Tablets

As expected, CES 2011 was a tablet paradise. The majority of our pre-CES tablet predictions came true, including the debut of the 7-inch Dell Streak, and new arrivals from Acer, Asus, LG, MSI, and more.

Admittedly, some of our predictions were off. HP did not unveil a tablet running the WebOS platform acquired from Palm. The company is, however, announcing something big involving WebOS next month.

We also didn't see a 10-inch version of the Galaxy Tab from Samsung. Instead, the manufacturer offered up 4G and Wi-Fi-only versions of the Tab, along with a smaller Galaxy Player and an intriguing slide-out Windows tablet.

Outside of our predictions there were a few pleasant surprises.… Read more

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

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

LAS VEGAS--If you want your kids to get a leg up on their future digital careers, consider starting them young. Very young. The Vinci is a touch-screen tablet for babies and infants up to age 3 that helps tots learn about the world and stimulates their curiosity through interactive content.

Introduced at CES and launching in the first half of 2011, the Vinci has a BPA-free silicone handle that fits little hands, a 7-inch screen, a micro SD card slot and USB connectivity, built-in speaker and microphone, as well as a 3-megapixel camera. In order to protect wee ones from … Read more

LAS VEGAS--One of my happy surprises of 2010 was a Bluetooth speaker dock called Sound Platform from an upstart company called SoundFreaq. Stylish yet unique, with a premium sound, generous extras, and a down-to-earth price, the Sound Platform came out of nowhere to deliver a product few others can match.

So this year, in spite of being torn in a dozen different directions to cover tablets at CES, I made time to visit SoundFreaq to see what it's cooking.

For the company's sophomore product, SoundFreaq is going smaller, more portable, and more affordable. The SFQ-02 Sound Step is … Read more

LAS VEGAS--More products seem intent on blurring the line between smartphones and tablets. The 5-inch screen on the Dell Streak, for example, really threw us into a philosophical tailspin. It was awkwardly large to make calls with, but too small for tablet-style Web browsing and productivity.

In spite of ViewSonic's insistence on calling the ViewPad 4 a tablet, I have no qualms telling you that it's really a smartphone. As the name implies, the ViewPad 4 uses a 4.1-inch screen, putting it behind the 4.3-inch screen used on the Motorola Droid Bionic and other unabashed smartphones. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--We've seen a few dual-screen devices at CES so far, including the massive Kno Textbook Tablet and the 14-inch hybrid tablet-laptop Acer Iconia. Japan's NEC, though, has introduced a dual-screen tablet compact enough to use on those notoriously crowded Tokyo trains.

The LT-W Cloud Communicator has two 7-inch TFT LCD touch screens and weighs only 530 grams (18.6 ounces). It feels like it can almost fit in a large pocket, and would fit well in a satchel or purse.

The device, which runs Google's Android 2.1 operating system on an ARM Cortex processor, has … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Mobile device maker ZTE welcomed a trio of additions to its tablet family at CES.

All three are 7-inchers running Android and each has a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, plus a VGA front-facing camera. Other specs vary slightly between the tiered models. The ZTE Lite tablet, for instance, features Android 2.2 (Froyo), 800x480 screen resolution, a 600MHz processor, and Dolby Surround 3.0 for an audio boost.

The more upscale ZTE Lite 2 tablet boasts a 1GHz processor, a 1,024x600-pixel screen, and DLNA support. It has 4GB internal memory. Both the Lite and Lite 2 are already available … Read more

DisplayLink announced an $1.99 application today that turns an iPad into a second monitor wirelessly connected to a Windows computer.

The application works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 and requires an iPad with iOS 3.2 or later, the company said. It's configured with the DisplayLink software that the company offers for its primary line of business, USB-connected display technology.

"The productivity benefits of multiple displays has been proven, so leveraging the idle screen of the iPad while computing is ideal for parking and for running applications like instant messaging, e-mail, social networking, Web browsing, and … Read more