The Top Tech Finds at CES 2021

It’s every technology lover’s favorite time of year: the Consumer Electronic Show. Taking place every year since 1967, CES highlights the best and newest advances in consumer technology of every stripe. Although CES 2021 was forced to take place virtually, it didn’t stop tech companies from showing off their latest and greatest.

Here are a few of the top automobile technologies you could be seeing soon, plus a few other products you should look forward to.

Gentex Mirror

Technology company Gentex introduced a rear-view mirror integrated with a digital video recorder. This camera system can record video in front of and behind the vehicle. Drivers can download the videos right to their smartphone. This is particularly helpful if you are involved in a crash and need to review the video to gather information.

Mercedes-Benz Hyperscreen

Mercedes-Benz has upped the ante in the automobile infotainment battle with the introduction of the Hyperscreen, a 56-inch screen that stretches nearly the entirety of the dashboard. The Hyperscreen is three screens in one: a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 17.7-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch screen for the front passenger. When there isn’t a person in the front seat, the passenger display will not be useable. Additionally, the infotainment screen and gauge display will blend into the dashboard when turned off. The new technology also features a zero-layer interface that allows users to access features without scrolling. The Hyperscreen will first be available in Mercedes’ new electric sedan, the EQS, which debuts this spring.

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Harman Live Interactive Virtual Experience

Like the rest of the world, tech companies had to quickly pivot aspects of their business when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. For music venues, this meant offering virtual or drive-in concerts. To make this a better experience, Harman developed its Live Interactive Virtual Experience (L.I.V.E). This software, which can be implanted in cars, phones and computers, creates a more organic viewing experience. According to Harman, L.I.V.E. allows guests to, “cheer, make song requests, vote for the next song played or request that a specific instrument be featured in the next solo. In parallel, artists can receive and respond to fan interactions during their set, give shout-outs to fans, and play fan-requested songs to recreate that otherwise lost sense of engagement with the audience.”

More Cool Tech From CES 2021

Along with cool car tech, CES 2021 revealed intriguing concepts and product announcements for home, health and beyond.

As expected, technology companies are quickly working to meet the demands of today’s germ and virus-conscious world. Portable air purifiers, “smart masks” and touchless technologies, such as a contactless doorbell from Alarm.com that works via a connected doormat and a no-touch toilet from Kohler that flushes with the wave of a hand, are just some of the types of products we could expect to start seeing amid the pandemic.

Always a CES favorite, the robots are also more health-minded this year. A few companies are developing robots that radiate disinfecting ultraviolet light onto high-traffic and high-touch areas, which could be especially useful in classrooms, offices, stores, hotels and restaurants.

A modern take on the flip phone, LG showed teasers for its new rollable smartphone, slated for retail this year. Like LG’s rollable OLED TVs, the LG Rollable screen stretches and shrinks to fit what you are viewing.

More new technologies that could be coming to your home in the not-too-distant future include Samsung’s eco-conscious, solar-charged TV remote (bye, batteries!); the Infinity Game Table, a giant touch screen for playing board games; and LG gram laptops, which boast nearly 20 hours of battery.

Looking for some tech you can get your hands on right now? AAA members can save on computers, electronics and more from HP and Dell.

Are you a tech fan? Are you following CES 2021? Let us know what gadgets you’ve got your eye on!