At CES 2015, innovations showcased included the IoT applications for everyday objects like smart beer kegs, connected plant pots, and advanced car technologies such as eye-tracking systems and autonomous vehicles. A focus on augmented reality and fitness wearables highlighted the evolving tech landscape, with products enabling enhanced tracking and user interaction. Discussions also spanned the transformation of media through digital platforms, emphasizing the need for quality content in an increasingly polarized environment.

1. ces2015
day 2
performics at

2. the internet
even
At CES 2015, the Internet has extended to just about every“thing”imag-
inable. From home appliances to sinks, beer kegs and plants, countless
new items can be controlled and monitored via the Internet. Some of
the favorites at CES 2015 include:
Intel SteadyServe iKeg
The iKeg monitors the level (and type) of
beer in each keg. It transmits data to a
cloud-based tracking and analysis engine.
Users can then access keg status reports
from all their devices - making sure a new
keg is ready to go when one gets low!
Samsung SmartThings
Samsung’s SmartThings can connect to sinks,
air conditioners, fridges and just about any-
thing else. They’ll tell you - via your phone from
a remote place - if your sink is leaking or your
fridge door is open. They can shut off the water
to prevent a flood. Super smart! Here is a
picture of the sensor under a sink.
Parrot Plants
The Internet of Things has even extended to
plants. Parrot Pot is a connected plant pot
with an automatic watering system that
monitors plant health in terms of sunlight,
soil moisture, temperature and fertilizer
levels. Parrot H2O senses your plant’s thirst
and waters them while you’re away.
plants

3. It is not unusual for CES to look like a car show with its massive exhibits from
brands like BMW,Toyota andVolkswagen. So what’s standing out in auto this year?
Safety innovations.
Smarter Headlights
BMW’s booth is impressive- one of its highlights is the M4
Concept Iconic Lights exhibit. These new headlights are
integrated with sensors to sense shadows and shapes,
giving drivers new vision at night. The headlights adopt
based on information provided by the sensors, looking
650 yards down the road to detect things like turns,
narrow passages, pedestrians or animals. They visualize
other road users and dim down so you don’t blind other
drivers when passing by. They see turns through GPS and
light them for drivers. This new era in headlight technolo-
gy will surely make the road a safer place.
Eye Tracking
Beyond headlights, Intel car integration tracks eye movements to
increase safety. Sensors can read drivers’ eyes, making sure that
they’re paying attention to the right things on the road (and not
texting while driving).
Screens Replacing Buttons
Screens are starting to replace buttons and dials in cars:
The new Volkswagen touch-and-gesture car lets you open
windows, activate buttons, etc. with just a gesture - the
idea being that if you’re not feeling around for knobs,
you’ll be more focused on the road. In addition, Volkswa-
gen has vibration technology to guide your fingers in
places where buttons are not easily accessible. Some
models barely had buttons or knobs at all.
Self-Driving Cars
And, of course, autonomous self-driving cars are everywhere at CES this year. Self-driving cars can
assist drivers in parallel parking and even automatic braking when things jump out in the road.
Some of these cars can even be controlled via watch by a person outside of the car.
Implications of Tech Advancements
These advancements and innovations in auto technology will bring far-reaching implications -
from impacting street signs and road infrastructure, to mobile communications while on the road,
and maybe even insurance rates.
safety
first

4. Augmented Reality (AR) glasses are moving beyond just providing
wearers with directions or personal notifications. Sony showcased
Smart Glasses at its CES booth- and highlighted a few applications for
different industries.
What makes Sony’s Smart Glasses unique from other wearables is they
do not have a defined use (e.g. tracking your activities or giving you
meeting notifications) - they’re completely open. This means the possi-
bilities for the glasses are endless. Sony exemplified practical uses of
Smart Glasses, such as:
new utilities for
augmented • Wearing them to find boxes in a warehouse
• Locating misplaced books in a library
• Walking a mechanic through engine repairs or other technical tasks
The cool feature of Sony’s Smart Glasses is it’s totally up to the user -
these glasses can do whatever you want them to. Sony will allow devel-
opers to access the API to write programs. Because the sky is the limit,
businesses will likely use glasses like these to solve challenges and
speed up tasks in the near future.
glasses

5. There’scertainlynoshortageoffitnesswearablesatCES2015-includingbands,watches,
headphones and glasses. Wearables with heart rate monitoring, GPS, calorie counts,
mileage counts, timers, activity tracking and fitness programs are everywhere, including:
Headphones from brands like
Jabra and Sony that wirelessly
monitor heart rate (some
bulkier than others)
the evolving
Headphones like the Sony Smart
B-Trainer that selects songs from your
music library to play based on your
heart rate to really get you moving
Garmin wearables with GPS
Fitness bands, like the new Sony SmartBand Talk, are becoming quite
streamlined vs. bulkier products like the Microsoft Band (which actually
can interfere with your workout by bouncing around or getting in the
way). The SmartBand Talk also enables users to instruct the fitness tech-
nology to make and take calls. You can even verbally record notes on the
band when you’re on-the-run (literally).
But what we were really in search of at Tech East was the ultimate fitness wearable. Something that went
beyond activity tracking, calories, heart rate or tailoring music. Is there a wearable technology out there
that could act as a personal trainer, and really integrate with your body to push you to the limits? The
answer is, probably not yet. Samsung is coming closer, however. In the Samsung booth, we saw a demo
of the Samsung fitness band integrated with a Life Fitness treadmill,
via the health monitoring app on a Samsung phone.
Beyond cardio, the Samsung fitness band can also track weight
lifting routines - like biceps curls - and count out the reps based on
your movements. This capability is currently limited to basic move-
ments, however. Currently, these wearables aren’t going to be able
to track something like a high-intensity Insanity or Cross Fit routine.
Fitness wearables are evolving, and becoming a highly competitive
space. But don’t fire your personal trainer just yet.
world of
fitness
technology

6. Although there’s a lot of debate about the consumer adoption of 3D print-
ers, there is no doubt that 3D printing will change commerce and society.
Previously, 3D printing has been slow and costly, but with new advance-
ments, the speed and capabilities will soon approach current mass manu-
facturing techniques. Things that were almost impossible to create before,
can now be imagined and printed. Today at CES we witnessed a vast array
of printers with prices ranging from $200 to $19,000, with print areas from
half a square foot to almost a square meter.
These printers could print the standard plastics, as well as materials con-
taining wood, bamboo, copper, kevlar and carbon fiber. The printing tech-
niques ranged from the simpler and lower cost (and resolution) additive
method to stereolithography using lasers or UV light. Some of the brands
mentioned that because of the low cost of entry, individuals (families) and
schools can now easily afford this technology, setting up a generational
explosion of interest in STEM and more specifically, creating a new era of
creative innovation, where ideas won’t be limited by conventional manu-
facturing techniques.
An example showcased at CES is the Spider Dress: 3D printing, robotics and
bio-signals creates a dress that responds to your mood
EVERYTHING
The Democratization OF
3D
ON DEMAND:
PRINTING

7. At CES on Tuesday night, Yahoo!’s Katie Couric sat down with ZenithOptimedia’s Worldwide CEO
Steve King to talk about the“value exchange”from Katie’s perspective in her current role at Yahoo!.
The New World: Katie’s Leap from TV to Digital
Everyone is grappling with disruption in the media landscape. In TV, Katie noted that consumers have differ-
ent expectations and the industry must adjust. Younger people aren’t going to TV—they’re consuming
everything online. Therefore, Katie was excited to move toYahoo!; she’s been talking about the Internet since
1994 and was interested in jumping into the brave new world.
Yahoo! has given her a playground to focus on what she loves, including substantive content, important
issues in serious times, curiosity and talking with people (vs. anchoring (and reading) the evening news). The
beauty of online content is that people watch it whenever and wherever they want (but Katie does miss the
old TV beauty of people watching something on a regular basis).
The Right Type of Value Exchange: Online Content
There’s no shortage of content on the Internet; but there’s a huge shortage of quality content. That’s why, at
Yahoo!, Katie is focusing on telling important, powerful stories. And although numbers and viewers don’t
motivate Katie, she’s found a strong audience. Yahoo! is a great opportunity for Katie because, asTV audienc-
es get smaller, most TV content strives to engage mass audiences. But at Yahoo!, Katie can do things differ-
ently and cater to more specific audiences, with longer, deeper conversations. And advertisers are proud to
be associated with the high quality work and content.
The Democratization of Media
At Yahoo!, Katie has an opportunity to create conversations. But the democratization of media is a dou-
ble-edged sword. We live in a polarized environment, and we can’t please everyone. Content, advertising
and experiences aren’t“one-size fits all.”
Katie’s Passion: Informing People
Of late, Katie has been particularly passionate about helping with childhood obesity. Her“Fed Up”documen-
tary is the number 1 downloaded documentary on iTunes. She found that sugar consumption has doubled
since 1977 due to the low-fat food craze. For her, the most gratifying aspect of the documentary is having an
impact on how people are eating and thinking about food. She’s now working on (1) a documentary on guns
and gun safety- taking a historical perspective and (2) a documentary on death and dying. Katie thinks it’s
important that people know what they are talking about before they take a position. She wants to give to
people by informing them and believes that documentaries are the new long-form journalism.
Katie’s Most Memorable Interviews
Katie noted that Yasser Arafat was intimidating as he was very challenging and kept her waiting. Ross Perot
was also intimidating when he was running for president. And Captain Sully Sullenberger was memorable
because, at the time, people were looking for a hero. He put so many hours into the bank of experience that
he could perform when needed. Hillary and Bill Clinton were also incredible interviewees, able to talk seam-
lessly without notecards. Katie particularly enjoys interviewing writers because they pour their hearts and
souls into their projects. She loves to interview people to show how they can affect others’lives. She noted
that it’s all about chemistry, and clicking with the right people. Next, Katie would love to interview the Castro
brothers in Cuba and the Pope, who has been a transformational figure.
Katie’s Biggest Stories of 2015
In 2015, Katie noted that the upcoming election will occupy a lot of bandwidth. ISIS will continue to be a big
story and global hotspots will be concerning. Privacy in the U.S. will also continue to be a hot topic.
Fireside Chat with
yahoo!’s
& zenithoptimedia’s
katie couric
steve king

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