Targeting creators engaged in sophisticated 3D content development, Sony is set to collaborate with various 3D production software developers, particularly in the entertainment and industrial design sectors. A strategic partnership with Siemens, an industrial technology leader, will see the introduction of a groundbreaking solution for immersive design and collaborative product engineering.

Scheduled for release later in 2024, this spatial content creation system promises a host of features designed to enhance the end user’s experience. The XR head-mounted display, equipped with 4K OLED Microdisplays and Sony’s proprietary rendering technology, facilitates real-time, high-definition rendering of textures and facial expressions. The system boasts video see-through functionality, spatial recognition with six cameras and sensors, and innovative controllers for seamless virtual manipulation.

The ring controller allows users to intuitively manipulate objects in virtual space, while the pointing controller enables precise pointing, offering creators a comprehensive toolset for spatial content creation. The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform by Qualcomm Technologies powers the device, delivering stunning image quality and seamless XR experiences.

Sony’s commitment to immersive spatial content creation extends beyond hardware, as the system supports integration with third-party 3D creation applications. This enables real-time review between locations, making it an intuitive and immersive tool for the entire process of spatial content creation.

With that, HP has launched the Elite Wireless Earbuds that aim to enhance your productivity whether on the go or staying at home.

According to HP the earbuds will take two hours to fully charge, while 15 minutes will provide you 1.5 hours of use. Once fully charged, HP says the earbuds will grant you five hours of listening time or four hours of talk time. The case, meanwhile, also takes two hours to fully charge and can support three earbuds recharges on one charge itself. The case uses a standard USB-C to charge up.

The Earbuds also feature a 9.2mm neodymium drivers and a nominal frequency range of 20Hz to 18kHz, personalised audio tuning, adjustable noise cancellation, and sound situation pre-sets.

The new HP Elite Wireless Earbuds isn’t just for listening to music but also for clear video meetings. HP even has new Renew Travel bags for keeping all of these new gear safe when you’re on to go. The buds are expected to reach local retailers in April 2021 with a retail price of about R3000 (TBC).

In comparison to what we saw from Mercedes, the BMW iX’s panels look a little less overwhelming. The driver will get a 12.3-inch display for their instrumentation, while the central touchscreen will measure in at 14.9-inches. Both will be housed in a new magnesium design, with anti-reflective cover glass.

BMW promised a whole new UI for its iDrive operating system when it announced the iX in November of last year, and now it’s dropping more hints about just what that will include.

“Digital intelligence has been introduced into cars, optimized sensors now allowing them to perceive and analyse their surroundings,” the automaker points out. “As a result, elements of driving and parking can be automated to an increasing degree. And cloud-based services dip into a growing pool of real-time data.”

The result, BMW argues, is that a lot of the time the car will know more than the driver themselves will. That will include things like crowdsourced traffic and hazard alerts from other connected BMW vehicles, or the ability to predict open parking spaces at a destination programmed into the navigation system.

What BMW isn’t doing is getting rid of physical controls altogether, which is likely to please a lot of drivers concerned about a fully-virtual cockpit. The iDrive controller – a mainstay of the infotainment system since BMW introduced the first-generation of the system in the 2021 7 Series sedan – may not look quite the same as it once did, but the crystal knob in the center console of the BMW iX still promises the same sort of hands-on interface.

It’s a distinct divergence from what Mercedes is doing with MBUX Hyperscreen, where almost everything in the cabin has been handed over to the touchscreen UI. Indeed, Mercedes says, only the ECS’ start button will be physical, along with its headlamp controller. While some elements of the onscreen interface – like the air controls – will be fixed in place, everything else will be a virtual button, dial, or slider, allowing Mercedes to push OTA updates and evolve the EV’s design.

That’s not to say BMW’s controls will all be big, physical buttons. The iX’s drive modes, shortcuts for jumping into different iDrive areas, and media controls will be handled via touch-sensitive keys with haptic feedback, the automaker says. Still, the difference there is that those buttons won’t be moving on a touchscreen: while it may take some different muscle memory to pin them down in your brain, it’s arguably going to be more user-friendly on day one than fully-virtual versions.

There’ll be voice control, as you’d expect, and an optional head-up display. Full details will be confirmed when the BMW iX gets its full reveal later in the year. Production will kick off soon but local availability has not been confirmed as yet.

The InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerators are said to boast upgraded features and design innovations for improved user convenience such a larger glass panel for its InstaView Door-in-Door system while UVnano technology is featured in the built-in water dispenser for enhanced hygiene while InstaView voice recognition takes hands-free convenience to a whole new level in the kitchen.

First introduced in 2017 on the company’s most premium water dispenser products, LG’s UVnano technology harnesses the power of light to effortlessly and effectively maintain a hygienic and germ-free water dispenser tap. It operates once every hour to remove up to 99.99 percent of bacteria on the refrigerator’s dispenser tap, or instantly by the press of a button.

Meanwhile the voice recognition feature makes it easier for users to control and command the refrigerator. No longer will shoppers have to struggle to open the refrigerator door with arms full of groceries when they can simply say “Open the refrigerator door” by voice. LG’s interactive voice technology also makes it possible to ask the refrigerator for today’s agenda or check the status of the ice and water dispensers.

Whether any of these upgraded products will make their way to our shore is yet to be confirmed by LG South Africa.

At first glance, the back of the vehicle has 33 multi-directionally movable “surface elements”, as Mercedes describes them. It’s highly reminiscent of a reptile’s scales, they flutter and ripple to add gestural communication to the vehicle. The automaker also foresees them as helping to add power to the EV.

Not only are Mercedes conscious about the earth, but the energy powering the VISION AVTR will be kept in a graphene-based organic battery cell, which means it will be completely rare earth and metal free. Step inside the vehicle and you’ll find that Mercedes has used vegan DINAMIC leather – a microfiber that promises environmental sustainability through its production cycle – for the trim on the seats, while the floor uses Karuun wood. A fast-growing and environmentally stable rattan, which is garnered in Indonesia.

The interface inside the vehicle is quite unique. Instead of a steering wheel, the Vision AVTR has a control stick slash pad slash patch in the centre console for moving the car about. When you place your hand over it, it raises up, and pushing it in the direction you want to go controls the car. The car does have a fully autonomous mode, in which the control surface will drop back into the console. When the control is at half height, the car still drives autonomously, but you can adjust the speed. As for the infotainment system, icons representing functions are projected onto your hand when you raise it up. You then select functions using hand gestures.

By now you’re probably wondering whether any of this headed to production and when it’ll reach out market. The answer is probably not, at least not in this form.

It’s a combination of a lattice structure and a plastic film that controls air vibrations to limit the transmission of a wide range of band noise in the 500 to 1200 hertz range. That covers noise from the road and engine. Nissan says that the material currently used for blocking this type of sound is a heavy rubber board.

The new acoustic meta-material weighs one-fourth as much as the current materials while providing the same degree of sound isolation. The simple structure of the material makes it cost-competitive in terms of mass production. The lightweight and similar pricing means that the new material can be applied in situations that are currently limited due to cost or weight.

Nissan says that it started research on the new material around 2008. At the time meta-material was used in high-sensitivity antennas used for electromagnetic wave research.

Nissan has not announced when the material will go into use in a production vehicle or what vehicle might get the material first.

AirTouch will allow either the driver or passenger to use the system, simply by making gestures with an outstretched hand. A large display inside the car shows what’s being navigated or highlighted, while selections are made with a physical button on either the steering wheel or the passenger-side door.

As for what can be controlled with the AirTouch system, BMW says it can be used to handle common infotainment tasks, including navigation, entertainment, and communication functions. The company also explains that the menu system has been designed to reduce the number of steps whenever possible. For example, selecting the phone function will automatically bring up a list of contacts so only one additional selection is needed to place a call.

From the descriptions, it honestly sounds like AirTouch is primed to increase driver distraction, not reduce it, but seeing it in action on the CES floor might change that perception. Either way, the tech is likely to be at least a few years off before appearing in BMW’s vehicles, and by then we might all be riding in self-driving cars, so distraction won’t be an issue.

According to a press released released by the Chinese manufacture, they plan an introduction of new televisions with integrated processing and cloud connectivity is expected to allow retailers in South Africa to sell televisions to new customers in new ways without having to mitigate for local compatibility and format compliance issues.

A range of new televisions will be shown exclusively to retailers from South Africa at CES featuring next generation multiscreen capabilities, an integrated media center and access to content from live channels, VOD, Catch Up TV and an array of applications, including gaming— without the need for a set top box.

While no news have been released on which models, pricing and launch dates we can expect – be sure we’ll update you once their representative replies.

To ease the burden on those searching for something petite* Sony would like you to meet the Xperia Z1 Compact*. In it’s rather dainty 4.3-inch shell, the Z1 Compact features the same hardware as found on its predecessor; 20-megapixel camera, 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 quad core, the same waterproof design, 720p resolution and splashes of colour. Major improvements can be found on the battery life as the Z1 compact comes with a 2,300mAh cell, down from the 3,000mAh battery in the larger version – of course it comes with Android 4.3.

Sony Communications has gone and confirmed you can get the Z1 Compact mid February they are, however, tight lipped on local pricing.

This year promises to be better -as always- with plenty to look forward to from Samsung, LG and Acer to the Best of CES Awards. Before you die of FOMO and all things curiosity, rest assured I’ll be tweeting through the CES announcements where possible. If not, we’ll have a recap of the Best of CES 2014 and Awards right here.

For those twitter updates follow me on @Papi_Mabele