Start-ups strut their stuff at CES 2013

The 2013 International CES, the largest in the tech show’s 45-year history, has wrapped up, with start-ups ranging from the Pebble ‘smartwatch’ to a device that informs people if they haven’t taken prescribed medication grabbing attendees’ attention.

More than 3,250 exhibitors unveiled some 20,000 new products at this year’s CES, it’s been confirmed, drawing more than 150,000 attendees from more than 170 countries.

“Innovation abounded at the 2013 CES, and executives from every major industry that touches technology were here,” CEA president and chief executive Gary Shapiro said in a statement.

“Innovation prevailed across 37 football fields of technology.”

This year, major product launches occurred across all 15 product categories. For gamers, the 2013 CES saw the launch of NVidia’s Project Shield, the Oculus Rift, the Sifteo and Razer Edge.

Other noteworthy launches include the Kickstarter-funded Pebble smartwatch and MakerBot’s Replicator 2x.

The 2013 CES also showcased innovations coming out of start-ups.

The Eureka Park exhibits – presented in partnership with the National Science Foundation and Startup America – showcased innovative new companies looking to gain a foothold in the consumer electronics industry.

A key part of this was the Startup America stage, which saw more than 140 emerging companies and entrepreneurs showcase their products.

Among the standouts was the uBox, designed to ensure people take the right dosage of their medications at the right time.

The device, which holds the medication, beeps when the user fails to take the medicine at the time designated on the device. If the medication still hasn’t been taken, a reminder is sent to the user’s phone. Failing that, notifications are sent to the user’s family members.

Another standout was Dev Audio’s Microcone device – microphones for Skype calls – which can recognise individual voices and, when paired with an app, show all participants on a call who is speaking when.

A number of awards were handed out, including the Innovations Awards.

Honourees in the eco-design and sustainable technologies category included the Mushroom GreenZero Wall Travel Charger, which detects when your mobile device is fully charged and automatically shuts off, and the SWITCH 3-Way – the first and only LED incandescent light replacement A-Lamp for use in three-way lighting fixtures.

In the software and mobile apps category, honourees included Expect Labs’ MindMeld; the first group voice/video iPad calling app to analyse and understand conversations in real-time to anticipate information you may need.

Meanwhile, representatives from the likes of Qualcomm, Panasonic, Verizon, Samsung, Andreessen Horowitz, American Express, Coca Cola and Unilever presented keynote addresses.

Executive delegations from thousands of global companies also attended the 2013 CES to meet with current and future customers.

“If you are a player in technology, you were at the 2013 CES,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president of the International CES and corporate business strategy.

“Every major company, from Amazon, Google, Groupon Goods, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube, was… participating in the ‘Super Bowl of technology’.”