CES 2012: Tablets and E-book Readers- Page 6

Solar-powered Kindle cover dropping at CES

With the first solar-powered Kindle cover debuting at CES this week, the "e" in e-reader could also stand for "eco-friendly."

The SolarKindle cover allows you to read all the Al Gore and Bill McKibben titles you can download in the greenest manner imaginable--no trees ground into pulp for the pages, no coal burned in power plants to charge up your Kindle's battery. In fact, the solar cover comes with a guarantee of three months of unplugged Kindle use under "normal sunlight environment"--I'm guessing that environment doesn't include Seattle in winter.

But, if you've fully charged your cover before venturing to the great Northwest, you will be able to use the built-in 800 lux LED reading lamp for up to 50 hours without having to tap your Kindle's main battery.… Read more

CES not always the greatest guide for commercial success

LAS VEGAS--We've seen it more than a few times.

A company at the Consumer Electronics show wows the tech crowd in Las Vegas with its new product. It's sure to be a hit, the tech press concludes. Then everyone heads home, gets some sleep, and months later we ask ourselves, "Whatever happened to (fill in the blank)?"

Despite the massive size and reach of CES, the show can actually be quite insular. With so many companies looking to display their latest and greatest products, the media is left scrambling to cover as much as they possibly … Read more

iPad who? Tablets try again at CES

2011 was the year when Android tablets broke loose and ran rampant over the annual Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas. It was here that Motorola showed off the world's first Android 3.0 tablet and lookalike Android 2.x devices seemed to pop out of every booth.

The year that followed has been a tumultuous one for tablets. Big players like Hewlett-Packard and RIM released major products that quickly found their way to the bargain bin. Apple sent everyone back to the drawing board after the release of the ultrathin iPad 2. And Amazon reset everyone's expectations … Read more

Acer Iconia Tab A200 promo video leaks onto Web

Tablet buyers interested in Acer's upcoming Iconia Tab A200 will pick up a few tidbits from a promo video now showing up online.

Popping up on YouTube and appearing below, the 2-minute promo starts off in typical advertising fashion with a family gathered around a campfire and then at home sharing and using the tablet. But scattered throughout the ad are some interesting details.

The tablet will come with both a USB port and a microSD card slot, allowing people to share files with other devices. A standard Webcam is included for shooting video and chatting online.

Owners will … Read more