Consumers go gaga at CES

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas played host to a wide range of innovations – not to mention the ubiquitous Lady Gaga – under the watchful eye of the world's media. Using CES as a launch platform, Plastic Logic unveiled its Que proReader, which aims to expand the eReader into the domain of business professionals. In addition to accessing newspapers, books and periodicals, the Que supports pdfs, Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents. The wireless enabled Que is lightweight, measures 8.5 x 11in and is less than 8mm thick. Its shatterproof plastic display has what Plastic Logic claims to be the largest touchscreen in the industry. Users can connect and download wirelessly via WiFi and 3G networks. Light Blue Optics debuted its first product, an interactive projector that turns any flat surface into a 10in touch screen. The Light Touch incorporates holographic laser projection technology designed to enable wide throw angles, and which creates large images at close proximity to the projector's aperture. The device includes an infra red touch sensing system that transforms the projected image into a virtual touch screen. Users can then interact with multimedia content and applications by touching the projected image. While still a reference product, Light Blue Optics plans to make the device available to its OEM customers and other strategic partners. Meanwhile, Lenovo announced its first laptop priced at less than $500. Described by Lenovo as 'professional grade and ultraportable', the ThinkPad X100e laptop has been launched into the high end netbook market. It features an 11.6in high definition display and users can choose between AMD Athlon Neo single and dual core processors and Turion dual core processors. The laptop also has an ISO full sized keyboard, low light sensitive webcam and a range of connectivity options. Samsung used the event to launch the NX10 hybrid camera, which it says combines the quality of a digital SLR camera with the compactness of a traditional point and shoot version. The NX10 incorporates autofocus, a 14.6Mpixel APS-C size sensor and a 3in Amoled screen which enables users to view images, even in bright sunlight. The camera can also record movies in 720p HD (MP4.H.264) format. Samsung is looking to ship the NX10 in the near future. One of the most unusual products on display at CES was a quadricopter piloted by an iPhone or iPod Touch. Targeted at the gaming consumer, the Parrot AR Drone carries two cameras, which then deliver live video onto an iPhone. Parrot's quadricopter consists of a central cockpit, surrounded by four propellers. One camera, located underneath, connects to an inertial measurement unit, which allows the drone to measure its speed and perform stationary flight. The second camera at the front broadcasts the view from the cockpit, streaming the images to the iPhone or iPod touchscreen. Based on technologies primarily used in military applications, the quadricopter can generate its own WiFi network, connects to an iPhone and converts it into, what Parrot describes as a 'piloting station'. Parrot says it is actively encouraging developers to create games on the open platform provided.