Age of Geeks: The future’s not so bright

CES 2016 recently went down; over the years the electronics event has become one of the biggest for tech companies to showcase their upcoming products. Like last year, many of them were still prototypes, and many of them were disappointments. Here are some lowlights of the show:

Next-gen TVs are only as good as the content available

Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and LG were among the TV manufacturers displaying their latest wares and sporting such high resolutions as 4K, 8K, OLED, and glasses-less 3-D. But while companies like Netflix and DirecTV have begun to offer video shot in higher resolutions, most of the shows available today are shot in lower resolutions, so we still need to wait for proper content.

The age of smart cars

The biggest showstoppers at CES weren’t just electronics; they were cars. Mercedes, Ford, Audi, and BMW each introduced their own “smartcar,” which can self-park and are self-driving vehicles.

Tonino Lamborghini’s 88 Tauri smartphone

Lamborghini’s own 88 Tauri smartphone is priced at a modest $6,000. This luxury smartphone from the Italian automaker comes up short in its attempt to merge the style of a sports car with the technology of a high-end smartphone. For that amount, you’d expect some of the best minds at work designing your smartphone, but it doesn’t appear that that’s what happened. While some may not love the leather-laced look of a luxurious Vertu, even fewer will enjoy that same look dyed four hideous colors and given a metal-plated finish.

IO Hawk

IO Hawk is an amazing gadget, but when you’re wobbling on top of it, trying to commute to work or head down to the local coffee shop, the whole thing just looks silly. The IO Hawk drives itself by having its driver lean to tilt forward or backwards, Segway style, but without anywhere to put your hands. That, as you can imagine, doesn’t make navigating any better. While the IO Hawk is a bit more subtle than some similar riding devices, it still makes its owner look like a dork.

Ring

As the name suggests, Ring is smart wear for your finger, as opposed to your wrist or face. But while the concept is cool, the constraints of modern technology leave this gadget a bit underwhelming in looks, something that’s especially important for smart wear.