#CES2015 TOP 10QUICK ROUND-UP OF THE TOP TEN TECH TRENDS TO NOTE COMING OUT OF CES 2015

CONTENT, ALWAYS CREATING CONTENT

GOPRO MADE SOME BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS AROUND EXPANDING THEIR OFFERING; FROM DRONES TO DOGS, NOW YOU CAN PUT A CAMERA ANYWHERE AND CAPTURE ANYTHING. !HOW WILL AGENCIES AND BRANDS BEGIN TO TELL BETTER STORIES WITH ALL OF THIS CONTENT THAT IS SHOT, ALL THE TIME?

FUTURE OF AUTONOMOUS CARS IS VERY ‘FUTURISTIC’

MERCEDES SHOWED US THAT THE FUTURE OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING IS VERY, FUTURISTIC. !WITH AN INTERIOR THAT ADJUSTS FOR VARIOUS DRIVING SCENARIOS, THE AUTO MANUFACTURER REMINDED US THAT DIFFERENT INTENTS IN DRIVING MAY REQUIRE DIFFERENT MODES OF ENTERTAINMENT. A TRIP ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN A CAR RIDE TO A BUSINESS MEETING, THE EXPERIENCES SHOULD REFLECT SUCH INTENTS. !THIS YEAR, AUTO OEMS SHOWED CONSUMERS THAT THE AUTONOMOUS CAR IS GOING TO BE ONE SAFE, AND VERY ENTERTAINING RIDE.

SAMSUNG MAKES A PLAY FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS

SAMSUNG MAKES A STRONG PLAY FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS IN YOUR HOME.  !THE BIG QUESTION THAT EMERGED OUT OF THIS YEAR’S SHOW IS HOW THESE WILL ALL CONNECT TOGETHER AND WILL PEOPLE REALLY BUY ALL THEIR HOME APPLIANCES FROM ONE BRAND? !FROM SAMSUNG TO LG, BRANDS ARE CREATING SELF-CONTAINED ECOSYSTEMS OF PRODUCTS AND THE NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION AS A RESULT HAS BEEN A HOT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION DURING THE SHOW.

4K TV’S ARE COOL. SLING IS EVEN COOLER.

DISH NETWORK ANNOUNCED SLING, AN INTERNET TV STREAMING SERVICE THAT PACKAGES ESPN, TBS, TNT, CNN, DISNEY CHANNEL, AND OTHER NETWORKS FOR $20 PER MONTH. NO CONTRACTS, AND NO STRINGS ATTACHED. !OH, AND IT WORKS ACROSS ALL YOUR CONNECTED SCREENS, WITH A SIMPLE UI THAT STAYS CONSISTENT ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS. !WHILE NOT 100% PERFECT (THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHAT CONTENT SLING CURRENTLY OFFERS), IT COULD BE EXACTLY WHAT CONSUMERS ARE LOOKING FOR AS THE FINAL REASON TO FINALLY CUT THE CORD ON CABLE.

SMART- WATCHES FINALLY LOOK LIKE A WATCH

LG LAUNCHED A NICER, LESS GEEKY-LOOKING WATCH AND YOU MIGHT EVEN ASK FOR ONE FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR. !IF THE POSITIVE PRESS ABOUT LG’S SMART WATCH IS ANY INDICATION, CONSUMERS MAY PICK THESE UP NOT FOR THE TECH IT PROVIDES BUT FOR THE ABSOLUTE SIMPLICITY OF BEING A WATCH FIRST, THAT HAPPENS TO BE SMART AND CONNECTED.

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY THAT PROVIDES VALUE

BEYOND WATCHES, THERE WAS THE CHANCE TO STICK A BLUETOOTH-EQUIPPED THERMOMETER TO YOUR SKIN. WELL, NOT YOURS. TEMPTRAQ IS MEANT FOR INFANTS AND IT TRANSMITS THE LITTL’UN’S TEMPERATURE TO THE PARENT’S SMARTPHONE EVERY TWO MINUTES, TO SAVE YOU WAKING THE BABY UP. !MANUFACTURERS AND BRANDS IN THE SPACE MUST OVERCOME SEVERAL CHALLENGES TO BREAK INTO THE MAINSTREAM - CREATING VALUE BY MAKING WEARABLE THINGS THAT ARE TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED VS. CREATING TECHNOLOGY THAT IS WEARABLE.

CHIPSET OEMS STAKING A CLAIM IN THE INTERNET OF THINGS ECOSYSTEMQUALCOMM, WHO’S IMPRESSIVE STAND FOCUSED ON THE INTERNET OF EVERYTHING, IS STAKING A CLAIM IN THE ECOSYSTEM BY BEING A PLATFORM THAT CONNECTS THAT DATA. !WHILE THE SMALL STARTUPS ARE CREATING NEW AND EXCITING CONNECTED GADGETS, THE BIG GUYS LIKE INTEL AND QUALCOMM ARE TRYING TO CREATE THE SYSTEMS THAT TIE THEM TOGETHER AND MAKE THEM POWERFUL. IF THEY CAN’T DOMINATE THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM, AT LEAST THEY’LL STAKE A CLAIM TO PART OF IT. !BIG QUESTIONS REMAIN SUCH AS WHO OWNS ALL OF THIS CONSUMER DATA?

LG’S G-FLEX2 CURVED SMARTPHONE

CES HAS NEVER BEEN A PHONE SHOW – THE DEDICATED MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS IN BARCELONA IN MARCH IS THE ONE FOR THAT – BUT IT SAW ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SAMSUNG, LG AND HTC.  !LG’S G FLEX 2 WAS THE MOST INTERESTING, WITH A CURVED SCREEN THAT YOU COULD WITHSTAND BEING ACCIDENTALLY STRAIGHTENED OUT, A BIT. !IT IS PROJECTED THAT BY 2016, MORE THAN 50% OF ALL VIDEO CONTENT IN THE US WILL BE CONSUMED ON THE SMARTPHONE. !AS BRANDS AND ADVERTISERS WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT SHOOTING AND CREATING CONTENT FOR THE SMALL SCREEN, AS THE FIRST SCREEN.

OFF-THE-WALL GADGETS GALORE

PARROT’S FLOWER POT COMES WITH A WATER RESERVOIR. SENSORS IN THE SOIL DETECT WHEN THE PLANT NEEDS WATERING AND THE POT OBLIGES. !SEEMS LIKE A MISFIT FOR THE SHOW AND YET, ANOTHER COOL ITEM THAT WILL BE ON MANY HOLIDAY WISH LISTS FOR THE 2015 HOLIDAY SEASON. !CES 2015 SHOWED US THAT GADGETS ARE ONCE AGAIN, COOL.

OCULUS RIFT - IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING

WITH THE TECHNOLOGY GETTING SMARTER, FASTER, MORE CONNECTED AND LESS EXPENSIVE, MORE BRANDS AND CONSUMERS WILL FIND WAYS TO BRING THIS TECHNOLOGY INTO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES. !DOES OCULUS RIFT GIVE US A NEW WAY TO TELL STORIES? THIS IS THE SIGNAL FOR CREATIVE ADVERTISERS AND BRANDS TO BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO TELL STORIES AND CONNECT WITH CONSUMERS ON THIS NEW PLATFORM.

THANKS.@KAYLAM