The Consumer Electronics Show: Carnival of Possibility

We’re living in a world that hasn’t stopped innovating. But some of us get a sneak peek when it comes to the latest and greatest inventions. Touch screens? Virtual assistants? Unless you’ve been living underneath a secluded rock for the past ten years, you know about both of those things. But the public wasn’t the first to know. Usually, these forward-thinking designs get flaunted at an event that occurs every year: the Consumer Electronics Show. Taking place during the month of January, it’s a great way to kick off a new year and a new decade. This year, the consumer electronics show was all about turning dreams into reality. When it comes to making things exciting and bringing your newest sci-fi dreams to life, that’s what the yearly Consumer Electronics Show is for. 

• What 5G news came out at the Consumer Electronics Show?

• What providers are ahead of the curve for 5G?

• Should you buy a new phone now, or hold off?

Ever dreamed of a trash can that changes its own bag? Or what about flying cars? Companion robots? The concepts for these items is already well developed. And when it comes to putting them into consumers’ hands, the companies that featured these products at the show are already well on their way. Taking the time to get excited about the future is why 200,000+ people gathered in Las Vegas to see the sights.

The Consumer Electronics Show is like a carnival of possibility. We’ve heard about so many options, but they’ve often been shuffled aside. They might be pipe dreams, something like human bodies being stored to be resurrected with scientists is smarter. But a lot of the time, pipe dreams turn into reality. Smart home assistants and useful robots were once a pipe dream, too! 

Of course, we’d all like trash cans that change their own bags and robots that help out with household chores. But what about the biggest personal technology game-changer that’s coming your way? It’s 5G. You’ve probably heard about it, especially if you’re in the market to buy a phone. Right now, if you go and buy an iPhone 11, it will run on a 4G network. That’s the most widespread one available today. And of course, you know exactly how that works. If you take the time to upload photos to family and friends, you know how long it takes. 5G promises fast connectivity, but how much more do you need? Aren’t today’s present services enough?

The thing is, 5G has the potential to completely revolutionize the consumer technology world. It goes far beyond the ability to send a text faster. It’s the sort of technology that self-driving cars and life-saving technology equipment will rely on. Imagine a world where everything was synced up. Cars could ‘talk’ to each other over a 5G network in real-time, self-driving and piloting their passengers safely to their destinations in the least amount of time. And these cars could ‘talk’ to a city with smart infrastructure, to avoid collisions and dangerous accidents. 

But that’s not all. If you’re not interested in self-driving cars, your smart devices will still be revolutionized by speed and syncing capabilities. What if your travel plans from your phone could be synced up to your car, to an entire society, in an effort to get you there as seamlessly as possible? Your technology experience would be relatively frustration-free. 

The Consumer Electronics show is meant to showcase the potential of 5G, how quickly they expect it to spread in 2020, and the providers that are ahead of the curve when it comes to providing reliable 5G service to their customers. 

If you’re interested in changing providers so that you too are ahead of the game, the Consumer Electronics Show gave a list of providers that stole the show during 5G demonstrations. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint are all expected to lead the pack in 2020.

But what if you’re looking for a new phone? Device companies are looking to integrate these devices, whether it’s a smartphone or a personal computer, to the new 5G network. If you buy a new phone now, there’s a good chance that it will be obsolete sooner rather than later. For instance, when was the last time you saw a flip phone? They’re a dinosaur relic of the digital age. When 5G comes along, it’s quite possible that all previous cellular data generations will go the way of the flip phone. 

If you’re shopping for a new phone now, it might be a good idea to wait. You can see how 5G transforms the landscape and get a new device that’s up-to-date. Of course, if your phone is shattered and you need a new one, it might be worthwhile to shop smartly. Can you have a conversation with your provider or the company that you’re buying the phone from? It’s worthwhile to hear what they think will happen to their products when 5G hits. Or, you could get a cheaper model than you might normally go with. That will make sure you’re not out too much money in case 5G hits sooner than expected. 

When it does hit, we can expect a list of changes that not even the Consumer Electronics Show could have predicted for us. Just like the Internet changed everything, the introduction of 5G will mimic that Big Bang invention in 1989.