Motorola has expanded its smartphone portfolio with new devices at CES that include a premium model with four 50MP camera lenses.

The Motorola Signature is described as the company's most "refined smartphone to date", and will stand out in the crowd with its quad 50MP camera system. To put this in perspective, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra only has two 50MP cameras (it also features a 200MP main lens and a 10MP telephoto one).

However, it isn't just another phone with lots of cameras. For Mauricio Moisés, the senior manager of product for Motorola, the Signature is the result of close collaboration with companies like Qualcomm, Sony, and Instagram. It is a melting pot of technologies designed to make a smartphone tailored to its most popular use case: social media.

"We're trying to deliver an experience that is a no-brainer for everyone to understand," Moisés told ITPro.

"To talk about quality, resolution is just one pillar. We need Qualcomm's support; we need Sony sensors. So resolution is only one of the pillars. But to deliver massive and impressive camera quality, we need to be good in all aspects, so the higher the resolution, the more detail we can preserve in an image."

These same rule applies to sensors. The aim is to try and preserve as much as possible so that you get an image as close to reality. That's why the resolution is super important, according to Moisés.

"When you see the details, it makes the difference," he added.

The main sensor from Sony is the largest Motorola has ever used, and it plays a key role in defining what is good and what needs to be improved. The partnership with Instagram, meanwhile, is about minimizing loss of quality from smartphone to platform.

"We just want people to point and shoot; the heavy lifting is on us," Moisés explained. "And thanks to this partnership with Instagram, the heavy lifting is on both sides. So we just open the camera, and it doesn't matter if you use your camera app or the Instagram camera directly, the results preserve the same image quality."

ITPro had some hands-on time with the Motorola Signature at CES, testing out its camera system. And its point-and-shoot capabilities were very impressive. As were the telephoto and selfie lenses.

For video, we found it to be slightly jumpy, particularly if there is light in the frame, although that can be fixed with the Pro mode.

Alongside the Signature, Motorola has also unveiled a new Razr Fold with an expansive 8.1in display, the same quad camera system as the Signature, and a Motorola Qira – a new AI assistant that works across both Lenovo and Motorola devices.

Lenovo has taken another shot at its rollable screen laptop concept, with a highly polished version being unveiled at CES 2026.

Ahead of its keynote presentation inside the Las Vegas Sphere, Lenovo presented its latest rollable screen laptop, the ThinkPad XD, as part of a host of new models being launched at the show.

Unlike its previous concepts, the rolling screen on the ThinkPad XD is more refined, studier, and also a dual display, with a half screen on the lid.

The lid displays notifications and widgets. As the front screen extends up, so too does the display on the lid. The bottom half, however, is transparent, with gears and motors on show, which looks impressive up close but slightly like a screen bleed when viewed from afar.

To activate the screen extension, you must first tap the very top of the display. Then, slowly swipe your finger from the right-hand corner inwards. It takes roughly 30 seconds to reach full height, and the same swipe action takes the screen back down. You can also activate a 'mirror mode' so that you can control the extension from the opposite side of the display.

Unfortunately, the ThinkPad XD is still just a concept with no set plan for a full release. But looking back at the prototype revealed at MWC 2023, you can see that this XD model has greatly improved. The fact that it wraps around onto the lid is a promising sign, which follows the capabilities of foldable phones.

There are also some voice controls on the ThinkPad XD, where you can ask the device to open. These come from another former Lenovo concept that is now being pushed out as a fully formed product: the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist.

Despite being a bit of a wordy name, 'Auto Twist' is near enough the concept in a nutshell. A laptop that works on voice commands with a screen that rotates. The display sits on a dual rotational hinge (first of its kind, according to Lenovo) and features face tracking technology, so the screen follows a face, though you need to lock onto a subject with its touchscreen control.

With its voice control, you can ask it to close the lid, rotate the screen into tablet mode, and also revert it back to its normal laptop form. However, to open the device, you can simply knock on the lid, like you would someone's front door, and it automatically opens the laptop. This was previously a concept, but it is now going into "mass production", according to Lenovo.

The XD concept and the Gen 7 Auto Twist were to most eye-catching of its ThinkBook and ThinkPad announcements. Though worth keeping an eye out for an all-new ThinkPad X9-15p; this is aimed at people new to the brand and features 'Smart Modes' that help with navigation and workflow.

There were also new Yoga Aura Edition models, Think Centre PCs, and an AIO i 32in PC with a transparent bottom bezel.

Good morning from the Venetian in Las Vegas as the official first day of CES begins...

We will endeavor to bring you all the news as it happens and take you around the convention center, where all the biggest and best technology companies have pitched their stalls.

Later in the afternoon, we will also be attending Lenovo Tech World (a conference inside a conference) at the Sphere.

Although today is the first day of the conference, there is plenty to catch up on from the past 24 hours. Monday night was busy with both AMD and Nivida hosting events with product launches.

AMD's CEO Dr Lisa Su unveiled a whole host of new AI chips – many of which we will find in this years laptop and computing offerings. These were Ryzen AI 400 series processors, which also include AMD's first Copilot+ processors for desktops. The Ryzen AI 400 chips will feature 60 TOPS XDNA 2 NPUs, which is up from the 50 to 55 TOPS in Ryzen AI 300 hardware.

Nvidia announced the launch of its next-generation Vera Rubin superchip – one of six chips that make up its Rubin platform. Vera Rubin combines one Vera CPU and two Rubin GPUs in a single processor. The Rubin platform is for agentic AI, advanced reasoning models, and mixture-of-experts (MoE) models, the tech giant said.

The computing vendors have also started CES early, with new models from Dell, HP, Asus, and Acer already on show...

The biggest news from Dell is the return of the XPS… One year after its reported demise.

Jeff Clarke, chief operating officer at Dell Technologies, revealed three new models of XPS, with the brand now taking a central position in the company’s laptop offerings. Although the XPS will be restored as a consumer-focused brand, rather than the commercial one it was originally.

The reasoning behind the return is that “branding matters” and that the company had “listened” to its customers, according to Clarke. Essentially, the XPS brand is back from the dead by popular demand. The all-new XPS will come in 14in, 16in, and 13in models with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and built-in Intel Arc graphics with 12 Xe cores. These will also be the “thinnest yet” with both the 14in and 16in models measuring just 14.6mm.

Read our full story of the XPS return here.

HP’s CES offerings have included the HP EliteBook X G2i 14in – already reviewed by ITPro – and the HP EliteBoard, an AI PC fiendishly disguised as a keyboard.

Acer has arrived at CES with updates to most of its laptop brands, including new AI models of the Swift. There are 16 and 14in models for the Swift AI, and the same for the Swift Edge AI. Each has a new haptic touchpad – the largest in the world, according to Acer. Regardless of size, the touchpads are the most eye-catching addition for the Swift range, with new LED-based controls aimed at creators. You can quickly change volume or skip through a video, all within the trackpad.

Acer has also announced a new Aspire 14 AI and Acer Aspire 16 AI available with new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors. These models feature a “thin-and-light” chassis and user-centric designs, again with large touchpads – very much a theme for Acer, this year. These Aspire models will be available with OLED, touch, and non-touch display options.

A closer look at the trackpad on the Acer Swift 14 AI

Overnight, Samsung announced three new laptop models: the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, the Galaxy Book6 Pro, and the Galaxy Book6. We will be visiting the Samsung booth shortly to get a look at these new models….

More from HP as it has just launched new updates for its Workforce Experience Platform (WXP) with new employee device management features. The updates are designed to eliminate the costly friction points in hybrid work by giving IT teams proactive control over an entire fleet. These include out-of-band remote connect, an industry first (according to HP), and integration of firmware-level remote control in a single, accessible platform. Unified printer management – an area HP specializes in – and also custom alerts, with tailored monitoring.

Ahead of CES, ITPro spoke with Larry Meadows, the head of product strategy at HP, regarding its WXP updates.

“The Workforce Experience Platform is HP’s software as a service for fleet management and employee experience,” Meadows told ITPro. It’s focused on helping IT leaders identify how well the IT investment is perfromaning and what are the areas for improvement in order to limit or minimize any disruption to employee productivity throughout the day.”

“I deliberately use the phrase IT investment and not PCs, because while we do cover PCs, we also cover collaboration rooms, video endpoints, printers, and IP telephones. As well as software applications… What we’re trying to do is put together a more comprehensive view of how you can manage that. As opposed to having to bounce between different portals. Which many companies do today.”

The Expo center in the Venetian is extremely busy...

Lenovo comes to CES as the official partner of the upcoming FIFA World Cup and, as such, there's a lot of FIFA-branded products. Like these ThinkBook soccer button caps...

ITPro spoke with Daryl Cromer, the VP and CTO of Lenovo PCs and Smart Devices. We asked him what we can expect from Lenovo Tech World later today:

“It will be the greatest show at CES,” he said.

“Let me explain why it’s the greatest show. You will see industry leaders across PCs, server, tablet, chips, OS’s, all come together on stage. So it’s an industry event, and you’ll hear from the CEOs of everyone and anyone. The thought leaders of the world, right now, will be on stage. So that’s huge..."

Slight pause in updates as tech companies are spread out across the Las Vegas Convention Center and all strips most famous hotels... we are now running up the Boulevard to reach the Wynn hotel to see Samsung's new laptops.

The time has come to head over to the Sphere for Lenovo Tech World...

Understandably, there is a long queue to enter the Sphere... which gives us time to talk about Samsung's three new laptops: the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, Galaxy Book6 Pro, and Galaxy Book6.

All three will be available, in Grey or Silver, in select markets later in January. There will also be a Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition with features optimized for managed IT environments, sometime in April.

We're in the Sphere...

We're expecting FIFA and the upcoming World Cup to feature heavily here this afternoon...

While we wait for Lenovo Tech World to begin, we have a moment to discuss Asus and its extensive update of its laptop brands at CES.

This includes the Asus ExpertBook Ultra, which ITPro saw ahead of the event.

This was part of a wider refresh of its main brands – Zenbook, Vivobook, ProArt, and ROG. The ExpertBook Ultra, however, replaces the B9 model as the top commercial offering from Asus. And as the name suggests, it's a laptop with all the best specs the hardware giant can offer; it's ultra durable, ultra fast, ultra cool, and ultra reliable (according to Asus, that is).

The Ultra is made for modern work and the wear and tear of doing your job in different places. The lid and chassis are scratch-resistant, protecting it from the kind of damage you get from repeatedly taking it in and out of a rucksack. The keys have an anti-smudge layer, and the screen is protected with Gorilla Glass Victus.

We get underway with a flashy video that welcomes on stage Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing...

Yuanquing begins with a little on AI and how Lenovo will use it to bring the digital and physical world's together.

And, in the space of a few minutes, we have our first guest on stage...

First of the big announcements is Lenovo Qira...

Qira, the personal “AI super agent” will work across Lenovo and Motorola devices, including PCs, smartphones and tablets, offering “context-aware” assistance.

Lenovo have described it as a “Personal Ambient Intelligence System”. Which could just be an attempt to differentiate it from offer assistants (like, Alexa or Siri). What is different about Qira is that it will appear as Lenovo Qira on its products but then Motorola Qira on Motorola products… which is slightly strange and confusing.

The fact that Qira works across Lenovo and Motorola’s respective devices is unusual, to say the least. Largely as it is a software shared between two different vendors. However, as Daryl Comer, the VP and CTO of Lenovo PCs and Smart Devices, told us earlier, it’s going to shared across much more.

“Its also across two other different ecosystems, Microsoft and Google,” Comer told ITPro. “Which is huge because within the Google world there will be certain things and in the Microsoft world there will be certain things, but they don’t share it well. And Qira is across different form-factors. I mean Google is great in the phone world, and Microsoft is great in the PC world, and Qira will work on both…”

Qira also works as a wearable; a type of AI assistant neckless...

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is here to talk Intel Core Ultra and Core Ultra X, both of which will feature in the new Lenovo laptops we are about to see...

Strangely, we move from Aura Edition laptops to the new Motorola Razr Fold smartphone

We are now looking at the new Motorola Signature smartphone, a premium model with a quad camera system that features four 50MP lenses...

The last product announcement on stage is the FIFA-branded Motorola Razr, which means that other models we have seen in the run-up to the event (under embargo) are not going to be discussed...

But we feel they are worth mentioning.

One is Lenovo's rollable screen laptop concept, which we covered here. This time in the form of the ThinkPad XD. Compared to previous attempts, the XD is a far more polished model, with a dual display and a sturdier, Gorilla Glass screen. It extends from 13.3in to 16in with just a swipe on the top right of the screen.

There is also a former concept that has now gone into mainstream production, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist. A laptop with a dual rotational hinge and voice control capabilities. You can knock on its lid, like you would a door, and it opens automatically.

And that is the end of the show...

Dell's XPS brand of laptops is back by popular demand, less than a year after the company shelved the name in favour of more AI-focused monikers.

Jeff Clarke, chief operating officer at Dell Technologies, revealed three new models of XPS were coming back, with the brand taking a central position in the company's laptop offerings. As such, the XPS will be restored as a consumer-focused brand, rather than the commercial one it was originally.

As for why, Clarke said that "branding matters" and that the company had "listened" to its customers, essentially, bringing the XPS brand back from the dead by popular demand.

At CES 2025, almost a year to the day, Dell announced it was killing off the XPS brand, along with Latitude, Inspiron, and Precision. In their place came the 'Pro' and 'Pro Max' models – a move that was designed to simplify shopping, giving customers an easier way to differentiate between entry and premium tier laptops.

The all-new XPS will come in 14in, 16in, and 13in – a model that wasn't a thing 90 days prior to the announcement, according to Clarke. Though it does match the 2024 lineup of 13in, 14in, and 17in models.

Both the 14in and 16in models have Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and built-in Intel Arc graphics with 12 Xe cores. Dell suggests that the XPS 14 and XPS 16 can deliver up to 57% and 78% faster AI performance than previous XPS models.

They include a completely redesigned thermal system to support the claimed performance with fans Dell describes as both its "largest and thinnest yet". As a whole, both the 14in and 16in models are its thinnest, measuring just 14.6mm.

What does this mean for AI PCs?

AI PCs have become ubiquitous over the last two years, fueled by the demand for on-device generative AI tools and the higher spec requirements of Windows 11. CES 2026 has still seen a raft of AI-focused laptops, but there is slightly less emphasis on the AI capabilities.

It isn't the end of AI PCs, as such, but Dell's decision to bring back the XPS is perhaps an admission that the general public is starting to get fed up with the terminology and the naming conventions.

Although it could also be seen as Dell rolling out the greatest hits, especially as it is so very different from what its competitors have launched at CES.

There was no mention of the Pro and Pro Max brands and very little mention of AI in its presentation. HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer, however, all came to CES 2026 with AI-named products, such as the HP EliteBoard AI mini PC and the Acer Swift 14 AI.

Ahead of CES 2026, HP gave ITPro the chance to try out its new EliteBook X G2i notebook. There are three versions of the X G2i notebook: a Flip model and two clamshells with different configurations. Here we have the lightweight configuration of the clamshell, which came in 'Atmospheric Blue'.

This is a prototype and HP has asked that no benchmarks be published. As such, this review will offer an opinion on its design and performance; we will base the latter on our in-house test results without mentioning the specific benchmarks.

HP EliteBook X G2i 14in: Design

The lightweight clamshell model of X G2i is undeniably beautiful. It's a sleek unit, finished in navy, with a few understated logos dotted around – nothing, aside from the HP icon on the lid, pulls focus. Even the extravagant 'EliteBook X' branding is kept in an unobtrusive position, under the keyboard.

Remote and hybrid work has clearly influenced the design, as it weighs just 999g. It can be carried effortlessly in one hand, pulled out of a rucksack with absolutely no resistance, and even opened up with one hand.

What's more, as an HP device you know sustainability is prioritised and the G2i has been made with around 90% recycled magnesium. Recycled plastics have also been used in the bezels and keyboard, which is top-mounted for easy access should it need replacing.

HP EliteBook X G2i 14in: Display, keyboard, and trackpad

The X G2i has a 14in, 3K OLED display, with a 2880 x 1800 resolution and a smooth 120Hz with Anti-Glare technology. The whole device has around a 90.08% screen-to-body ratio, with very thin bezels encasing the display.

There will be some bugs or improvements to come once the production model is released but we have to say that, based on our experience with the prototype, the screen is bang on the money. With our colorimeter, the X G2i showcased some impressive scores, particularly for gamut color coverage and Adobe sRGB – both of which were higher than HP's tests had suggested. The panel is also very bright – HP says it can reach 500 nits, which is close to what our in-house tests reached.

There is a redesigned keyboard with deeper, more comfortable keycaps and, according to HP, enlarged keys "where it matters". To be honest, that description suggests there are massive, unusually sized keys, but that isn't the case. Everything looks as it should, though the keys are over all much larger than one would find on an equivalent MacBook or XPS. We found it to be really great for typing, very comfortable, with punchy keys that have plenty of travel. Similarly, the large haptic trackpad is also a delight: it's smooth, expansive, and has a satisfying click action.

HP EliteBook X G2i 14in: Specs and performance

Inside the HP EliteBook X 14 is an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H chip that clocks at 1.90GHz. Our prototype unit has 32GB of RAM, though the lightweight configuration can have 24GB RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

The G2i is fun to use, great for editing photos, responding to emails, and maintaining a website – by which we mean nothing really pushed its processor too hard and it handled all we could throw at it with barely a hum of distress.

In our looped video test, the X G2i's 56Wh polymer battery lasted fairly well. While we can't specify how long, we can say it doesn't disappoint and in day-to-day use it lasted well beyond the average work day. It isn't in the same league as HP's OmniBook 5 but once again this is a prototype, so that might change on full release.

Feature-wise, the G2i is stocked with some nice capabilities, such as Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. You also have a 5MP webcam with AI Presence Detection and voice enhancement, both of which work really well.

For ports, there is a nice balance, with three USB-C ports (two on the left, one on the right), and one USB-A (on the right). There's also a security lock slot, an HDMI 2.121, and an optional SIM card slot. What more could you want? A headphone/mic combo jack? Well, it has that too.

HP EliteBook X G2i 14in: Is it worth it?

It is both fantastic and frustrating to have the opportunity to use a prototype before its full release and we thank HP for the opportunity. We really need a full set of benchmarks to recommend any device but we can't help but be excited for the G2i.

At face value, it's gorgeous, it's super light, the keyboard is satisfying, and the OLED display is superb. Of all the lightweight notebooks we've seen at CES, this is one of the best and one to keep an eye out for later in the year.

HP EliteBook X G2i 14in specifications

This automatically-generated transcript is taken from the IT Pro Podcast episode ‘Inside CES 2022’. To listen to the full episode, click here. We apologise for any errors.

Bobby Hellard

Hi, I'm Bobby Hellard.

Adam Shepherd

And I'm Adam Shepherd.

Bobby

And on this week's episode of the IT Pro Podcast, we're talking about CES 2022.

Adam

Every January, companies from around the world descend on Las Vegas for one of the biggest events in the tech calendar, the annual Consumer Electronics Show. CES is where many of the year's biggest products are revealed. And although it's technically a consumer event, the products and technologies on show at CES can tell us a lot about the general state of the tech industry.

Bobby

Many of those announcements are also of interest to business IT professionals, particularly those with an eye on the future hardware upgrades. Tim Danton, editor in chief of our sister title PC Pro, and the co-host of the PC Pro Podcast, was on the ground in Las Vegas this year, and joins us this week to tell us about the biggest movers and shakers of CES 2022. Hello, Tim. Thanks for joining us.

Tim Danton

Hi, Bobby. Hi, Adam. Nice to be here.

Adam

Nice to have you. So obviously, the last few years of CES have been a little bit different compared to previous times; what was CES like this year?

Tim

So that's actually quite a difficult question to answer because it was entirely different. Normally, CES is like a bustling, mayhem-y mess of people and noise and just madness. So for example, if you want to travel between a couple of show halls, it will take you upwards of an hour by taxi just due to the queues. Now this year, you could just slide into a taxi if you wished. And you would be there in eight minutes door to door. So that just gives you an idea of the difference in scale in terms of the crowds. So from that point of view, it was absolutely delightful. Because you could do so much more in the time. But at the same time, we had a lot of big name absences from the show. Lots of people pulled out; Intel, AMD, Lenovo. And then there were several people, several companies who were there in name, such as LG and Sony, but actually their presence on the show floor was so minimal compared to what it normally is. It was almost, it was, I don't want to say embarrassing because I do think CTA, the organisers of this show, should get kudos for pushing ahead with it. But at the same time, it was a little bit embarrassing because they there's these great swathes of floor that were nominally Sony and LG, but actually just filled with vacuum of space.

Adam

Yeah, I can imagine, kind of trade shows in general are usually a bit of a bunfight in terms of actually getting to see things and in an environment like this, where you've got nothing but space and nothing but freedom. But there's kind of nothing to see to a large extent...

Tim

Well, so I'm concentrating there on the people who didn't make it or just made a nominal appearance. But there were some really big, big shows as well. So for example, we had Samsung were there. And their stand was amazing. It was just a normal stand, packed full of innovation, packed full of really interesting technology, packed full of people as well, you could barely move. So you had to wait 40 minutes to actually just get into the Samsung stand. So that shows you.

Adam

Now that sounds more like it.

Tim

Yeah. The other thing I'd say is actually it's not.... So CES, obviously, the big name companies get all the attention. But an awful lot of the interesting stuff happens in the smaller halls. So there is one called Eureka Park, which you may be familiar with, which is where all the startups go. And, and that was just as busy as normal. In fact, it may even have been a fraction busier than normal. Because it's where all the interesting things were; these little tiny companies with one idea that they were building up into something that could either be sold on to a bigger company, or they could actually make a go of themselves. And that's that that's what CES is really interesting for, that those innovations, that that germ of something that could, what could one day become something huge, most likely won't; most likely disappear into nothingness. But the potential is there.

Bobby

And can you run us through some of the highlights from the show?

Tim

Yes, some of the ideas were built around anti-COVID measures. So there was a company called Serenio, for example, which has created this, it's like a dehumidifier but instead of trying to purify air in that normal way, it it neutralises COVID, but he said they said it's 99.7% effective.

Adam

That seems promising.

Tim

Yeah. And and you just needed a certain number per square foot. But so for example, a typical office, a small office of let's say, 30 people would need maybe two or three of these purifiers, and then that they reckon would get rid of, of the COVID virus within the office and other viruses as well, obviously. So I spoke to another company who had created these, these air filters effectively for monitors. And the idea being that it's almost like a vacuum cleaner for your monitor. So if you think about the the way you typically work, well you're breathing towards your monitor, and it kind of bounces back and around, all the particles scatter. The idea of this thing is that you'd breathe it towards the monitor, as per normal working practice, but the suction would grab the molecules and, and take them into this filter that's actually at the back of the monitor, and cleanse the air. And he reckoned that the filters would last for six months. But the idea isn't just that you can work it around monitors, but you can actually also apply it to, for example, industrial situations that is on aeroplanes, so this chap was saying to me, you know, the, the planes talked about the fact they can recycle the air every eight minutes, which is great, but you're still recycling air, and it still has to pass through to everyone. But if you could somehow build this technology into the into the back of the screens that are in front of people, then you can actually recycle the air every two or three seconds is his argument. So it's a it's quite compelling. And I must admit, that does sound like a nicer plane journey to me than the current one. But anyway, it feels like something that may be for the the distant future rather than the near future. Oh, so let me see if I can think of anything that doesn't involve COVID. I guess though, though, there were a lot of... the thing is that COVID did, was there as an undercurrent throughout the show, inevitably. But there were interesting other technologies. So for example, I spoke to two companies had interesting battery technology. Battery is one of those technologies that seems to be stuck forever. But there was the one company I was speaking to that reckon they had the perfect technology for electric vehicles. Because A) it wasn't flammable, which is, which is certainly something I look for my cars.

Adam

It's generally a plus.

Tim

Although having said that, gasoline has been pretty flammable throughout its lifetime. And we've we've learned to cope with that. But he was saying the current batteries, if they get, if they get whacked, then there is a risk of explosion. And the current apparently the currently the risk is about seven, the industry efforts is to get down to about a risk level of four. And he reckoned that their battery technology was down at one.

Adam

Wow.

Tim

And actually, they just had it on show. And they were just in pouches. It was it was like you'd see ground coffee, these pouches, but they were filled with some sort of graphene based battery technology. And it sounded very impressive. The problem they have is scale. They are speaking to bespoke car manufacturers about putting it in and other kind of very small projects, because they can't scale in the same way. But they're they're buying a factory, they're building it in the same place that Tesla has its factories. And so this could be again, something big. And again, it's high density as well, which is crucial, of course, for cars, as well as for you know, the things we hold in our hands. So, yeah, interesting. There is this is the kind of stuff that happens there. But it's what I mean about it being like a germ of an idea quite frequently, rather than something that you're going to see hitting the you know, the stands, the retailers next year.

Adam

Yeah, CES is always great for these weird, unique kind of moonshot ideas that, as you say, in all likelihood, probably aren't going to pan out, certainly not for this specific company, but are an indication of what people are kind of trying to work towards, which I think is always very, very interesting. And yeah, you mentioned that kind of graphene, graphene based battery technology. That's something that we've seen for a number of years kind of various startups trying to crack and it will be, you know, by all accounts, it will be the next frontier of battery technology, and will kind of usher in a huge kind of laundry list of changes to the the devices that we use kind of in every aspect of our lives, but it just doesn't quite seem to be there yet.

Tim

Yeah, There's a lot of that in the show and health was a quite a big part of the show as well, I spoke to a couple of really interesting companies who were at the show talking about their health innovations. So for example, there is one company is working with LG to build, like a triage system into its, into its smart TVs. So that rather than having a doctor call you or the surgery call you, you can have a conversation with an avatar on your, on your Smart TV. And it will say, Okay, well, what are your symptoms, bla bla, bla, bla, bla, and they reckon they've got a 94% success rate with their technology, which is existing. So the innovation is that they're building it into the TV. And also that people can, after they've had, let's say, an operation, this TV avatar friend can guide them through, you know, what medication they need to take, the exercises they need to do. And again, you know, interesting, I think we can probably agree. And then a also this was with, in partnership with LG, there was a company who, who, basically, were trying to create a SecondLife-like reality inside, inside things like the Oculus Rift, et cetera. But with a health bent rather than anything else. So again, it would be helping you with any particular problem you had and diagnosis et cetera, and treatments. So interesting. And, and I can definitely see those things happening. I think those things are not germs that will just disappear. I think those things - that's the wrong word, isn't it - those things are not ideas that will just fade out of existence, I think they probably will become something.

Adam

There's a lot of companies and products that get shown off at CES that do have staying power. And in a lot of cases, even if the the products themselves aren't necessarily all winners, the ideas behind them are really significant. So what were the biggest kind of trends that you saw on display at the show?

Tim

Yeah, well trends, this is such a difficult one to really pin down. So I did write down three ideas, that kind of are trends. So one is driverless cars. There is a huge amount of investment in terms of R&D time going into driverless cars in all its various forms. It just seems like that, that has a real groundswell behind it.

Adam

This is something we've been seeing at CES for a number of years now, though, does it feel like we're any closer to actually getting driverless cars that are kind of in the mainstream? I mean, you know, Tesla have been rolling out with admittedly mixed success for a number of years, you know, Waymo has been doing their thing for best part of a decade now, I think at this point. Driverless cars, you know, the core technology has been extant for a while, but it's still not something that's kind of accessible for most people yet, I would argue.

Tim

Yes, and no. So it is there, but it's in, sometimes it's in industrial settings. So, for example, there's a lot of automated technology built into agricultural equipment now, which we don't actually see ourselves, but it is there. But I would also say this is one of those technologies that's going to take us by stealth, we're gonna say, oh, yeah, it's never coming. It's never coming. And then, you know, right now, for example, you have automated parking. Now, that's not going to take you from Luton to Liverpool, but it will take you know, take over some of that irritating job of actually once you actually get there. So that's where I think it is coming. But you just have to be aware, you know, of the false expectations and hope people say driverless cars and the picture, what was that name of that robot in Total Recall? Bobby, or something, the one who took Arnie.

Bobby

I can't remember the name of it.

Tim

Yeah. But anyway, we expect that, that's what we kind of want and hope. And no, that's, that isn't quite there.

Adam

So what developments did you see at CES in terms of driverless cars because as as you mentioned, the technology itself has kind of been reasonably mature for a while.

Tim

So Intel, its keynotes dedicated about 20 minutes of the Technical Alpha, its keynote to Mobileye, this Israeli technology company it bought about 5, 10 years ago. But quite frankly, it's it's all, it always just feels very minor and incremental in terms of the technologies. So there's nothing mind-slamming, it's always building more data so that things are just slightly more reliable. But there is starting to be, I can definitely see some industry momentum building up behind it.

Adam

So we've covered some of CES' more, if you like esoteric elements. Let's talk a little bit about some of the meatier aspects of the show in terms of kind of traditional computing, if you like, inverted commas. What was it like for kind of laptops and hardware and things like that, were there any kind of real standouts from the show for you?

Tim

So we had, so all sorry, excuse my sigh. But so that was one of the disappointing elements of the show, is I mentioned at the top for the likes of Intel and AMD and Lenovo, et cetera, pulled out of the show, and they had a kind of virtual presence at best. And that meant that I could not actually get my hands on any hardware. Unlike previous shows, where I would have time with all the new Lenovo laptops or the new Asus laptops, blah, blah, blah. But there were announcements that were interesting. And the possibly the most interesting one was the Asus laptop, it is the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. And so this is, it's not, this isn't the first foldable laptop we've seen, foldable tablet we've seen. So obviously everyone is aware of the Galaxies, the Samsung Galaxy phones. But before that even, or in between the various announcements, we've had the Lenovo X1 Fold.

Adam

Yes.

Tim

Which was effectively, not not, it's not fair to call it vaporware. I mean, I've I saw it in a case, I saw it being held. I think I may even have held at some point myself, but they never actually let us review it. Which isn't a sign of confidence in a product now.

Adam

It didn't get a mainstream release did it?

Tim

Well, you could buy it, you could have bought it. So I believe you probably still can buy it. About three grand, I believe.

Adam

Yeah, it's it's one of those ones that seems like it's kind of more of a kind of proof of concept than an actual product. And yes, they put it out for, you know, insane early adopters who were willing to spend multiple thousands to get the very first edition of something, but it didn't really seem like a product that they were wanting to push to primetime as it were.

Tim

No, and that's definitely true. And it's also notable that, you know, even the ThinkPad is a niche, if you consider it really, so it was a niche within a niche. So which is never gonna be a big seller. So the Zenbook 17 Fold is the same kind of idea. But whereas the ThinkPad was relatively small, if memory serves, about 13 inches, this is 17.3 inches.

Adam

Good lord.

Tim

So yes, I think so that's like a, it's like a small screen in many ways and they've actually built a kickstand into it so you can use it as a standalone screen if you wish.

Adam

Interesting.

Tim

So it comes obviously with a Bluetooth keyboard that can either you can use as a standalone thing so on your travels, set up a stand, get out a mouse and start using it as a proper PC. Interesting concept. And if you want to use it as a giant tablet, a 17.3 inch tablet - I can't quite quite, can't quite envisage when I'd want to do that but anyway - you can do or you can fold it over into like a laptop format. And then this Bluetooth keyboard I mentioned then clips onto the lower half and it becomes, it takes on the format of a laptop. Or obviously you can move the Bluetooth keyboard away from it and then have two screens in front of you, you know, so a top screen and a bottom screen or you know have it folded sideways or whatever you want to do. And the the other format they see is like a book format. So you go, you go from side to side and as a as a book. So it's 17.4 millimetres when closed. The 17.3 inch screen that I mentioned, which is the main screen, that's 2560 by 1920. So not a huge, not the most high definition of resolutions. But that should be enough actually, to give you a decent viewing experience, I think that should be enough. And when you fold it down into that laptop standard kind of format I talked about, it becomes like a 12.5 inch screen. So two 12.5 inch screens. With a, I think 1920 by 1080. Maybe not quite that. But anyway, I can't think of the resolution off top my head. But it does look interesting. And I'd be very interested to see how I might actually use this in practice. I'm not sure I would. So I'd be interested in what what what do you think, Bobby? Would you use this this strange device?

Bobby

Um, I don't think I would, no. Mostly because it comes in parts and stuff. And I just don't like the hassle. I'm not really sold on folding screens at the moment.

Tim

Probably of more interest, I'd imagine, to IT professionals who are listening to this thinking what might they possibly buy from the show? There were a couple of interesting new products that they might like. So the Dell XPS 13 Plus, I don't know whether that caught either of your eye?

Adam

Yes.

Tim

It caught your eye Adam.

Adam

It very much caught my eye. Yes. It's it's looking really, really interesting. Particularly. I mean, the the Dell XPS 13 is always a kind of benchmark of the the state of Windows laptops in general; it's usually round about the top of the pile. But what's particularly interesting is the the touch bar, that's definitely not a touch bar.

Tim

Well, the potentially pointless touch bar is the unfortunate question over it, I think. The other thing about the XPS 13 Plus, which is questionable, is the fact that it's got no visible touchpad. So they built it into the base, the touch, well, the area underneath the keyboard that has no name. That's what they built it into. So it just looks like a stretch of metal. And you almost have to guess where the touchpad is. Which could work but just screams form over function to me.

Adam

Yeah, that's, I hadn't actually noticed that. That's really interesting. I think that's a design choice that I would absolutely hate.

Tim

There is one laptop then that might interest you, Adam. It's not that it's got a touch bar. But it does have a second screen built into the laptop. So this is the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3. Now, Lenovo hasn't really made a big play of the ThinkBook brand in the UK, particularly, but it tends to use it for smaller businesses, and to experiment a bit with the form factor. So on this occasion it has, it's embedded an eight inch panel, a secondary eight inch panel into the base of the laptop, which I realised sounds very weird. So obviously, to make space for it, they needed a big first panel. So it's a 17.3 inch laptop, then just imagine the keyboard being shunted off to the left and squeezed down a bit like a ultra portable sized keyboard. And they filled the whole of the remaining space on the right with this eight inch panel. So which can act as a secondary display or, obviously they've got software that they've they've created to help you to do specific apps onto it as well. Or you can write on it. So there's an integrated digital pen. So you could sign documents, you could doodle, you could do whatever the heck you like, Adam, with it. But they say it could be good for creatives. So you could have your main, you'd be working on a presentation or a artistic document of some description, and then use the secondary panel to actually do the fine control, the editing, the tweaks.

Adam

This is bizarre.

Bobby

The thing with with that is the key, the physical keyboard bit would be... You've only got to use one hand to use it. So is it on the right of the keyboard?

Tim

The panel is on the right of the keyboard.

Bobby

So you'd... just one hand.

Tim

Oh no, but but you still, so it's an ultra portable sized keyboard. So it's still a full size keyboard.

Adam

it's the kind of keyboard you'd get, say on a 13 inch device, I would imagine.

Tim

Exactly. Yeah, maybe 12 inch, but yeah.

Adam

You'd still have to have the the keyboard, you'd have your hands off to one side, or you'd have the screen off to one side, like, I, I can't see that being a comfortable experience to use. And it kind of it seems especially bizarre compared to Lenovo's previous ThinkBook Plus, which had an e-ink display built into the lid, which was, to my mind, certainly, a much more kind of useful implementation of that kind of design. So you could shut the laptop and you know, take notes and kind of do various other things with a much more kind of power efficient e-ink display, and then open it up when you wanted to use the laptop as a laptop.

Tim

Yeah, but you'll notice that that has been discontinued and, or at least, you know, long, no longer promoted. So I guess they didn't really take off. I think this is actually a more useful kind of squeezing of the technologies in just because e-ink displays are, as we know, so limited in what they can do. At least this one is closer to having like a graphics tablet built into your your main screen, and you can still then use the main screen whilst you're fiddling with a digital pad. I, the thing that puts me off is it's so big; 17.3 inch laptop. I don't have the weight to hand, but I imagine it's around somewhere between 2.5 and 3 kilos.

Adam

I don't imagine so. Yeah.

Tim

It's gonna you know, it's the return of the luggable, isn't it, with that, with that kind of thing? Oh, can I go the other way though? Just with my final pick of the products. Yeah, the HP Elite Dragonfly G3.

Adam

Yes.

Tim

Ooh, I do like a Dragonfly. For people who are not familiar with this delightful form factor. It is a sub one kilogramme business laptop made by HP, great, first sold in 2019. And it is gorgeous. It's always been gorgeous, will always be gorgeous, and just looks so stylish just due to its sheer slenderness and tininess. And it's been updated for 2022 with obviously, the latest generation of Intel silicon. So the 12th generation Intel Core chips.

Adam

Intel announced, as we discussed on last week's podcast, Intel has launched a bunch of new silicon at the show, so it didn't take the wraps off the 12th Gen entirely. There were some 12th Gen items knocking around before but they launched a bunch of new mobile and desktop chips. And this will be one of them.

Tim

Yep, that's right. And so with this new gen, 12th gen intel Core, comes an upgraded webcam. Hurray. This is one of the big things we really want to see in 2022; better webcams. I've just finished writing a group test of laptops of PC Pro. That will be out in February 2022. Thanks for asking. And the webcams in all of the 15 laptops I tested were all, at the best they were okay. Most of them were just really actually pretty poor. I just find that incredible. But anyway, they are saying it's an upgraded webcam, and there's AI to boost voice clarity, along with four amps to make actually the sound you hear from the speakers, it should sound like, it should be a nice sounding laptop, basically. I was really looking forward to actually getting my hands on it and testing it because that is a superb looking laptop.

Adam

And then finally, what about AI? I seem to recall voice assistants and AI technology in general as something that CES always kind of has in the background floating around. But how much of a presence was it this year?

Tim

AI is everywhere. I so I would almost say that about half of the people I spoke to had AI involved in their product somewhere. So it's no longer like a separate category. It's just something that underpins a lot of the new innovations.

Adam

It's in everything.

Tim

And the other thing that's kind of linked to that is you could... There's a lot of cynicism about the metaverse and again, quite rightly so. But you can start to see the little building blocks of the metaverse happen. We don't know what the metaverse is gonna be. Again, we don't know if it's just a piece of hype. But there are quite a few things happening in the show that could one day become the little building blocks of of of what the metaverse could be. So there was a company called I3M and they had created this, this app that gave you a very realistic travel experience. And so a lot of what the metaverse will be is a digital twin, which is obviously an idea we're all very familiar with. But like an advanced version of that, like a hyper real version of what a digital twin is. So if you can have a digital twin of, of tourism areas, then you can you maybe use that as your travel experience, but maybe you use it to work out where you do or don't want to go. So that's one thing, but also there were enterprise training tools that were using it. So again, this is the concept of digital twins. This is a company called iQ3, that were making these enterprise training tools that would allow people to look at something. And then because they knew what the physical object was, they can overlay an image of that onto the onto the glasses, whatever it may be that people are using. And again, this isn't completely new, because we've seen such technologies before. Epson has a headset out in place already. That allows you to do a similar thing. But it's all, it's higher resolution and it's more realistic. So it I do think it could happen. I don't think it is just complete nonsense. And I, my mind shifted during the course of the show from being a bit of a metaverse cynic into thinking actually, there could be something there.

Adam

Ahh, Tim, you've drunk the Kool Aid.

Bobby

Do you think part of the problem with the metaverse is the main company leading the charge is Facebook?

Adam

I don't think it helps.

Tim

Possibly. The Yeah, yes. It comes with many benefits, doesn't it? Having someone like Facebook or Meta behind you. But as you're right, it does kind of breed cynicism as well. But the feeling that I got from the show, and obviously these are people who are invested in it, is that that they see it as a good thing to have to have the likes of Mark Zuckerberg really hyping it up. One thing I'm not quite sure that is useful is you know, where he had that presentation where he showed himself floating around on that spaceship, et cetera. I don't really think that's... maybe that's going to be one little corner of the metaverse. But I don't think it's really how the metaverse will end up being. I think the metaverse is going to be more subtle than that.

Bobby

What was the most significant part of the show for you, Tim?

Tim

So the biggest - I'm gonna use an Americanism - the biggest takeaway for me, was that actually, innovation is is rampant out there. And the idea that innovation has slowed down, or anything like that is completely incorrect. There's so much interesting new stuff coming out. A lot of it not from the big companies, a lot of it from the smaller companies. I think that's... put away any citizen cynicism you may have that things are slowing down. They are not. There are a lot of new ideas coming out. We should listen to them, look to them because the next Zoom, et cetera, they're gonna be here in the show somewhere, or, if not this show, the next show. And it's just, it's fascinating to be there. And among all these bright minds, and I actually loved being at CES this year, despite the lack of big names.

Adam

Well, Tim, thank you very much for braving the jetlag to take us through some of the highlights from this year's show. Unfortunately, that's all from us for this week. But our thanks once again to PC Pro's Tim Danton for joining.

Tim

It's my absolute pleasure, Adam and Bobby, thank you for having me.

Bobby

You can find links to all the topics we've spoken about today in the show's notes and even more on our website, www.itpro.com.

Adam

You can also follow us on social media and if you like leave us a rating and a review. We'll be back next week with more analysis from the world of IT. But until then, goodbye.

Bobby

Goodbye.

CES is one of the highlights of the tech calendar, kicking off every year with a cavalcade of new products, interesting announcements and innovative startups all vying to get noticed. While the spectre of COVID continued to loom over this year’s proceedings, there was still a veritable buffet of things to see at the show.

This week, we’re joined by PC Pro editor in chief and co-host of the PC Pro Podcast Tim Danton, who was on the ground in Las Vegas for CES 2022. We discuss some of the most interesting tech from the show floor, as well as some of the more significant announcements, and what they say about the future of innovation.

Highlights

“There's so much interesting new stuff coming out. A lot of it not from the big companies, a lot of it from the smaller companies. I think that's put away any citizen cynicism you may have that things are slowing down. They are not. There are a lot of new ideas coming out. We should listen to them, look to them because the next Zoom, et cetera - that they're gonna be here in the show somewhere.”

“So CES, obviously, the big name companies get all the attention. But an awful lot of the interesting stuff happens in the smaller halls. So there is one called Eureka Park, which you may be familiar with, which is where all the startups go. And that was just as busy as normal. In fact, it may even have been a fraction busier than normal. Because it's where all the interesting things were, these little tiny companies with one idea that they were building up into something that could either be sold on to a bigger company, or they could actually make a go of it themselves.”

Read the full transcript here.

Footnotes

• Google is working with leading PC manufacturers to improve Android on Windows
• Intel claims its new Core i9 CPU outperforms Apple's M1 Max
• The future tech helping battle the pandemic
• Have driverless cars stalled?
• UK gov to allow self-driving cars on motorways this year
• The IT Pro Podcast: Are foldable phones more than a fad?
• Forget foldable phones - where's my foldable tablet?
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Unfolding the future
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold hands-on review: First foldable PC feels like the future
• Dell XPS 13 9310 (2020) review: Undermined by Intel
• Lenovo ThinkBook Plus review: Lifting the lid on productivity
• Intel launches 12th-gen Alder Lake processors optimised for Windows 11
• The IT Pro Podcast: Intel vs AMD
• The many faces of artificial intelligence
• Seeing double: The rise of the digital twin

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This article originally appeared in Issue 13 of IT Pro 20/20, available here. To receive each new issue in your inbox, click here.

This year’s CES was different to most; there were no sticky carpets, no terrible coffee and no overindulgent post-keynote parties. That’s because, for the first time in its 54 year history, the world’s largest consumer technology show was an entirely virtual event, meaning that rather than hundreds of thousands of people flocking to Las Vegas, potentially millions could experience it from their own homes.

While notably smaller than usual, there were still plenty of significant announcements, with the majority of big names in tech taking the opportunity to launch new products and showcase what we can expect from tech in 2021. Some things were inevitably different, though, due to the changing times we’re living through.

Pandemic tech

Not only did the global COVID-19 pandemic necessitate a digital-only CES this year, but it also influenced a huge number of the product launches at the virtual show.

With employees around the globe continuing to work remotely – a trend that’s likely to continue beyond the pandemic – PC makers took to CES to showcase devices that focus on flexible working.

HP, for example, launched new business laptops “designed to power hybrid work environments and growing personal creative studios”. Not only are they slimmer and more powerful than ever before, but these new devices – which include the HP 840 G8 Aero, Elite Dragonfly G2HP, and Elite Folio – also boast upgraded camera setups for improved video calling, AI-based audio for simplified collaboration, and built-in 5G connectivity for faster download speeds.

Dell also focused on flexible working, but took the idea step further with a range of monitors that feature a dedicated Microsoft Teams button. This lets users quickly launch the app to make and receive video calls, while the onboard 5MP infrared camera, noise-cancelling microphone and dual 5-watt integrated speakers promise to deliver high-quality video calls.

“People’s expectations of their technology continue to evolve. It’s why we push beyond barriers to create devices that offer better experiences and are more integrated into our lives,” said Ed Ward, senior vice president of Dell’s Client Product Group.

“Our new intelligent PCs make it possible for us to work smarter and collaborate easier, so we can give our best selves in all that we do. Secure, sustainable and smart: that’s the way forward for PCs.”

Other brands took the “pandemic tech” category a bit more literally. Gaming company Razer, for example, showed off a high-tech face mask named Project Hazel, which features "N95 medical-grade respirator protection,” active ventilation, a clear shield so you can see people speaking, and a case that recharges the ventilators and sanitises the mask as it's charging.

Roll up, roll up

At CES two years ago, Royale launched the world’s first foldable phone, and at CES 2021, we saw the arrival of the first rollable handsets. As the term “rollable” suggests, the devices get more screen by unrolling it into a larger display.

First up was the LG Rollable, which features a single display that looks the size of a standard smartphone at first glance, but this screen rolls out to give you a tablet-like experience. It’s not just a concept, either; according to reports, despite only being glimpsed for a few seconds in the presentation, LG plans to release the phone "later this year".

Lesser-known phone maker TCL also showed off its first rollable device at CES. As it’s still a concept, not much is known about the device, but Tiago Abreu, head of the "X-Lab" at the TCL Industrial Design Center, says that the as-yet-unnamed handset can go from a 6.7-inch phone to a 7.8-inch tablet with "a simple tap of the finger."

“The portable 6.7-inch AMOLED Rollable Display re-defines the standard form of a smartphone,” the company said in a statement “With a rollable AMOLED display, it can be extended from 6.7-inches to 7.8-inches with a simple tap of the finger, turning it from a smartphone into a tablet and creating an entirely new user experience with its easily adaptable user interface. The smartphone is less than 10mm thick, making it significantly thinner than the foldable smartphone.”

I like big bots

Of course, it wouldn’t be CES without there being robots. However, while the show is often a showcase for novelty and conceptual robots, this year we saw more advanced androids that could help us adapt to the new normal.

Samsung took the opportunity to show off two new robots called Bot Handy and Bot Care. The former is capable of recognising and grabbing all types of objects throughout the house, which means you can assign it to load the dishwasher, put away groceries, or tidy up your washing. Best of all, it can pour you a glass of wine.

The latter, Bot Care, has a flip-up display attached to its ‘head’ so you can stream video calls. That’s not all it can do, though, as the friendly-looking bot can also measure users’ blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and sleeping state, and will remind them when it’s time to take their medicine.

Health, likely as a result of the global pandemic, was a familiar theme at CES this year – particularly when it comes to robots. UK-based Shadow Robots took to the show to announce that it's secured funding from Innovate UK to explore whether its Tactile Telerobot – a robot that takes the form of a dexterous hand – can be used in manufacturing COVID vaccines for Pfizer.

Perhaps the pandemic had more influence on this year’s CES than we first thought; not only was this the first-ever virtual CES, but it was also a stage for manufacturers to showcase technology designed for the new normal.

Think of an artificial human and you might start wondering whether Rick Deckard was human or a replicant. Which is arguably more interesting than what Samsung subsidiary Star Labs unveiled at the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas: Neon, its so-called artificial humans.

Lifelike robots did not run the Star Labs booth at the conference centre. Instead, it turns out “artificial human” is how to describe an avatar in a way that will guarantee annoyed journalists write about your launch, although not necessarily with kind words.

What is an artificial human?

It’s not Harrison Ford having an existential crisis about the nature of what it is to be human. Instead, Star Labs’ Neons are high-end avatars, designed to be a friendly face for chatbots, characters in games or to read out content in videos – perhaps one day graduating to digital TV presenters.

Why wouldn’t we just use actual humans?

Personally, we’d prefer human newsreaders, but as we interact more with digital services, be it voice assistants or chatbots, companies will need to give those services a face to make them easier to use. By digitally creating fake humans, companies can have their own characters to act as financial advisors, concierges or customer service representatives.

Indeed, it isn’t just Samsung’s Star Labs producing such digital humans; IPsoft’s AI helper Amelia is also getting an advanced lifelike avatar of its own, allowing for more “true to life” communication and collaboration between the machine and human workers, the company says.

What can they do?

Alongside reading out a script, these pretty bots can be deployed in a variety of ways, with Star Labs even suggesting they could replace actors or become our friends. Not only do they look realistic, but the system behind Neon can read our emotions and react to them. Their main task, however, is answering our questions, something chatbots currently struggle to achieve. These humanoid avatars are simply a whizzy interface to make talking to a machine feel slightly less strange.

How is a Neon made?

Right now, Neons are based on real people – so much for the “artificial human” claim. Star Labs captures the person’s likeness, and then uses a rendering engine paired with AI to create millions of facial expressions, gestures and responses. Eventually, Star Labs hopes that Neon avatars could be created out of nothing, with no human acting as the base model.

How long until we can have our own artificial human?

Star Labs CEO Pranav Mistry explained that the demonstration at CES was only a preview, so it will be some time before the product is ready. IPsoft’s Amelia avatar is already here, but while it looks human enough and can respond via natural language processing, it’s one single digital human – and, of course, it’s designed to look like a young, blonde female; after all, what else would a personal assistant look like? Perhaps the real upside of Neon will be introducing some diversity into the world of digital humans.

CES – the Consumer Electronics Show to give it its full, somewhat dated name – is no longer just about ridiculous TVs, smart home gadgets and ball-shaped robots. The Las Vegas tech expo, which boasts more than 175,000 attendees annually, is now as much as showcase for business technology as it is consumer electronics.

Just a few years ago CES was little more than a platform for the biggest names in tech to trot out their latest gadgetry, but in 2020, the show is targeting CIOs as much as it is gadget-loving tech enthusiasts. This is reflected in this year’s bumper schedule, which featured talks on ‘how artificial intelligence is significantly changing business operations’, ‘how XR is reshaping enterprise’s approach to workplace training’ and ‘how robotics, edge computing and other technologies can transform the enterprise.’

Blurred lines

Beyond the CIO-attracting talks on offer at CES, this year’s product announcements are also just as important for IT admins as they are consumers. Thanks to the breakneck acceleration in the consumerisation of IT, OEMs are now rolling out do-it-all devices that aim to impress business decision-makers as much as everyday users.

While there were many business-first announcements at 2020’s conference - from Dell’s 86-inch 4K Interactive Touch Monitor that’s aimed squarely at workplace collaboration to Lenovo’s security-driven ThinkCentre M90a All-in-One desktop PC - the majority of devices on show demonstrate a blurring of lines between consumer and business IT hardware.

HP, for example, showed off the Spectre x360 15, a powerful laptop that features all the bells and whistles of a high-spec consumer PC, while also appealing to business users with its 17-hours of battery life, built-in fingerprint scanner and webcam cover, and support for WiFi 6.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad line, a brand synonymous with business laptops, was also given a CES makeover as the firm prepares its IT-first lineup for the next-generation. The firm unveiled the ThinkPad Plus, a dual-screen laptop with integrated E-Ink display and the ThinkPad X1 Fold, a unique ‘foldable’ PC that boasts a unique flexible 13.3-inch 4:3 OLED panel.

This gradual fusion of consumer and business tech is just as evident in other areas of this year’s show. VR demos are focused on how to train employees for a range of real-world scenarios, new wearables target roles that require always-on glanceable information, and 5G companies are showcasing how they can enable the next-generation mobile workforce through real-time collaboration and smarter artificial intelligence.

Nick McQuire, SVP and Head of Enterprise Research at CCS Insights, says: “There is a real convergence happening at once between several big ticket technologies that are impacting both consumers and businesses.

“These technologies are helping to create new classes of products at the show, which are breaking down the traditional silos between consumer and business technology being relevant to both audiences. Foldable displays, robotics, wearables and a new generation of 5G connected laptops are standing out this year as attention grabbers to consumers but also IT departments as well.”

The transformation generation

This shift has been undoubtedly been fuelled by digital transformation (DX) and the growing number of mobile workers, as companies move to support their employees’ need to be able to work from anywhere at any time.

“The first thing to consider is the proliferation of mobile workers, supported by DX,” says Liam Hall, senior research analyst at IDC. “As a result, the same ultraportable, thin and light form factors that attract the consumers eye are ideal for a range of commercial use cases.

“From a form factor perspective, the consumer and commercial brands are becoming increasingly aesthetically similar.”

Dave Crew, commercial director EMEA at Targus, adds: “Having technology with all the important bells and whistles helps remedy the productivity problem. For instance, many on-the-go business travellers use the latest wireless headphones from Apple or Jabra to complete a business call. So many of the smart consumer devices we see at CES are in fact office-ready.

“Devices that appeal to consumers and IT buyers alike are a real incentive for brands to market inclusively.”

Millennial bug

Another trend fuelling CES’ newfound IT focus is the changing face of the modern workforce, with the so-called ‘millennial’ and ‘Gen Z’ generations starting to account for more leadership and decision-making positions. With this comes a fresh perspective on business IT, and an expectation of technology that’s performance as the devices they use at home.

What’s more, during their careers, this younger generation of workers have likely experienced how bad, ageing technology can negatively affect productivity and be keen to fuel change within their organisation.

“Gen Z, being the new working generation, will make decisions based on what technology their employers provide and what policies they implement,” says Crew.

“Being connected and agile will be key for employers looking to attract the right talent. Setting up a workspace with connected functionality will be a must. Businesses need hardware that has cloud capabilities, matching the pace of the evolving work ecosystem.”

Hall adds: “As a more technologically literate generation, the option for CYOD is a strong driver for end-user satisfaction and enhanced employee experience.”

The circle of lifecycles

The emergence of shorter lifecycles due to the rapid pace of innovation in the technology industry is another growing trend that’s exacerbating workers’ thirst for new, up-to-date hardware. While this puts pressure on businesses that have to contend with the fact that equipment will become outdated faster, many are also starting to realise it is far more beneficial to stay ahead of the curve.

Not only does equipping workers with the latest kit increase their job satisfaction, but it also means that productivity will improve and ensures that employees are working with secure devices that can enable new types of working across their company.

Hall comments: “Shorter lifecycles mean that employees will consistently be working with more up to date hardware, with more up to date security patches, that can take advantage of innovative hardware designs and newer form factors and ultimately allow the employees to experiment with new use cases for the devices.”

This shift, Hall adds, is also seeing the DaaS (device as a service) leasing model, which supports shorter lifecycles of devices and, in many cases, device agnosticism, gain traction, though he notes it’s still “early days”.

The CIO Electronics Show

Though it has “consumer” in its name, this year’s CES has proven itself as worthy of IT professionals’ attention and showed that the consumerisation of IT is accelerating rapidly, be it through do-it-all devices that enable more productive on-the-go working, or through growing trends such as foldable displays and artificial intelligence that are relevant to both consumers and business audiences.

It’s now more important than ever that decision-makers take heed of the latest innovations that will soon begin to infiltrate the workplace – whether they are ready or not.

Google is bringing its real-time translation tools to businesses via Volara and Sonifi.

Google Assistant's interpreter mode already translates conversations in 29 different languages in real-time on supported smartphones and smart displays, but Google is now working with the two systems integrator partners to make it easier for businesses to make use of the system.

The system uses a Google Nest Hub smart display, showing the translations on the screen and speaking them aloud. Volara and Sonifi will help rollout the technology, and offer consulting, training and technical support to customers.

The aim is to offer instant translations for hotel desks, airports and other places where language challenges occur. Google suggested it was already in use at terminal four at JFK airport in New York, in airport lounges in Los Angeles, at Caesars casinos in Las Vegas, and even used by aid organisations Mercy Corps and Human Rights First.

Lilian Rincon, Senior Director of Product Management for Google Assistant, explained in a blog post that interpreter mode has been used at JFK airport's terminal four to help travelers get help finding luggage pickup, navigating the terminal, locating shops, and more, while staff are using the system to communicate more easily with passengers. "Of all customers in T4, 65% are international travelers, many of whom are visiting the US for the first time," she said. "Flying can be very stressful for passengers, especially when struggling to understand the native language."

Alongside the systems integrator partnerships for translation, Google announced new features for Google Assistant, including support for scheduled actions — meaning you can finally use Google Home to programme smart home devices for a specific time.

Announced at CES, Scheduled Actions are one of several new features in Google Assistant, which the company said is now used by half a billion people globally, with support for more brands being added.

Scheduled Actions means you'll be able to choose an on/off time for compatible smart home gadgets. "For example, you can say, 'Hey Google, run the coffee maker at 6 am'," explained Manuel Bronstein, vice president of product for Google Assistant, in a blog post.

Bronstein added that it'll now be easier to setup smart home devices using Google Assistant. "When you set up your smart device through the manufacturer’s app, you’ll receive a notification on your Android phone or see a 'suggestion button' when you open up the Google Home app that will prompt you to connect the device with your Assistant," he said. "You’ll then be able to easily complete set-up in just a few taps without needing to re-enter your account credentials."

Alongside the smart-home features, Google at CES also demonstrated Assistant reading aloud long-form content, such as news articles or short stories. "Unlike traditional screen readers, this experience is built on new voice datasets to create more expressive and more natural sounding voices, so it’s easier to listen for a longer period of time," said Bronstein. Google is working on automatically translating such documents into different languages, as well as highlighting text as its read aloud.

Google also unveiled tools to share notes with the rest of your household, showing messages on smart displays without anyone needing to sign in — essentially, a digital post-it note — as well as new speed dials to more easily make calls. Both features will arrive later this year.

Intel has shared its version of the future of laptops at this year's CES, unveiling the Tiger Lake line of processors and a handful of limited details on its H-series 10th Gen chips.

The company also revealed new laptop devices built to its Project Athena specification, including a bendable tablet and collaboration with Google on Chromebooks.

The first Tiger Lake chips, mobile processors that serve as a follow up to the Ice Lake range, will ship this year, the company confirmed, although it revealed little detail other than to claim double-digit performance gains – though it wasn't clear versus what – as well as AI performance improvements, integrated Thunderbolt 4, and the use of Intel's new XE graphics. The Tiger Lake systems are built on the 10nm+ architecture, the same as Ice Lake.

Alongside Tiger Lake, Intel revealed that its H-series 10th Gen processors will surpass 5GHz – not only in the i9, but also in the step-down i7 Core chips. Plus, it showed off a preview of its first XE-based discrete GPU, code-named DG1.

Alongside the chip news, Intel announced an update to its latest laptop specification, dubbed Project Athena. Intel said it now has 25 laptops matching the Project Athena standards – which includes fast wake when the lid is lifted, fast charging over USB Type C, touch displays and narrow bezels, among other requirements.

It also added a pair of Chromebooks to the pile, the Asus Chromebook Flip and the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. Intel said it plans to add another two dozen laptops to the specification list, and will also expand it to incorporate dual-screen PCs.

Intel often uses CES to show off futuristic laptop designs, and this year was no different. The highlight for this show was a concept device called "Horseshoe Bend", a laptop with a folding display that opens up to 17in.

Datacentres also had a mention, with Intel revealing that the 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable chips, already set to arrive in the first half of this year, will include AI training accelerators built-in, helping to boost training performance.

What better way to beat the January blues than with one of the year's biggest tech shows? CES 2019 has seen tech companies of every size descend on Las Vegas to show off all their newest innovations, with keynote speeches from AMD, IBM and more. As usual, there was also a range of smaller announcements. We've collected all the most interesting news and announcements from the show, from the important to the odd.

AMD serves up some new chips

AMD is really swinging for the fences this year; the company has already announced a range of products based on its new 7nm manufacturing process, including a new Radeon VII GPU and the third generation of its Ryzen chips. We don't yet know how much the new processors will cost, but they're set to arrive later this year, while the Radeon VII will cost $699 and will be available from 07 February.

Apple's TV play

One of the most significant announcements at this year's CES was the news that Apple is going to start making its AirPlay and HomeKit technology compatible with smart TVs from the likes of Samsung, Sony and LG, as well as bringing its iTunes service to Samsung's TVs. This marks the first time in years that Apple has started opening up its ecosystem to third-parties, and could herald a new era of cooperation for the company.

LG rolls out a roll-up TV

On the subject of TVs, LG launched a roll-up TV at the show, which disappears into its stand when not in use. This is cool enough on its own, but what's really exciting about this is that it means a world of widespread flexible displays may not be all that far off - soon you may be able to roll up your tablet to fit it in your bag!

The connected loo

There's usually some underwhelming technology showcased at CES, too. However, it's not usually quite as literal as this: a 'smart toilet', which includes mood lighting, surround-sound speakers and even Alexa. This porcelain throne is called the Numi 2.0, and it'll set you back by a cool $7,000 should you wish to purchase it. An internet-connected toilet does raise the risk of giving hackers access to one of your most private moments...

Laptops galore

Aside from weird gadgets, there was also the usual slew of new laptop launches. Asus revealed a giant 4.7kg gaming convertible, HP announced an updated Spectre X360, Razer upgraded its excellent Blade 15 with an Nvidia RTX GPU and LG showed off a 17in version of its super-light Gram laptop. Our favourite, however, is the stalwart Dell XPS 13. It may only have received some minor tweaks, but it still looks set to retain its spot as one of the best laptops around.

CES is undoubtedly the place where you'll see the very latest technology products, prototypes and innovations, but there's another side to this gargantuan tech showcase. The Consumer Technology Association - the organising body behind the show - is also constantly researching the technology industry, intent on identifying and highlighting the latest trends set to change the world.

A couple of months ago we sat down with Steve Koenig, VP market research at the CTA, and discussed what trends would be driving CES 2019 and the year ahead. Koenig gave us a good indication of where the CTA feels that the tech industry is headed, and yesterday at his CES 2019 presentation he confirmed everything he hinted at back in October.

The most impactful aspect of Steve's trend analysis isn't the individual trend insights, but rather that he feels all those insights add up to something far more significant; the dawn of a new age.

According to Koenig in recent years we've seen the digital age superseded by the connected age, where the focus was no longer on independently innovative devices, but rather how those devices connected to the internet to deliver more complex and feature rich functionality. Now it's time for the connected age to make way for the latest technological megatrend, the data age.

Koenig says that almost every decision made today - whether it be a consumer choice or a business decision - is based on data, which sounds about right. The world of big data and analytics isn't one solely associated with business anymore; in fact we'd argue that it never was.

For some time now we've questioned whether there is a real distinction between consumer technology and enterprise technology, since the two rely so heavily on each other. Everything from your smartphone and tablet, to your games console and fitness tracker rely on enterprise cloud computing - without that cloud platform, their functionality would be woefully limited. Conversely, the data gathered from those consumer devices becomes an invaluable commodity for the businesses that analyse and utilise it.

And that's why it's so hard to argue with Koenig's data age suggestion, because it makes complete sense - data has undoubtedly become an immensely valuable currency, and understanding that data and generating actionable insight from it, will be the key to innovation and success.

But while the CTA is confident that we're entering that age of data, it also believes that there are key trends and technologies that will power this new era. Unsurprisingly, AI and machine learning are high on that list of trends, essentially forming the tools and platforms that will analyse that data and deliver those actionable insights. Equally as important is the impending rollout of 5G, which will deliver the connectivity bandwidth to capture all that data and deliver that insight back in realtime. One application that will definitely benefit from both those trends will be autonomous driving, where copious amounts of sensor data from cars and the supporting infrastructure will need to be captured, analysed and acted upon almost instantaneously, to ensure that each and every vehicle is fully aware of its surroundings and potential hazards at all times.

And it's that exponential growth in sensors and the data they capture that will further drive the data age, as homes, cars, consumers, businesses and environments become ever smarter. To fully realise the smart living dream, we'll be relying on a vast network of sensors, some of which will be personal to us, some in our homes or cars, while others will be part of the infrastructure that underpins our society.

The data age could deliver huge potential benefits, but with more and more data being gathered about us, what we do, where we are, and who we are, there's still a challenge that needs to be met; security. As intoxicating as a world that automatically knows what you need before you need it, knows where you're going before you've set off, and solves your problems before you're aware of them is, there will need to be robust and reliable ways to protect that data from malicious actors.

Also, let's not forget that we're not just talking about a world where individual, personal data is gathered up, analysed and acted upon, we're talking about an age where our entire underlying infrastructure is part of that smart, connected Nirvana, meaning that those same malicious actors could cause infinitely more damage than simply emptying an individual's bank account.

One final trend that Koenig highlighted was resilience; a word that's become synonymous with cybersecurity. While there will always be a place for protection in the cybersecurity toolbox, resilience is becoming far more important; essentially being able to detect a breach and deal with it as quickly and effectively as possible. Resilience is clearly a trend that will need to grow stronger during the data age since our devices, systems and infrastructure will all become ever-more attractive targets.

But the resilience trend that Koenig highlighted cuts both ways. The new insight and knowledge that the data age can deliver will also fuel other forms of resilience, such as predicting and managing natural disasters, ensuring traffic flow and managing unexpected high volumes, and avoiding infrastructure failures such as power cuts of burst water pipes, by predicting component failure before it happens.

Whether you believe that the data age is upon us or not doesn't really matter, because it's impossible to argue against the sheer value and power that data holds today. Whatever you want to call this new era, gathering, analysing and acting upon data will be undoubtedly be the driving force behind it.

Intel proved its credentials as a jack of all trades at CES 2018 during CEO Brian Krzanich's keynote speech last night. After leading with the news that the company will fix all Meltdown vulnerabilities by the end of the month, Krzanich launched into a far-reaching talk which covered driverless cars, self-learning AI chips and virtual reality.

But the main event was a "major breakthrough" in quantum computing, with the company announcing a 49-qubit quantum chip something Krzanich described as the next step to "quantum supremacy". The company, he said, is committed to forwarding the cause of quantum computing with a lab in the Netherlands dedicated to working on the quantum computers of tomorrow.

While there is no timeline details on the quantum chip codenamed Tangle Lake Krzanich was clear that this nascent technology could one day help solve the biggest problems humanity faces, taking minutes to solve problems that our current supercomputers take months or years to calculate, including drug development and climate modelling.

A little closer to the computers of today is another new processor: Loihi, an AI test chip. The neuromorphic chip is now fully functional and is apparently already performing simple object recognition in the labs. The plan is to allow third parties to use this self-learning AI chip for their own use cases over the next few years.

Then there are driverless cars a 100-strong test fleet, to be precise. The company's emergence in this area is no surprise, given it bought Mobileye, an autonomous car software firm, for $15 billion last year, but Intel seems to be making progress, demonstrating a car with 12 cameras and a 180-degree field of view, letting the vehicle "see" up to 300 metres ahead. Even if its own vehicles aren't a runaway success, Intel reported that two million vehicles from the likes of BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen will use technology from Mobileye throughout 2018 which makes last year's acquisition look like a shrewd one.

Elsewhere, Krzanich covered innovative VR initiatives triggered by the company's partnership for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Thirty events will be viewable from different angles both live and on demand, the company said, and it would be expanding the initiative to the NFL with cameras installed inside players' helmets. A partnership with Paramount Pictures will even see if this approach works for movies, with hundreds of cameras letting viewers "be the actor" or view the movie from any number of different angles.

You can watch the full keynote above.

Main image credit: Bigstock

Remember when PDAs like the Psion were all the rage back in the 90s? Well, if Indiegogo crowdfund Gemini's $1.3 million backing is anything to go by, it looks like they could be set for a comeback.

There's no surprise that the Gemini looks like a Psion PDA because the crowdfund's owners, Planet Computer, have partnered with a London-based industrial designer, Martin Riddiford, who was closely involved in designing the 90s handheld computers. Described as an "ultra-thin clamshell mobile device with fully integrated tactile QWERTY keyboard, that fits in your pocket", Gemini's prototype has been on display at CES 2018, where it's certainly got people talking.

In almost every sense, it's an updated version of a device from a bygone era. Rather than running an antiquated operating system like EPOC, Gemini dual boots Android and Linux, and has 4G, Wi-Fi (there's also a Wi-Fi-only model) and Bluetooth connections. The 5.99in touchscreen display isn't dissimilar in size to those sported by the original Psion PDAs, but it's Full HD (2160 x 1080) and uses scratch-resistant glass. There's no mention of support for a stylus, but its dual USB-C connectors enable you to connect a different keyboard, external screen and mouse.

Inside, you get a 2.6Ghz deca-core processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There's an impressively sized 4,220mAh battery that Gemini's creators claim produces two weeks of standby time and 12 hours of talk time, but no back camera and only a rather disappointing 5 megapixel front camera.

At 320g and 1.5cm deep, it's also more than 50% heavier and thicker than best phablet around, the Samsung Note 8, which is hardly surprising when you consider it has a physical keyboard. Otherwise, the PDA's dimensions are broadly similar to the Note 8, so you should be able to squeeze it in a pocket.

Considering there's nothing mindblowing about its spec, why all the hype? Who would opt for the Gemini over a high-powered phablet like the Samsung Note 8? The obvious answer is its anyone who wants a physical QWERTY keyboard. A keyboard its creators claim is "recognised as the world's best yet smallest full-sized keyboard for finger touch typing." Beyond giving you tactile feedback, what this QWERTY keyboard gives you is much more screen real estate to work with.

"On-screen keyboards often take up more than half the readable screen," reads its Indiegogo pitch. "We want to get back to typing on a fully tactile keyboard whilst being able to view the entire screen. All this on a device no larger than most modern mobile phones."

"We decided to re-invent the palm-sized keyboard mobile device that will benefit many, who we think are missing using the keyboard on the move. From bloggers and creatives that need to constantly write, to professionals who need to read and write e-mail, create and edit documents and spreadsheets," it continues.

I'm still not convinced, but the other ace up its sleeve is price. If you back the Gemini now, you can get your hands on one for a bargain $400 (around 300), $200 (150) less than the final retail price and almost a third of the Note 8's starting retail price in the UK.

Frankly, I'm quite surprised that the Gemini has received the level of backing that it has. After all, tactile keyboards didn't work out for Blackberry in the first instance, and its follow up devices that have attempted to revive the QWERTY touchpad (like the KeyOne) have hardly been a roaring success. However, backers have shown that there is a market for a modern PDA, so it will be interesting to see if the big players in the smartphone market take notice and plan their own revival.

Image credit: Gemini

At CES 2018, Acer showcased three new laptops: the AMD-powered Nitro 5 gaming laptop, the elegant and ultra-lightweight Swift 7 and a revamped Chromebook 11 with a USB Type-C port for those on a tighter budget.

Below, we'll outline each laptop and give you an idea of what to expect, including the laptop's UK release date, price and specifications.

Acer Swift 7 hands-on: The world's thinnest laptop now with 4G LTE

The Swift 7 will be available from February 2018 with prices starting at 1,479. In the US and Europe, prices will start at $1,699 and 1,699 respectively.

Acer Swift 7 specifications

The new Swift 7 has a 14in Full HD touchscreen IPS display, topped with Corning Gorilla Glass and, as with previous Swift laptops, it can be tilted back to a rather extreme angle. It has improved connectivity over the last model, though, with a nano-SIM card slot and support for 4G data speeds.

The laptop also supports eSIM technology, which means you can download and activate a network profile directly to your laptop without having to worry about a physical SIM card. Other connectivity specifications include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with 2x2 MIMO and Bluetooth.

As for performance, the Swift 7 comes equipped with a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB of PCIe SSD storage and 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM.

Acer Swift 7 design

Acer claims the Swift 7 is the world's thinnest laptop and the numbers certainly make eye-opening reading. Its aluminium chassis measures an astonishing 8.98mm with the lid closed and it's ludicrously light as well. Around the sides of the laptop there are scattered two USB Type-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a nano-SIM tray, although there are no HDMI or USB Type-A ports.

Unusually, the laptop has a fingerprint sensor and this is located by the left side of the backlit keyboard. It has a pretty big trackpad as well, but with effective palm rejection, you won't need to worry too much about activating it by accident.

Acer Swift 7 early verdict

With an ultra-thin design, 4G capabilities and an Intel Core i7 processor, the Swift 7 is one to look out for. It might be a tad expensive, but if you're looking for a laptop you can sling in a bag without feeling too much of a weight penalty, the Swift 7 could be the laptop for you.

Acer Chromebook 11 hands-on: A Chromebook with a dash of style

Acer Chromebook 11 UK release date and price

The Chromebook 11 will be available from 259 and will come to the UK in March 2018. In the US and Europe, prices start at $249 and 249.

Acer Chromebook 11 specifications

The Chromebook 11 comes in two different variants: one with a touchscreen (CB311-8HT); one without (CB311-8H). Both have 11.6in IPS displays, stereo speakers and a pair of USB-Type C ports.

Elsewhere, there are two USB-Type A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card reader. For wireless you get a 2x2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter and Bluetooth 4.2. Powering the laptop is an Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of eMMC storage.

Acer Chromebook 11 design

The Chromebook 11 looks fantastic. It has an attractive textured plastic blue shell and a lightweight, compact design. Just like the Swift 7, the Chromebook 11's display can be folded all the way back so it lies completely flat.

Acer Chromebook 11 early verdict

On first impressions, the Chromebook 11 looks to be a solid low-cost laptop. Its conservative specifications keep the price down, its range of connectivity is impressive for a Chromebook, and it looks great.

Razer, the company that specialises in creating gaming laptops and other hardware, has claimed two of its prototype devices unveiled at CES were taken from its booth on Sunday.

In a post on Facebook, CEO Min-Liang Tan said he was notified of the alleged theft on Monday and that the company had filed reports with both law enforcement and the show organisers.

He added: "At Razer, we play hard and we play fair. Our teams worked months on end to conceptualize and develop these units and we pride ourselves in pushing the envelope to deliver the latest and greatest.

"We treat theft/larceny, and if relevant to this case, industrial espionage, very seriously - it is cheating, and cheating doesn't sit well with us. Penalties for such crimes are grievous and anyone who would do this clearly isn't very smart."

Tan didn't specify which devices were taken in the Facebook post, and a spokesperson refused to tell IT Pro when we contacted the company.

Razer used CES to show off two concept designs, which both generated quite a stir at the event.

The first, Project Valerie, resembles a normal laptop when closed but, when opened, reveals the main screen and another two screens that fold out. All of the 17in screens have 4k resolutions, with the device intended to provide a desktop gaming experience on a laptop.

The second is Project Ariana, a "room scale" projector.

Tan has asked anyone who can provide any information regarding the alleged theft to contact the company directly via legal@razerzone.com.

"All information provided will be kept in the strictest of confidence," he concluded.

Picture credit: Razer

When BlackBerry announced that it was stopping production of phones, many people took that to mean one thing - the end of the iconic BlackBerry devices so many people have come to love. But that's certainly not how John Chen, the company's quiet-spoken yet determined CEO, sees it.

"What you're going to see over time is more phones, more BlackBerry phones out there, because I [will] have multiple parties creating and distributing phones," he told IT Pro, in a roundtable interview at CES 2017. "I also have local parties in the local spaces where I normally can't compete."

Chen pointed to Indonesia, claiming that BlackBerry currently has "about 50 million users" there, giving the company a 20% market share. That's why a local carrier - the number two in the market - was keen to license the BlackBerry name and sell its own phones.

And, as has been well documented, TCL - the company behind Alcatel - will be building the final BlackBerry-designed phone, with the "Mercury" welcoming back the front-mounted keyboard that's so strongly associated with the BlackBerry name.

The final piece of the jigsaw before BlackBerry phones (as Chen hopes) become a worldwide force once more is the trio of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, with Chen claiming a deal for a local builder is on its way.

So why not build the phones itself? According to Chen, it comes down to profit margins. "We put so much money into IP creation and innovation that I'm not set up to take 1% or 2% [profit] on the hardware side."

"I don't want to make [phones] anymore," he added. "Making phones is highly intensive capital, lots of heavy lifting, a lot of hard work and very little margin. This is like us starting a PC company today."

"Instead I want to take advantage of local distribution," Chen said, explaining that his Indonesian partner "has more stores than Apple could ever build in Indonesia".

With this model, BlackBerry keeps producing phones without the risk or financial burden of making the phones itself, but pockets the licensing fee for its software and renting out its brand name.

"I still manage the experience and the security because I still have the software," Chen added.

Partnership with ex-New York City Mayor Guiliani

Chen shared the roundtable with Rudy Guiliani, the outspoken former Mayor of New York City. Earlier, the two had announced a new partnership where BlackBerry would supply the mobile security intelligence to Giuliani Partners, the politician's cybersecurity consultancy firm targeting government and enterprises. Chen said the deal ties into his argument that the BlackBerry business can start moving beyond hardware devices and into broader areas of security.

"We also have [a] security brand, Secure by BlackBerry, which could go beyond phones - into things like Internet of Things," said Chen.

By moving out of phone production, "I can get out of the process and the capital and the cash required to keep the handset going, only on the software, and move more of that investment into the cybersecurity side or the automotive side."

Picture: L-r: John Chen and Rudy Giuliani

Don't be fooled. While the name stays the same, the 2017 version of Lenovo's already brilliant ThinkPad X1 Carbon just launched at CES 2017 in Las Vegas is a major upgrade. It's lighter, faster, more compact, lasts longer, and offers better connectivity. If you recently bought the X1 Carbon, you may want to stop reading to avoid some major jealousy pangs.

I played with the X1 Carbon in a private briefing away from the CES showfloor, and were it not for the product manager keeping a watchful eye would have happily swapped it for the Dell XPS 13 in my bag.

Lenovo's most impressive feat is to include a 14in screen in a chassis that weighs 1.1kg and is actually 12mm less deep than last year's model. To perform this magic trick, it's shrunk the bezels (which makes the screen look even bigger), but if you fear that means the same sacrifice as the XPS 13 where the webcam moved to a double-chin-enhancing position underneath the screen then fear not. It's in its rightful place at the top.

There's no touchscreen option for this, and the option of OLED, you'll need to buy the also-updated X1 Carbon Yoga but the IPS screens Lenovo uses are both bright and high-quality. A Full HD resolution still looks fine on a 14in display, but if your eyesight is good enough then there's a 2,560 x 1,440 version too.

The key reason for sticking with IPS technology is battery life, as Lenovo claims that these variants of the X1 Carbon will last for more than 15 hours. Even if that turns out to be a tad optimistic, it's a four-hour boost over last year's model and comes, in part, due to a 57Whr battery inside versus last year's 52Whr unit.

IT support teams will also love the fact all 2017 ThinkPads come with a built-in diagnostic mode: press the Fn key on a "dead" machine and a series of beeps will tell an app, or a Lenovo technician on the other end of the phone, what kind of fault has happened and provide recommended steps to fix it.

The fact this year's model also includes seventh-generation Intel Core processors (another reason why battery life has improved) becomes a by-the-way rather than a key new feature, but take greater note of the two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt support that now sit on the left edge. For convenience, there's a full-sized HDMI and two USB 3 ports too. There's no full-sized SD card slot, which may irritate some, but compensation comes in the removable caddy at the rear, which can hold both microSD and nano SIM cards.

It's safe to say that there's much to like about the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon. In the same way that Dell created a 13in laptop that felt like a 12in machine with the XPS 13, Lenovo has created a 14in laptop with the weight and dimensions of a 13in device. With the same great feel to the keyboard as every ThinkPad, and a touchpad that now supports the Microsoft Precision spec, this is a machine that power users will adore. And should you like such things, it's now available in silver as well as the trademark ThinkPad black.

Key specs

Up to Intel Core i7 7th gen processors

14in 2,560 x 1,440 IPS or 14in 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display

Up to 16GB LPDDR3 memory

Up to 1TB SSD storage

720p webcam with IR option

Intel HD Graphics 620

Fingerprint reader option

Windows 10 Pro

323.5 x 217.1 x 15.95mm (WDH)

From 1.14kg

Pictures: Tim Danton

You can't accuse Dell of being concerned about having too much of a good thing. The Dell XPS 13 has been the company's most successful laptop in decades, perhaps ever, and it's given the ultraportable a refresh to coincide with CES 2017.

The new XPS 13 2-in-1 is a convertible, taking advantage of the same hinge design that Lenovo pioneered with its Yoga range to allow the screen to fold back through 360 degrees. Unlike the Yogas, the XPS 13's keyboard doesn't retract when the device is folded into tablet mode, but that's no great loss: the XPS 13 has a superb keyboard and making it retractable may have added a few unnecessary millimetres to its trim chassis.

The other notable addition is an optional stylus, but Dell hasn't found space to dock the pen neatly within the laptop's frame. Instead, it's magnetic, clipping clumsily to the side of the laptop or on the XPS 13's magnesium lid when not in use. That makes it too easy to lose in a laptop bag for our liking.

Still, the XPS 13 remains a hugely desirable ultraportable, and the flexibility afforded by the folding screen only adds to its allure. With the option to equip the device with the latest 7th-generation Intel Core processors with vPro and up to 15 hours of battery life, it won't leave business customers wanting.

The XPS 13 2-in-1 is priced from $999 and is currently only available in the US, although it's likely to be only a matter of time before it hops over the Atlantic.

XPS 27

Dell hasn't neglected its desktop line-up, either. Tugging on the coattails of Microsoft's Surface Studio, Dell has given its XPS 27 all-in-one a significant refresh. The fine-tuning comes largely in the audio department - the XPS 27 now has no fewer than 10 speakers. Six are mounted clearly on the front of the device, comprised of four full-range drivers and a pair of tweeters. There are two more down-firing speakers, as well as a pair of passive radiators to deliver the bass.

The speakers certainly deliver a sonic thump - the XPS 27 made itself clearly heard above even the crowded hubbub of Dell's Las Vegas demo room, although it was hard to make any definitive judgement of the audio quality with so much background noise to contend with.

Dell is clearly positioning the XPS 27 as a multimedia workstation, running Adobe Premiere Pro on the CES demo. The huge canvas offered by the 27in 4K display meant that it was possible to accurately prod even the smallest of icons in Premiere Pro's cluttered interface, and the Core i7 demo model was immaculately responsive. The XPS 27's business-focused sibling, the Precision AIO, can even be equipped with Xeon processors and AMD Radeon Pro graphics for even greater workstation grunt. The sparkling screen also has 100% of the Adobe RGB gamut covered, making it even more appealing to imaging creatives.

Like the Surface Studio, the XPS 27 folds almost flat, like a designer's easel. It's debatable how much of an advantage that is unless you make heavy use of a stylus, but it certainly delivers more flexibility than anything Apple's iMacs offer.

The XPS 27 starts from $1,499, although higher-end models won't arrive until later in the year. Dell is yet to reveal UK pricing.

Intel has kept Moore's Law relevant by revealing a 2-in-1 device running the firm's Cannon Lake' chip at CES 2017.

Moore's Law, which predicts that the number of transistors in a circuit will double every two years, has proved true since its introduction in the 1960s, but speculation has mounted since 2012 that the law will soon falter as technological progression reaches a peak.

But Intel CEO Brian Krzanich used the new PC to demonstrate that "Moore's Law is alive and well and flourishing", according to Digital Trends.

The publication reported that the unnamed 2-in-1 PC is the first to feature a 10nm chip, which Krzanich said will allow hardware manufacturers to build slimmer, more powerful devices that can better support virtual reality.

He added: "So for those who are wondering if Moore's Law is alive, is 10 nanometers going to be here, the answer is absolutely yes. And I believe Moore's Law will be well beyond my career alive and well and kicking."

Intel's 10nm chip will feature in other products before the end of 2017, Digital Trends reported, with a recent Intel leak suggesting the Cannon Lake processor design could also push into 2018 in the form of Kaby Lake U and H chips.

Qualcomm also announced a 10nm chip, the Qualcomm Centriq 2400, at CES yesterday, after teasing them in December.

Previous reports suggest Intel will start production of 7nm chips in 2020, and 5nm in 2022 if silicon remains a cost-effective material for processors.

Samsung is attempting to push the Chromebook into professional territory with the launch of the Samsung Chromebook Pro at CES in Las Vegas.

The Chromebook Pro and its stablemate, the Chromebook Plus, share several defining features. Both devices are convertibles, folding through 360 degrees to become chunky tablets or into 'tent mode' for watching Netflix. Both are equipped with a metal digitiser pen, and both are capable of running Android apps, pushing the Chromebook's capabilities beyond ordinary web apps.

What sets the two devices apart are their processors. The Pro comes with an Intel Core m3 processor, the m3-6Y30 to be precise, which is a sixth-generation part with a clock speed of 900MHz that can Turbo Boost to 2.2GHz when required. The Plus, on the other hand, is an ARM-based device, running on the hexa-core OP1 processor.

The presence of the stylus shoves Samsung's Chromebook in the direction of other professional-grade devices, such as Microsoft's Surface Book, Lenovo's ThinkPad Yoga X1 and the iPad Pro. Samsung vice president Alanna Cotton claimed the stylus is perfect for jotting notes on the 12.3in 2,400 x 1,600 LED display.

We're not sure we'd go that far. In our brief tests with the ARM-based Chromebook Plus, the stylus was responsive, without ever getting close to emulating the feel of a real pen and paper -- it's not in the same class as more expensive rivals such as the Surface Book or Yoga X1. That's partly down to the glossy coating of the screen, which has a slightly sticky texture. The lightweight plastic casing of the Chromebook also doesn't feel great in the hand.

Google's note-taking app, Google Keep, is pre-installed on the Chromebooks, which uses optical character recognition to transcribe handwritten notes jotted with the stylus. The pen itself has a 0.7mm nib, which is thinner than many other styluses on the market, and docks in the base of the laptop, just beneath the right-hand corner of the screen.

The ability to download and install Android apps is another boon for professional users, with dedicated apps usually offering more features and better offline support than the web-based apps that Chromebooks have traditionally depended upon. Google began offering support for Android apps on selected models of Chromebooks late last year, and it now looks set to become a standard feature of the latest generation of devices. Both the Samsung Chromebooks have 32GB of onboard e.MMC storage, with the option to supplement that further via the MicroSD slot.

The Chromebook Plus is set to go on sale from February for $449 (around 365). The Pro will arrive later in the year, for an as yet unannounced price, although it's safe to assume it will be the more expensive of the two models.

Hot question

While Samsung used its CES keynote to showcase several new products including the Chromebooks, a minor refresh of its Notebook 9 (for the US market only) and other domestic appliances, it didn't duck the Galaxy Note 7 issue that has been hanging over the company since the end of last year.

Tim Baxter, president and COO of Samsung Electronics America, kicked off the keynote by admitting 2016 had been a "challenging year" for the company. He later said the company would "very soon be sharing the root-cause report on the Note 7", having spent the past couple of months working with third-party experts and the company's own engineering teams to work out what had caused the supersized smartphones to overheat.

Ahead of CES 2017, Dell has revealed an upgrade to the well-received XPS 13, aimed at creating a more business-focused device.

Dell has taken the existing XPS 13 design and added a 360-degree hinge, turning an ultrabook into an ultraportable 2-in-1 convertible. As with other convertibles, you will be able to switch to different configurations depending on your needs, including 'tent' and tablet, which Dell hopes will help with productivity.

The new model will feature the same 13.3in screen with both 1920x1080 FHD and stunning 3200x1800 QHD touchscreen displays available.

Customers will have a choice of processors; either the Intel Core i5-75Y54 at 3.2GHz and the more powerful i7-7Y75 at 3.6GHz, using a completely fanless design.

Importantly, both vPro processors are designed for business users, shipping with the latest in manageability tools such as built in multifactor authentication for hardware and remote management services for networks.

As Windows 10 powers the 2-in-1, users will also be able to take advantage of the 'Hello' compatible fingerprint reader, which allows the device to be securely unlocked with a touch.

At 1.2 kg it is also lighter and smaller than Microsoft's Surface Book, while boasting a much longer battery life of 15 hours, according to Dell. It also ditches the USB 3.0 found on the Surface Book in favour of two USB Type C ports, including ultrafast Thunderbolt 3 support.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 will be available for order on the 5 January from its online store, as well as Best Buy in the US. With configurations starting at $999, the device is priced at almost $200 more than the XPS 13.