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PCR rounds up the products to look out for at this year’s International CES in Las Vegas.
1. Acer line-up
Acer has announced a whole host of fresh tablets and laptops for the show, as well as the Liquid Z5 smartphone (pictured above right). This compact 5-inch smartphone is designed for first time smartphone adopters or budget conscious users looking mainly for to browse the web, as well as take photos and videos.
It features a 16:9 aspect ratio screen, is powered by Android 4.2.2, measures 145.5 x 73.5 x 8.8 mm and weighs 147 grams. It touts a dual-core 1.3 GHz processor, 4 GB of internal user storage, Wi-Fi, integrated GPS and a 5-megapixel camera.
Acer also revealed details of the Iconia W4 tablet, Iconia A1-830 Tablet, Iconia B1 Tablet, C720P Chromebook, Aspire V5 Ultrabook and Aspire S3 Ultrabook.
2. Turtle Beach
The well-known gaming headset brand is set to make a number of big announcements at CES 2014 with several new products on the horizon.
You’ll also be able to check out a host of headsets on the Turtle Beach stand such as the iSeries range (which includes the EarForce i30 – pictured). This is billed as ‘the ultimate media headset’ for movies, music, gaming and talking. A higher-end i60 is also available, as are the XO Four and XO Seven headsets surround sound headsets for Xbox One.
3. Zotac Steam Machine
One of the biggest announcements in recent gaming news, Valve’s Steam Machine could be the product to combine the upgradability and power of a desktop PC with the ease of use of a games console. The firm has joined forces with a number of companies, including Zotac, to produce a range of the boxes running on its SteamOS operating system.
The machines are also compatible with the Steam Controller, which uses unique haptic feedback to give mouse-like precision.
4. Roku smart TV
Roku will unveil its first smart TV at this year’s show.
The set-top box maker says the new device will be more straightforward to use than the smart TVs currently on the market.
The Roku TV eliminates the need for any external boxes or dongles and ‘unnecessary settings and menus’ have been removed and replaced with the Roku home screen that can be found on the firm’s streaming boxes.
Roku has partnered with TCL and Hisense to produce 32-inch and 55-inch models, which will be available in the second half of 2014.
5. Samsung Galaxy Note Pro
Samsung’s latest tablet will make an appearance at CES 2014.
The Galaxy Note Pro is rumoured to sport a 12.2-inch screen, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, and either Snapdragon 800 or Exynos 5 Octa chipset.
Judging by the billboard posters that have popped up around the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Note Pro looks set to come with a refreshed Windows 8-esque user interface as well.
The Galaxy Tab Pro will also be unveiled at the show. This tablet is rumoured to come in 8.4-inch and 10.1-inch models.
6. Intel wearable tech
Chip maker Intel is set to showcase a line of wearable technology. CEO Brian Krzanich also said that Intel has been working on some "groundbreaking" next-gen PCs and tablets.
“Wearables is wide open,” he said.
“What you will see at CES is that we are actually going to bring some very innovative wearables to the show that are developed and manufactured here.”
7. Mad Catz Freq4D headset
Headsets have always been popular with gamers, and Mad Catz’ latest product aims to go one further by fully immersing users into games through the power of audio.
Using ViviTouch 4D Sound technology, the Freq4D uses polymer films and 50mm stereo drivers to create physical sensations in the skin and bones surrounding the user’s ears, adding immersive realism to game audio. The $129.99 Freq4D is compatible with the PS4, PC and Mac via USB.
8. 105-inch curved LG TV
Said to cost around £70,000, this monstrous set will be well worth viewing at the show if not for the visual splendour alone.
The LG 105UB9 boasts a resolution of 5,120 x 2,160 and a 21:9 aspect ratio, but doesn’t use OLED technology like other curved TVs.
9. Lenovo ‘virtually indestructible’ ThinkPad
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is claimed to be the world’s lightest 14-inch ultrabook, constructed from carbon fibre and equipped with voice and gesture control.
An added bonus is Lenovo’s statement that the X1 is “virtually indestructible”. The X1 will be released later this month, starting at $1,299 (£794).
10. HP Slate 21 Pro
HP is targeting businesses with its new range of devices, including the HP Slate 21 Pro.
This Android All-in-one is tailored for enterprise users and is designed for use in classrooms, computer labs and public settings such as hotels and business centres.
The 21.5-inch device comes with 16GB of onboard storage, 2GB of RAM and a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 processor.
HP has also unveiled the Pro x2 410, a detachable 11-inch laptop, and a new 300 line laptop series with 14 and 15-inch models.
