9 Top Trends At CES 2016

- Jordan Minor

In the tech world, nothing is more prized than being on the cutting edge. If you’re not looking to the future and figuring out what the next hot thing will be, you might be in the wrong industry. And the place to go to find the hottest of the hot new things, from virtual reality headsets to smart refrigerators, is the Consumer Electronics Show.

CES, which is held in Las Vegas every January, is where companies go to offer up their latest wares to masses of tech journalists. By paying attention to trends, it’s also where you can figure out what directions tech will move in during the new year. So now it’s time to step back and look at the bigger picture. Here are some of the top trends we saw at the show.

WEARABLES SHIFT FOCUS FURTHER TOWARD FITNESS

There were some general smartwatches at CES, but when it comes to wearables, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that dedicated fitness trackers dominate the space. The Fitbit Blaze (right) may look just like an Apple Watch and lack GPS, but this high-end tracker still impresses with loads of useful features including automatic activity and sleep tracking, five-day battery life, and an unbeatable companion app. Other activity trackers found new ways to differentiate themselves, too. The Misfit Ray is stylish and small. The e-ink display on the Withings Go (bottom) can last for eight months. The ReliefBand interacts with your body’s neural pathways to reduce nausea, and the durable Casio Smart Outdoor Watch is built for adventurers.