LAS VEGAS ― The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show kicked off for a four-day run Tuesday, with global tech firms eager to show off their most updated technologies and devices to U.S. consumers.

Ranging from “smart” televisions and home appliances, which have been the mainstream items of the annual show for numerous years, this year’s show will also be covering automobiles and mobile technology.

 

With Microsoft officially out of the show in 2013, Qualcomm has come to fill the space as well as automakers like Audi, Lexus and Ford, along with old-timers Samsung and LG Electronics.

The carmakers are expected to display driverless car technology, which Google has also been working on for years. So far, three states in the U.S. ― Nevada, Florida and California ― have already approved driverless cars for the road.

The tech show, organized by the Consumer Electronics Association at the Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center, has a record figure of over 3,000 firms taking part this year.

Qualcomm’s chairman Paul Jacobs unveiled its new brand identity with his keynote address titled, “Are you born mobile?” at the press event that featured a large number of guests, including executives from its partnering firms.

“After several months of extensive brand work, we’re so excited to launch our new visual identity at CES and through our digital properties,” said Cherry Park, a senior marketing director with Qualcomm.

While local big names Samsung and LG both held global press conferences Monday, the world’s top flat-screen TV maker Samsung themed its display around “Journey of Wonder.”

Greeted by a 110-inch Ultra High Definition TV at the entrance, the Korean IT behemoth has presented what it calls a “Discovery Avenue” for visitors to get a feel for their latest products, such as home appliances and mobiles on top of TVs.

“Samsung’s UHD TV has four times better picture quality compared to the former Full HD TV sets as well as six times improved sound quality,” said its company official.

The company has secured the biggest display and meeting space of 4,596 square meters.

Its rival LG Electronics has enabled potential consumers to get their hands on about 500 products at its 2,043 square-meter display room.

Themed “Touch the Smart Life,” the IT giant has unveiled its most-recently launched 55-inch organic light-emitting diode display TV and UHD TV along with smart appliances.

What grabs the public’s eye is that LG has installed a grand-scale 3-D video wall at the very beginning of the display, which was made with 122 units of 55-inch displays, according to LG officials.

“This will be an opportunity for us to rewrite the history of the global TV market based on the firm’s outperforming picture quality and smart technology,” said LG’s home entertainment business chief Kwon Hee-won.

By Cho Ji-hyun, Korea Herald correspondent
(sharon@heraldcorp.com)