can be sold on the mass market for; the second will be creating the infrastructure to refuel such vehicles.

Audi, meanwhile, went for the self-driving car to provide the wow factor, in-car LTE connectivity and also announced advanced laser light technology that provides three times as much light as LED headlamps, but won’t dazzle oncoming drivers.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told attendees that mobility was now about connecting the car, rather than just connected places and people.

The company has joined up with Google on an open automotive alliance, and also showed off an Android powered smart display for its cars that can interface with vehicles for media and web browsing.

Steam Machines
Moving away from cars and back to the living room, the exhibition also offered a glimpse of the upcoming Steam Machines. A firm called Valve used the show last year to announce the project; this year, it showed what we can expect in the next few months.

Fourteen companies are partnering with Valve to build devices on the Steam platform, which is based on Linux. The machines, which range in price from $500 upwards, have a variety of hardware options too.

Dell’s Alienware PC brand is one of the manufacturers getting on board, but there are plenty of smaller PC makers keen to do business with Valve.

Firms were also keen to show off their health tech credentials, with companies from LG and Sony to Epson getting involved in the sector.

But CSR was also on hand to show how the next generation of wearable technology could look, with a concept necklace that wouldn’t look out of place in a regular jewelery box. Connected to phones by Bluetooth, the necklace notifies users of alerts such as missed calls or messages through a flashing light.

The stylish jewelry stands out among the current crop of fitness bands and wearable tech, which can often be conspicuous on wearers.

But despite the long list of announcements at the event as usual, it was some of the attendees themselves who made headlines, not least director Michael Bay’s awkward departure from stage after a teleprompter error left him stuck for words when endorsing Samsung’s new curved screens.

News of his “meltdown” spread fast, and he later offered an explanation of sorts on his website, mentioning the teleprompter issues.

But that was quickly replaced with a new gaffe, this time from AT&T. The communications company found itself in the spotlight this week when the head of rival T-Mobile US, John Legere, was ejected from an AT&T party.

His presence was revealed in a tweet by CNet reporter Roger Cheng, who posted a photo of Legere, and noted that the executive was wearing his distinctive pink Tmobile T-shirt.

A short while later, Legere was removed from the party.

Talk of his “crashing” of the AT&T party spread, although it was later reported that Legere was there to see rapper Macklemore and had been given a pass by the artist’s agent.

Still, the incident created a lot of buzz on Twitter, cementing Legere’s reputation as one of the more unusual CEOs in the business.

With CES drawing to a close, it remains to be seen how many of the innovations shown at the show will make their way into living rooms. But one thing is clear: your home, car and office will never quite look the same again.