Top 5 gadget highlights of CES 2012

The Gadget Show  Friday 13 January 2012

As another CES event comes to an end we’ve been taking in the highlights of another fantastic glimpse into our gadget future. There were almost too many highlights to mention, but here we are with just five of the best gadgets that were showcased, shown-off and generally shown to be worth getting excited about. Read on for a handful of highlights from CES 2012.

Dell XPS 13 and the rest of the ultrabook gang

We like the Dell XPS 13. It looks great, and is impossibly thin. Just 18mm thin to be precise. The Dell XPS 13 even manages to cram in an Intel Core i5, or Intel Core i7 processor and up to 256GB of storage. The Dell XPS was just one of the ultrabooks on show.

Other ultrabooks to watch out for were the Acer Aspire S5, the world’s thinnest laptop with a 15mm profile, and the concept Lenovo IdeaPad YOGA – an ultrabook with a touchscreen and Microsoft Windows 8.



Read more about the Dell XPS 13

Televisions built for gaming: Google TV with OnLive

Today’s televisions are more advanced, more smarter than ever. If CES 2012 is a sign of things to come, televisions are about to get a lot more fun too, thanks to cloud gaming. CES 2012 saw Google show off the first Google TV televisions with built-in OnLive functionality.

Owners will be able to play the latest video games without having to purchase a console. Simply plug in the TV, sign up to OnLive, and get playing hundreds, if not thousands of games for a monthly subscription. 



Read more OnLive and Google TV

New ways to take photos

One of the things we love about CES is getting to see the concepts that will soon become reality, like the Tamaggo 360-imager. It is the first consumer camera to feature what’s called built-in 360° panamorph technology to capture full 14 megapixel panoramas with a single click instead of requiring you to stitch a shot together. The Tamaggo 360-imager is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2012. It’s an odd gadget that may or may not catch on, but it’s nice to gadget manufacturers dreaming up new ways for us to take photos.

For something a little more unconventional, yet very clever, the Lytro light field camera introduces a new way to take photos. Conventional cameras capture a single plane of light, whereas the Lytro captures the entire light field, letting you focus on the image even after you’ve taken the shot, so there’s no need to focus or autofocus.

Stunning OLED televisions



While 3D televisions might be all the rage right now, viewing in the third dimension is only as good as the television you’re watching it on. CES 2012 saw some stunning televisions showed off for the first time. LG showed off its new 55-inch OLED television, which LG says is up to 1,000 times faster than LCD and LED panels for a flicker-free picture.

Samsung had its own 55-inch TV up its sleeves, and is currently in the running for one of the Best of Innovations Awards at this year’s show. OLED tech eliminates the need for a colour filter, and is able to differentiate between larger variety of black shades to guarantee some of the best TV imagery seen. It’s safe to say we want one. 



Read more about Samsung’s 55-inch OLED

Microsoft talking big: Windows 8, Kinect and Nokia Lumia 900

CES 2012 saw Microsoft make some very big noises. On the agenda was new experiences, new gadgets and new ways we’ll be using our technology in future. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer introduced the Nokia Lumia 900 – arguably the best handset Nokia has ever made, featuring Microsoft’s WIndows Phone interface, it looks a beauty. Microsoft is hoping for big things, having helped Nokia relaunch the phone maker in the U.S.

Microsoft also revealed that motion sensor gaming accessory Microsoft Kinect for WIndows PC has been confirmed for a February 1st launch. Expect integration with the new WIndows 8 operating system, and more gaming functionality than PC gamers would have dreamt of a few years back. It’s an exciting time to be a Microsoft device user.

What has been your CES 2012 highlight?

Microsoft Kinect set to take over PC in February