One of the world’s largest technology exhibitions, the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is being held online for the first time in its history. No crowds of visitors, no close contacts – anyone can attend events in American Las Vegas today, and you don’t even need to get a visa

Covid dictates his will to high technologies: companies compete to make life better for people stuck in apartments, create high-tech masks, speed up the Internet, connect new devices to the global network. And of course they make new smartphones all the more amazing.

Mask i know you

2020 has become the “year of masks”. Many people joke that they do not know what the lower half of the face of new acquaintances looks like. Some refuse to wear a mask, despite medical advice. This is, they say, inconvenient from all sides – it is difficult to listen to music, speak on the phone.

What could help these unfortunate people? A device called MaskFone. It already has built-in headphones and a microphone that connect to the smartphone via Bluetooth. Outside there are volume controls so that the owner does not have to go into his pocket and grope for the keys on the smartphone.

The MaskFone has built-in protective filters that protect both the owner of the mask and the people around him from pathogens.

Guys, roll up

Did you think foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or Motorola RAZR are the top of the technical sense? Not anymore. LG is gearing up to wow the world with its roll-up smartphone. LG Rollable consists of a protective case and a flexible screen that goes inside like a tape measure or window blinds.

The company already has a roll-up TV in its arsenal. It is not cheap – several million rubles. The smartphone, I would like to believe, will be sold at a lower price, but so far this is only a concept.

Internet at the speed of light

Home wireless networks, to which more and more devices are connected, are in a serious crisis. Due to the huge number of gadgets, the air is “littered” with radio signals from them, and the quality of the connection drops.

The crisis has affected both the old 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi standard and the relatively new 5 GHz. To their rescue comes the new Wi-Fi 6E, which operates in the 6 GHz band. It is relatively “free”, so the data transfer rate will be high.

The technology has one drawback – the devices must be close to the transmitter. At the same time, this means that signals from neighboring apartments will practically not “intersect”, interfering with each other. It will be used primarily by 8K ultra-high definition TVs.

Robot, remove the dishes

If you add a mechanical arm with electronic “eyes” to a robot vacuum cleaner, which is in every second home, you get a new Bot Handy from Samsung.

The robot can be used as a “third hand” for a variety of household chores. He is able to set the table before dinner, pour wine (and, perhaps, not spill it on a white tablecloth), and then take the plates, cups and cutlery to the dishwasher. The developers promise that the robot, unlike a human, will not break anything – the sensors can recognize how fragile an object is. Also, the robot can be charged with cleaning and loading the washing machine.