Jan 07, 2011

Highlights from the Consumer Electronics Show 2011

The Motorola Xoom tablet makes for good iPad competition at CES

After the first few days of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it's apparent that tablet devices are the main attraction. As Forrester Research has projected, the sales of tablets are expected to double in 2011, which helps explain the appearance of about 80 tablet models on display at CES. Microsoft has unveiled several tablets operating on the Windows 7 system as other companies present their own versions of the tablet. Here are a few tablets that are generating discussion around the Show and news feeds:

1. Motorola Xoom (to be released on Verizon) is a tablet device on the Android operating system called Honeycomb and looks to be the top competitor to Apple's iPad.
2. Samsung’s PC 7 Sliding Series: This tablet has a keyboard hidden under its touch screen so you can flip back and forth between a tablet and netbook as needed.
3. The Dual-Screen PC from Acer has two 14-inch touch screens, face-to-face, which can act like a traditional laptop with a touch keyboard.
4. The Asus Tablet PC is a full PC tablet in a larger format and comes with a stylus device, hoping to attract designers and artists.
5. Asus’ Eee Pad MeMo is an Android 7-inch device, with a stylus.

Not a tablet device, but an exciting device nonetheless, the Microsoft Surface is a tabletop touch computer that is only 4 inches thick. The technology is quickly evolving and getting cheaper, so you may see the device popping up in bars and kiosks, among other places. The price is still high ($7600), but once it drops significantly, you may even start seeing these in homes worldwide—the coffee table of the future!

CES 2011 Predictions: 7 Trends to Watch at the World's Biggest Tech Show (The Huffington Post)

What We’ve Learned from CES Days 1 & 2 (Androinica)

Tablet Sales to Double in 2011 (Min Online)

T-Mobile, LG announce G-Slate tablet (The Washington Post)

Microsoft Wows CES Crowd With Windows 7-Powered Tablets (Mashable)

Motorola Debuts Android Honeycomb Tablet at CES (Mashable)

Microsoft Surface Is Now Thinner, Smarter & Cheaper (Mashable)

Motorola Atrix for AT&T: Hands On (PCMag.com)