CES 2011: Android Phones, Tablets, and More

CES 2011: Android Phones, Tablets, and More
A plethora of new products are debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show.
By Liane Cassavoy, About.com Guide

The giant Consumer Electronics Show is now underway in Las Vegas, and plenty of new products are making their debut. Among them are a plethora of new smartphones, cell phones, and tablets.

BlackBerry 4G PlayBook

Sprint, which already announced HTC EVO Shift 4G smartphone ahead of the show, is making plans for another 4G device: the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook tablet (pictured above). The long-awaited BlackBerry tablet will feature a 7-inch touchscreen, a 1-Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and support for Adobe Flash. It also will include support for Wi-Fi and Sprint's 4G cellular data network.

Additional features include front and rear-facing cameras, and the ability to play 1080p HD video. The tablet will run a version of RIM's BlackBerry OS designed specifically for use on tablets. The OS will support multi-tasking and will be able to run apps.

The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook will be available this summer, but pricing has not been disclosed.

Motorola Atrix

AT&T used CES to unveil the Motorola Atrix 4G, a smartphone that's also a computer of sorts. The Atrix 4G features a high-power 1-GHz NVIDIA tegra 2 dual-core CPU. The Android-based phone also features Motorola's webtop application, which allows the phone to run the desktop version of the Firefox browser.

And the Atrix 4G gets even more desktop-like when used with Motorola's Laptop Dock, an accessory that features an 11.6-inch screen and a full keyboard. While the dock looks like a laptop, it's actually powered by the phone's computing power -- putting a whole new twist on the idea of mobile computing.
T-Mobile G-Slate

T-Mobile and LG, meanwhile, announced plans to offer an Android-based tablet, called the T-Mobile G-Slate. The device, which T-Mobile says will "be available in coming months," will run Android 3.0, a version of the OS that is optimized for tablets.

The G-Slate will run on T-Mobile's high-speed, 4G-like HSPA+ network. Pricing and additional product details will announced at a later date, T-Mobile says.
Motorola Cliq 2

T-Mobile also announced a new Android-based phone, the Cliq 2. This handset, a follow-up to both the original Motorola Cliq and the Cliq XT, includes support for T-Mobile's 4G-like HSPA+ network. The phone runs version 2.2 of the Android OS. Additional features include a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera, FM radio, and a 3.7-inch touchscreen.

Pricing and a launch date have not yet been announced.
Sony Ericsson Xperia arc

Sony Ericsson also has announced a new Android-based smartphone, the Xperia arc. This phone, the successor to Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10, features Android version 2.3 and sports a 4.2-inch touchscreen. It will be available in overseas markets in early 2011, but a U.S. launch date has not been announced.

MY THOUGHTS

click on the link to see the pics. i don't know about you. me, i've given up the "catch-up" game with technology. it can be stressful. and expensive. and... never mind!