Curved smartphones are a hit at CES

 

While at CES, I got a chance to interview Jim Barry (@ceaanswerman), the Digital Answer Man and media spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association.

Jim had an LG Flex (pictured here) that he was cradling like a newborn infant! It’s a 6-inch “phablet” with a curved screen to fit the contours of your face and it is amazing. Expect to see it in stores within the next few weeks.

The curvature of the LG Flex is thanks to organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Another OLED technology on display is a 105-inch curved flatscreen TV. Both Samsung and LG are debuting models that run on 4K technology.

As Jim reminded me, CES plays host to 150,000 people from 150 companies. There’s 2 million square feet of exhibit space. This is where innovation comes to market.

Yet the reality is that almost 99% of the new products debuting at CES this year will fail. And that’s exactly what the entrepreneurial spirit requires — trying and failing over and over again until you hit on the right idea. That we’re willing to do it is what separates America from so many other places in the world.

Among the other interesting new technologies Jim and I talked about:

 

• 94 Fifty smart sensor basketball – The world’s first smart basketball with apps to measure shot arc, release, backspin, dribble force and more instantly.
• Tobii.com – Technology that uses iris recognition to let gamers control video games.
• speeCup.com – 8″ tall Siri/S voice-activated portable Bluetooth surround sound speaker with gesture control. Designed to play music and be a hands-free speakerphone in your car, home or office.

For further reading:

• The American spirit triumphs at CES 2014
• 3-D printers get heavy exposure at CES