Consumer Electronics Show Gets Underway

The annual tech-fest known as the Consumer Electronics Show gets underway this weekend in Las Vegas, attracting more than 160,000 folks and 3,500 exhibitors, looking to see the latest breakthroughs in tech that we'll see in stores not just this year, but in years to come.

According to USAToday, the consumer electronics industry is projected to generate $211.3 billion in 2014, up 2% from 2013, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Expected to be highlights:

• 4K TVs: The "ultra HD" sets have been on the market for more than two years, with high prices to reflect the extra dimension of high definition — four times that of standard HD.
• Cutting the cord: The trend of ditching cable for app-based entertainment is here to stay. HBO says it will launch its HBO GO app in 2015 to anyone, even if you don't subscribe to cable TV. The Dish Network is expected Monday to launch an app-based way to subscribe to Dish without a satellite dish, and there will more announcements of the type at CES.
• High-tech cars. The auto shows have become the place to sell new cars; CES is the place to show what's possible. "The decisions on car buying are increasingly based on the technology in the car," CEA CEO Gary Shapiro says. Major manufacturers like Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen will be exhibiting and showing connected car technology. It's not just entertainment, but using technology to deal with driver distractions, lane changing and the like.