What the tech world is saying about this year’s CES

By Amanda Finnegan

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 | 1:50 a.m.

Gadget lovers, rejoice. The high holy week in technology is upon us once again.

The Consumer Electronics Show takes over the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton and the Venetian on Thursday, bringing an estimated 126,000 attendees and 2,700 exhibitors to town for the world’s largest technology expo.

On the heels of Apple’s iPad release in April, companies like Samsung, Toshiba and Vizio are in a frenzy to release a competing tablet at the 2011 CES. The Consumer Electronic Association expects a record 80 tablets to be released during the four-day expo.

Smartphones, Wi-Fi cameras, netbooks and, of course, more 3-D TVs will make repeat appearances at CES. Here's a roundup of what tech writers and bloggers are saying about some of the buzz-worthy products expected to hit this year's CES show floor.

“The tablet winner at CES 2011 will be Android, of course. Though OEMs building to Android 2.3 (also known as Gingerbread) have now pulled up short and many are waiting for Android 3.0 or 'Honeycomb.' I got a glimpse of this tablet-friendly Android interface at the recent Mobile D conference in San Francisco. It was running on a 10-inch Motorola tablet. I assume we'll see more of that product at CES and many other products from other manufacturers running the same OS. Virtually none of these products, however, will ship before June.” — Lance Ulanoff, editor in chief of PC Mag

“The most anticipated moment of CES for now is what Verizon will do with its moment in the spotlight. Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg has the all-important opening day keynote on Thursday, where he is expected to talk about his shiny new 4G network. To be clear, it's not very likely he'll whip out an iPhone that runs on his network — that's not Apple's style to allow another company to make major product announcements on its behalf. Perhaps Steve Jobs will make his own announcement right before the show?” — Erica Ogg, writer for CNET and chief correspondent for Crave

“2011 is shaping up to be a big year for tablets at CES, and TV maker Vizio will be part of the touchscreen scene. The VIA Phone boasts a 1-GHz processor (manufacturer as yet to be named), 4-inch capacitive touch screen and HDMI output with HD video playback. As for the VIA Tablet, it’s got most of what the phone has: a 1-GHz processor, an HDMI output and a MicroSD card slot for memory expansion. The capacitive touch screen measures in at 8 inches — slightly smaller than that of the 9.7-inch iPad.” — Mike Issac, correspondent for Wired’s GadgetLab

“Perhaps the most important feature is the ability to watch high-quality video, say industry analysts, pointing to market research showing that, above all, consumers want to use tablets for all kinds of media consumption — watching films, looking at and sharing photographs, playing games.” – Joshua Brustein, technology writer for the New York Times

“Expect announcements about improvements in the technology of LCD TVs. Some LCD screens, especially super-thin TVs in which the LED backlights are all along the edges of the screen, have a hard time with scenes where there is a dark object moving across a bright background (or vice versa). The problem is how to precisely darken some areas of the screen, while keeping other areas light, especially when the backlights aren't directly behind the screen but along the edge. All LCD manufacturers are aware of the issue, known as local dimming, and many will likely be announcing sets with new ways of solving the problem." — Edward N. Albro for PC World

“Wi-Fi cameras are hardly anything new, but there are a few features on this Samsung SH100 that caught our attention. For one, this 14.2 megapixel imager lets you use your Android smartphone — Galaxy S is specifically mentioned here — a 'real time' remote viewfinder and trigger over WiFi! Additionally, users will also benefit from the camera's DLNA and wireless PC sync capabilities.” — Richard Lai, contributing editor for Engadget

“Vizio is talking tablets. So is Toshiba. Motorola will also be out of the gate strong. Samsung will show off new tablets. Google is also highlighting Android tablets. And every PC maker that missed the iPad curve will hop on the tablet bandwagon. Most of these challengers will ride shotgun with Android, an operating system that hasn’t been optimized for tablets until Honeycomb.” — Larry Dignan, editor in chief of ZDNet

“Not everything is about tablets, chips and light-emitting diodes. How about a pair of earbuds that actually stays in your ears? That is what headphone maker Skullcandy is promising to debut with its 'Fix' line. If they can pull that off, without your ears being torn off or somehow mangled, the whole smart TV revolution can wait for next year and 2011 will still be a success as far as consumer tech is concerned.” — Michael V. Copeland, senior writer for Fortune