First day at CES 2012 a mixed bag
Acer announces new ultrabooks, a cloud, and little else, while OnStar gives third-party developers the green light. Meanwhile, Lenovo unveils what may be the first Ice Cream Sandwich TV.
The first day at the Consumer Electronics Show was quiet but still yielded a few nuggets.
Acer today kicked off what will be a parade of press conferences by announcing a host of ultrabooks, including a new "world's thinnest ultrabook," but ultimately proved thin on what it had booked. The company's big disappointment was that it had its head in the cloud--finally. It announced its AcerCloud effort, and in doing so it looked like a late-to-the-party copycat.
OnStar followed up by announcing it was giving the green light to third-party developers and opening up its previously close API. The first third-party app will be RelayRides, a peer-to-peer service in which users rent out their personal cars to other drivers in the area.
Sandwiched in between those press conferences was a tasty treat from Lenovo. Perhaps beating Apple to the television punch, Lenovo unveiled its K91--a 55-inch 3D LED TV that will be powered by Qualcomm's 8060 Snapdragon dual-core CPU and feature voice controls, a Webcam, and--oh yeah--Google's Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich).
Tomorrow is, of course, the big day--Press Day. But have all the leaks helped it lose its luster? There will be at least 22 live events by tech headliners, and at least six of them have already lost some thunder. CNET's Lindsey Turrentine opines that even though this is the most preshow news we've seen in years, both in terms of formal announcements and flat-out leaks, the leaks actually make the show more entertaining.
Tune in tomorrow for more tech fun in the desert sun.