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#CES2018: Tech to tackle snoring, but no female keynotes

The Consumer Electronics Show takes place in Las Vegas every January. Thousands of people from ar...
Newstalk
Newstalk

20.13 8 Jan 2018


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#CES2018: Tech to tackle snori...

#CES2018: Tech to tackle snoring, but no female keynotes

Newstalk
Newstalk

20.13 8 Jan 2018


Share this article


The Consumer Electronics Show takes place in Las Vegas every January. Thousands of people from around the world take to the Vegas Strip to showcase what they hope will be the next big thing in the world of tech. 

Almost everything in our lives is now connected; from phones and fridges to televisions and Tupperware. Even people who claim not to be 'techie' will find themselves impacted by what is unveiled here in Las Vegas over the coming days. 

Sony and Samsung are just two of the tech giants that are hosting press conferences later this afternoon. The doors of the event will officially open tomorrow morning. 

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The conference has been heavily criticised for failing to have a single female keynote speaker, for the second year running. The company behind the event said it will strive to do better, but pointed out that it is a reflection of the tech industry as a whole. 

“To keynote at CES, the speaker must head (president/CEO level) a large entity that has name recognition in the industry,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). “As upsetting as it is, there is a limited pool when it comes to women in these positions. We feel your pain. It bothers us, too. The tech industry and every industry must do better.”

Expectations:

As always, the expectations for what this week has in store are sky-high. All eyes will be on two of the biggest players in the world of technology; Google and Amazon. The Las Vegas Strip is currently plastered with Google branding.

There's a healthy mix of startups and big companies all looking for attention here in Sin City. Most of the action takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, which is just off the main strip. With more than 4,000 exhibitors, you'll never do more than scratch the surface of CES. 

It is thought that Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will feature quite heavily in terms of the innovation on display. Lyft, a rideshare service here in the US, is offering passengers the chance to drive to the conference in a semi-autonomous vehicle. There will be a driver on board, but the car will be in control. 

Some of the interesting inventions already on display here at CES include 'Snore Circle'. This is a wearable, which buzzes the user if they snore, moving the wearer into a different position and helping them have a better night's sleep. This laundry robot has also gained quite a bit of attention too. 

Our coverage of CES 2018 is with thanks to Vodafone.


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