CES 2012: Tablets and E-book Readers

Tablets: Bruised and confused at CES 2012

LAS VEGAS--In spite of manufacturers' best efforts, the tablet hits of the past year could have been counted on the hand of a careless woodshop teacher.

Among those hits are a $199 tablet designed as a loss leader, and an orphaned HP tablet that was abandoned in the liquidation bin.

Needless to say, if there had been a thin selection of tablets at this year's CES, I would have understood. But that wasn't the case.

The show floor of CES 2012 was littered with tablets--perhaps even more than the previous year. Granted, the majority of these tablets were off-brands and OEMs that will never find their way into U.S. hands, but there were big-name announcements as well.

As I see it, the tablets announced at CES came in three flavors: budget, premium, and mutant (not as bad as it sounds). Furthermore, I suspect that these themes will set the tone for tablet product strategies for the rest of the year. … Read more

Verizon brings top iPad app The Daily to Android

LAS VEGAS--Verizon Wireless and The Daily have just announced an agreement to bring the popular subscription-based iPad news app to select Android tablets.

Beginning this month, The Daily will come preinstalled on Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and will be available for the Galaxy Tab 7.7 at a later date. According to both Verizon and The Daily, more tablet support is in the works. If you're lucky enough to have one of these select devices, then your subscription fees can be conveniently charged directly to your Verizon Wireless bill.

A top-seller like The Daily making its … Read more

Lenovo's plan to take over the world...eventually

LAS VEGAS--Lenovo wants to be the No. 1 personal-technology company in the world, but it plans to get there on its own time.

At this year's CES, the Chinese maker of laptop and desktop systems debuted more than 20 new products: There were plenty of more traditional systems, an Android smart TV and a pair of ultrabooks. But most interesting are the new IdeaPad Yoga tablet/laptop hybrid designed with Windows 8 in mind, and an Android smartphone--the K800--with Intel's Medfield Atom processor and enough power to rival Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

There's just one more thing--we won't see the most notable of these devices on store shelves here in North America anytime soon. … Read more

Beware of counterfeit tablets, warns security vendor

Buyers looking for the latest hot tablet should be careful where and how they do their shopping.

As almost 100 new brand-name tablets wend their way through CES this week, OpSec Security is cautioning that a lot of phony tablets are popping up on certain e-commerce sites and business-to-business marketplaces.

In a study released yesterday, the security and brand protection vendor said that such Web sites as Alibaba, DHgate, EC21, Made-in-China, and TradeKey can be home to counterfeiters who sell fake items in bulk or at unrealistically low prices.

Citing specific examples, OpSec Security discovered that listings for Motorola's … Read more

Sony teases with drool-worthy prototype tablets

LAS VEGAS--One of my favorite CES pastimes is checking out Sony's concept products.

This year, the Japanese company is showing off two compelling Vaio computer prototypes, which should have you drooling. The first product is a rounded tablet with a separate, sleek keyboard. The other is a hybrid tablet/notebook with an ultra-thin docking station that includes a bronze keyboard, speakers, and a stylus.

Check out our slideshow of the two concept computers.

Lenovo unveils first smartphone, powered by Intel (live blog)

LAS VEGAS--Lenovo will launch its first smartphone--one powered by Intel chips--in China in the second quarter, CEO Liu Jun said during Intel CEO Paul Otellini's CES keynote.

The Lenovo announcement was followed by news of a new Intel-Motorola partnership, a look at Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge processor, and a cameo appearance by an overly scripted will.i.am.

The Lenovo phone is 10 millimeters thick and will run on China Unicom's network. It has a 4.5-inch screen, an 8-megapixel camera and offers 8 hours of 3G talk time, with 14 hours of standby. Otellini said the … Read more