CES 2012 to feature tablets, TVs and eReaders

Innovations in tablets and televisions are tipped to return with a vengeance at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with smartphones and eReaders also set to feature.

Held in Las Vegas every year, the international CES is the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, featuring 2,700 exhibitors, predominantly companies that manufacture consumer electronics.

Jason Oxman, vice president of industry affairs for the Consumer Electronics Association, says the 2012 CES – held from January 10-13 – is going to be huge across every category.

According to Oxman, this will include digital imaging, built-in WiFi, faster processors, and – if the rumours are true – a major announcement from Nikon.

“I don’t even need to mention TVs – always a huge category at CES,” Oxman wrote in a blog.

“Buzz this year is about LG’s 55-inch OLED TV, Google TV’s next generation, and a wave of 4k TVs, among many others.”

With regard to tablets, Oxman says Apple “has a great one” but it won’t be launched at CES, pointing out that Apple hasn’t exhibited at CES since 1994, preferring to do its own launches.

“[However,] we have Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3, Android 4.0, and Windows 8 tablets all set to debut at CES. And Toshiba has the world’s thinnest and lightest tablet set to debut,” Oxman said.

In addition to tablets and televisions, smartphones will also take centre stage this year, with devices expected to feature faster loading times, better screens, higher quality cameras, etc.

Meanwhile, eReaders are set to make a comeback, with Barnes & Noble and Amazon expected to show off new devices. There will also be dozens of devices from minor manufacturers.

With regard to future technologies, the new Eureka Park TechZone will feature more than 100 tech start-ups debuting world-first products that have come straight from the garage or the lab.

“You’ve never heard of these companies, and not all of them will make it,” Oxman says.

“But that’s a good thing… It’s what gives us great products like the next generation One Laptop Per Child initiative’s XO 3.0 laptop for under $100, which is debuting here at CES.”