Fresh from the close of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I'm thinking ahead to the biggest trends in technology in the year ahead. Here's what we have to look forward to:
3-D TVs
Samsung 3-D TV
By the end of the year, you will actually be able to have a fully functioning 3-D media experience in your living room—yep, an Avatar party at your house! All of the major players announced a version. Most offered built-in Internet connections for easy access to sites like Netflix and Pandora. Many companies announced 3-D Blu-Ray players as well. Yes, you have to wear the glasses, at least for now, and no, no price points were announced.
Can't Wait? Until you can get your hands on a 3-D TV, an HD version is the way to go.
Next Generation Cell Phones
1. Google Nexus One, 2. Motorola Backflip
The Google Nexus booth at the press event the night before the show began was packed because we all wanted to get our hands on this game changing phone. As we've reported previously, the device is shaped somewhere in between an iPhone and the Palm Pre and also features a both a touch screen and a trackball. (iPhone and Blackberry addicts can each take their pick.) The display is bright and easy to interpret. The operating system is Google's new Android, which the company claims can run several apps and not slow down. The other fascinating phone release was the Motorola Backflip. It's like the Moto Cliq but with a swivel keyboard. The new added benefit is that there is a touchpad on the backside of the screen.
Can't wait? You don't have to. Nexus One is currently available from the Google web store in the US without service for $529 or starting at $179 (shipping only to the U.S. and three other markets, including the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong) with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA. In the near future, Verizon Wireless in the US and Vodafone in Europe plan to offer services to customers in their respective geographies. Not surprisingly, you can already find sellers offering it and related items on eBay, a big bonus for customers outside of current markets.
Lenovo Skylight
O...M...G... Just when I thought a netbook couldn't get much cooler, it did something that it's already done really, really well—it shrunk. But this netbook didn't shrink in overall size; that would have just added to my frustration with keyboards that my fingers can't type on.Instead, it simply llost weight in its waist and became ultra thin. And when I say ultra, I mean it's less that one inch think and weighs 1.95 lbs, yet has a battery life of 10 hours. I have no idea how they did it, but they maintained the standard keyboard size to boot. And with that, well, it had me at hello.
Can't Wait? This Asus laptop is one of my favorites of the thin (if not skinny) laptops that are currently on the market. The company makes several types of high quality thin netbooks and it introduced several more new styles at CES.
eReaders 2.0
Skiff eReader
The eReader battle has extended way beyond the Nook vs. Kindle. In fact, this category is gaining so much momentum that CES even had its own "eBook Zone." Price points and key features are what differentiate the new releases. The Plastic Logic Que, the Skiff, and Spring Designs' Alex all were flexible (the material moves in your hands!), have larger real estate for electronic ink than current versions and offer some sort of wi-fi downloading. Color color screens and web surfing will be other key upcomign features.
Can't Wait? Barnes & Noble's Nook and Amazon's Kindle are already proven hits.
Apple Tablet
Ironically, one of the most talked-about tech products wasn't even at the show. But that didn't stop the rumors from spreading about the launch of the Apple tablet, a product that could be on shelves as early as March. Supposedly, the product, possibly called an iPad, will come with a 10-inch touch display that is a combination eReader, web surfing device, email reader and video and game player. Much like the iPhone, it will also support third party applications. Though Apple has officially stayed mum to date, this past Monday, an invitation was sent to press by Apple to "come see our latest creation" on January 27th. We should know more soon.
Can't Wait? Of the existing tablet-type devices, I'm partial to the Nokia n800 Internet Tablet because it's just so cute! I believe the Apple product will have more features and will be larger than this one, but this shows off the concept of total portability and mult-functionality in a neat little package.
**Photos provided by featured companies**
Cat Schwartz is eBay's Tech Expert.
