The biggest news out of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show came on the first day, but the last few days of CES have brought a few interesting products, SDKs and announcements.
SDKs
GM SDK: The carmaker announced an SDK for developers to create mobile apps for its forthcoming connected cars, which GM hopes will lead to a new category of vehicle apps. Another automaker, Ford, also announced an app developer conference this year for its SYNC AppLink development platform.
Intel RealSense Computing SDK: Intel announced a collaboration with augmented reality software maker Metaio to integrate 3D tracking software into the SDK, set for release in the first half of 2014.
Opera Devices SDK: Opera Software announced that the latest version of Bang & Olufsen-connected TVs are shipping with Opera’s new SDK. Opera says the SDK will also be available for Sony, Samsung and Toshiba TVs.
Broadcom WICED SDK: Broadcom’s new SDK supports high-definition audio streaming from iOS devices, enhancing its support for Apple AirPlay.
All about VR
Virtual reality was one of the most popular buzzwords of CES this year, and it capped the show off with the Oculus Rift Crystal Cove prototype, which won the Best of CES award. Read more about the Rift in our feature on virtual reality technology.
Virtuix Omni also showed off the latest version of its omnidirectional treadmill for gamers wearing a virtual reality headset. The newest prototype has 40 sensors and nine microcontrollers to measure the pressure of a player’s foot on the curved floor, translating that data to simulate a person’s running movements.
Sony is also trying its hand at VR with the Sony Smart Eyeglass. The head-mounted display overlays additional information about whatever you’re watching on television, like tweets, commentary or the score of a game.
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Android-powered hardware
The Keecker projector robot, controlled via Android smartphone, rolls around on motorized wheels transforming any surface or wall into a big screen. It also has 360-degree audio and a video capture system.
There’s also Hisense’s Pulse Pro Android TV box, a set-top box running software called Android TV v4, with the ability to run Google TV apps.
Dual-boot Android/Windows devices didn’t stop with just Intel, Asus and AMD. India-base MicroMax introduced its dual-boot LapTab, and both Lenovo and HP also announced dual-boot devices for Microsoft and Google OSes.
A few more crazy smart devices
Innovega iOptik lenses are smart contact lenses that, when worn with accompanying glasses, can display apps and media to create a Google Glass-like experience. The lenses also give the wearer “superhuman” vision, allowing them to see beyond what a normal eye can see.
The Sleep Number x12 smart bed has sensors that measure breathing, movement and heart rate, displaying the sleep data on a smartphone to help you improve your sleeping habits. So if you’ve got US$8,000 to kill and don’t mind sleeping on top of a giant machine that’s monitoring your every move, it hits the market in February.
