Top 10 Tech Trends At CES 2013: Based On Meeting Requests

Can you believe that CES 2013 is just around the corner? From January 8 through January 11, 2013, thousands upon thousands of tech industry workers, reporters, and heads of industry will emerge upon Las Vegas, and they will bring with them brand new technologies they hope will impress the masses

Over the last several years, CES has been the stomping ground for 3D technology, HDTV manufacturers, and a few mobile phone releases. However, 2013 promises to be the year of start-ups, unique devices, and possibly even a few surprises (or so various Samsung teasers would have us believe).

In the months leading up to CES 2013, our staff at The Inquisitr has been inundated with hundreds of emails from companies hoping to schedule interview time with our CES reporters. After scouring those emails, I have found that several types of technology will be abundant at CES.

From interactive and wearable health equipment to battery technology and 4K televisions, CES 2013 may be the year that CES redefines itself.

With thousands of technology manufacturers gracing us with their presence at the world’s largest technology expo, it can often be hard to figure out what tech is worth checking out. I personally like to find unique technologies, and, for that reason, I will be hovering around start-up displays for most of the week. However, if you’re a tech buyer or just a lover of improved technology, there are some trends you will want to follow.

Here is our list of the top 10 sure to be promoted technologies at CES 2013:

Battery Technology

From extended battery tech used by OEMs to power increasingly powerful smartphones and tablets to devices that allow for a quick charge via USB and other connection types, the battery industry is once again out in full force this year. I personally received 10 requests from battery company’s but ultimately chose to meet with FatCat to discuss its PowerBar 4200 Charging Station and to talk about future advances they hope to achieve in the marketplace.

Wearable Health Tech With Monitoring Capabilities

iOS and Android enabled devices have made it easier than ever to stay-connected, and that connectivity includes monitoring our own health on a minute-by-minute basis. Our writing staff received plenty of emails from company’s looking to show off monitoring equipment that connects to a users smartphones and tablets. These pieces of tech all carry a similar theme: Users connect an arm band or other new monitor type to their body and then connect that device to a monitoring system. Wearable health tech can keep daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly tabs on a user, ultimately providing the most comprehensive at home health monitoring system to date.

Valencell is the perfect example of this sector. The company, which was founded in 2006, developed the PerformTek sensor technology, which seamlessly integrates into audio ear buds and connects with smartphone apps people are already using while exercising. It measures more real-time biometric and physiological data than any other fitness monitor with a high degree of accuracy and consistency and uses that data to give people meaningful health and fitness assessments.

Mobile Accessories

This isn’t the glitz and glamour technology most CES attendees will be clamoring to get their hands on, but it’s hard not to get excited at the prospect that our phones cases and bluetooth enabled keyboards for our tablets might improve. I personally am most excited about geeky polymer technologies that coat a user’s phone, making them resistance to scratches, water, dust, and other substances. If nothing else, the mobile accessories companies at CES always find ways to create unique add-ons for phones that we never would have thought up on our own.

4K TV Technology and 3D TVs

Westinghouse will debut an 110-inch 4K TV, and Sony will show off its industry leading UHDTV. Over the last several years, CES TV technology has touted increasingly better 3D technology and a more rich color base for televisions operating at 1080p. CES 2013 will still feature 3D TV technology, and it will likely be displayed in full force, but its 4K TVs that attendees will be hunting down. With a handful of manufacturers emailing us with meeting requests, we plan to meet up with Westinghouse, Sony, and others. On the 3D TV front, we’re forgoing a lot of the standard 3D tech and focusing instead on 3D content delivery, meeting with 3Net CEO Tom Cosgrove to discuss his channels 3D content delivery.

Automobile Technology

Honestly, in my last several CES attendances, I was bored with much of the automotive technology on display, but 2013 looks to change my mind about CES automotive technology. From autonomous vehicles that hope to take on Google to cloud based vehicle systems that can stream music, report vehicle issues, and even customize the vehicles settings for each driver, I can’t be more excited for auto tech at CES. We have received at least two dozen emails from enthusiastic automobile technology companies that are offering new ways to personalize the automobile experience.

Headphone Technology

CES has always been a stomping ground for headphones. Three years ago, we attended a Monster Party for Beats by Dre, and this year we’re excited to check out Motorhead’s new line of headphones which promise to deliver better acoustics. Established AV companies lacking in the headphone department are jumping into the ear bud and headphones game, and established companies have emailed us with various meeting requests.

Hybrid Tablets

The notebook market isn’t dead; it’s just evolving. For the last several years, companies have tried to push users away from the keyboard and towards touch-screen technology. At CES 2013, we will see more hybrid tablets that allow users to operate a full OS while still taking advantage of portable touch screen based tablets. While Microsoft will not be gracing CES with its presence, we are sure to witness various Windows 8 based tablets that are simply trying to compete in a crowding marketplace. The emails we have received have often come from less established firms hoping to jump on the hybrid tablet market, but that doesn’t mean we won’t also see hybrid tablets from major OEMs.

I personally want to test out the LG Tab Book Hybrid (pictured above), which promises to offer a sleek style with an 11.6 inch IPS display and the option to upgrade to an Intel Core i5 processor.

Call them hybrids or transformable tablet or whatever you want, but a screen with a full keyboard will always be a laptop in my mind: It’s just a much improved version of original notebook technology.

Better Point And Shoot Cameras With Added Connectivity Options

With smartphone cameras quickly catching up to the technology found in our dated point and click cameras, the industry was overdue for a shift. At CES 2013, we will witness new forms of instant connectivity via point and shoots. Want to upload your photos to Flickr? Just connect via the included WiFi and choose that option. Want to upload your YouTube video? That’s also not a problem.

I’m most excited to check out better lens technology. For example, the rumored Fujifilm X20 is believed to offer a 14-megapixel EXR CMOS sensor that bins the lowpass filter while providing a new 24-120mm f/1.8-2.8 lens, 460k-dot LCD screen, continuous shooting up to 10 frames per second, and a top sensitivity of ISO 12,800.

Manufacturers are beginning to realize that they need to distance their point and shoot cameras from those of standard smartphone cameras and better lenses, better processing technology, and better connectivity seems to be their focus.

The best part? In emails we received and appointments we set up, camera companies have been excited about their new offerings for CES 2013, something we haven’t seen from them in years.

Superphones

Forget smartphones. We want to get our hands on new superphones. CES 2013 will show of smartphones with quad-core technologies, true 1080P HD cameras capable of 24 and 30 second frame rate capturing, and plenty of RAM, storage space, and connectivity options.

CES 2013 won’t just be the stomping ground for new superphones by Samsung and LG; other companies attempting to increase their marketshare are sending out meeting requests en mass.

We will be most interested to check out the rumored Sony Xperia Yuga (potentially pictured above), a superphone with a quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 chipset with Adreno 320 graphics and full 1080P display capabilities.

We’re also interested to check out the Huawei Ascend Mate, which offers a 5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution with 361ppi that is powered by a 1.8GHz Hass K3V3 quad-core processor. Huawei has begun to manufacturer many of its own branded devices rather than creating models for other well known tech companies.

Of course, we also wouldn’t mind getting our hands on the Samsung Galaxy IV should it show up at the tech show.

ROBOTS!!!

We are probably a few years away from Skynet, but the teams of robot builders at CES 2013 might be a new record. Our entire staff of writers practically fought to the death over who would get to see TOSY Robotics newest dancing robot that is also capable of busting a move. The truth is, whether its a vacuum with smartchip technology or a walking robot that can do simple tasks, we are always looking to see where the beginning of human enslavement will find its roots.

So there you have it: ten of the most likely pieces of technology you will almost definitely run into if you walk around the 1.7 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2013.

Are there any specialized pieces of technology you hope to get your hands on at CES 2013?