Highlights of CES 2014: The best tech from Las Vegas

So CES 2014 is well and truly over, but the dust had far from settled on Las Vegas, where in just three days, we got an idea of what the year ahead is going to be like. From funky wearables to bendable TVs to transforming hybrids to dual-booting tablets, we saw a fair bit of what 2014 holds for tech enthusiasts. So without any delay let’s start with the highlights of the show.   TVs There wasn’t really any doubt that 4K would rule the showfloor when it comes to TVs, but LG, Samsung and Panasonic made sure curved displays earned the chunk of the headlines. LG and Samsung added to their portfolio of curved TVs with new models with varying screen sizes. LG’s 77-inch curved OLED 4K TV looks stunning and the curvature can be controlled by the viewer using the remote control. LG also introduced a 105-inch curved TV which takes things a bit further. The 105UB9 has an aspect ratio of 21:9 with a ‘5K’ resolution of 5,120x2,2160 pixels, the highest resolution seen among the mainstream launches. Samsung’s 105-incher also has the same number of pixels, so at least the Korean companies are going toe-to-toe. Samsung also showed an 85-inch prototype television that can bend and straighten out as per the viewer’s choice. The company claims the curved display can be used for watching movies, while the regular flat display can be used for more generic viewing. [caption id=“attachment_208280” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  LG’s stunning 77-inch curved OLED 4K TV[/caption]   Panasonic took things a step further with their curved display sets. The company demonstrated its curved OLED printing technology by lining up six panels (three with convex bends and the others concave) to form an S. While this may never see the light of day in your nearest retail store, we can certainly see the application in commercial displays such as those used for outdoor advertising.   Wearables This was the category that we were most excited for an it didn’t disappoint. For starters, LG put on display its all new fitness-focussed Lifeband Touch that works with both Android and iOS. It’s an extension of the wearable first seen at last year’s CES. **The Lifeband Touch** is water-resistant and tracks calorie consumption and other vital statistics, and also serves as a second screen to view phone notifications, play music and more. Sony did not announce another refresh to its SmartWatch but introduced fitness tracking **SmartBand and Core wearable devices** , which track movement, and act as motivators for your exercise routine. Besides, these also control certain aspects of the connected smartphone such as music playback. [caption id=“attachment_208282” align=“alignnone” width=“638”]  Sony’s latest wearable device[/caption]   Not to be left behing, Intel gave us a glimpse of an **SD card-sized computer called Edison** built specifically for wearables and soon to be seen in products. It features Intel’s Quark chipset, runs Linux and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth integration, so that makes it a nearly full-fledged computer, which will be used for tiny wearables. [caption id=“attachment_208050” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Here’s the Pebble Steel[/caption]   Pebble introduced **a sophisticated second-gen effort called the Steel** , which greatly improves battery life and build quality of the successful original. The company also revealed plans to bring an app store for its wearable and announced new hardware partners at the event.   We also saw a whole bunch of smartwatches from other manufacturers that are only focussing on this category. Metawatch announced a second-gen Meta smartwatch which brings added functionality to the premium device, designed by former Vertu designer. [caption id=“attachment_208286” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Razer’s funky looking Nabu[/caption]   Gaming peripherals maker Razer showed off the Nabu smart band, a fitness band/smart watch hybrid. It includes two small OLED screens, which display information about activity levels and notifications about texts, phone calls, and other social networking alerts. The cool factor comes from the Nabu handshake, which exchanges contacts between two users instantly with a simple meeting of hands.   Then there was the Neptune Pine, a watch that runs Android Jelly Bean. It is designed to be a standalone device that makes phone calls and sends SMS messages. The Neptune has a 2.4-inch touch screen, a full keyboard, cameras, and everything else you expect from an Android device. It also includes a GPS, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and more sensors to collect movement data. Interestingly, it can be removed from the band and placed into other accessories or used as a tiny Android tablet. It can be pre-ordered for $335 and ships in March this year.   Notebooks and tablets As usual, there was a flurry of new form factors and odd designs when it came to Windows PCs. The headline act, as far as India is concerned, came from Micromax, followed by Xolo. Both companies announced their foray into Windows 8 devices with two starkly different approaches. [caption id=“attachment_208096” align=“alignnone” width=“631”]  Micromax showcased the dual OS LapTab at CES 2014[/caption]   Micromax has gone with a dual-booting Canvas LapTab that runs both Android and Windows, and now plans to make a **global splash** after the CES foray. while Xolo will be launching a **Windows-only tablet based on an AMD processor** . [caption id=“attachment_208285” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Lenovo’s ultra-sleek wonder[/caption]   Major manufacturers such as HP, Asus, Sony, Lenovo and Toshiba also showed off their new range of notebooks. Toshiba’s 4K laptops in particular held sway over our tech-addled mind, but it was clear that manufacturers want to put touch before typing on most of their new offerings. From foldable form factors to sliders, we saw them all. **Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon** won hearts thanks to the monolithic design, the continued reliance on a good keyboard and mouse experience, and the superior build quality. The company also introduced **Miix 2 and Thinkpad 8 tablets, along with new notebooks in the Yoga series** . [caption id=“attachment_208284” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  The Transformer Book Duet is the world’s first ‘four-in-one’[/caption]   **Asus’s Transformer Book Duet** was another very interesting new computer, which runs both Android and Windows in laptop and tablet mode, making this a four-in-one, the first of its kind. [caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“640”] TabPro 8.4’s USP is the super high-res display[/caption] When it came to pure Android breeds though, Samsung took the cake with **four new tablet models** . The company announced the Galaxy NotePro and the Galaxy TabPro in 12.2 and 8.4-inch variants. The NotePro 12.2 and TabPro 12.2 are identical is almost every respect with the only real difference being the inclusion of S Pen with the former. The 8.4-inch variants. All of them will run on Android 4.4 KitKat and will have an updated version of their Multi Window feature. The most interesting of the bunch is the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, which has a WQXGA resolution of 2560 x 1600, giving it a whopping 360ppi. That’s a lot more than even the new **Apple iPad mini with Retina.** Samsung has a real good shot with their Tab Pro 8.4 if they price it competitively.   Smartphones There weren’t too many high-profile smartphones announced at Las Vegas this year, but allowed one small phone to shine bright. The **Sony Xperia Z1 Compact** turned out to be exactly what most people expected, a toned-down version of the Z1, with a smaller yet HD display and the same heavy-duty internals. It’s already being billed as the phone that could steal the iPhone’s thunder in the small screen size segment. [caption id=“attachment_208283” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  A mini Xperia Z1[/caption]   Asus came to Las Vegas armed with a bunch of new phones in the **Zenfone series as well as the PadFone range** . The Zenfones are named Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6, where the number corresponds to the screen size. All the phones have an IPS display and each of them comes in five different colours. The Zenfone 4 has a 5MP camera, the Zenfone 5 sports and 8MP camera and the flagship Zenfone 6 houses a 13MP shooter with an aperture of f/2.0. Each of these phones come with ASUS’s proprietary PixelMaster technology. The PadFone series got a mini version as well as a PadFone X. The mini is a 4-inch phone that docks behind a 7-inch tablet. On the PadFone mini, the phone will have an 800×480 pixel resolution whereas the 7-inch tablet part will come with 1280×800 pixel resolution. It runs Android 4.3 and is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor. It comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 3270mAh battery. The PadFone X on the other hand is a 5-incher with a 1080p display and it docks behind a 9-inch tablet.   It wasn’t just about the big announcements, though. CES was full of whacky devices and tech. Check out the ones we think were **the weirdest this time around** .