Tech Tuesday: CES Takes Over Las Vegas

For the past 20 years I've been going to Las Vegas each November for the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show, the third largest week-long trade show each year. It's the auto aftermarket, and at one time the automobile industry was indeed the heartbeat of America.

There are so many trade shows in Vegas you really can't keep track of them all. A few are so enormous that they strain the resources of this city that never sleeps. One of these is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  Here are last year's numbers.*

Number of exhibiting companies: 4400
Square feet of show space utilized: 2.7 million
Number of industry attendees: 182,000
Number of these from outside U.S.: 63,000

This is a tech show, so you know that there's a social media explosion.

@CES and #CES mentions: 1 million
Views of Snapchat Live Story: 49 million
Views of official CES videos on Facebook: 224,000

Last year, media impressions exceeded 71 billion.*

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Having fun yet?

People love trade shows because this is where the action takes place as regards what's new. In fact, they have a Eureka Showcase in which 1000 startups show their latest creations.

High tech toothbrushes, headbands and kitchen utensils are among the variety of ways technology is touching every conceivable part of our lives. If you live in an urban area where UPS leaves packages on your doorstep, you may wish to consider the Maximus Answer DualCam Video Doorbell, which  has two cameras to watch for guests and people stealing packages off your doorstep. (My son lost a bicycle once in Savannah. It was chained to the front porch railing. A thief took the whole railing. If only he'd had this video doorbell.)

The latest from SONY.

If you're deep into Green tech, there's a power watch that runs on solar and body heat. That's pretty futuristic, and it is already now.

And let's not forget video games and VR, laptops and foldable phones, computers and graphics cards, and upgrades to every kind of device you already have. "Alexa, can you get that for me?"

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You can track the action as it unfolds by following #CES2019 on Twitter.

Here's something you may want for your aging parents, a connected shoe that sends message if you fall.  The inventor was probably worrying about his mother one night.

My guess is they have a number of tools for counting how many steps you take while you're out there. At SEMA there were 10 miles of aisles to see it all. CES is even larger. And if you're out there, make sure you bring a change of shoes. I always found liner pads on inside to be helpful as well.

One more tip. The maxim "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" has been replaced by a new one. "What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook." A word to the wise.

Enjoy the show. Especially knowing that the rest of the world is jealous.

* CES 2018 by the numbers