The doors of the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) opened Tuesday, January 7, around 7 p.m. Paris time, or on the gigantic clocks of Las Vegas, 10 a.m. We have traveled the spans of the world's largest electronics fair in search of out-of-the-ordinary innovations, because CES is a privileged place to discover refreshing or whimsical ideas from computers, televisions and other electronic devices .
Here is a first glimpse of the CES 2020 vintage, whose innovations will for the most part be forgotten, but some of which will infuse into the electronic devices of tomorrow.
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Thinkpad X1 Fold: a laptop with a foldable screen
This Windows tablet folds in half thanks to its flexible screen equipped with flexible Oled technology. Once folded, the screen is well sheltered inside the device, which is reassuring because the technology of flexible screens is young, and its solidity is questionable.
The Thinkpad X1 Fold's design is reminiscent of Samsung's foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, but Lenovo's Thinkpad is much larger. Open, it measures approximately the size of a 13-inch computer, and closed, that of a small tablet. We were able to take it in hand, and we found it quite heavy, and rather thick. But once folded, it has the merit of occupying a very modest place comparable to that of a great novel. The X1 Fold comes with a separate, very narrow keyboard, which can be placed in front of the screen, or placed on its folded screen: it then hides half of the display. Unlike the various foldable computer prototypes unveiled at CES, the X1 Fold is scheduled to go on sale – by mid-2020. Count around 2,500 euros.
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Sero: a swivel TV
This Samsung television is motorized: it can be tilted vertically at any time to display, for example, a portrait in height. The Sero connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth wireless connection: its screen then displays the same thing as the mobile.
When scrolling through photos from the smartphone, the TV automatically adopts the correct orientation, shot by shot. The usefulness of a vertical display will not be appreciated by everyone, but some social media enthusiasts like TikTok may find the idea interesting, like some great lovers of portraits or selfies. It is still necessary to have the means to afford the Sero, which will be marketed in April, around 1,500 euros, a salty price for a 43 inch screen.
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MSI MEG Aegis Ti5: an evocative gaming PC
The design of this computer will not leave anyone indifferent. You can read there, a little like in the clouds, what our inspiration blows us: the profile of an alien or the face of a Transformer robot for example. According to a spokesperson for the manufacturer MSI, its creator was inspired by the design of a motorcycle.
It housed a round counter in the heart of the front of the computer, to display information such as the processor temperature, a useful indication when pushing a gaming PC to its limits. This round counter is surrounded by a wheel that can be rotated to trigger, for example, the multicolored lighting with which this PC is equipped, like many computers intended for gamers. The MSI MEG Aegis Ti5 is expected to hit the market later this year for more than 3,000 euros.
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Asus Zephyrus G14: a bright laptop
The back cover of this computer has a light display made up of over a thousand small white LEDs, which appear perfectly in their environment amid the illuminated signs of Las Vegas, the glittering city where the CES is held. These diodes form a cloud of small luminous points, which can diffuse a text, graphics, an image, or even an animated representation of the music diffused by the PC. The Asus Zephyrus G14, with its extroverted personality, will be marketed later this year, at an indefinite price.
