You never know who you’re going to run into on the CES showroom floor. People from all walks of life and all industries flock to see the latest and upcoming tech. This year, we ran into none other than stand-up comedian and actor Sinbad.
Sinbad may not be the first person the comes to mind when it comes to consumer technology, but the comedian has been attending CES for more than 20 years, and is an experienced tech connoisseur. When we caught up with him, we asked Sinbad what has caught his eye at CES 2018 so far.
We see plenty of conceptual technology at CES every year, and while it’s almost always impressive, it’s not uncommon for these pie-in-the-sky concept devices to never launch. Sinbad doesn’t fall for those false promises. “I learned to quit looking for the future TV, because it never comes out,” he says. “I got tired of looking at stuff and it never coming out.” Instead, Sinbad looks for technology that he can use soon, and how it can influence or benefit his work in the entertainment business.
The list of his favorites from this year include Huawei’s phone, which almost impressed him enough to give up his iPhone (if it ever comes out, that is), and Monster’s motorized floating speakers. Be sure to watch the interview for a full list of what caught his eye.
We also chatted about his history with CES, and consumer tech conventions in general. Sinbad, now 61, has been attending tech expo shows like CES, Macworld, and Comdex since he was in his 20s — but his experiences at CES these days are a bit different than they were back then.
Be sure to check out all our CES coverage, including interviews with representatives from big-name tech and entertainment companies, hands-on videos with some of the coolest tech of the show, and our live telecast from the show floor.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.