Thin Tech Takes off In 2012

If there was any doubt, international CES 2012 confirmed that 2012 will be the year of thin technology. The focus of the industry has been shifting for some time. Now it appears that we have hit the critical mass point, where consumer demand is being matched by manufacturers supplying a steady stream of slim and sexy devices.

This year’s CES has featured a plethora of new devices that push the thinness envelope. The usual suspects — tablets and smartphones — were there. There was the Toshiba Excite tablet that was a mere 7.7 millimeters thick and claimed the title of the thinnest tablet of them all. There was also the Huawei Ascend P1 S which is a meager 6.8 millimeters and claims to be the slimmest of any smartphone on the market. It beats out the already insanely thin Motorola Droid 4 which is just 7.1 millimeters thin. What was more interesting is the way the thin theme has extended into almost every segment of the industry. Devices you would not initially think about are jumping on the thin bandwagon. Other devices like flat-screen TVs have become so thin they make even the thinnest tablet and smartphone want to run to fat camp.

Do you need a super-thin mouse? You are in luck, the MoGo Mouse TM100 is just 5 millimeters thick and is available right now on Amazon for the equally thin price of $19.95. The TM100 is a two button wireless mouse that is thin enough to fit into the PC Card slot of your laptop. You can use that slot to charge the mouse as well as to store it when its not in use. The mouse charges in about 30 minutes and a charge lasts for over 8 hours. The device is Bluetooth-enabled and has a range of 30 feet. If the profile of the mouse is too small you can flip out a small kickstand that elevates the device, making using it more akin to what you are used to with a standard mouse.

Some Unexpected Items Get a Thin Makeover

If you thought that a mouse was the most unlikely device to get a thin makeover then prepare to be surprised. Samsung has proudly announced that it now makes the world’s thinnest 3D Blu Ray player. The as yet unnamed device comes in at a very svelte 23 millimeters. And it has the ability to convert standard discs to 3D in real time. That’s not all, the device is also Internet-enabled and can access popular services such as Facebook and Youtube. For comparison, the ‘Slim’ version of the PS3 is well over 60 millimeters thick. Thin as it might be, what use is a thin 3D Blu Ray player without a big screen TV to match? LG will make that question moot with its new 55 inch OLED TV that is an astounding 4 millimeters thin.

Let’s put that into the proper perspective. The slimmest tablet on the planet is 7.7 millimeters thick. That tablet has a screen that measures roughly 10 inches. This new TV by LG has a screen that is five times larger yet the device is barely more than half the thickness of that tablet. What’s more, this isn’t a proof of concept build. Its a finished product that LG says it wants to deliver to a mass market audience. It also claims that it intends to price it so that it will be within the reach of wide cross-section of consumers.

How long our present obsession with thin technology lasts remains to be seen. . Right now though, and for the foreseeable future, it appears that you can never be too thin.

Iconia Tab A700 Debuts at 2012 CES

After a week of leaks, suggestions, rumors, and speculations, Acer is finally showing off its Iconia Tab A700 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet at CES. This is not your average tablet, be assured. It is a sexy beast that sports a full-HD, 10.1-inch screen and the brawn of a quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

Full HD is a rare feature in mobile devices. Even industry leader Apple does not have it on the iPad 2, which only has 1024 x 768 display. The Iconia Tab A700 features a screen that boasts a resolution of 1920 x 1200. That’s even higher than the 1920 x 1080 needed to qualify. In order to make full use of such a display, a device would need a behemoth of a processor. Acer delivers with a Tegra 3 quad-core powerhouse that is rated at 1.3 Ghz. Rounding off this fit-for-a-king meal is a serving of Ice Cream Sandwich as the shipping OS.

The Iconia Tab A700 will get its juice from a 9800 mAh battery that will be good for about 10 hours of video playback. The new tab will also support Bluetooth and has a HDMI port as well as the now standard microSD. You will be covered in the camera department by a 5 MP HD rear camera as well as a front camera that is said to be capable of 720p. Coming in at 9.8 millimeters and 1.43 pounds, it is not the most svelte tablet on the market. But with its extra HD and Tegra 3, it is sure to make up for an extra millimeter or two around the waist. This device is a serious step up from Acer’s A200, which is already on sale in the UK for around $462.

It seems that in the few short years since the iPad hit the market, tablets have captured the collective psyche of gadget geeks and the general consumer alike. Tablets are also shining at this year’s CES. What this points to is a continued period of growth and development for tablet divisions at all the major computer houses. We ain’t seen nothing yet. Indeed, the promise of such remarkable innovations is more than worth the double negative.

The Acer Iconia A700 is expected to go on sale during the second quarter of 2012. There is no official word yet on pricing.

 LG and Lenovo Promise to Make 2012 CES Ultra-exciting

 What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?

Not this week.

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has officially begun in Sin City, and with 20,000 new products expected to make their debut at the show—including new models of the highly anticipated ultrabook—word is going to spread fast.

With global consumers expected to spend a record $1 trillion on consumer electronics in 2012, a record number of people are expected to attend the show. Last year, more than 2,700 exhibitors showcased their latest products on more than 1.6 million net square feet of exhibit space, with nearly 150,000 people in attendance. This year’s show will match or even surpass that number. Certainly, the CES has come a long way since it introduced the videocassette recorder to17,500 attendees in 1970!

And so have the products.  Many of this year’s attendees will be coming to see what’s been touted as the year’s biggest thing in computer devices:  the super thin, super lightweight ultrabook.  Developed by Intel, the ultrabook design marries the best of the notebook and the tablet. In order to be called an ultra book, these high performing devices must meet Intel’s stringent criteria:  weigh no more than 3.1 pounds, be no more than 0.71 inches thick, and provide five or more hours of battery life. They must also offer flash-based storage and Intel technology that makes for extra-fast boot times.

This week, CES 2012 will showcase about 50 ultrabook models.  Nearly every major manufacturer is set to unveil its version of this ultra computing device. Here’s a brief look at some of the highlights that will be showcased respectively by industry giants LG Electronics and Lenovo.

Lenovo

Lenovo is not new to the ultrabook game. The company recently introduced two new ultrabooks that will sit alongside Lenovo’s existing model, the ThinkPad X1.

The Thinkpad X1 Hybrid is the crown jewel of Lenovo’s ultrabook product line (and a royal price, starting at $1,599). As its “hybrid” title suggests, it’s a variation of the original. Like the original, the ThinkPad X1 Hybrid is available with three Intel Core CPU options (i3, i5 and i7), along with a 13.1-inch Gorilla Glass screen. The main area in which the Hybrid differs from the original is in the operating system; the new model features a supplementary Qualcomm dual-core CPU and up to 16GB of memory that runs a custom Linux-based operating system.  Lenovo says that in this mode, the battery will last 10 hours, compared to only five when using the traditional Windows/Intel platform.

On the other end is the ThinkPad T430u—at about $849, it’s known as the budget ultrabook. The T430u has a 14-inch screen but it’s still less than .8 inches thick. You can choose between Intel Core CPUs and optional Nvidia graphics…or opt for an SSD instead of a traditional disk drive. This ultrabook comes with a large battery with a stated life of six hours.

Lenovo’s newest offerings include the IdeaPad U310 and U41. Like all Ultrabooks, these models are characterized most notably by their super-thin, lightweight form factors. The U310 weighs in at 3.74 pounds and measures 0.7 of an inch thick, while the slightly larger U410 weighs in at 4.18 pounds and measures 0.83 of an inch thick.

LG Electronics

Front and centre for LG Electronics is what it calls the Super Ultrabook ^TM Series, a brand new lineup that includes the Z330 and the Z430.  Both models boast powerful performance and a sleek design not seen in ordinary ultrabooks.

Z330

At just 14.7 mm throughout, the Z330 14-inch notebook is the most compact product in the lineup. It’s also lighter than most competing ultrabooks in this class, weighing only 1.21 kg. Powered by LG’s Super Speed Boot technology, the Z330 completes booting in less than 10 seconds–about three times faster than other 13-inch notebooks on the market, and it can recover from standby mode in only two seconds.

Z430

The Z430 is a 14-inch notebook offering high performance in a sleek package. At 19.9 mm thick, and weighing 1.50 kgs, it’s the most compact 14-inch notebook on the market, yet it still boasts super fast 12 seconds booting time (thanks to Super Speed Boot) and large storage capacity of up to 500GB.

LG Electronics has not yet announced a price for either ultrabook.

New in 3-D

While the spotlight is most certainly on the ultrabooks, LG is also showcasing the latest in slim and powerful CINEMA 3D notebook technology.

P535

The P535 features both:  the notebook has a 24.1 mm chassis, weighs just 2.2 kg and has a 15.6-inch super-slim LED backlight display. In fact, it’s up to 24 per cent slimmer and 27 per cent lighter than the closest competing 15-inch 3D notebooks.

A540

LG’s A540 provides glasses-free 3D display panel, SRS premium sound effect and 4.1 channel 3-D sound—bringing consumers full on 3D entertainment in a powerful package with an easy on the eyes 15.6-inch Full HD LED backlight display.

LG V300

LG’s first-ever all-in-one PC features Film Patterned Retarder, 3D technology and an IPS display. Originally launched in 2011, the V300 offers the most vivid, immersive full HD 3D viewing experience on a 223-inch Full HD display without any eye fatigue. Unlike competing all-in-one PCs with a dual camera touch sensor, the V300 is equipped with a triple camera system that offers a multi-touch experience.

New 3D technology and what many are predicting to be the next big thing—the ultrabooks—are bright lights at this year’s CES, and kick off an exciting new year of technology.  Look for the lightest, fastest, the ultra-est devices becoming available to consumers very soon in 2012.