Read all about it – PC, tablets,
hybrids, smartphones, etc. We got it all!
It is finally that time of the year again
to look, ogle, be overwhelmed (or underwhelmed for some) and get excited for
everything else in between. It is a place where different emotions can easily
be stirred up because of where and how technology is being steered off towards.
This will be the first year where the Consumer Electronics Summit (CES2013)
goes on without Microsoft organizing its highly anticipated keynote address.
Throughout the week that is so obviously themed CES, there are tons of products
being shown off. Let's take a look at the winners and losers.
The
Consumer Electronics Summit (CES2013)
5 is the new 4
Let's be brutally honest here: smartphones
and tablets in CES2013 are not that happening like previous years. Sure there
are new devices and some innovations but everyone has seen it before at some
point. The only time one would see more interesting gadgets is during Mobile World
Congress 2013. It is either that or the manufacturers themselves, like Samsung,
HTC and Motorola, will be putting up their own big event (remember Samsung
Galaxy SIII last year?). That doesn't mean CES2013 is boring as there are still
some electronic goods or services that manage to draw in the limitless supply
of attention from the CES show floor.
Starting with Sony, the Japanese company
finally unleashes its super powered mobile products: Sony Xperia Z and Xperia
X. These are also Sony's first 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 5in and full HD
display smartphones. And thanks to the new Mobile Bravia HDTV technology that
both use, everyone can now expect a great HD viewing experience on these two
phones as well. Do keep your expectations high for this one. With Android 4.1
right out of the box, it is supposedly in line to get the update to Android 4.2
soon. Delicious!
The
Japanese company finally unleashes its super powered mobile products: Sony
Xperia Z and Xperia X
As expected, it seems to me that the 1080p
5in display is a major theme this year as Huawei Ascend D2 and ZTE Grand S also
use the same display size and visual ratio. Like the new Sony Xperia, the China
based flagships – both unique in their own manner also use a quad-core
processor as its CPU.
Then there is a comeback from Alcatel. Yes,
they are still around! It also joined the same bandwagon, in its returning bid,
with the unveiling of its Alcatel One Touch Scribe X. Instead of using the
popular processors out there, its designers opted for a powerful MediaTek
quad-core processor that is clocked at 1.4 GHz.
Wanting to stay different and fresh, Lenovo
makes its debut into the smartphone realm with its slightly larger (5.5in)
IdeaPhone K900, which uses a dual-core 2GHz Atom Processor by Intel.
Enough about Android phones! Let’s head
over to Windows Phone 8 (WP8), where Huawei is all set to tackle the market
with its 4in, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 powered Ascend W1. The
design, oddly enough, looks like the simplified version of Nokia’s Lumia
series. There is also Samsung with its Ativ Odyssey, which houses a 4in Super
AMOLED display and 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Always keen to innovate when it
can, the Korean company did something interesting with its flexible screen
technology by implementing it onto its upcoming smart devices. Yes, it’s true!
The bend-y display is attached to a box containing a high-powered processor and
packed with a high amount of memory.
Future of tablets
If smartphones are not enough, there are
also their bigger companions trying to snatch some of the limelight. The
biggest one so far is unimaginably gargantuan. With general consensus believing
a tablet's size should be between 7in and 13in, Panasonic decided to shatter
the impression with the introduction of its prototype 20in 4K tablet.
Panasonic
decided to shatter the impression with the introduction of its prototype 20in
4K tablet
Does your brain hurt thinking about it?
During the unveiling, Panasonic also hinted that this 20in monster of a tablet
is Windows 8 based and operates with an Intel i5 processor in it. Imagine
lifting it up and taking it out for use!
Next on the list is the Microsoft Surface
Pro, which is the more powerful and advanced brother of the Surface RT. With an
i5 processor inside instead of a Tegra 3, it is now time to fully enjoy proper
Windows desktop programs on a properly tuned Microsoft hardware.
2013 will also be the year we see Razer's
Project Fiona come to life! As a prelude to that, the Razer Edge had arrived at
CES, housing an i5 processor, NVIDIA GT640M graphics chips and 4GB of RAM.
Accompanying it is the Razer Edge Pro, which comes loaded with killer specs -
an Intel i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and native NVIDIA graphics.
Let's not forget about Samsung's future
project. The company's Youm smartphone had also been announced but looking at
the preview videos that had been aired at the event, the 5in Youm is supposed
to open up like a book into a 10in tablet. There is also the 10in Vizio,
featuring a 2560 x 1600 resolutions crushing Retina Display. If that is not
impressive, this new concept slate has the new Tegra 4 inside, being the envy
of other tablets.