LG has already announced it will be showing off a new version of webOS, the operating system it uses for its smart TVs. It¡¯s going to be working with content providers such as Buzzfeed to build content for the platform, and all its new products with webOS 3 will be demoed at CES.HTC will be demoing Vive VR, and has claimed it has ¡°some very big breakthroughs¡± that it will be showing off for the first time. This could be anything, from a redesigned headset (the most likely thing) to some incredible new tech.The fitness-tracker company has a press conference scheduled for 5 January. The most likely subject will be a new device, although we don¡¯t know what yet. Watch this space.
Bosch will also have a press conference on 5 January. Although you probably know it best for its consumer goods, it's also a world leader in automotive technology ¨C so we¡¯d expect something exciting about car tech.Likely to be a big one, this CES is rumoured to be the show when Huawei gets really serious about the US and European markets. Expect a high-end smartphone and, of course, the obligatory smartwatch/fitness tracker.There are rumours that Qualcomm will announce some big developments at CES, making it even more of a world leader in chips than it currently is. Certainly, it's keeping its cards very close to its chest.Like every car company, Kia has been working on autonomous driving technology ¨C and it¡¯s going to show something at CES. It was recently granted a licence to test autonomous cars on public roads in Nevada, and we¡¯d be surprised if it wasn¡¯t planning to have cars nipping along the mean streets of Las Vegas.
Dell¡¯s press conference is on Wednesday, and it's promising ¡°a series of exciting new products¡±. We¡¯re hoping that doesn¡¯t include a smartwatch, but if it can create more great laptops like the XPS 13 we¡¯ll be very happy.The mysterious car company, which at one point we thought might be a front for Apple, is likely to give the first public showing of its autonomous concept car. Click on the link at the top of the page to get all the juicy details.Apple has gone big on games with the new Apple TV. The only slight hiccup is that the Apple TV Remote ¨C lovely as it is ¨C isn¡¯t always the best choice for gaming. If you want pinpoint, accurate control in the best racing and platform games that the App Store has to offer, you owe it to yourself to splash out on a third-party game controller.I dug out my iOS game controller of choice, the Bluetooth-connected SteelSeries Stratus XL, and while it doesn¡¯t officially offer Apple TV support, it works just fine.
Is it worth the effort? At around £50, the SteelSeries Stratus XL is anything but cheap, but it makes all the difference in games such as Beach Buggy Racing and Bean Dreams 2. Why? Well, precise steering is all but impossible if you use the Apple TV Remote¡¯s tilt-to-steer controls, yet is pixel-perfect on the SteelSeries¡¯ analogue sticks, with the trigger buttons allowing for subtle dabs of the accelerator and brake when required. And where the cutesy platform challenges of Bean Dreams become an exercise in touchpad-stroking futility on the Remote, it¡¯s just as much fun as on the iPhone or iPad with a decent gamepad in your mitts.You don¡¯t have to shell out on the SteelSeries controller, though ¨C any Made for iPhone (MFi) controller that you have lying around should work, if you follow the instructions below.
We love the Chromecast: it¡¯s amazingly cheap and provides the simplest way of sending video from your tablet or smartphone to your TV on the other side of the room. The genius of the Chromecast, however, is that it's more than a simple video streamer: in this guide we'll show you how to use Chromecast to stream almost anything from anywhere to the screen of your living room TV.You can stream music, games, even photos to the Chromecast, and it's even possible to mirror the screen of your Windows or Mac desktop. Use the dropdown navigation menu above to go straight to the section you need, or read on for a step-by-step guide on how to set everything up.
To get started, you¡¯re going to need a Chromecast or Chromecast 2 and a spare HDMI input on your TV.Once you¡¯ve got yours, set it up and connected it to your TV, all you need is to do install the Chromecast app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, and follow the instructions on-screen. It really is that simple.
Download any Google Cast-enabled app and look for the Cast symbol, then tap it to stream. Below, we show you where you¡¯ll find the location of this icon across three of the most common apps:On BBC iPlayer you¡¯ll find the icon in the top right corner of the app. If you don¡¯t see it, close the app down, kill it off using the multitasking view and restart it. You should now be able to see the icon. Tap it, then select your Chromecast to cast iPlayer content to your TV.On Netflix the icon is in the same place as on BBC iPlayer - in the top right of the screen. To cast, press the icon, select your Chromecast from the next box and - after a short delay - the video will play on your TV.
The Chromecast finally has official Spotify support, but where is that pesky Cast icon? It's in a different place to the BBC iPlayer and Netflix apps, at the very bottom of the Now Playing screen, where you¡¯ll see a link to Devices Available. Tap that, select your Chromecast on the next screen and you'll have Spotify on your TV. Magic.We saw countless pieces of new tech in 2015, but this list cares about only one thing: stuff that¡¯s actually made our lives better. Some of the items below are laying the foundations of a better future, while some have had a real impact already. One thing¡¯s for sure: 2015 has been a great year for tech innovations, and we¡¯re thoroughly looking forward to 2016.
Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell: We drive the UK¡¯s first mass-produced Hydrogen car around London
We aren¡¯t pretending for a second that 2016 will see our petrol-guzzling cars replaced by zero-emission, hydrogen-powered wonder vehicles ¨C but we have seen a shift towards eco-friendly cars in 2015, exemplified by the UK¡¯s first mass-produced hydrogen car, the Hyundai ix35. As we found when we drove it, one big problem is that everyone expects a car to be noisy, and London pedestrians have an odd habit of defying natural selection by walking out into the road without looking. A lack of a recharging stations doesn¡¯t help. But this is surely a sign of things to come.
Android Wear watches are nothing new, but 2015 saw a stream of smart timepieces we¡¯d be happy to put on our wrists ¨C and we couldn¡¯t say that at the end of 2014. Whether it¡¯s the super-stylish Huawei Watch, the Motorola Moto 360 2 or the Sony SmartWatch 3, the combination of hardware and software is now a match for the Apple Watch ¨C and, arguably, even better. Just get used to putting them on charge.Just as the 1980s generation of schoolkids was inspired by the BBC Micro, so ¨C it¡¯s hoped ¨C the current generation will be inspired by the micro:bit. With more than a hint of the Raspberry Pi ethos, it¡¯s a tiny computer with a motion detector, magnetometer, two programmable buttons, 25 red LEDs, Bluetooth and five I/O rings for connecting to other devices or sensors. The idea is that children (and teachers) will unleash their imaginations and create all sorts of Internet of Things devices, creating their own code along the way. The only glitch: delays mean mass release has been pushed back to the start of 2016, but you can register your interest here.
Its back was against the wall. Criticism from all sides. No way out. But then, like a digitised Bruce Willis in Die Hard 8.1, Microsoft pulled Windows 10 out of the bag. We now have a sophisticated OS for tablet, PC and laptop, and the hardware manufacturers are rising to the challenge with some superb designs such as the HP Elite x2 1012. Things look even better now that Windows 10 Mobile is here. All we need now are top-quality apps to take advantage of.It¡¯s the hidden enemy, but if there¡¯s one thing that still causes your laptop or desktop PC to stutter, it¡¯s the storage system. And that¡¯s true even if you¡¯ve made the switch from mechanical hard disk to SSD. This is why we¡¯re celebrating the arrival of NVMe, Non-Volatile Memory Express to its friends. If you own a desktop PC with a spare PCI Express slot you can upgrade right now, with Samsung¡¯s 950 Pro M.2 SSD costing around £150 for a 256GB disk. That¡¯s not cheap, but as always these drives will just keep on getting cheaper and more ubiquitous.