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CES 2019: The biggest tech trends to watch this year

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has begun in Las Vegas with 5G, smart homes and digital health dominating as the key technology trends to watch this year.

The New Daily was given an exclusive look at the latest in technology before the show floor officially opens on Wednesday at 8am (AEDST).

Here are some of the innovative tech trends we’ve found so far.

5G is coming

Tech giants at CES have vowed that 2019 is the year of 5G coverage, saying the technology is vital for faster connectivity on smartphones and smart-home devices.

Speaking at the Mandalay Bay  Convention Centre on Tuesday, Samsung’s president and chief executive H.S. Kim said: “We’re so excited to see what 5G will do in 2019 and beyond”.

“5G is here because of our leadership … the protection of user information and privacy are paramount,” Mr Kim said. 

It’s likely Samsung will reveal its first 5G phone at the Mobile World Congress next month, if not later this year. 

The 5G cellular network will begin rolling out in Australia this year, with Telstra already trialling it in preparation.

Optus is planning a commercial rollout later this year, with an expected completion date of 2020.

Smarter technology, smarter homes

Do you want a whole load of washing done for you in less than five minutes?

Foldimate’s folding machine does just that and vows to “take the work out of laundry folding”.

The New Daily tried FoldiMate (video below) and it was able to fold at least four T-shirts in less than two minutes.

It’s already available on a pre-order wait list at $US980, with an estimated launch date later this year.

Another entry in the growing crowd of smart displays comes from KitchenAid.

The Smart Display, expected mid-2019, features voice commands through Google Assistant.

Users can also use the screen to watch YouTube and make video calls.

During Samsung’s press conference on Tuesday, the company also announced new software for its smart refrigerator.

The Family Hub upgrade features some new interface tweaks, which will feature a touch screen (think digital magnets for photos) and the Bixby voice assistant, which will be able to read out recipes while cooking and turn on/off appliances.

Tech for your health

Brushing your teeth on the go has become a reality with Y-Brush, a toothbrush that cleans your teeth in just 10 seconds.

Its mouthguard shape and vibrating motor cleans half your mouth in one go.

ClearUP, which uses micro-current waveforms, is a small device that offers sinus pain relief.

Users glide it along their cheek, nose and brow bone on both sides of their face and can use it up to four times a day for relief.

Like the Apple Watch fall-detection tool, the E-vone smart shoe has built-in sensors that can detect if the wearer has fallen over.

It’s ideal for the elderly and hikers as it’s able to send a notification to emergency services and family if a fall has been detected. 

Samsung ended its press conference on Tuesday with the introduction of Bot Care, a personal health care assistant that can handle an array of health monitoring tasks. 

Television goes 8K

It’s all about the battle for the best 8K TV, and tech giants have certainly upped their game this year.

Samsung unveiled its 98-inch TV with its powerful 8K Quantum processor to eliminate jagged edges in images and restore pixels.

It also has more than 33 million pixels, compared to more than eight million for the previous-generation 4K TVs.

LG also unveiled its powerful 8K TV range including a huge 88-inch Z9 TV, which offers four times as many pixels in a display than 4K.

But keep in mind there isn’t much programming or content available in 8K as of yet, so the technology will be somewhat restrictive.

Other incredible tech on offer

A stand-out was BreadBot by Wilkinson Baking. It makes freshly baked bread from scratch every six minutes.

The gigantic machine, which is positioned for supermarkets, has a see-through oven on the left, and a bread vending machine on the right.

It’s an all-in-one automated solution for bread production, which intendeds to streamline the process of baking fresh bread, and to keep it going all day.

It’s able to produce 10 loaves of bread every hour, with about 90 minutes of start time required before the first loaf comes out.

Its production capacity is 235 loaves per day, which is probably overkill even for the biggest bread connoisseurs out there.

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