5 Big Hits at CES 2018

The self-sufficient virtual reality helmet, first shown to the public at sunset in 2017 as part of the Oculus Connect conference, is a joint development of the ambitious Xiaomi company and the Oculus brand. Therefore, it is not surprising that the production of VR glasses has been established at production facilities in China.

The helmet is designed to provide greater accessibility to virtual reality, since it does not require connection to either a computer or a smartphone. The assets of the device include an LCD screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels and powerful hardware based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset (a similar processor is installed on flagship smartphones LG G6, Google Pixel, etc.). Inside, you can play 360-degree videos on your Oculus Go and spend time playing immersive interactive games. A wireless remote control is used to control the helmet.

The model uses surround sound technology and also offers 3D location tracking. Those. the helmet reacts to the tilt of the user's head and allows him to look around, but the support for physical movement through the virtual space did not “give him a ride”. This prerogative was left to the older model from the existing ones — Oculus Rift.

It is noteworthy that in the local Chinese market, the model of virtual reality glasses will be presented under the name Mi VR Standalone. As in the global version, the user has the right to choose between two modifications of the gadget: with built-in 32 GB or 64 GB storage. With an eye on the democratic cost of the helmet, we should expect a new round of development of VR technology, which has become more original with Oculus Go.

Smartwatches from Garmin are loved by many people who are fond of sports. To diversify monotonous workouts with pleasant music, the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music model is a watch with a built-in audio player.

The Forerunner series of wearable gadgets, as its name suggests, is aimed at runners. The watch collects a whole galaxy of data on this type of activity : in addition to the classic indicators of the distance covered and the number of steps taken, the device on the arm measures the length of the step and the distribution of contact time with the surface, determines the coefficient of vertical oscillation, etc. In parallel with this, a run track is drawn according to the coordinates of GPS and GLONASS satellites.

Other types of activity in the electronic “brain” of the model are cycling, rowing, cardio training, swimming, etc. Reliable water protection of the watch case allows you to keep it on your wrist when diving under water to a depth of 50 m. However, it is undesirable to use the model during diving. Another useful feature for Garmin Forerunner 645 Music owners is round-the-clock heart rate monitoring, which is convenient for monitoring the level of exercise and rest.

Measured activity metrics are stored in the watch's memory and sent to a paired smartphone with the Garmin Connect app preinstalled. On the run, training data can be viewed on the non-touch screen of a wearable gadget, which is made using transflective technology and displays a picture on a 1.2-inch diagonal at a resolution of 240x240 pixels.

The built-in audio player, which can store about 500 songs in memory, is not the only “chip” of the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music. An NFC chip is also hidden in the bowels of the watch case, which is used for contactless payment in the Garmin Pay system. It is just getting on its feet, so it is not represented in all regions. Nevertheless, the very fact that the model is equipped with an NFC chip can be identified as a plus for a sports watch.

Despite the number "2" in the naming of the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra smartphone, we already have the third generation of the XA family (the first-born in the line was not assigned a digital index in the name). The device will even more please adherents of the selfie photography genre, since the front camera on its front panel peeps at the user with two “eyes” at once.

The ultra-large gadget in the typical Sony smartphone case with angular shapes uses a 6-inch FullHD display to display images. The side frames of the screen are minimal, which cannot be said about the wide “forehead” and the large “chin”. And if the size of the upper frame is justified by the placement of a dual 16 + 8 MP front camera on it(a module with a higher resolution is equipped with an optical stabilization system, and with a smaller one it shoots in a wide-angle position of 120 °), then the lower frame of the smartphone is empty.

Even cooler than the front camera, the main photo module in the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra arsenal is a large 23 MP ExmorRS sensor 1/2.3" in size with sensitivity up to ISO 12800. He got an advanced autofocus system, an optical stub, and support for 4K video recording, moreover, videos in ultra-high resolution are written with a frame rate up to 120 fps, which allows you to effectively slow down motion in the frame.

In the immediate vicinity of the rear camera lens, there is a fingerprint scanner, which moved to the back of the gadget from the side (previously, Sony smartphones had a fingerprint sensor combined with the power button on the right side). Out of the box, the smartphone runs Android Oreo and is powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 630 chip. The amount of memory in the model was distributed in the ratio of 4 GB of RAM against 32 GB of capacity in the built-in drive. The lack of free space is designed to compensate for the allocated slot for a microSD flash drive.

The mobile gadget has also not bypassed the attributes of a modern smartphone – it has an NFC chip, which is useful for making contactless payments, a USB Type-C port with a two-way cable connection, and supports fast charging technology for a 3580 mAh battery. With such data, there are plenty of ways to use such a “stuffed” giant smartphone.

The Acer Swift 7 laptop shown to the public as part of the CES 2018 exhibition is not a completely new device. More precisely, it is a significant update to the already existing ultrabook of the same name, which owns the laurels of the thinnest laptop in the world.

Innovations in the updated version of the laptop touched on many aspects. The thickness of its case was cut by another millimetre (up to 8.98 mm), the screen size grew from 13.3 to 14" (due to the reduction of gigantic frames), and the display itself learned to recognize touch input. But that's not all — the model has an integrated 4G modem with support for eSIM technology. If for some reason you can’t use it, the ultrabook has a slot for a regular nanoSIM on board.

As before, the hardware platform of the device is based on not the most performant seventh generation Intel Core i7 processors (in particular, Intel Core i7-7Y75). However, an ultra-compact device does not require a high power reserve. The element of the ultrabook is working with tabs in the browser, in text editors and watching videos on YouTube. It is not worth loading the model with more serious tasks. In all cases, the work of the laptop is accompanied by complete noiselessness.

The Taiwanese manufacturer managed to fit into the model an island-type keyboard with a well-defined button stroke. Also, the wide touchpad is no less convenient to use. Adherents of the classics ( mouse control) it is advisable to get a wireless manipulator or buy an adapter from USB Type-C (the laptop uses a couple of such connectors) to USB Type-A. The ports on the right side of the laptop serve both for connecting peripherals and for charging the battery, which can provide the device with up to 10 hours of battery life. Models would have an even more democratic price, and for a comfortable solution of everyday tasks on the go, it would not be better to find an option.

It would seem that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 mirrorless camera has almost reached the perfect camera for video recording in the serious amateur and professional segments. But the release of a modification with the designation “S” brings the capabilities of a mirrorless camera in video shooting to an even higher quality level.

On the outside, the film and video version of the camera is flaunted by some red-coloured controls, notably the large REC button on the top of the model. All the cardinal differences from the classic GH5 lie inside. Firstly, the camera has a new image sensor with a resolution of 12 MP (even less — 10.2 MP is effectively used). Secondly, the physical dimensions of the camera's matrix have grown slightly, which is done in order to be able to use different aspect ratios (17:9, 16:9, 4:3 or 3:2) while maintaining the viewing angle. Such steps were also taken from the considerations that large pixels absorb more light, respectively, the camera's performance at high ISOs improves.

The standard matrix sensitivity range for the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S ranges from 160 to 51200 ISO units. In advanced mode, it rises to ISO 80-204800. Up to ISO 2500, noise in the image is effectively suppressed by Dual Native ISO technology without the slightest loss of quality. Interestingly, the camera sensor has lost the matrix stabilization system. On the one hand, its absence makes shooting handheld difficult, but the professional orientation of the model implies its use in tandem with mechanical devices for image stabilization.

The video capabilities of the camera are truly impressive. It can record movies in Cinema 4K resolution (4096x2160 pixels) at up to 60 fps(in 10-bit colour with 4:2:2 colour subsampling to an external recorder or with a frame rate of 30 fps straight to an SD memory card). To expand the dynamic range, the operator has access to V-Log L, Rec.709 LUT profiles and HDR support when shooting 4K. All this together opens up the widest possibilities in the post-processing of the footage.

Not only 4K is strong Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S — at a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, the camera shoots video at a frequency of up to 240 fps, allowing you to completely freeze motion in the frame. In turn, the camera body is not afraid of frost, in addition, it is protected from dust and moisture. Another indisputable argument in favor of the model is a wide range of interchangeable lenses for the Micro 4/3 system, which makes it possible to choose a lens for any shooting conditions, both among "native" lenses and in a number of solutions from third-party manufacturers.