CES 2022: Top 5 Solutions and Tools for the Hybrid Workforce

CES 2022 kicked off on January 5, with over 2,100 companies showcasing hundreds of new products and setting off fresh trends in the tech industry for 2022. With hybrid work becoming the dominant trend in the space, the who’s who from the industry are unveiling new solutions to support work from anywhere. Here’s a peek at some of the most awaited solutions unveiled at CES 2022 that’ll be of use to organizations looking to make the most of hybrid work in the years to come. 

The in-person CES 2022 is arguably the biggest in-person electronics trade show in the U.S. since 2019. The show boasts around 75,000 attendees and over 2,200 exhibitors unveiling their latest wares, including Samsung, Sony, LG, Canon, Panasonic, Nvidia, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Google, and many more. With hundreds of tech players rolling out avant-garde products, hybrid work has emerged as among the most prominent underlying themes at the event.

Over the past two years, a spate of disruptions affecting the tech industry has necessitated the adoption of innovative solutions to boost productivity, collaboration, efficient use of resources, and cybersecurity. At CES 2022, several tech players will launch hybrid work solutions to mirror these expectations and meet growing demand. While Toolbox won’t be attending the in-person event, we’re tracking all the big announcements at the year’s first electronics mega-event. Here are the full details of the top five hybrid work solutions unveiled at the tech conference: 

Home Office Monitors: LG and Samsung

Korean electronics giants LG and Samsung have addressed the emerging needs of home office consumers with their latest lines of home office monitors. With long work hours and remote everything in sway, the 13-inch laptop monitor doesn’t cut it anymore for most users. 

LG unveiled its new UltraFine 5K/4K display at the tech conference. It is designed for home professionals, such as art directors, graphic designers, photo-video editors, and live streamers. According to LG, the 31.5-inch (81.28cm) and 3840 x 2160 resolution screen will allow home professionals to pivot the height and tilt of the monitors for improved posture and productivity. The monitor features Ergo’s USB-C One Cable solution to provide fast data transfer and power for laptop charging through a single cable. It will also offer a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 95% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, a wide viewing angle in vibrant colors across various ambient conditions. 

“Designed with creative professionals in mind, our new UltraFine OLED Pro monitors deliver visual precision. These premium display solutions are ideal for professional users working in the film and digital media industries,” said Seo Young-jae, senior vice president and head of the IT business unit of LG Electronics Business Solutions Company.

LG’s Korean rival Samsung also unveiled the High Resolution Monitor S8 during CES 2022. To be made available in 27-inch and 32-inch models, the monitor promises to deliver professional-level UHD performance and an immersive viewing experience for creators and designers when working from anywhere. Both models feature USB Type-C 90W charging and LAN ports, serving as a simplified workstation to charge laptops and mobile devices without any additional docking station.

“Samsung’s 2022 lineup represents the next generation in monitor innovation with offerings that meet the demands of competitive gamers, professional designers and everyone in between. As the work and entertainment worlds continue to evolve, we are proud to deliver monitors that boost users’ experiences from the comfort of their homes,” said Hyesung Ha, executive vice president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics.

See More: AI Summit Silicon Valley 2021: Top Highlights & Insights from AI Experts

Laptops: Dell and Lenovo

The emergence of hybrid work as the dominant working environment worldwide has centered the world’s focus on high-performance laptops and desktops in 2022. To meet this demand, Dell has launched the new Dell XPS 13 Plus laptop whose design, the company says, is inspired by Gen-Z. The launch will make the XPS 13 Plus, developed with Express charge 2.0, the first XPS 13 designed to a 12th Gen Intel® Coreâ„¢ 28W processor.

“With the world more digital than ever before, the right collaboration tools are key. That’s why we continue to invest in the ecosystem around the PC. Our mindful minimalist approach extends beyond design to encompass both production and packaging processes. We’ve created a simpler, more efficient manufacturing process that honors our longstanding commitment to be kind to the environment,” said Donnie Oliphant, senior director of XPS at Dell Technologies.

In response to Dell, Lenovo also announced the launch of its ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 laptops to target the business user audience. In particular, the Z13 will come with AMD Ryzen PRO U-Series processors with integrated AMD Radeon graphics plus Microsoft Pluton security processor, making it the first in business laptops to be powered by such technologies. 

“Hybrid working is the new norm, and users seek new levels of collaboration and security. For the first time in a business laptop, the Microsoft Pluton security processor integrated on AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series processors in the ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 with Windows 11 will help protect user identity, data and apps from the chip to the cloud,” said David Weston, partner director of enterprise and OS security, Microsoft Corp. “The powerful combination of these technologies will help users augment their productivity and engagement with peace of mind from the sophisticated attacks of today and tomorrow.”

See More: Top AI Trends for 2022: 10 Expert Insights on How AI Will Evolve Next Year

Docking Stations and Dock Accessories: Targus

Organizations looking to make hybrid and remote work seamless for their employees can rely on the latest docking stations and accessories. CES 2022 saw Targus reveal its latest DOCK720: USB-C Hybrid/Universal 4K Quad Dock that supports a single 8K resolution or four 4K displays. The DOCK720, secured by fingerprint authentication, will be available with several ports and a biometric device. According to Targus, its DEFCON® Ultimate Universal Cable Lock Series will feature a dual-head converter. It will offer laptops, docking stations, or monitors the facility of a built-in lock slot via a simple-to-operate dial. 

“The global pandemic has undoubtedly transformed the way we work, learn, and live. We are proud to continually bring purposeful technology solutions to the market that address productivity, sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives to enable a seamless life,” said Andrew Corkill, vice president of global marketing & eCommerce at Targus.

See More: Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021: Qualcomm Bets Big On Gaming And ARM-based Chips

Hybrid Collaboration Technology: Canon and HP

Those attending CES 2022 will be privy to the new single-camera software — the new AMLOS (Activate My Line of Sight) System from Canon, which comes with gesture control and seamless connectivity with Microsoft Teams. The hybrid working system will enable in-office presenters to share high-resolution images from the room to remote collaborators. Canon is also teaming up with actor and producer Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his company, HitRecord, to demonstrate first-hand how the new hybrid collaboration technology (in development) can create a virtual, real-time writers’ room experience.  

“2021 was a year of defining the new normal for work and personal interaction. We are poised to usher in new solutions that focus on helping people, cultures and the world connect and thrive now and into the future, and we are proud to showcase them at this year’s CES 2022,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and CEO, Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Continuing to build on creating meaningful experiences for hybrid workers, Hewlett Packard introduced HP Presence – a portfolio of conferencing and collaboration solutions. It includes HP Presence Mini PC, an HP Presence Control Center, color-coded cables, and mounting equipment. The technology provider will leverage AI-enhanced audio, cinematic video, and engaging controls. According to HP, building further on the sustainability conversation, this conferencing solution is the first to be made of ocean-bound plastics.

“Hybrid changed everything. We now have more freedom to be productive and creative from anywhere. Our hardware, software, and solutions innovations deliver the experiences needed to thrive in a hybrid world. It provides the power to blend our most productive environments for work and creativity with our most inspired ideas,” said Alex Cho, president, personal systems, HP Inc.

See More: Top Emerging Technologies for 2022 You Just Can’t Miss

Indoor Mapping Solutions: HERE

CES 2022 also hosted location data and technology provider HERE, which unveiled its indoor map as a service – the HERE Indoor Positioning. The company partnered with Navenio and NavVis to deliver tracking and positioning using digital twin technologies. 

According to HERE, the positioning solution draws upon sensors from smartphones and existing Bluetooth Low Energy/WiFi infrastructure to maintain the signal map. Interestingly, there has been a lot of research and discussion in support of indoor mapping and modeling (IMM) for over 30 years. Experts believe that a shift in people’s attitudes and expectations regarding spatial information has sparked the demand for indoor models and the tools to use them.

“With Indoor Map as a service, we have launched a one-stop shop for indoor mapping that includes indoor map data, routing, and positioning, all available through the HERE SDK, and seamlessly connected with our base map. With this easy-to-use solution, we look forward to enabling wayfinding, indoor asset tracking and space usage optimization use cases,” said Victor van Dinten, head of indoor parking and charging at HERE Technologies.

Which tools and solutions for hybrid work launched at CES 2022 appealed to you the most? Let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!

More Coverage on CES 2022:

• CES 2022: Top Five Announcements You Shouldn’t Miss
• CES 2022: Five Hot Emerging Technologies That Will Shape 2022