This was an evolutionary rather than revolutionary show. There was no single knockout device, but there are indications that retail prices of ultrabooks in particular will drop with more powerful and faster processors on the horizon. Tech is getting cheaper and consumers want to pay less.
One issue of note is the emergence of huge organic light-emitting diode screens. The irony is OLED was originally Eastman Kodak technology, which was onsold. The right decisions could have put Eastman Kodak in the lead of the OLED revolution rather than staring at bankruptcy.
Here are some of our favourite takes from CES 2012.
LG, SAMSUNG 55IN OLED3D TVs
APART from being wafer thin, with vivid colours and 3D-capable, some of these OLED screens in future will support ultra-high-definition TV, with about 16 times the number of pixels as HD TV and similar resolution to IMAX.
As smart TVs, the LG and Samsung OLEDs both have plenty of available apps, respond to gestures and voice commands, and will have access to music and video content. Expect local content to differ from US content being promoted now. But both TVs will be launched in Australia.
The rub is the price — about $US8000 ($7763) has been bandied about but no official pricing is available. LG’s 55in (which does not support UHDTV) will be in Australia in time for Christmas. Its 84in model (which does support UHDTV) will also come to Australia around then.
ACER ASPIRE S5 ULTRABOOK
ACER’S Aspire S5 was the first ultrabook showcased at CES, and being 15mm thick at its widest point, claims to be the thinnest. It weighs less than 1.35kg, has a 13.3in LCD screen, claims instant-resume functionality of 1.5 seconds and battery life said to be several weeks in sleep state. It has an attractive black magnesium-aluminium alloy cover and looks less like the MacBook Air than other ultrabooks so far.
The Aspire should ship to Australia in the second quarter, but pricing is not available, which is a pity as pricing will be crucial to success in this class. Intel says more than 75 Ultrabook systems should ship this year from industry partners and AMD is getting into the act with its ultrathins, so expect prices to fall.
LENOVO YOGA HYBRID ULTRABOOK/TABLET
LENOVO this year not only released ultrabooks and tablets, but TVs and smartphones. Some products are for China only, but others will come to Australia.
We like Lenovo’s Yoga , an ultrabook with a 13.3in touchscreen that turns into a tablet when the screen is rotated 360 degrees. It features fast Intel dual-core processors, up to 8GB of RAM, a 256GB solid-state drive for fast booting and wake-up, and a promise of up to eight hours of battery life. It weighs 1.47kg and is 16.9 mm thick.
As a tablet it boasts a large 1600 by 900 resolution multi-touchscreen, and uses the new Windows 8 Metro interface. Turn it around again and it’s a multimedia player. Its release will depend on the availability of the final version of Windows 8, which is tipped to be mid-year. There is no information on Australian pricing, but in the US it will be about $US1200.
HUAWEI ASCEND P1 S
HUAWEI released a smartphone at CES that is not only positively anorexic at 6.68mm thick, but also about the most powerful phone on the planet, with a 1.5GHz Cortex-A9 processor.
That’s more processing power than many of us had on our desktop PCs a few years back. In appearance it is somewhat like the celebrated Samsung Galaxy SII, as it has a 4.3in Super AMOLED screen, but with slightly better resolution at 960 by 540 pixels. It has an 8-megapixel back-facing camera and a decently sized 1800mAh (milli-ampere-hour) battery.
The Ascend will run the latest Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system when it is released in Australia in April. No local costing is available, but in the US, the price being bandied around is $US400 outright. That means the Ascend P1 S will totally disrupt the pricing structure of high-end smartphones.
OLLOCLIP THREE-IN-ONE IPHONE CAMERA LENS
IF you’re wedded to using your iPhone 4/4S as a camera, you can add fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses to it thanks to Olloclip. You attach a special clip to the corner of the phone and then add a lens.
The lenses are capable of high-quality images but there are some issues. First, you’ll need to remove any existing case. Also, the lens housing obscures the flash, which could be a deal-breaker if you’re into night-time photography. Thirdly, at $US69 plus postage it’s not cheap. The Olloclip comes in red and black, fits in a pocket and is available online from the manufacturer. It’s the product of private kickstarter funding in the US.
I’M WATCH, DICK TRACY-STYLE WATCH
THERE were a few novelty watches at CES, but I’m Watch took the cake as a genuine Android 1.6 computer that sits on your wrist and lets you make calls in the style of comic-strip detective Dick Tracy. It is Bluetooth and WiFi enabled, weighs 70 grams, and handles calls, emails, text messages, social network posts, weather forecasts and music streaming and supports downloadable Android apps that add more functions. It has a small 1.55in high-resolution screen and 4GB of flash memory and uses a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone for calls, but runs other apps independently. At $US349, it’s not cheap.
EERS CUSTOM-FITTING HEADPHONES
EERS headphones mould to your ears and therefore claim to be comfortable and never fall out. The first time you use eers, silicon released internally moulds itself to the shape of your ears, and solidifies within five minutes. There are two models: premium with an inbuilt tweeter and woofer. Sonomax claims its headset is great for noise cancellation. Eers cost $US199 and $US299 online now and will be available in Australia in the second quarter.
GREENWAVE HOME ENERGY MANAGEMENT
SWITCHING your home lights and appliances remotely from a web browser or smartphone has been an expensive hobby. At CES, Greenwave released an entry-level system that costs just $US200. It consists of a control box that you add to your home network, an individual appliance switch and a six-plug powerboard. They communicate with the control box. Anything plugged into the powerboard can be switched on and off remotely. Greenwave is also selling connected lightbulbs for $US10-$US20, which can also be controlled remotely. Extra powerboards cost $US60-$US80. Greenwave says it is working with Australian energy utilities to make the system available here.
BEHRINGER POOL-FRIENDLY FLOATING SPEAKERS
IT sounds a quintessentially Australian idea: a spherical Bluetooth waterproof speaker with the appearance of a soccer ball that floats in your pool. But the idea belongs to German professional audio company Behringer. Called the Splash 100, the unit outputs sound from your home network for about 3.5 hours. It can be housed up to 70m from its docking station, which is also used for charging. Behringer also showcased a large microphone called the iScream, which allows singers and karaoke performers to easily record their voice over audio from digital sources, including Apple’s GarageBand. Both devices will retail for $US99 and Australia is definitely in Behringer’s sights.
CANON POWERSHOT G1X POCKET CAMERA
WITH smartphone cameras pushing 8-16 megapixels, it’s little wonder the survival of standalone pocket cameras is an issue. But there’s still room for them given the difficulty phonecams have with lighting, especially low light. The 14.3 megapixel Canon PowerShot G1X deals with light using a high-sensitivity CMOS sensor, and has four-times optical zoom and 28mm wide angle lens. It supports full HD (1080p) digital video recording and Canon EOS-related DSLR accessories.
It will be here in March.
PARROT AR DRONE 2.0 IPHONE QUADRICOPTER
THE huge quadricopter flying in the room was unmissable at the CES Innovations event. This enormous toy, rumoured to cost about $US299, is a helicopter with four rotors controlled by a mobile device. It has a 720p HD camera attached to it that streams a pilot’s view of the ride to an Apple and Android device controlling it. A second downward facing camera helps work out ground speed. It uses a 1GB Cortex processor to help ensure smooth video streaming. Great for launching reconnaissance flights over the fence on what’s happening in your neighbour’s garden.
Also noted
HTC TITAN II SMARTPHONE
HTC doesn’t know if this LTE-enabled phone will come to Australia, but with a 16 megapixel rear-facing camera, we were left wondering if the Titan II is a phone with an attached camera, or a camera with an attached phone.
MOTOROLA’S DROID XYBOARD 10.1
WE’RE used to waterproof cameras, but what about water resistant tablet computers? Motorola has answered the call with the Xyboard 10.1, an upgrade of the original Xoom, with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera.
HP ENVY 14 SPECTRE
THIS beautiful looking Hewett-Packard ultrabook is coated with scratch-resistant glass to make it more durable and features a 14in backlit screen and Dual Core i5 processor. Rumoured entry price is $US1399.
LENOVO IDEACENTRE A720
HAVING tempted us with its ultrabook-notebook contortions in the form of the Yoga, Lenovo is out to do it again with its all-in-one desktop, the IdeaCentre A720. Its 27in touchscreen has a frameless display and comes with a high-end i7 Dual Core processor. Tilted 90 degrees, the screen turns into a table-sized notepad like the old Microsoft Surface.
NOKIA LUMIA PHONES
WE mention Nokia’s Lumia 710, 800 and 900 phones because Nokia is finally releasing Windows Phone 7-based sets. The Lumia 710 is available in the US and the 800 will be available in the next few months. We don’t know Nokia’s Australian release dates yet.
Source:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/exec-tech/big-smart-tvs-ultrabooks-apps-steal-the-show/story-e6frgazf-1226245723024
