CNET CES roundup: Xperia Z, 4K and OLED TVs, laser robot tanks
Sony launches the Xperia X and a 4K OLED TV, as robot tanks with lasers roam the halls on press day at CES 2013.
CES may be the world's largest tech show, but phones rarely get top billing in Vegas, preferring instead to step out along the balmy Barcelona boulevards during Mobile World Congress in February. Sony has decided to jump the gun, however, and yesterday unveiled the much-rumoured Xperia Z.
Tall, slim and trim, the Xperia Z packs a pretty powerful 1.5GHz quad-core punch, and sports a 5-inch 1080p display and 13-megapixel camera. A slim bezel and glass-plated back give the phone a high-end look, and it will arrive running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Excitingly for butterfingers everywhere, it's also waterproof.
Sony overtook HTC as second in line to Samsung's Android crown in 2012, and it seems keen to continue the trend with this attractive phone. It'll be coming to Vodafone, O2, Three and Phones 4U in March, although there's no word on pricing yet.
Sony has also shown off its TV lineup, which include 55- and 65-inch 4K models and a surprise -- a prototype 4K OLED telly. The specs usurp those on the OLED sets shown off at last year's CES by Samsung and LG, but unlike those models, don't expect to see this TV shipping any day soon.
It's still worth getting exciting about though -- CNET UK's own Luke Westaway describes it as "probably the best-looking television I have ever seen in my life". Hit play on Luke's hands-on video below to take a closer look.
In other news, Asus has unveiled a range of Windows 8 computers, including the Taichi, which comes with an intriguing secondary touchscreen on the lid. There's also the Transformer AIO, a desktop-cum-tablet, and a Transformer Book, which is an ultrabook-tablet-majiggy. Asus was early to the hybrid device game and made a pretty decent job of it from the get-go, so here's hoping this cohort are just are good.
If nothing has successfully pressed your buttons so far, check out some of the wackier concepts that have been shown off. LG's Smart Refrigerator writes your shopping list for you and tells you when you need to buy more milk -- something I bet you never dreamed you would ever need.
We live in strange times though, and this piece of kitchen equipment is no toy -- we have robots for that. In the video below, you can see Luke, usually known as the serious face of technology journalism, take some time out as he plays with BeeWi's Bluetooth-controlled tank, which can be controlled from your phone and shoots infrared lasers.
Press day might be done, but CES is far from over, so make sure you keep your eyes fixed on our dedicated page for all the latest previews, videos and events. CNET UK's editor Jason Jenkins will be hosting The British Are Coming panel, which will be livestreamed tonight at 10pm UK time. Pour yourself a hot chocolate, make sure the Internet is tuned to right channel and check it out, why don't you?
What do you think of CES 2013 so far? Overwhelmed? Underwhelmed? Or perhaps just whelmed? Decorate our comments sections and Facebook page with the full spectrum of your emotions.