By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Las Vegas: Heading into this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), its becoming clearer that 2015 is going to be a big year for transitions in tech. Focus will be moving slightly away from desktops and notebooks and even smartphones and tablets towards peripheral ecosystems including wearables and connected cars.
There's already evidence that connected cars as well as wearables are going to dominate this year's CES. A CEA economist stated that smartwatch floor space is up 400 % this year and car manufacturers are some of the most anticipated presenters this year while technology and mobile companies are seemingly keeping a lower profile this year.
Expanding ecosystems stem from smartphones and enable smartphone and tablet users to access apps and services via their vehicles or control various aspects of their home and office life via internet of things and cloud connected devices. CES has long showcased examples of this technology but it hasn't become as widespread or as commonplace as it is today.
APlantornics concept headset involves various sensors to measure movement and act as a hands free communication and control device.
Wearables are particularly interesting as they are moving from being simple adjuncts or peripherals into new spaces. One of the first demos I attended here was for headset manufacturer Plantronics who showed off a variety of gaming headsets, business and sports focused Bluetooth headsets as well as some wearable concepts.
Bluetooth headsets are the grandaddy of all wearable devices, they emerged just as cellular phones became commodities and have quietly evolved alongside the devices they support. The new Plantronic 'Concepts' shown off today looked like regular Bluetooth headphones that a businessman or cab driver would use but also integrated a variety of sensors and the ability to measure movement like many digital pedometers and can also be used for augmented reality by moving and orienting itself according to how the wearer's head moves.
The demo showed how the headsets could be used to track movement and even ascertain if the user had fallen (or if the user is a driver, fallen asleep) and it was demoed as voice-activated security enabled way to inlock doors as well as move a robotic dolly carrying a tablet for more interactive video conferencing.
Companies like Plantronics are pivoting their exisiting devices and making them smarter interfaces which can complement smartphones or even be used to act on their own.