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Top TVs and all the best tech from the biggest day at CES

CES veterans know that press day is the most exciting period of the show. Here's everything we saw Wednesday on the ground in Las Vegas.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German
4 min read
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We have arrived.

Kent German/CNET

No, CES still hasn't officially begun, but I don't blame you for thinking so given the torrent of news we've seen so far. And today, or CES press day as it's called, was even busier with a long schedule of press conferences from big name companies battling to one-up each other.

It's exciting and a bit confusing given the volume, but CNET is here to bring you the coolest and weirdest tech we saw today. So buckle your seat belt, we're going for a ride.

Always LG

It's a CES tradition that LG opens press day with an early morning press conference. It's also appropriate given the Korean conglomerate's huge product range. And what a range it ​showed this morning.

First up, naturally, is a new TV (LG wouldn't be LG without one). Then again, you might call the W7 OLED "wall art" instead. It doesn't sit on a stand or pedestal, but instead sticks to the wall through a special plate that uses both screws and magnets to stay put.

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Gosh, is the W7 thin.

Josh Miller

So what, you say? Well, I'll tell you. The W7 is just 0.15-inches thick (about the size of a key), it's extremely light (the 65-inch model weighs 18 pounds and the 77-incher, 27 pounds) and it's flexible enough for you to peel it away from the wall. I think we can agree that's pretty cool. There are a ton of other features so read our full preview for more. Of course, the W7 will be expensive (at least $10,000) so if you're looking for a cheaper television, the B7, C7, E7 and G7 deliver more conventional pricing and features.

All the cool new gadgets at CES 2017

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For the kitchen, LG formally launched the InstaView refrigerator that we first saw at IFA last year. We still don't have a price, but the giant touchscreen in the door now runs on WebOS and works with Amazon 's digital assistant Alexa instead of Microsoft Windows and Cortana. The new Quad Wash dishwashers aren't quite as interactive, but four spray arms are supposed to cut cycle times by 15 percent.

But, wait, LG isn't finished. The company also unveiled a lawn mowing robot, a Hub Robot that works with Alexa and connects to other LG appliances and a Leka smart toy for children with learning disabilities. We also got our first chance to touch the 5.7-inch Stylus 3 phone.

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Samsung promises its best picture quality TV yet thanks to new quantum dot technology.

Sarah Tew/CNET

On to Samsung

Cross-Seoul rival Samsung showed its new series of QLED televisions, which are said to improve light output and color performance. They also come armed with edge-lit local dimming and a "No Gap" wall mount. But unlike its TVs from last year, the Q9 is flat instead of curved. (Here's a bit more on Samsung's quantum dot technology if you're interested.)

For your lap, check out Samsung's new Chromebooks and its first dedicated gaming laptops , the Odyssey 16 and 17. They both have sleek designs with multicolored keyboard lights and cooling vents in a crosshatch pattern. Remember that Family Hub fridge from CES 2016? Well, it has new features.

No, Samsung didn't announce a new phone, but it did start its event by mentioning its disastrous Galaxy Note 7 launch from last year. Tim Baxter, president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America, said the company will share findings from its investigation into the exploding phone "soon."

Check out all the smart home products at CES 2017 (so far)

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And then Sony

Sony ended the day, which was just as well given how underwhelming its announcements were. The company entered the OLED fray with the new A1E series. They come in 55-, 65- and 77-inch sizes, run on Android and work with Google Home.

To go with that TV, Sony also has a new 4K Blu-ray player you might even be able to buy. The UBP-X800 supports playback digital music and streaming Bluetooth to headphones for private listening. Sony also had headphones, cameras and a projector, some of which were old. Check out Katie Collins's full report on the presser for details.

The most interesting PCs, laptops and tablets of CES 2017

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But wait...

There's always more. Here's what we found, starting off with, yes, more TVs.

  • Hisense detailed its 2017 TV lineup and showed a crazy-expensive ($13,000!), 100-inch TV that's a 4K laser projector.
  • TCL has three new Roku TVs in its P series and new models for its cheaper C and S families.
  • The Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom's main attraction is the gargantuan 5,000mAh battery. Beyond powering the phone for a long time, it also can charge other devices. The Zoom's other features include two 12-megapixel cameras, a 13-megapixel front-facing selfie camera, RAW file support and a full manual mode.
  • Asus also has the ZenBook 3 Deluxe, which is a 13-inch laptop with a 14-inch screen. No, I'm not kidding.
  • The Garmin Fenix 5, 5S and 5X smartwatches all have an optical heart-rate sensor, all-day fitness tracking and the 5X comes preloaded with topographic US maps for turn-by-turn navigation. They sound a lot more exciting than these boring Casio smartwatches.
  • If you love alfresco dining, but hate being in the sun, the ShadeCraft Sunflower is an umbrella shade that will follow Apollo as he moves through the sky. The solar-powered shade also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a built-in security camera. Because why not?
  • My God are these Monster AirLink headphones ugly.
  • The Incipio Command Kit is a power strip that works with HomeKit and Amazon Echo .
  • BlackBerry is back! Its new phone, the Mercury, is a touchscreen Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard and a fingerprint reader.
  • You know you've always wanted a Bluetooth toaster, so save your bread for the Griffin Technology Connected Toaster. It may be the most CES product there ever was.
  • Intel demonstrated the first "walk-around" VR experience.
  • The Toyota Concept-i car envisions a future where we communicate with an integrated artificial intelligence that predicts and meets our needs.
  • The Rapael Smart Glove uses a variety of sensors to guide a patient's rehabilitation for common hand and wrist injuries.

All the cool new car stuff at CES 2017

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