CES 2018 starts Monday - Here's what you can expect

CES 2018 gets underway on Monday and there will be plenty going on. Steve, Rich, and Timi will be at ground zero getting news and seeing new products, while the home team will be furiously looking for breaking news and other tidbits of interest. Even though a lot of news has already started to come out, there will still be plenty happening with media events, keynotes, and conference sessions.

Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from the show:

Keynotes and Supersessions

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich will be on hand Monday evening to discuss how the company is using data to shape the future. It is unclear if the breaking news of vulnerabilities in Intel chips and other processors will modify his speech at all, but either way, it will definitely be worth a listen.
CEOs from Ford and Huawei will give talks on Tuesday. The Consumer Technology Association will also give a talk.
Wednesday will offer keynotes on mobile innovation and 5G featured execs from Verizon, Qualcomm, and Baidu. That will be followed by a look at the future of video, with execs from Comcast, A&E, YouTube, MediaLink and others giving their views. The final keynote will be a conversation with Hulu and Turner CEOs about reimagining television.
There will also be several "supersessions," with the most notable being a chat with FTC acting Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen. The talk was also supposed to include FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, but he was forced to cancel his appearance because of threats over his stance on net neutrality.

Tech and Gadgets

PC and mobile hardware will be on display with most of the major processor and GPU makers present, as well as desktop and peripheral vendors. New mobile devices from laptops to tablets will also get some play time from a variety of companies. Even VR and AR will be a big part of the show, given there are several conference sessions devoted to it.

Smartwear will also be a big thing, as many companies will be showing off items focused on health. Apple made a splash with the heart monitoring and workout functionality in its Apple Watch Series 3 and other companies will be marching out similar devices.

It is also likely some smartphones will make an appearance. Samsung is rumored to be showing off the Galaxy S9 in a limited way in advance of the Mobile World Congress in late February. It will likely have the Galaxy A8 and A8+ to show, however. Many of the major smartphone makers will be in attendance including LG and Huawei, although both LG and Samsung have other electronics products they will be showing off.

Google Hardware will also be there, possibly showing off the latest in Google Home devices and Google Assistant compatibility.

TVs and Smart Home

Smart devices in the home will also be on heavy display. LG will have many of its ThinQ line of AI-based products, from air purifiers to TVs and speakers. Samsung will also have some home electronics on display. Many other vendors will have similar products, as having everything connected through voice commands and monitoring is becoming more popular, especially with the growing influence of Alexa and the Google Assistant. Kohler will even be on hand exhibiting devices for the bathroom and kitchen.

Think Big and Think Wild

As far as thinking big, with Ford's CEO being in attendance to talk about smart cities, you can also bet that part of that will revolve around smart vehicles and self-driving technology. Several conference sessions also deal with AI and robotics, with several vendors likely being on hand to show off the latest in automated help and service.

It also isn't out of the realm of possibility that something crazy will make its way to the show floor that will draw attention. Who can forget the OhMiBod sex gadgets from last year?