CES - Tablets and e-book readers

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--At last year's CES, we put together a slideshow called "Sexy sells at CES" that highlighted part of the human element that companies use to help make their gadgets stand out on the crowded show floor--or at least encourage people to stop at their booths.

For some reason, this slideshow proved to be rather popular with our readers, so we thought we'd cobble something together this year.

Don't get the wrong impression. Not every company hires models to show off their wares and talk about their products. And even when they do, the product … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Part online bookstore, part e-reader, and part social network, Copia has just added Windows 7 tablets to its lineup of supported devices.

Being demonstrated this week at CES, Copia for Windows 7 tablets uses the same reading and social-networking environment found on other devices and platforms. The Copia app makes its Windows 7 tablet CES debut on such systems as the new Samsung Sliding PC 7, also on display at CES.

So how does Copia work?

You can buy digital books directly from Copia's online bookstore and load them on any supported device. The e-reader app itself is free, with most versions available for download from the company's Web site.

Reading an e-book through Copia is similar to reading one on most other e-readers, except there's a social aspect. Your Copia library list is shareable, should you choose to share it. So when you add a new book to your library, other people can see the books you're reading.

You can share your library list with everyone in the Copia community or just with friends that you've added to your own network. You can even create Copia discussion groups centered on different books or topics and make those groups either private, open by request, or open to everyone.… 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--Since the review of the Seagate Momentus XT, the first and only mass-produced solid-state hybrid hard drive on the market, I've received many e-mails asking when computer makers will start building it into machines. I have the answer now.

At CES 2011, Seagate demoed the performance of the 7200rpm Momentum XT drive against a regular 5400rpm hard drive. The demonstration was done with two Asus laptops with exactly the same specs, other than the main hard drives.

The demo consists of a script that automatically executed a series of tasks as soon as the computers booted up and … 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

LAS VEGAS--Samsung Galaxy Tab owners looking to both protect and erect their tablets have a number of products to choose from.

On display this week at CES 2011 is another case-and-stand combo: the upcoming $49 Zaggmate for the Tab, which joins a similar Zagg product for the Apple iPad.

The Zaggmate creates a hard shell around a tablet and unfolds into a stand to prop it up.

Zaggmate for the iPad includes a Bluetooth keyboard as an alternative to the tablet's onscreen keys. The keyboard also supports the iPhone and iPod Touch. Taking it for spin with my iPod … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show may be remembered as marking the year that a small U.K. chip designer began to eclipse the largest chipmaker in the world--that would be Intel, of course.

Warren East, chief executive of ARM, sat down with CNET for a few minutes at CES on Thursday to discuss some of the seismic events that took place at CES centered on ARM.

A flurry of big announcements put the ARM chip architecture front and center this year. Those include Microsoft's intention to move its next major release of Windows to ARM, Nvidia's plans … Read more