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Thursday 7 January 2016

9 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW 2016 SHOW FLOOR


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9 highlights from the CES show floor
By Karissa Bell and Alicia Marie Tan,
Mashable, 7 January 2016.

Mashable is now three days into the International CES, but the innovation news hasn't slowed at all.

Whether it was drones of the future, shiny new cameras or impressive cars, Wednesday was filled with some of the most impressive gadgets we've seen yet.

We've rounded up a few of our favourite announcements that came out of CES today. Keep reading to see all our top picks and let us know which ones you're most excited about.

1. Kodak brings back the Super 8

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Image: Kodak

Eastman Kodak announced a revival of the classic Super 8 film camera launched 50 years ago in 1965, and everyone is pretty stoked, including Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg. The new Super 8’s design is a nod to the original, though it’s not entirely analogue.

The camera has a digital viewfinder and users can get a digital copy of their footage, in addition to the 8mm film, when they choose Kodak for processing. The first units are expected to roll out in a limited-edition version in fall 2016 for the cost of somewhere between US$400 to US$750, and we can expect a cheaper version in 2017.

2. The Chevy Bolt


Chevrolet’s long-range electric car called the Bolt is a vehicle worth the drive. As Mashable’s transportation reporter Nick Jaynes explains, the Bolt can travel more than 200 miles on a single charge and will cost around US$30,000 after a US$7,500 tax deduction - which makes it a very impressive car for General Motors and may offer a boost of competitive inspiration for the rest of the American car market.

The Bolt features a 10.2-inch touchscreen running the new MyLink infotainment system and customizable widget-based themed displays. One of the coolest features is the car's rearview mirror, which has a tab that activates an 80-degree rearview perspective from the vehicle's rear-mounted camera. The Bluetooth-connected car will go on sale later this year.

3. Oculus Rift and Touch controllers


While Oculus introduced the consumer version of its headset and the accompanying Touch controllers long before CES, Mashable's latest demo with the upcoming Touch controllers confirmed that they make the upcoming headset nothing short of amazing.

4. The Ehang 184


Riding in a drone might be way cooler than flying one, and Chinese drone maker Ehang has a 500-pound drone for just that. The Ehang 184 can transport one person at approximately 62 miles per hour on a roughly 23-minute trip and can lift about 220 pounds, according to the company's claims. All you have to do is select your destination in an app that plans your trip, and the drone takes off. It’s not legal in the U.S. yet, but the company is in contact with the FAA. So far, the company has successfully completed more than 100 flights with an actual person on board.

In other drone news, Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Huerta appeared at CES to discuss how many U.S. drone users have registered with the agency's database, and the FAA officially released B4UFLY, a new mobile app that allows drone users to see if their location is safe for flying.

5. Pregnancy tests get an app, too

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Pregnancy test company First Response announced a Bluetooth-enabled home pregnancy test. It works with a companion app that keeps track of your test results and, once you get pregnant, can help keep tabs on the user's doctor appointments. For those still trying to conceive, the app also helps track ovulation cycles and other info.

6. Sony PS-HX500 turntable

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Image: Sony

Kodak isn’t the only company to make what’s old new again. Sony’s PS-HX500 stereo turntable system converts vinyl into high-res digital audio files, specifically Sony’s proprietary DSR audio file or 24-bit high-res wav files. A Sony spokesperson also confirmed that the company will release an app designed for editing the digitized audio files. It’s really the best of both worlds, combining an elegant retro aesthetic with modern utility. Pricing has yet to be determined, but the turntable will launch this spring.

7. LG's rollable OLED display in action


We mentioned LG's impressive rollable OLED display earlier in the week, but today Mashable got to see it in action. The 18-inch, 1 mm-thick OLED display prototype can play live video while you roll it up and unroll it.

8. Netflix goes global

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Image: Coolcaesar/Wikimedia Commons

In the company's biggest expansion yet, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced that the streaming service will be spreading to 130 new countries, including India, Vietnam, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia.

9. Nikon D5

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Nikon announced a new flagship DSLR camera: the D5, which, in the words of Mashable product analyst Raymond Wong, is "a beast of a camera." It has a 20.8-megapixel FX-format sensor, shoots 4K video and is equipped with a 3.2-inch touchscreen (a first for a Nikon flagship.) Pricing and availability have yet to be announced, but we already can't wait to get our hands on it.

Nikon also showed off the new D500, which has the same 153 autofocus points system as the D5 and can shoot 10 fps in continuous autofocus mode at a rate of up to 200 RAW file images.

Top image: The Chevy Bolt EV. Credit: Chevrolet.

[Source: Mashable. Edited. Some images added.]

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