Greetings, gadget geeks!
When it rains, it pours. Las Vegas was flooded with water and conference-goers in equal measure as the arid city got its first bath in 116 days. The leaky convention center opened its doors at 10am to inhale thousands of industry insiders and members of the press, who were greeted by the conference’s offering of televisions, smart home devices, robots, and drones.
“Wow, what a crowd,” a straight-faced Sony demonstrator told a group of four people at 10:01 am, likely the smallest group she would present to for the rest of the day. Sony, along with the other large technology companies like LG and Samsung, had built sleek custom rooms, stages, and props to present their latest slew of tech. To mark the first public appearance of the revamped robot dog Aibo, the company made four pieces of furniture from the letters a-i-b-o, large enough to seat at least 20 people.
Technology isn’t reality at CES; it’s spectacle. LG constructed a 20-foot tall OLED cavern from curved televisions—with visualizations synced to soothing music—for people to saunter through with their mouths agape. Hisense, a company that primarily sells TVs, pumped fog onto a darkened stage where a dancer wearing a color-shifting LED suit brandished a double-sided laser like a fire dancer. Elsewhere on the convention floor, a man flailed an internet-connected sword to promote a virtual-reality device.
This is CES, at its heart. It’s not a place for consumers to buy, but to gawk. It’s an echo of a time before Steve Jobs-inspired tech events, where CEOs climb on stage to lift a white sheet off their latest silicon creation. Tech behemoths have a space this week to posture and loom, while industry buyers talk shop below. And the rest of the world looks in, hoping to see something new.
What to watch for today
The future of connectivity. Executives from Verizon, Baidu, and Qualcomm will take the stage today, discussing their role in the future of 5G wireless internet connectivity in a roundtable discussion keynote at the Venetian at 10am Pacific time. Be prepared to find out how much faster one of your distant-future phones will connect to the internet. Hulu and and Turner’s CEO will also be speaking together about the future of television at the Monte Carlo at 3pm.
Sessions galore. Beyond the keynotes, there’s all sorts of talks and chats open to CES attendees, including discussions on the future of media, smart cities, and self-driving cars. And for some reason, former basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal will be taking on WWE wrestler Natalie Eva Marie in a game of Street Fighter V on the Sands Expo show floor at 3:30pm.
News from the floor. Quartz spent much of Tuesday reporting from the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Today, we’ll be tackling the North and Center Halls, which is where the latest car technologies, smart fridges, connected TVs, and cameras will be on display. Make sure to follow us on Instagram to check out our missives from the show floors.
What everyone is talking about
The rise of the robots. It wouldn’t be CES if we didn’t get a whole bunch of bizarre new robots to ogle. Honda unveiled four machines, including a bean-shaped “empathetic robotic,” an all-terrain vehicle with eyes, a robo-Segway, and a robot that’s basically a backpack on wheels. Attendees also got a first chance to check out Sony’s new Aibo robot dog, the first model it’s released in over a decade. There are all sorts of other weird and wonderful robots on display throughout the convention halls, including a robot suitcase that’s supposed to follow you around—although it seems to be spending more time falling over than transporting luggage.
Egg, meet face. Huawei lost a key component of its US launch after its carrier partner, AT&T, pulled out at the last minute. But that didn’t stop the company from getting on stage and announcing a US rollout via Best Buy, Amazon, Microsoft stores, and B&H. Consumer product division CEO Richard Yu also used his keynote to rail against US carriers that have spurned the Chinese company.
All the tech to put you to bed. In an irony lost at CES, much of the technology touted across two floors of the Sands was devoted to unplugging and getting shut-eye. LED-flashing masks, pulsating pillows to mimic heart beats, and endless neuro-sensing headbands and helmets were on sale. Perhaps more than ever, the intersection of sleep and sensors has taken on a new life, finding its way into mattress, bedding and sleep accessories with names such as Dream, Muse, Somnuva, NuCalm, Dreamlight, and others.
Water, water, everywhere. The torrential rain put a damper on all of the outdoor displays outside the Las Vegas Convention Center, with attendees and exhibitors alike huddling under canopies to avoid getting drenched. The center itself was dotted with trash cans being used to capture water leaking in on unsuspecting convention-goers. The monorail stop closest to the Sands Expo center also let passengers out upon a bizarre sight: The Linq casino’s ground floors were gushing with water, creating a river that was flowing down towards the High Roller Ferris wheel. One piece of good news: Forecasts suggest sunny skies tomorrow.
News from around the world
A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s decision to end DACA. US district judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court. The program has protected hundreds of thousands brought to the US illegally as children.
Malaysia offered a Houston-based salvage company $50 million to find MH370 wreckage. Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that the country hired Ocean Infinity (paywall) to comb a 25,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean for 90 days. It will start this month and get paid only if it finds debris from the Malaysian Airlines flight, which disappeared four years ago with 239 passengers on board.
India relaxed rules for foreign investors. New Delhi announced that foreign retailers will no longer need to partner with local companies in order to set up shop (paywall). It also said that foreign investors will be permitted to own 49% of Air India, when it is privatized—Singapore Airlines is reportedly interested.
Matters of debate
If you want to lose weight, don’t tell your friends. Studies show those closest to you can actively sabotage your efforts.
Free access to art shapes the world’s culture. Museums without admission fees draw more tourists and increase engagement with lower-income communities.
Self-help has turned into self-harm. The industry encourages us to remain unsatisfied with ourselves, and keeps us from remembering who we really are.
Surprising discoveries
An electronic pill could shed light on how farts are made. The one-inch capsule analyzes decomposition in the gut.
Higher temperatures are turning 99% of green sea turtles female. Climate change effects on the Great Barrier Reef are also upping turtle egg mortality rates.
Sales of lipsticks for kids grew six-fold last year in South Korea. Having conquered the market for male grooming, K-beauty companies are now turning their attention to children.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, favorite robots, and Shaq sightings to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.