CES is the world’s largest consumer technology trade show, taking place annually in Las Vegas. It also stretches beyond tech, with the automotive aspects growing in recent years. So CES can give you a glimpse of where your phone, your car, and your home will be in a few years time.
Unlike the SEMA Show, CES is an industry-only event. So getting in is pretty hard if you don’t work in tech or cover it regularly. But don’t worry, I’m here to give you a taste of the CES experience — and you won’t even have to fly to Vegas, fist fight someone for an Uber, and burn through two sets of shoes pacing between booths.
What can you expect to see at CES 2025
If you think society in general has had a bit of an AI obsession over the last few years, it has nothing on CES. Everything over the last few years has had some kind of “AI” slant. Toothbrushes, earbuds, infotainment systems, and lawn mowers are all using some kind of “AI” these days.
As for our CES coverage, I’m going to try and filter through that somewhat. I’ll be aiming for a mixture of useful products you may actually see or use sometime soon, and the odd wacky invention that pushes the limits. I’m also hoping to fold in a bit of what it’s like to be on the ground here and get hands-on with a few products, to see if they’re any good while actually using them.
The one thing I can guarantee is that there will be something for you. CES is incredibly broad-ranging. In addition to general tech (think smart homes and gear), you’ll see products for car owners, high-end accessories, sports equipment, medical advancements, quirky robots, things that can read your mind, and pretty much everything else you can imagine.
I’m probably ending my week in a wheelchair
Truth be told, it’s all a bit massive and overwhelming. My inbox has looked like the Alamo since October, my phone won’t stop making noises at me, and in terms of venues, CES takes it a bit too far.
The bulk of CES centers on the Las Vegas Convention Center. This consists of four “halls” with the North, Central, and South halls being clustered together, while the “West” hall is about a 15-minute walk away from Central. This, on its own, is pretty massive, and you can easily rack up 20k plus steps covering the stuff in Central Hall alone.
Then you have the Venetian Expo, which is a bit of a trek from the LVCC and packed with new products, futuristic tech, and smaller manufacturers. At the other end of the strip, you have Mandalay Bay, which hosts a lot of the pre-show previews and press conferences. Then, at pretty much every other hotel, companies are renting suites and doing their own thing. Some are arranged by a PR firm and have a few varied products on display. Then there are bigger showcases like “Showstoppers” and “Pepcom.” Then there’s the likes of Samsung and LG that have their own massive displays tucked away in The Wynn or whatever.
Oh, and Lenovo’s keynote is happening in the Sphere, with Gwen Stephani playing afterwards. Last year saw Delta deliver its main talk in Sin City’s giant visual globe, and some sort of recognizable musical act playing isn’t new either. Anyway, my legs hurt, and CES hasn’t actually started yet.
What I’m using to cover CES
You may think covering a high-tech conference might require a bunch of high-tech equipment. But the truth is, you could probably do the whole thing with a smartphone. I’ve brought a little more than that with me, but a Google Pixel 10 Pro is my main tool this week. It can take high-quality photos, shoot video, record audio, manage my schedule, help me navigate the conference, and I can write on it in a pinch.
Typing on a laptop is a lot easier, though, so I brought one of those along too. And you can never have enough battery power (nor enough cables), so a few power banks and USB-Cs made it into the bag. If I were going video-heavy, I’d have brought my camera bag, which contains a couple of tripods, a DJI Action Cam 5, a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, some mics, and a few tripods. But writing hasn’t completely died off yet, so I got to travel light this time. To help take the load off, a company called Hypershell also sent me an “Exoskeleton,” which makes walking wide distances a little easier. It looks a little bit like medical equipment, and I won’t be using it every day, but it’s interesting to see if a new piece of tech can make CES less agonizing.
Back in the day, I’d have likely needed a dictaphone, SLR camera, and a few other bulky items to do the job properly. I do still have a notepad and pen on me, though, just in case like.
