Not many events are more exciting for a gadget geek than the annual Consumer Electronics Show, where cutting-edge ideas and inventions for the next year are displayed for the first time. There isn’t enough space to cover every gadget at the show but these are some of the coolest.
Perhaps one of the coolest near-future gadgets was the Motorola Atrix, which is normally an Android phone. When it’s plugged into a laptop case using the included dock it turns the case into a complete laptop running their Webtop operating system. The same happens if you plug the phone into a computer monitor. When the phone is plugged into a TV, it acts as a set-top box allowing for apps to run on the TV. This lets the phone act as a four-in-one for people who don’t need to do much with their laptop or desktop computer. The included laptop case doesn’t look too bad and the software looks very promising. If you want a powerful phone that also works as the other three devices then its worth a look.
On the tablet front, Microsoft, Google and RIM showed off their takes on the tablet market that for now is dominated by Apple’s iPad. Microsoft attempted to take another stab at Windows touchscreen devices. To make this easier, the next version of Windows is supposed to run on ARM, which is a low-powered processor family which powers most, if not all, mobile devices from phones to tablets such as the iPad. The success of a “Windows 8” tablet most likely depends on if they make the operating system more touchscreen friendly like iOS and Android tablets are. The current Windows 7 tablets do not do as well because they attempt to make a keyboard-and-mouse operating system run on a touchscreen device, which is more complicated for most users. Something more in line with their phone operating system, Windows Phone 7, seems more appropriate for a tablet.
Android 3.0, or “Honeycomb”, the next version of the popular mobile operating system from Google, was shown as the first version of Android to officially support tablets. This year’s show has shown that Google is adopting a better approach to tablets by adopting a touch-based operating system, as demonstrated by their big Honeycomb tablet at the show, the Motorola Xoom. This new version of Android uses the extra space on the screen to spread things out a bit and, in my opinion, it uses the space extremely well.
RIM’s first tablet attempt, the BlackBerry PlayBook, was announced late last year but was demonstrated at this year’s CES. Previews claim that the tablet is more enjoyable to use than any BlackBerry Smartphone has been so far, and the software takes cues from HP’s webOS card-based system. The PlayBook runs on BlackBerry’s speedy QNX-based Tablet operating system. The major downside with the tablet is that it must be tethered to a BlackBerry phone to use Mail, Calendar and BBM, which users with other phones may see as an inconvenience; however, it has been mentioned native apps for Mail and Calendar are in the works as well.
One of the most talked about peripherals is the Microsoft Touch Mouse, which is similar in concept to Apple’s Magic Mouse. There is a lump in the middle of the device to make it easier to rest your palm on the mouse, and it is designed to work with Windows 7. The gestures bring a feature like Mac OS X’s Expose, organizing any open windows into a neat grid.
TV manufacturers are also trying to join the push towards device connectivity and stay relevant by adding many computer-like features. Samsung’s Smart TV is able to run it’s own apps in its menu through Adobe’s Air platform, including Blockbuster, Rovi and USA Today. It’s also designed to work with it’s own Smart Touch remote, which is similar in concept to Apple’s Remote app for iOS devices.
Vizio’s VIA Plus was another impressive TV at the show, running a modified version of Android, with OnLive gaming and Vizio On Demand movies. The Vizio Phone and Vizio Tablet, which also run Android, have infrared transmitters which let you use them as remotes for the VIA Plus. They are very well designed and powerful, and have one of the nicest Android interfaces on the market.
Typical gadgets were not the only focus at this year’s show though. The Ford Focus Electric was the first car by a major vehicle manufacturer to be unveiled at CES. Impressing many with its speedy four-hour charging time estimate, the car can also range 161 km and offers a higher MPGe, the electric equivalent of miles per gallon, than the Chevrolet Volt and similar to the Nissan Leaf. It incorporates MyFord Touch, an 8-inch touchscreen, and is the first with MyFord Mobile, an app for iOS, BlackBerry and Android which lets users measure car settings and statuses from their phones. A rather unique feature is its method of critiquing your driving. When more butterflies appear in your screen, your driving is better.
There were lots of tablets and phones shown off this year and it looks like we’ll have enough gadgets to hold us over to next year. There’s bound to be more announced in the next few months in case you didn’t see anything to add to your Christmas list.
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