CES 2010 was full of the usual electronics wonderment, but some trends were more frequent or more prominent than others. We took a gander about the show floor and tallied up the five top trends from the show.
Take a look at the video then come back here for a chance to win the swag bag.
At CES 2010, Dell got a lot of attention from its concept model 5-inch slate. Though only briefly shown at Dell's CES press conference, we got a chance to play around with a demo unit behind the scenes, and came away feeling like it was a slightly jazzed-up smartphone, rather than a true tablet PC.
Although that concept device may never be released, we've spent the past two days tapping, swiping, and flipping on a new Dell tablet PC, with a 10-inch multitouch display and powered by an Intel Atom processor.
The device is actually a prototype tablet built by French multitouch technology company Stantum. The company started with a stock Dell Mini 10 Netbook, deconstructed it, removing the screen and keyboard, and rebuilt it with a resistive touch screen--all to demo its touch-display know-how.
If that sounds like a familiar concept, you may have read our review of the Axiotron Modbook, which is a touch-screen Apple tablet device made from a reconstructed MacBook laptop.
Hands-on with the prototype Turning on the tablet for the first time, our expectations were modest, as the system uses an older Intel Atom Z520 CPU, which can barely run a non-touch-screen Netbook under the best of circumstances. And though overall performance was sluggish, we were actually very pleasantly surprised by how speedy and responsive the touch interface was. … Read more
An analyst at AVI Securities said Friday morning that the Apple tablet is "in full production" and a research note stated that Apple "NAND" flash chip requirements may be increasing because of the tablet.
The Apple tablet information comes from "a maker of components going into the Apple tablet," according to analyst Matt Thornton. "It's been in the supply chain for a while and entered full production this month. A couple of suppliers actually had weaker Decembers than they would have expected because production was pushed back a little bit," he … Read more
iPhone OS 4 is imminent. That's the conclusion I drew from an e-mail I received from a prominent app developer Friday, at least, before hearing from the developer that it was a typo.
The message included the following snippet: "Just wanted to give you a heads up that we've submitted an updated app for the new iPhone OS 4.0 software." (The developer later acknowledged that it meant to refer to a fourth version of the app itself, not OS 4.)
An operating-system update for the iPhone wouldn't be surprising, given the all-but-certain announcement later … Read more
The Google-China drama continues as China makes a veiled response that only law-abiding companies are welcome in the People's Republic. More information came out indicating the Gmail hacking was done by the government in China. This isn't over folks. We'll keep on it. But there is other news. Apple lawyers strike back over tablet rumors, and app stores are all pretty much the same.
Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1145Is Sprint making money off of your text message donations? http://consumerist.com/2010/01/att-and-sprint-are-making-money-off-of-your-text-message-donations.html… Read more
Silicon Valley gossip blog Valleywag on Wednesday issued a call for readers to send in photos of the Apple tablet, in exchange for a cash prize of up to $100,000. On Thursday, Apple's own lawyers responded with something almost as good as pictorial evidence of the yet-unannounced device: a cease-and-desist letter.
Attorney Michael C. Spillner of prestigious Silicon Valley firm Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe dashed off a letter to Valleywag's parent company, Gawker Media, beginning with this:
"I am writing on behalf of Apple regarding the notices on Gawker.com and Valleywag.com Web sites that Gawker Media will pay someone a financial reward for sending you photos, video, or a sample of an unannounced and highly confidential Apple product."
While it's not actually a confirmation, the letter, chock full of claims of infringements on Apple's trade secrets, does lend credence to the endless speculation that the device--"an unannounced and highly confidential Apple product"--does actually exist.
There are hundreds of bits of speculation that float around the Internet on a daily basis related to Apple. It's not often that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company responds--surely it does not mind all of the free marketing that results from the endless speculation about its products. But when it does respond, particularly with threats of legal action, it's a strong hint that the person or blog is on the right track.… Read more
Google apologized to China for miscommunication over its scanning of books. But that didn't stop it from scanning the books. Or even get it to apologize for scanning the books. Also Microsoft Word is no longer sold, at least for a brief period of time. And the Apple rumors are ramping up.
Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1143Microsoft Word injunction goes into effect http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10432510-56.html
Warning, Nexus One users! Dangerous fees may lie ahead http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/warning-nexus-one-users-dangerous-fees-ahead.ars… Read more
The oft reported accounts of Apple's App Store developers finding faster approval times since the New Year holiday may have more to do with the impending announcement of the fabled tablet device than any iPhone concerns. As has been discussed in nearly every tech forum that mentions Apple, the struggles some developers have faced getting their Apps approved in the App Store has been one of the few (if not the only) blemish on the iPhone's domination of the mobile phone market. All that is changing though.… Read more
Back in NYC after CES, the gang discusses show highlights, from tablets to Netbooks to 3DTV.
Plus, find out who won out custom ZuneHD giveaway, Joey pitches an idea for laptops with swappable keyboards, and we debate the perfect price point for the Apple tablet.
Related links: >>The coolest laptops of CES >>What, exactly, is a smartbook? >>Slate-mania grips PC makers
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live! >>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes >>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page >&… Read more
Apple has said nothing official about the tablet, but plenty of others have.
That group now includes France Telecom/Orange executive Stephane Richard. In an interview Monday with French radio station Europe1, Richard responded to a series of questions from journalist Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, giving the impression he was confirming the existence of an Apple tablet.
The conversation went like this (courtesy of Google Translate):
Elkabbach: "According to the weekly Le Point, a few days your partner Apple will launch a tablet with a webcam."
Richard: "Yes."
Elkabbach: "Is that Orange users will also benefit." … Read more
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