Networking and storage: What to expect at CES 2012

CES has always been the biggest show for consumer electronics. It's unlikely that anyone can actually visit all of the exhibition booths and demos, and see every single new product. I know I can't.

So it's helpful to have some ideas of what you can expect at the show. If networking and storage are among your interests, here are a few of my educated guesses on what will be showcased at the show.… Read more

GreatCall adds new 5Star security service

GreatCall, the maker of the Jitterbug phone for seniors, introduced a new personal security service for its customers last week at CES 2011. Called 5Star, the service is designed to address security and health concerns that don't necessarily merit calling 911. For example, if you're walking alone in a park at night, you might feel unsafe, but there's no immediate need to call the police. If you have the 5Star service on your Jitterbug phone, you can call them to at least have someone there on the line. And if something does happen, 5Star will be able … Read more

Verizon Wireless CTO dishes on 4G claims (Q&A)

LAS VEGAS-Verizon Wireless unveiled a slew of devices for its new 4G service here last week at the Consumer Electronics Show. But what does the No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier think of its competitors' 4G claims?

CNET caught up with Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone after the company's press conference here Thursday to get the dirt on what he really thinks about rivals' pronouncements that they're offering 4G wireless services that are comparable to Verizon's new LTE 4G service. Verizon Wireless announced its 4G LTE service in December. The new network gets average download speeds of … Read more

CES: Acer shows nameless 7- and 4.8-inch tablets

LAS VEGAS--Earlier this week Acer introduced its 10-inch Iconis A500 tablet, but Acer also gave a sneak peek of 7- and 4.8-inch tablets.

Neither tablet has a name as of yet, and neither was functioning when we saw them. Acer is planning to release them, however no date was specified. No other information concerning operating system or processor was officially released.

One thing we did notice was that the 4.8-inch tablet's screen had a crazy aspect ratio, but Acer was unable to confirm exactly what it is.

Take a look at the pics to get an idea … Read more

Wireless goes big at CES 2011

Since it precedes two very large wireless trade shows, Mobile World Congress and CTIA, you never know what CES will bring in the way of cell phones. Some years can be pretty quiet, but other years the wireless industry decides to show up in force. Fortunately, CES 2011 was a big wireless event, with two companies in particular, Motorola and Verizon Wireless, pulling out all the stops. You also might call it the "Year of 4G."

Moto goes the extra mile (and then some) It was late last year when we saw the first signs of a big … Read more

Loving the Motorola laptop dock

LAS VEGAS--With its Best of CES Xoom tablet and an impressive selection of 4G Android smartphones, Motorola had a very good CES. Its Atrix handset won CNET's top award for the cell phone category, the Droid Bionic also packed a dual-core processor, and the Cliq 2 gave us a design twist we hadn't seen before. But even with that show of force, Moto really delivered with its laptop dock. Though it doesn't make calls and it can't do anything by itself, it shows some innovation and creativity that none of Moto's wireless rivals brought to … Read more

Cell phones that aren't quite what they seem

LAS VEGAS--With so many press conferences, meetings, and product demonstrations, there's never enough time to really see CES. Indeed, it wasn't until the second day of this year's show that I was able to roam the Las Vegas Convention Center and check out the cell phone action.

Naturally, I was first drawn to the booths of the big players first, but half the fun of a gadget trade show is tracking down the smaller mobile players that bring the more unusual products to Las Vegas. So while racing between the immense booths of RIM and Verizon Wireless, … Read more

CES: MSI shows WinPad 100A

LAS VEGAS--MSI was fairly coy about sending out pics of its Android-based tablet, the WinPad 100A. Luckily, the device was on display at the company's CES booth.

The WinPad 100A has a 10.1-inch capacitive touch screen and runs on Android 2.3. It wasn't clear whether the device will be upgradable to Honeycomb when the new OS launches, however.

Other specs and details include an ARM processor, a USB port, Mini-USB, HDMI, an SD card reader, a front-facing camera on the upper-left side, and a headphone jack.

Additionally, the device includes a G-Sensor gravity-detecting device, a GPS … Read more

CES: Lessons from a smartphone talk

LAS VEGAS--I was lucky enough to moderate a smartphone panel at CES this year. Experts from four companies, including Mozilla and BlackBerry-maker RIM, got together to discuss the future of smartphone apps, fragmentation, HTML 5, payment, and more.

Since not all of you could be there, I thought I'd share the pundits' perspectives on what we can expect from smartphone apps and services in the next two to five years. Keep in mind, of course, that these are educated guesses, not gospel.

QUESTION: Will native apps largely fade from view?

ANSWER: Largely for many tasks, but not entirely. HTML … Read more

RIM launches Built for BlackBerry

RIM has just launched the Built for BlackBerry program, which promises to let consumers know if a particular accessory or case was specifically designed for a BlackBerry product via a Built for BlackBerry logo. This is similar to Apple's own Made for iPhone program. Companies that are in line to have Built for BlackBerry products in the coming year include Case-mate, Speck, Incipio, Otterbox, Tru Protection, iGrip, Vaja, Dicota, and Trexta.