World News: Talking Tech – the right version: It's time for the Super Bowl of the tech world

Saturday, January 9

Welcome, techies! I'm Mike Snider, a tech reporter who, along with Brett Molina, will be filling Jefferson Graham's big shoes with the Talking Tech newsletter and podcast.

In each edition, you'll get our take on the week's biggest tech news and developments. Just headlines you're looking for? Scroll down for the five biggest must-reads of the week.

Talking CES

The tech world will be focused on the CES trade show this week, as it officially kicks off Monday.

Traditionally, the annual tech conference draws 150,000-plus to Las Vegas to see the latest and greatest gadgets, TVs, speakers and other products. But this year, CES will be a virtual event, conducted completely online.

My latest story looks at how CES will be different this year and how that could be a good thing, especially for USA TODAY readers and gadget lovers who can personally see more of the action than in the past.

You can also get a sneak peek at Samsung's TV lineup for 2021 in this story, too. My colleagues at Reviewed.com have already posted a slew of stories including coverage of appliances, laptops, TVs and LG's curved OLED display aimed at gamers.

A focus on CES may be the plan for the coming week, but real-world events and the part technology plays can push other subjects to the side – as it has this past week.

Social media served as a forum to follow and discuss protests in Washington, D.C. that evolved into a riot engulfing the U.S. Capitol. Then, social media networks including Twitter locked down President Trump's accounts for violations involving inciting violence and misinformation about election results. Later, Facebook and Instagram blocked activity on the president's accounts through his term. And, on Friday, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account.

Subsequently, social media posts were used to identify persons who broke into the U.S. Capitol, leading to some being arrested.

Other tech news this week

•	Remember Quibi? Streaming video company Roku acquired the short-lived snackable video company's content library. Quibi, founded by former Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg went live in April 2020 but shuttered six months later.
•	Speaking of displays, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a 56-inch OLED curved screen coming in its new electric sedan this screen, writes Nathan Bomey.
•	Still keeping to your New Year's resolutions? Brett Molina details his plans on how to cleanup and tighten his technology budget in the coming year.

This week's Talking Tech podcasts

As you know, this past week USA TODAY bid a sad goodbye to colleague Jefferson Graham, who had helmed the Talking Tech podcast – and penned the Talking Tech newsletter – for many years. He will be missed and we wish him well.

Brett Molina and myself and have already had a fun week talking about our favorite tech products and what we think lies ahead in 2021. In the coming week, we will have plenty of coverage from CES.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

LG's 48-inch Bendable Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) is being showcased prior to CES 2021.

CES becomes a virtual event for thousands to attend

CES, the largest global tech conference, begins its first ever virtual expo on Monday. Companies like LG, Samsung and Sony will show off new products.