Here are tech expert Marc Saltzman's picks from the Consumer Electronics Show

Marc Saltzman has been talking tech since before tech was so cool, and long before it was at our fingertips every moment of the day.

Tech Talk is Saltzman’s CFRA radio show.

This week the tech expert has been on radio, TV and in newspapers all over North America, reviewing the latest innovations at the huge Consumer Electronics Show.  The CES is just wrapping up in Las Vegas.

“While it still took place in, many exhibitors decided not to attend in person, out of an abundance of caution, as did many tech journalists,” explains Saltzman.

Our “go-to-tech-guy” joined us this week on the News at Noon with the innovations he wanted to share.  He also introduces technology that will change his relationship with his dentist.

Nothing says 2022 more than a virtual interview about a virtually attended famous show on technology.

 “Nothing beats hands-on, of course, but there were still several impressive announcements and showings, virtually, including robotics and autonomous vehicles, gear for entertainment seekers, and smart home devices,” explains Saltzman.

“CES, of course, serves as a glimpse into the near future of consumer electronics trends. It’s the show that launched such pop culture products as the camcorder and CD player (1981), DVDs (1996), HDTV (1998), DVR (1999), satellite radio (2000), Xbox (2001), Blu-ray Disc (2003) Smart TV (2005), tablets (2010), driverless cars (2013) and 4K TVs (2014), to name a few noteworthy examples.”

Here Saltzman shares some of the highlights of this year's show.

LG’s 97-Inch G2 Series OLED TV

“If you thought your 60-inch TV was big, LG unveiled the world’s first 97-inch OLED TV, as part of its Gallery line (G2) of OLED TVs, which offers unprecedented contrast levels, rich colours, high-brightness, wide viewing angles, and thin design.” Powered by webOS 22, these TVs are smart, too, supporting voice input, smart search, personalization, as well as NFC Magic Tap (for mirroring a mobile device screen to the TV), as well as room-to-room share, which can mirror content from one TV to another in the home. LG also showed its “Objet” TV, which can be completely or partially be covered in fabric when not in use.”

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3

“This is the first 17.3-inch ultra-wide laptop with an 8-inch secondary display to the right of the keyboard. For example, you can be engaged in a Zoom call on the main screen but jot down notes with a digital pen (included) on the smaller display. Digital artists can touch up photos on the smaller display, which will show up on the larger screen. Or turn the side-screen into a giant calculator. It can also mirror your smartphone, if you like. In other words, this laptop will be perfect for multitaskers. Like many of the Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 also includes Privacy Guard (reduces visibility at side angles) and Privacy Alert (which alerts you with a shield icon on the screen if the webcam detects someone peeking over your shoulder).”

Moen Smart Faucet with Motion Control

“Like its 2021 predecessor, this kitchen faucet lets you wave your hand in front of the sensor to start and stop the flow of water, but now you can control temperature using gestures in the air, too. Swipe left for hot, right for cold, and down for warm. An app lets you customize the settings, too (both temp and motion). You can also talk to it, via a smart speaker, to even ask for a certain amount of water, such as saying “Ask Moen to give me one cup of hot water.” Smart! Some of the models debuting later in 2022 don’t have a handle at all.”

Philips Sonicare Cordless Power Flosser

“Confession time: I hate flossing. Like, I won’t do it. No more lying to the dentist or dental hygienist (and they know I’m lying). Thankfully, something to truly replace manual flossing is coming in January. This handheld device is equipped with proprietary QuadStream technology, that sprays water in an “X” shape, to cover more areas of the tooth. Philips says it can do more in less time (compared to manual flossing); up to 9x more coverage, which can remove 99.9% of plaque, in 60 seconds. There’s a corded and cordless model.”

2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV

“Officially unveiled on Wednesday by GM’s CEO Mary Barra, this all-electric pick-up truck has a range of up to 640km on a single charge! This is powered by GM’s Ultium platform, which also supports DC Fast Charging, up to 350 kilowatts, which in plain English means you can get up to 160km of EV change in just 10 minutes. It also supports SuperCruise, the industry’s first true hands-free driver-assistance technology, which works on more than 320,000 km of Canadian and American highways. Reservations start now but the vehicle won’t be available until the Fall of 2023.”