Innovation & Technology - Consumer Electronics Show Highlights

Netbooks: The New Generation

Netbooks, the stripped-down laptops touted by gadget makers at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), have been pushed aside this year for even smaller mobile computers, dubbed smartbooks. Scaled down in size and computing power, smartbooks are designed to run Web applications such Facebook and YouTube—and not much else.

At less than two pounds, Lenovo's (LNVGY) Skylight is about a pound lighter than the typical netbook. Its curvy, clamshell design opens to reveal a full keyboard. With over 10 hours of battery life and a hookup to AT&T's (T) wireless network, the petite PC can be left on virtually all day. "It represents this new wave of always-connected devices," says Rob Enderle, an independent tech analyst.

Skylight runs on a chip made by Qualcomm (QCOM) and uses an operating system built in-house. It will be available in April for $499; customers who sign up for an AT&T data plan could see the price fall to $200.

—By Douglas MacMillan, Edited by Peter Elstrom

Can Your TV Ever Be Too Thin?

For years, big-screen televisions have been the big draw at CES. This year, though, the fight isn't over size, but thickness. Korea's LG is unveiling a high-definition television a mere 0.92 inches thick, thinner than any set now on the market. The TV, expected to hit the market this summer, will also be 3D-enabled.

Not to be outdone, Samsung plans to use CES to show off a high-definition set with a thickness of 0.27 inches, slightly skinnier than a pencil. Other manufacturers are expected to follow with their own slim TVs, including many that wirelessly receive content from a set-top box tucked away elsewhere.

The battle to get thin is for more than bragging rights. Competition has squashed profit margins in big-screen televisions. By slimming down their TVs and packing in more features, consumer electronics companies aim to restore the profitability they once enjoyed.

—By Cliff Edwards, Edited by Peter Elstrom

Kindle's Corporate Competitor

Amazon (AMZN) doesn't have a booth at CES. But the company behind the Kindle is keeping a close eye on the action in Las Vegas, where an array of rival e-readers are on display. Among the most promising: Plastic Logic's QUE proReader, a large reader created with white-collar workers in mind. The QUE, which goes on sale in April for $649, is one of a new class of high-end readers. Its 10.7-inch screen beats the largest Kindle by an inch, and Plastic Logic claims the display is made of "shatterproof" plastic. Unlike the kindle, the QUE relies on a touch screen for input rather than a physical keyboard.

Executives may be able to persuade their companies to spring for the QUE, since it can display Excel and PDF documents without distortion, and its screen handles diagrams and tables better than most. Newspapers such as the Financial Times and USA Today will be specially formatted for the device.

—By Douglas MacMillan, Edited by Peter Elstrom

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