Tablets

This year, there were many, many different tablets at the show. We can’t possibly discuss them all; here are four that caught our interest.

Blackberry's Playbook: This nice looking, fast tablet features a 7" 1024 X 600 touch screen, dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and front- and rear-facing cameras. It uses Blackberry Tablet OS (which has its roots in the embedded Oss of their recently acquired QNX). Plus, the best part is that it weighs less than a pound! Oh, and did we say it was really, really fast? It will be available on Sprint in the US and will supposedly cost "under $500."

Motorola’s Xoom: Crowned the best CES gadget, and based on Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, this 16:9 aspect ratio tablet is targeted directly at iPad. It features a larger 10.1" 1280 X 800 screen in a narrower and slightly thinner form factor, dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, front & back cameras, 32GB drive plus SD expansion slot, 3/4G, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity. The price has not been set but probably will be around $800-1000.

Samsung showed a tablet that converts to a netbook, with a keyboard sliding from under the screen. PC7 has a multi-touch 10.1" screen and runs Windows 7. It features Intel Atom Z670 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 32- or 64GB of drive. It offers both 3G and WiMax connectivity. Plus, it weighs in at just over two pounds.

Dell, on the other hand, showed an Inspiron Duo netbook that converts to a tablet. It features an Intel Atom Dual Core N550 1.5GHz Processor, Windows 7, 2GB RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. It’s currently available from Dell for $549.99.

3D TV

Every TV manufacturer was showing some form of 3D TV. Some companies, including Sony and Panasonic, also had 3D camcorders. The high-end TVs use active-shutter glasses, which are powered, alternating full-resolution images between each eye. LG, Toshiba, and Vizio are among the manufacturers using passive glasses, which are much cheaper, but the resulting image has half the resolution. Many manufacturers were also showing glasses-free 3D, though there is room for improvement.

Overall, we came away unconvinced that 3D is a worthwhile investment for consumers, at this point.

Connected TV

All of the major manufacturers are supporting apps on new sets. Some of the app platforms are Android-based, some are proprietary. The Internet is finally coming to TV, and it seems it’ll be getting there more and more directly rather than going through specialized equipment or devices. If you are looking for a new TV, wired or wireless (depending on your situation) connectivity should be high on your list.