What's the Story? CES Recapped – Robot dogs, 5G phones and a sheep named Annie

It wouldn't be CES without a couple of new 5G phones, futuristic cars, virtual reality demos and Boston Dynamics robot dogs roaming the halls in search of their next victim. Scratch that last part, the robot dogs are only scary in Black Mirror's "Metalhead" episode.

Jeff Baumgartner and Mike Dano are back from last week's CES event in Las Vegas with a recap of new technologies and trends from the show. Mike explains why the focus on phone-to-satellite services and fixed wireless access (FWA) outshined 5G, and Jeff provides an update on Cox Mobile's announcement that Verizon will be its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) partner.

Jeff also attempts to explain why Cox Mobile chose a sheep named Annie as its digital mascot, and Mike takes a ride on a Tesla through the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop.

You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.

Here are a few topics we covered:

• New technologies spotted on the show floor at CES. (01:04)
• Verizon and Razer launch cloud gaming device. (02:12)
• Cox Mobile announces Verizon as its MVNO partner. And new smart TV launches by Roku and others. (03:51)
• Kelsey has way too many TVs. (08:29)
• Cox Mobile has a doozy of a digital mascot, which is a sheep named Annie. Did we mention it has a lightning bolt on its side? (12:09)
• 5G less of a focus at CES in favor of FWA. (14:44)
• 5G gadgets, phones and phone-to-satellite access. (16:20)
• Terrestrial service providers have different takes on phone-to-satellite services. (17:44)
• Mike needs a wilderness adventures budget to try out phone-to-satellite tech. (21:02)
• Mike was only mildly impressed by the LVCC Loop, where attendees can ride Teslas through a tunnel linking the center's halls. (21:23)

Related stories and links:

• I went looking for 5G at CES, and here's what I found
• Xperi: New smart TVs with TiVo OS to have 'unbiased' recommendations
• Samsung eyes wider gadget ecosystem
• Comcast-Charter streaming JV tunes in Element Electronics as smart TV partner
• Cox Mobile sparks national launch, confirms Verizon as MVNO partner
• US tech retail sales to dip in 2023 in wake of pandemic-fueled surge – forecast
• Smart TVs powered by TiVo OS to ship in the spring
• Roku starts to design and make its own smart TVs

— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading