CES 2022 in Review: A look at the biggest stories from the show

EVs, innovations come out strong at CES 2022: CES, which usually hosts over 182,000 attendees and 2,200 exhibitors, saw a slew of high-profile companies deciding against having booths or hosting keynote events in light of a surge in COVID-19 cases. But those who did show, showed up big.

Electric vehicles: EV and AV news dominated CES 2022, revealing how the next generation of cars, SUVs, and motorcycles are spearheading innovation in various areas.

• GM unveiled the first edition of its Chevy Silverado EV, which starts at $40,000. Preorders of the vehicle sold out in 12 minutes and are expected to ship in the fall of 2023.
• BMW clad its iX Flow SUV concept vehicle (pictured below) with e-ink panels that can change color from white to various shades of gray and patterns.
• Sony surprised everyone with its plans to enter the EV space. Its Vision-S 02 prototype has remote control, AV, and entertainment features built in.
• Damon Motors showed off its 170 mph HyperFighter Colossus street motorcycle, which is an EV road bike available for $40,000.
• John Deere revealed its Deere 8R fully autonomous tractor that enables farmers to set it and forget it while they work on other jobs.

Personal computing: PCs of all sizes and shapes were revealed at CES 2022, reflecting some of the more exciting announcements likely to come to market in the next few months.

• ASUS showed off its strange ZenBook 17 Fold OLED foldable tablet, which can convert into a 12.5-inch laptop when combined with a keyboard accessory.
• Razer showcased Project Sofia, an audacious modular PC workstation with a 65-inch OLED screen that can take an assortment of panels including touchscreens, audio mixers, gaming controllers, and haptics.
• Lenovo demoed its ThinkBook Plus Gen 3, which integrates an 8-inch secondary screen into its trackpad—kind of like having a tablet embedded in your laptop.
• Panasonic subsidiary Shiftall, announced a lightweight consumer MeganeX VR headset with 5K 2,560x2,560 per-eye resolution and 120Hz refresh rates.

Smart home: New technologies and gadgets of all sizes and shapes lined the show halls and gave visitors a preview of the best tech that’s coming to smart homes.

• Sengled shared its Smart Health Monitoring Light Bulbs, which can detect when a person has fallen as well as monitor vital signs such as heart rate and breathing.
• Samsung unveiled the Samsung Gaming Hub, allowing users to stream games on their smart TVs—no gaming console necessary.
• Powerfoyle and Mayht teamed up to create Bluetooth speakers that recharge using any light source—no charging cables needed.
• Kohler announced a PerfectFill smart bath controller and a ceiling-mounted faucet. The bath controller fills the tub to the height and temperature the user selects via voice.
• GAF Energy combined solar panels and roofing shingles to create the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle. It mimics the look of asphalt shingles, down to installation with nails, and eliminates the need for solar panels bolted onto existing roofs.

No shows: Despite surging interest in all things AR/VR and metaverse related, there was a dearth of announcements pertaining to the future of the internet, possibly because proponents like Meta and Nvidia pulled out of the show at the last minute.

Also notably missing were smartwatch and wearable announcements, indicating that interest in this segment has cooled.