As the IT Chronicles team peruses the announcements, exhibits, and sessions at CES 2021, one thing is becoming abundantly clear.
How we look at, consume, and interact with IT-powered services, at home, at work, and at play, will see some significant changes soon. Some starting right now.
- In September 2020, LG (“Life’s Good”) Electronics introduced the LG Wing, a dual-screen, multitasking-friendly 5G smartphone with a swiveling display. At CES 2021, the company introduced the LG Rollable, a smartphone with a rollable display. This is apparently the Next Big Thing after the foldable smartphones Samsung launched in September 2020. LG plans to begin shipping a phone equipped with a rollable display later this year, according to published reports.
- Also at CES 2021, Sony introduced its Bravia XR televisions, which combine bright, high-resolution OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays with what Sony calls “cognitive intelligence.” This feature “understands the way our eyes see, and our ears hear, to present a more human perspective on screen.” Unlike plain old “vanilla” AI, Bravia XR technology can cross-analyze elements such as color, contrast, and detail simultaneously, like our brains do, according to Sony.
- Leia Inc. took a CES 2021 Innovation Award for its Lume Pad. This Android-powered tablet uses so-called “light field technology” to display three-dimensional images users don’t need special glasses or goggles to see.
- And during the show, a start-up called IKIN is reportedly shopping to potential sellers and investors a smartphone accessory that enables 3D, holographic displays with “full touch interactivity.” Holy Obi-Wan Kenobi.
There are also multiple other takes on multi-screen displays and smartphone display innovations visible at CES 2021. Some are products available now. Some are concepts that will become products in the future. But taken together, they make three important statements to every business technology decision-maker.
- How your customers, partners, prospects, and internal users interact with the services and tools you present to them is changing, and will continue to do so.
- What you and your IT teams need to do to adapt to these new and emerging options is changing, and will continue to do so.
- The sooner you figure out what adaptations your business needs to make, when it needs to make them, and how best to achieve them, the sooner you can begin crafting and telling the stories that will engage your constituents effectively.
Here’s just one example of what I mean. Say you own an establishment to which people come to watch sports events on large screens, and purchase and consume food and drink. What if you could replace some of those large screens with larger ones, and let customers interact with others elsewhere while watching the same events, or in virtual, distributed private parties? Could such an opportunity present a possible new revenue stream?
I’m just freestyling here, but you get the idea. It’s time to start thinking about what new and emerging display, access, and presentation technologies do and could mean to your business. And CES 2021 provides plenty of incentive and food for thought.
