CES is more than just a showcase of what the latest technology has to offer -- it's a cage match of competing tech trends. The gadgets and technologies we'll be using tomorrow battle it out for our money and attention, and when the dust clears some inevitably come out on top. This year's CES had a lot to say about smart homes, self-driving cars, laptops and more. There's a lot to be excited about in all those categories, but sometimes such rapid progress can leave some people behind. Anyone building a smart-home gadget couldn't wait to tout its compatibility with Alexa, Amazon's cloud-based digital assistant.

ANY sufficiently advanced technology, noted Arthur C. Clarke, a British science-fiction writer, is indistinguishable from magic. The fast-emerging technology of voice computing proves his point. Using it is just like casting a spell: say a few words into the air, and a nearby device can grant your wish. The Amazon Echo, a voice-driven cylindrical computer that sits on a table top and answers to the name Alexa, can call up music tracks and radio stations, tell jokes, answer trivia questions and control smart appliances; even before Christmas it was already resident in about 4% of American households. Voice assistants are proliferating in smartphones, too: Apple's Siri handles over 2bn commands a week, and 20% of Google searches on Android-powered handsets in America are input by voice.

Thousands of tech companies descended on Las Vegas for CES 2017 this week to show off what they think you'll buy in the coming year. Although we saw more of what dominated the tech scene last year -- smart home products, wearables and enough Amazon Echo partnerships to make your head spin -- some new products shined brightly above the rest. From an underwater drone to the car of the future, here's a look at what impressed us most. Toyota unveiled a concept car to highlight its vision for what cars may look like in 2030. With see-through glass doors, wheels built directly into the body and a bright white interior and exterior, the future is looking pretty sleek.

Alongside a load of new TVs, you can count on all the big tech companies to roll out new smart appliances every year at CES. LG is no exception, adding Amazon's Alexa to its line of Smart InstaView refrigerators. We've seen previous versions of the fridge with huge touchscreens in the door, but this time around the company has tacked on a virtual assistant and webOS software in the US. For the global model, expect Windows 10 integration and access to Cortana for spoken assistance. The kitchen is one of many places Alexa is popping up in new devices at CES, but it's a place where the virtual assistant has the potential to be especially helpful. In addition to the usual tasks like news and weather updates, it can lend a hand with grocery orders.

Internet-connected intelligent gizmos had a big showing at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and there is one common thread between many ofthem: Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant. Lenovo has a new speaker featuring the assistant. Volkswagen and Ford are building Alexa into their cars. Plus, there's a whole flotilla of other connected devices featuring Alexa, including a high-tech refrigerator from LG. That's not to say other virtual assistants aren't doing the same thing, but Amazon is the clear winner by volume at CES. So, what does that mean for the virtual assistant market, which includes competitors such as Microsoft's Cortana, the Google Assistant and Apple's Siri?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly making headlines recently, although few may be aware of it. The most recent of these was with the announcement of Amazon Go, a concept store in Seattle that is powered by machine learning and AI. Many of us now carry an AI device in our pockets, work with AI on our PCs and even have AI sitting in our living rooms. But randomly ask someone on the street what AI means to them and they're likely to mention robots, and not the technology we use in our daily lives. Less than 20% of consumers feel that they know a lot about AI, with this stat rising to almost 50% when asked if they know a little. What's clear is that mainstream awareness of AI is still limited, so you need to keep this in mind when talking about it.

Most of our editors eschewed the typical New Year's Eve celebrations and arrived in Las Vegas on New Year's Day. One of us even arrived on December 31st and spent the last few hours of 2016 in bed. All of that just to give our all to the annual tradition that is CES. We spent the past few days walking the show floor, attending evening events and covering press conferences just to bring you the very best from CES 2017. And now, we're ready to unveil the finalists for our annual Best of CES awards. Below you'll find our selections for 15 categories, which range from accessibility tech to wearables. We'll announce our category winners tomorrow, which is also when we'll reveal the recipient of our Best of the Best award, the most coveted prize of them all. That special award is selected from our pool of category winners. If you want your voice heard too -- and who doesn't? -- there's an additional category for People's Choice, where you can vote for your favorite entry in our compilation of finalists. Just head on over to our poll right here to cast your ballot. All award winners will be announced at a special ceremony tomorrow at our CES stage, so be sure to come back right here on Engadget around 5PM PT / 8PM ET Saturday to watch it all unfold.

Wallpaper-thin TVs, drones that can dive underwater, and a computer the size of a credit card. Those are only a few of the gadgets that have been unveiled this week at the annual CES gadget expo in Las Vegas, where companies in the tech, automotive, and home appliance industries flaunt their latest innovations. Many high-profile tech companies, like Apple and Google, typically hold their own separate events throughout the year to unveil new products rather than debuting new wares at CES. Still, the annual convention, now in its 50th year, often provides a look at the next big trends in tech. The biggest themes at CES this year include self-driving cars, home robots, and tons of integrations with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant.

It may not be as entertaining as dueling robots, but the never ending argument between two Google Home assistants is causing an online stir. The'Waiting for Godot' robots, named Vladimir and Estragon after the characters in Samuel Beckett's play, are exchanging words live on streaming service Twitch regarding their likes, dislikes, careers, what clothes they are wearing and more. The pair, described by their creators as '2 autonomous bots contemplating existence,' even touch on their own mortality, as Vladimir knows he is an AI, while Estragon is sure she is a human who enjoys eating waffles. The two Google Home AIs are exchanging words in a live stream. Named Vladimir and Estragon, one of them knows it is an AI, while the other believes it is a human - they also start flirting in the live video.

We expected to see artificial intelligence (AI), home and vehicle automation, smarter devices, augmented and virtual reality, and IoT to dominate at CES 2017. And truth be told it most certainly is not failing to deliver. In addition to new products in the usual consumer device categories like video game tech, TVs, and audio equipment we're seeing loads of the new trending technologies being showcased and it's clear that Christmas is not over at CES 2017. Everything from smart home bots, hacker-fighting routers and wallpaper TVs to super cool Lego Boost robotic kits that teach kids to code, is being shown off at the popular tech event making it super difficult to choose the coolest of them all. That said, here's a look at some of the top AI enabled tech and gadgets at CES 2017.