CES 2021: Tech Expo Virtual Highlights So Far

The annual CES show (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) runs every January in Las Vegas.

Last year’s show was held just before the Coronavirus pandemic engulfed the globe, and revealed (as it usually does) some of the latest tech developments that could be on the way.

Its European rival, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) show, usually held in February, was cancelled as the seriousness of Covid-19 became clear, which prompted big name firms to pull out of the event.

Transparent TV

With the world still in the grip of the widespread disease, CES 2021 as a physical event with a gathering of large numbers of people, was always in doubt.

Instead the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) which organises CES, opted to make the trade show a virtual event that runs from Monday 11 January through to Thursday 14 January.

So far, the virtual CES show has seen a number of notable arrivals.

One of the most notable first arrivals was a new development from LG, which unveiled a transparent television.

This is basically a screen a user can see through when on or off. The video clip shows a 55-inch OLED display rising from the foot of a bed, looking like a sheet of glass before a movie appears on screen. The user can still see some furniture behind it, CNN reported.

Rollable phone

Another LG development comes hot off the back of last year’s debut of folding smartphones from the likes of Samsung and Huawei.

A quick glimpse was provided of the LG Rollable, which is LG’s alternative to a folding smartphone.

The teaser from LG, according to CNET, shows something that starts out looking much like a conventional smartphone, but with edges that extend up to create a small tablet.

Advanced face-mask

With the Coronavirus pandemic still taking lives at a horrifying rate around the world, it was inevitable that tech would turn its attention to personal protection from the virus.

Gaming company Razer, best know for producing gaming mice, keyboards and headphones, has produced what it is touting as the most advanced face mask in the world.

The mask, according to the BBC, comes with its own built in microphone to prevent muffled speech.

The design includes active ventilation, as it expels warm exhaled air whilst pulling in cooler air from the outside.

The mask is reportedly rated as an N95 surgical mask, but is not on sale at the moment.

The front of the mask is also made of transparent plastic, to help face it easier for people to lip read and pick up on facial cues, such as if a person is smiling.

Other notable developments

The virtual CES 2021 show has also shown off a number of other notable tech developments, such as a Cadillac-branded Vertical Take-off and Landing electric vehicle from General Motors.

TCL meanwhile has also shown a tablet display that rolls up into a scroll, the BBC reported.