Hello and happy new year from the world's largest consumer electronics show, CES, in Las Vegas, the US.

Over the past seven days, The Australian's technology editor Jared Lynch has traversed continents, casinos and C-suite interviews to bring you the latest coverage on what is the hottest event of the year on every tech journalist's calendar.

In 2025, there was no shortage of spectacular electronics on show, from TVs the size of your bedroom wall to flying cars, robots and devices that know more about you than you do about them.

But there was also something missing this year. Product launches took a back seat to a bolder narrative for big brands such as Samsung and LG.

The main presentations and booths of both Korean companies barely mentioned new TVs, washing machines or fridges. Instead they focused on the $US1.35 trillion ($2.17 trillion) battle to control our homes.Donald Trump will catapult digital currencies into the mainstream, after he vowed to become the first “crypto president”, an adviser to the Bank of England says.

Electronics companies are expanding into digital services to ensure they don’t become mere commodity manufacturers in a space Google, Amazon and Apple dominate.

New TVs, fridges, speakers and other appliances are of course still important, but it is how those products connect to each other to make our lives easier, representing the next phase of the artificial intelligence boom.

Please enjoy this special edition of our technology newsletter, the CES edition.