3D TVs, bendy eReaders and augmented reality games are just some of the gadgets being launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
The world's largest consumer technology trade show has 2,700 manufacturers showing off more than 20,000 products from the functional to the fantastic. It is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors.
The Skiff eReader has a flexible screen. It will be unveiled at the CES 2010
3D TV is expected to be the biggest hit at the show this year. 3D films such as Avatar and Up have proved a hit with audiences, and the industry is keen to transfer this enthusiasm into the living room.
Major broadcasters including Sony in partnership with Disney and Imax and DirectTV are expected to unveil the first 3D channels this week. Sky and sports channel ESPN have already announced plans to launch 3D networks this year.
Manufacturers including Sony, LG and Panasonic will all be showcasing their latest hi-tech sets, many of which will have the internet telephony service Skype built in. This will allow users to video chat with friends and family all over the world through their sets.
Attendees try out the 3D glasses at the Sensio media display at CES in Las Vegas
eReaders are also expected to make a splash this year, with Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader leading the charge. An expanded section of the exhibition has been given over to the device.
The Heart publishing company will be launching the Skiff, which will be the thinnest eReader on the market. It will have a 11.5" screen and a high 1200x1600 pixel resolution.
What makes the device revolutionary is the bendy touchscreen. It is flexible because it uses stainless steel foil rather than a glass display. However, it doesn't display colour and would work best for reading newspaper content. The device will go on sale in the U.S with digital content sent via the Sprint 3G wireless network.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1, a hybrid laptop that features a detachable slate-style tablet screen
The third big trend at the show will be tablet computers. Apple is expected to unveil its first ever tablet, known as the iSlate, at the end of January. A number of companies will pip Apple to the post by announcing their own tablets at CES.
Freescale Semiconductor, which supplies semiconductors to netbooks will show off a prototype priced at just ?125. Meanwhile the Lenovo Idea Pad U1 is a clever new netbook, which becomes a tablet when you detach the screen, switching both processors and operating systems in the process.
More innovations previewing at CES:
FAREWELL TO THE MOUSE
The mouse's days are numbered. New technology will allow you to turn on your computer with a wave of the hand, change tracks on your iPod with a snap of your fingers and change TV channel with the blink of an eye.
Microsoft has filed patents for hands-free technology that will allow computers and other devices to be controlled without the need for a mouse of keyboard.
Sensors attached to the skin or to clothing, spectacles or watch straps will pick up signals generated by muscle movements.
A computer trained to read the signals will decode them and use the information to make the necessary changes.
A Microsoft video shows a jogger control his iPod by making hand gestures and a man carrying heavy luggage opening his car boot my squeezing the handles of his bag more tightly.
The couch potato's dream would be a thought-powered remote control that allows TV channels to be changed without lifting a finger.
AUGMENTED REALITY DRONE
A flying UFO-like device that can be controlled by an iPhone using WiFi. The quadricopter has two cameras that can stream video.
The A.R. Drone helicopter from Parrot is piloted using a phone at a casino in Las Vegas. The makers hope it will be used for augmented reality games
It was created by Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones. The company will make the software open source so programmers can create augmented reality games for the drone.
Augmented reality merges the physical real-world environment with virtual comuter-generated images. No word on release date or price yet.
POLAR BEAR TV
Hannspree is known for its unusual television set designs and the company has excelled itself this year with models in the shape of a polar bear and an apple.
The 19" TVs will be available from May and will cost $299 in the U.S. They are supposed to 'raise awareness' about the environment although an electronic gadget seems a strange way to do this.
A Hannspree 19-inch polar bear television should prove popular with children
POCKET RADAR
The world's first palm-sized speed radar device will be shown at CES. Its makers claim the pocket-sized gadget delivers the same performance as a traditional radar gun.
It can clock the speed to the nearest mile-per-hour of anything from a sprinting athlete to a super-fast car. The gizmo should be able to take 10,000 speed measurements using one set of AAA batteries.
The Pocket Radar is displayed during a CES preview event
TOUCHSCREEN NETBOOKS
The world's largest PC maker Hewlett Packard has unveiled its first-ever touch-enabled netbook.
The Mini 5102, HP's first touchscreen netbook, sports a 10-inch display a 95%-sized keyboard and weighs 2.6 pounds. It features face recognition software as well as Intel Corp's Atom netbook processor, Pineview.
QuickWeb, Linux-based software allows access to the Internet and files in seconds without booting up.
The world's largest consumer technology trade show has 2,700 manufacturers showing off more than 20,000 products from the functional to the fantastic. It is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors.
The Skiff eReader has a flexible screen. It will be unveiled at the CES 2010
3D TV is expected to be the biggest hit at the show this year. 3D films such as Avatar and Up have proved a hit with audiences, and the industry is keen to transfer this enthusiasm into the living room.
Major broadcasters including Sony in partnership with Disney and Imax and DirectTV are expected to unveil the first 3D channels this week. Sky and sports channel ESPN have already announced plans to launch 3D networks this year.
Manufacturers including Sony, LG and Panasonic will all be showcasing their latest hi-tech sets, many of which will have the internet telephony service Skype built in. This will allow users to video chat with friends and family all over the world through their sets.
Attendees try out the 3D glasses at the Sensio media display at CES in Las VegaseReaders are also expected to make a splash this year, with Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader leading the charge. An expanded section of the exhibition has been given over to the device.
The Heart publishing company will be launching the Skiff, which will be the thinnest eReader on the market. It will have a 11.5" screen and a high 1200x1600 pixel resolution.
What makes the device revolutionary is the bendy touchscreen. It is flexible because it uses stainless steel foil rather than a glass display. However, it doesn't display colour and would work best for reading newspaper content. The device will go on sale in the U.S with digital content sent via the Sprint 3G wireless network.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1, a hybrid laptop that features a detachable slate-style tablet screen
The third big trend at the show will be tablet computers. Apple is expected to unveil its first ever tablet, known as the iSlate, at the end of January. A number of companies will pip Apple to the post by announcing their own tablets at CES.
Freescale Semiconductor, which supplies semiconductors to netbooks will show off a prototype priced at just ?125. Meanwhile the Lenovo Idea Pad U1 is a clever new netbook, which becomes a tablet when you detach the screen, switching both processors and operating systems in the process.
More innovations previewing at CES:
FAREWELL TO THE MOUSE
The mouse's days are numbered. New technology will allow you to turn on your computer with a wave of the hand, change tracks on your iPod with a snap of your fingers and change TV channel with the blink of an eye.
Microsoft has filed patents for hands-free technology that will allow computers and other devices to be controlled without the need for a mouse of keyboard.
Sensors attached to the skin or to clothing, spectacles or watch straps will pick up signals generated by muscle movements.
A computer trained to read the signals will decode them and use the information to make the necessary changes.
A Microsoft video shows a jogger control his iPod by making hand gestures and a man carrying heavy luggage opening his car boot my squeezing the handles of his bag more tightly.
The couch potato's dream would be a thought-powered remote control that allows TV channels to be changed without lifting a finger.
AUGMENTED REALITY DRONE
A flying UFO-like device that can be controlled by an iPhone using WiFi. The quadricopter has two cameras that can stream video.
The A.R. Drone helicopter from Parrot is piloted using a phone at a casino in Las Vegas. The makers hope it will be used for augmented reality gamesIt was created by Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones. The company will make the software open source so programmers can create augmented reality games for the drone.
Augmented reality merges the physical real-world environment with virtual comuter-generated images. No word on release date or price yet.
POLAR BEAR TV
Hannspree is known for its unusual television set designs and the company has excelled itself this year with models in the shape of a polar bear and an apple.
The 19" TVs will be available from May and will cost $299 in the U.S. They are supposed to 'raise awareness' about the environment although an electronic gadget seems a strange way to do this.
A Hannspree 19-inch polar bear television should prove popular with childrenPOCKET RADAR
The world's first palm-sized speed radar device will be shown at CES. Its makers claim the pocket-sized gadget delivers the same performance as a traditional radar gun.
It can clock the speed to the nearest mile-per-hour of anything from a sprinting athlete to a super-fast car. The gizmo should be able to take 10,000 speed measurements using one set of AAA batteries.
The Pocket Radar is displayed during a CES preview eventTOUCHSCREEN NETBOOKS
The world's largest PC maker Hewlett Packard has unveiled its first-ever touch-enabled netbook.
The Mini 5102, HP's first touchscreen netbook, sports a 10-inch display a 95%-sized keyboard and weighs 2.6 pounds. It features face recognition software as well as Intel Corp's Atom netbook processor, Pineview.
QuickWeb, Linux-based software allows access to the Internet and files in seconds without booting up.
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