Trends with Benefits: Tech trends to watch for in 2017

By Greg Nibler Published January 23, 2017

Would you implant a chip in your body for convenience?: At CES 2017, DT’s Drew Prindle went above and beyond what most of us would do. Live from our coverage, he had two different chips implanted in his hand! Today we’ll follow up and tell you what they do, if they are actually working and maybe he can explain why he did it.

What tech will you buy in 2017?: This is going to be a huge year for technological advancements. With OLED wallpaper televisions, Alexa everywhere, self-driving cars and much more, we’ll tell you about what we expect in 2017. What are you most looking forward to?

Each week, we gather a round table of tech experts from the Digital Trends staff, along with the occasional celebrity guest, to discuss all things tech. Topics range from the big tech stories of the week to predicting the future, all while maintaining a somewhat civil decorum.

At 2:45 pm Pacific we answer your questions live.

Please subscribe and share Trends with Benefits and send in your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We also broadcast the show live on YouTube every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Pacific

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Greg has worked as a Host, Producer, and Writer in radio and television since the early 2000s, working for such companies as…

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Wearables

XREAL’s $299 AR glasses are finally here, and they could be a great travel companion

These AR glasses give you a 147-inch virtual display you can carry around in your pocket

X by XREAL with different front frames

XREAL announced its lower-cost xbx sub-brand earlier this year, and its first product is now available in the U.S. The xbx a01+ costs $299 through XREAL’s online store, putting it below the company’s more expensive AR glasses.

The a01+ is mainly built for watching videos, playing games, or using a laptop on a large virtual screen. It connects to compatible phones, handheld consoles, and computers over USB-C, so it works more like a wearable display than a standalone headset.

Wearables

I took this Oppo smartwatch swimming, and it tracked everything except my excuses

The Oppo Watch X3 caught every lap, stroke, and my poolside talking breaks

Wristwatch, Arm, Body Part

I recently covered a report suggesting that people who use fitness trackers and smartphone apps tend to stay more physically active. While my experience sits far outside the scope of that study that involved cardiovascular disease, I now understand how a wearable can turn an ordinary workout into something you want to repeat.

I have been trying to get back into swimming, and the Oppo Watch X3 arrived at the perfect time.

Wearables

Your dog can run, but Fi’s new Starlink satellite-backed tracker makes sure you can still find them

Fi Ultra borrows Starlink satellites to find pups that wander off the grid

Fi Ultra dog tracker

A runaway pup can race into a forest or across miles of open countryside, leaving its owner with a GPS tracker that suddenly has no way to report its location. But Fi is looking to solve that problem with the Fi Ultra, which is a new dog tracker that falls back on SpaceX’s Starlink network whenever cellular coverage disappears. The company describes it as the first dog tracker powered by T-Mobile’s T-Satellite with Starlink service. It is available now in the US for $199, plus a $20 activation fee and a $189 annual membership.

Your dog just got a satellite connection