While 2016 saw plenty of shiny new tech on the shelves, it wasn't much of a year for significant breakthroughs. Even the latest iPhone 7 drew groans of boredom. Will things get any better in 2017? Expect the big buzzwords of 2016 – the Internet of Things, voice search, blockchain, artificial intelligence, chatbots, virtual reality and augmented reality – to be less about theory and more about real world products embedding themselves in society. However, with post-Brexit, post-Trump isolationism a possibility and threats to free markets, free movement and data privacy on the horizon, 2017 could see tech battle with the prospect of an un-connected world.

People can finally talk to their houses by shouting at their cars. Amazon and Logitech have announced that they will bring the Alexa voice assistant to the ZeroTouch app. That means that people can set up their phones in their car and use it to talk to the voice assistant without using their hands – and in doing so give instructions to everything from their lights to their heating. Logitech has long sold ZeroTouch, a special mount for people's phones that gives access to a personal assistant that can be used without being touch and so is intended to keep people from being distracted while driving. But the company has now announced that the app will include Amazon's Alexa, a voice assistant that can be used with a wide range of features.

The problem we face is so clear to me. Humans on spaceship earth are paralyzed by an inability to trust whether we are making the right decisions for our world, communities, companies and individual lives. This paralysis is a symptom of our innate human need to be connected with each other. We have a serious, yet very treatable condition called cognitive overload. Our desire for constant connectivity is producing more data and content than we have ever produced before.

Newly released Galaxy S8 renders are the clearest images we have of Samsung's upcoming flagship yet. The renders are based on factory CAD files according to habitual leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer and appear to confirm much of what has already been leaked in the last six months. The most notable change is the display size relative to the chassis, which, again, backs up previous leaks. The S8 will minimise its screen to body ratio, scrapping the home button and move the finger-print scanner to the back of the device in an oddly high position. That means a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch display within a slightly thicker profile than the S7 frame.

Amazon's Alexa platform is no longer confined to the home: Ford, Hyundai and Volkswagen have all revealed plans to integrate the voice assistant into their vehicles. For the rest of us, Logitech's aftermarket ZeroTouch mounts and companion app bring the same dash-based Alexa experience, but to the car you already own. The Logitech Zero Touch app-and-dock system already offers a hands-free solution to most smartphone tasks while driving. But starting today, it comes with added support for Alexa. This means that in addition to controlling music, sending texts and setting destinations on the move, the voice-controlled application will listen for Alexa commands (once the feature has been activated, that is). I tried out the updated ZeroTouch system, and other than a few minor setup issues with the "flash briefing" Skill (which delivers quick news hits from various sources like NPR, Fox News and the BBC), it really did feel just like using Alexa at home.

It's impossible to talk about Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship device without mentioning the South Korea tech giant's advanced AI voice assistant, Bixby, that will come with it. Though Apple's biggest rival already had an intelligent personal assistant, called S Voice, for a number of premium devices it launched in the past, the company decided to develop a more advanced voice assistant that would be a direct competitor to Apple's Siri and Google's Google Assistant. The move isn't surprising at all, for Samsung bought AI and assistant system firm Viv late last year. Viv is a company by people responsible for the creation and success of Apple's Siri. Hence, many reports are putting emphasis on the idea that Bixby will be a strong rival against Apple's famous voice assistant.

The research division of the Piaggio group, known for its Vespa scooters, has developed a suitcase-sized robot that can carry things as it follows you around. New robotic designs are increasingly lending themselves to practical personal-assistant tasks that can improve the quality of lives for consumers. Explore the Trend: Will robots take humans' jobs?

Could you be playing the next big video game with your voice? Voice assistants can seem supersmart. Ask my Amazon Alexa why the sky is blue, and you'll get a lesson in light refraction through the atmosphere. Ask it what CNET is and things start to break down. "In addition CNET currently has region-specific and language-specific editions."

Logitech has announced a new version of the app for its ZeroTouch Android smartphone mounts (there is no iPhone version) that incorporates Amazon's Alexa voice-controlled digital assistant. Once ZeroTouch owners install the new app, they'll gain a raft of new features, including the ability to control any Alexa-compatible device in their smart home, even if they don't own an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. The ZeroTouch itself is available in two configurations that enable hands-free control of a docked smartphone. The ZeroTouch Air Vent ($59.99 at Amazon) clips to one of the car's air vents, while the ZeroTouch Dashboard ($79.99 at Amazon) mounts to the car's dashboard or windshield. Both models have Bluetooth radios that automatically launch the ZeroTouch app when the phone comes into contact with the mount.