On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

According to IDC, global wearable device shipments are set to total 122.6 million units in 2018-- a 6.2% increase from the 115.4m units of 2017, marking a first year of single digit Y-o-Y growth for the market.

Such slowdown in growth is the result of the continuing softness among basic wearables (devices unable to run 3rd party apps), and the analyst expects a return for double-digit growth in 2019 and through the rest of the forecast period. As such, shipments should total 190.4m units in 2022 with a CAGR of 11.6% over the 5-year forecast.

"The shift from basic wearables to smartwatches is well on its way," IDC says. "With it, we anticipate far greater diversity in terms of design, feature set, brands, and most importantly, price points than ever before. Fitbit's Versa was one of the first mass market smartwatches to target the sub-$200 price band and in the next 6 to 12 months consumers can expect more options in the same or lower price tiers."

The September 2018 Apple event is all about the iPhone X, as the company reveals not one, not two, but three versions of the smartphone-- the "standard" iPhone XS, ultra-large iPhone XS Max and the more affordable iPhone XR.

While more iterative than revolutionary, the three iPhone X models run on the A12 Bionic, the first Apple SoC built using a 7nm processor. It promises a 15% increase in speed when running CPU tasks over the A11 Bionic, a 50% boost in GPU tasks and 50% less power consumption. Also seeing an increase is the number of cores (from 2 to 8), with a "Neural Engine" allowing features such as smart HDR, expressive Memoji and front/rear camera AR experiences.

The Acer Predator Triton 900 is a high-end gaming laptop with a twist-- the display sits on a easel-style hinge, allowing users to rotate it by 180-degrees for the most comfortable viewing angle.

The concept for such a display is not new to Acer. Back at IFA 2014 the company launched the Aspire R14, a notebook with a 360-degree hinge reminiscent of the Lenovo Yoga series. The Triton 900 builds on the idea with, with the 17-inch UHD LCD display attached to a CNC-machined hinge able to handle various modes, including laptop and tablet.

Sony announces not one, not two but three 4K HDR home cinema projectors at CEDIA Expo 2018-- the VPL-VW995ES laser projector, the mid-tier VW665ES and entry-level VW295ES, all featuring IMAX Enhanced certification.

As the premium model, the VPL-VW99ES carries an All Range Crisp Focus (ARC-F) lens, an 18-piece glass lens found in the first Sony 4K home projector, the VPL-VW1000ES, and the flagship VPL-VW5000ES. According to the company the ARC-F lens provides the best focus and resolution across the entire screen via Digital Focus Optimiser function. Peak brightness reaches 2200 lumens.