The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is without doubt the event of the year if you’re into gadgets. It’s where techheads go to get the lowdown on what’s hot and what’s not in the world of consumer technology. More than that, it’s the place where you’ll find all the movers and shakers, i.e. what’s going to be big the coming year and beyond. This year’s CES 2011 show took place in Las Vegas at the beginning of January and from the products on display, it was clear what the big three consumer trends are going to be this year: Internet TV, 3D and PC tablets.

Internet TV

Sony was there showing off their Google TV, demonstrating that Internet TV has finally come of age. Certainly, we will be seeing media streaming, iPlayer and all sorts of apps appearing on TVs this year. But it won’t be just on TVs, these new services will be shared across phones, media players and Blu-Ray players. And what will be crucial will be a way of sharing information across all these devices. So it’s just as well that Netgear was there with their latest home Wi-Fi router on display, specially designed to handle all the new technology and devices that we’re connecting to the Internet from our homes.

3D or not 3D? That is the question

While many of us are still considering whether or not to invest in a 3D TV, it came as no surprise to anyone that 3D dominated many of the stands at this year’s exhibition. As well as the latest range of 3D TVs from Toshiba and Sony that don’t require glasses, the big trend this year was in 3D camcorder and still camera launches from all the big names, as well as a 3D mobile phone. The first 3D laptops from Toshiba and Sony even put in an appearance.

Take a Tablet

The final big trend at this year’s CES was Tablet PCs. Around 100 tablet devices were launched at this show alone. Blackberry’s Playbook seemed to be the one that most were eager to queue up to see. With a seven-inch display, a dual core processor, front and rear cameras, as well as a HDMI port, it’s not hard to see why Apple has their work cut out with iPad 2.0.

Lenovo came out tops in terms of innovation with their device that could be transformed from a laptop running Windows into a tablet running Android. Tablet computing might have been born in 2010 with Apple’s iPad, but 2011 is certainly going to be the year it comes of age.

What was increasingly evident at this year’s show was technology is now all about getting access to information wherever you are. As our lives become increasingly linked to technology, more and more electronic manufacturer’s seem to be putting the focus on getting all the devices in our lives talking to one another. And from this year’s show, clearly, 2011 is going to be a very big year for technology in the home.

Nintendo’s eagerly anticipated 3DS console has been hit with a medical scare less than two months before the device’s release in the UK. The electronic games manufacturer has been forced to issue a statement to parents of children under 6, stating that they should seek medical advice before allowing their children to use the device in 3D mode.

Nintendo isn’t the first company to officially recognise the potentially ill effects of playing 3D games or watching 3D movies among the young. Toshiba, maker of the world’s first 3D TVs without the need for specialised glasses, and Sony have already made similar statements, regarding the use of their 3D products.

What The Experts Are Saying

According to a number of online medical reports, eye specialists have advised makers of 3D electronic devices that the latest 3D technologies could interfere with the proper development of muscles in the eyes in children under the age of six. Right now, the warning seems to only apply to 3D technology that does not require glasses in order to view 3D content. Those using the Nintendo 3DS in 2D mode should suffer no side effects.

However, all three companies have said that even older children should be monitored, as the technology has the ability to make some users feel sick. In fact, some viewers complained of feelings of nausea after watching the three-hour long box office smash, Avatar, in 3D. What is clear is that viewing 3D puts considerable more stress on the eyes than watching content in the traditional two-dimensional format.

Parental Control

As a result, Nintendo has said that even older players should take a break at least every 30 minutes. What’s more, the Japanese manufacturer is advising parents to make use of the on-board parental control function for the activation of the 3D mode on the 3DS. By programming a PIN in order to activate the 3D functionality, parents can control how long children use the device in 3D mode.

This latest revelation regarding 3D technology and health is certainly worrying news for parents who will have children clamouring for the device on its release. However, it could also represent a significant setback for Nintendo as the company gears up for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS in the UK in March.

Toshiba announces the release of the NB500 and NB520 netbook computers in the NB500 series of portable computer laptops, with the premium Toshiba NB520 model featuring the new Intel dual core Atom N550 processor and Harmon/Kardon speakers built in.

The entry-level Toshiba NB500 offers an Intel Atom N455 CPU, has a 10.1 inch display with a screen resolution of 1,024×600 typical of most netbooks.  The NB500 is said to provide up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge and the Toshiba NB500 netbook is available to buy in a choice of colour styles:

Toshiba NB500 Colour & Style Options

• Blue
• Brown
• Green
• Resin Black

Toshiba NB520 Netbook

The premium NB520 model in the new NB500 family line of netbooks by Toshiba is being marketed as the netbook for music lovers, featuring high quality Harmon/Kardon speakers built in and support for Dolby Advanced Audio technology to enhance the sound even further.

The Toshiba NB520 netbook comes loaded with Windows 7 Starter Edition, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive for storing all your media files.  The NB520 also boasts an impressively long battery life of up to 10 hours.

Toshiba NB500 & NB520 Features

Both Toshiba Netbook models include the following features:

• 10.1-inch LED backlit screens
• Intel Atom Processors (Dual Core on the NB520)
• Built in Web Cameras with Microphones
• 3 USB 2.0 ports,
• 2-in-1 Card Reader
• Relatively lightweight 1.32kgs approx

The Toshiba NB500 & NB520 release date is expected to be sometime early January 2011.

See Also

• Toshiba Laptops
• Laptops

It seems that there’s a bigger, better and brighter flat screen TV coming out every single week, and for the not-so-technically minded, the huge number of choices available when buying a new TV may seem somewhat mind-boggling. So, if you’re shopping for a new TV and looking to save money on a Plasma  or LCD screen TV, and want to make sure you get a quality home theatre experience, read on and get the low down on our Top 10 Best LCD and Plasma Screen TV’s for Under £350 and seek out the best value stylish TV for your money.

1.  Sharp LC19SH7EBK 19 Inch HD Ready LCD TV

Sharp’s new Aquos LC19SH7EBK 19 inch LCD TV looks set to be the answer to your prayers, epitomising the very best that Sharp has to offer, including performance, style and efficiency. With such sharp clarity pictures and tuned sound effects, your home’s living room will look and feel as close to the cinema as it’s possible to get and it comes at the incredibly low price of just £219.99.

This 19 inch TV screen has an image brightness rating of 300cd/m2, and comes with digital tuning capabilities. Furthermore, with its HD readiness, it will display crisp and clear images whenever you connect it up to a HD device, while it is able to support a 1366 x 768 pixel maximum resolution.

Sleek looking, the Sharp LC19SH7EBK comes with two built in 4 watt stereo speakers that provide crystal clear sound clarity and comes with a 5 year warranty as standard so you can be sure you are getting a good deal.

Slick and slim, this model measures a compact 457mm x 300mm x 67mm, and it weighs in at just 4 kg so it’s relatively easy to mount on your wall and will fit almost any living room.

Connectors include a S-video 1 SCART, 2 HDMI inputs and an AV input.

2.  LG 19LU4010 19 Inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV

Yet another high performance small screen LCD TV from those clever Koreans at LG. The new LG 19LU4010 19 inch HD Ready LCD TV looks and performs much like its predecessor the 19LU4000, with the same impressive angled stand.

Choose from a black or white casing, and sit back and enjoy the classic modern design of a beautifully low cost HD TV that comes loaded with all the features you could ever want, at a hugely affordable price of just £201.25.

With its 1366 x 768 resolution and contrast ratio of 8000:1, you can be assured of quality, sharp images and well defined colours no matter if you’re watching TV shows or DVD’s. With 2 HDMI’s available, the LG 19LU4010 is perfectly capable of handling a Blu-ray player, games consoles and more.

One of the biggest features of this model is its Clear Voice 2 Technology, making it able to render perfectly clear voices even when there is loud background noise while it is capable of handling even high pitch tracks with awesome clarity.

3.  Philips 19PFL3404D/12 19 Inch Widescreen LCD TV

With the newly released Philips 19PFL3404D/12 19 inch widescreen LCD, you’ll be able to experience awesome, cinematic quality picture and sound from the comfort of your own living room, all this for just £238.78.

Probably the best thing about the Philips 19PFL3404/D12 is that, like all Philips models, offers superior sound quality that will make you feel as if you’re sitting in a concert hall, thanks to its Incredible Surround feature that literally immerses you in audio.

Meanwhile, expect natural, vibrant images of cinematic quality, with over 28.9 billion colours and a resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels, the clarity and brightness is so clear you may even need sunglasses!

HD Ready and with SCART, VGA and HDMA connectivity, this is another versatile model of the quality we have come to expect from Philips.

4.  Panasonic Viera TX-L19X10B 19 Inch LCD HD Ready TV

Once again Panasonic live up to their reputation as kings of the flat panel TV world, with yet another blazing new model, this one aimed at first time buyers of LCD TV’s.

The Panasonic Viera TX-L19X10B 19 inch LCD TV, costing just £237.99 comes with a stylish and sleek black cabinet surround, while its ideal proportions and slenderness make it a great choice of TV for your living room, bedroom, kitchen, in fact anywhere you could possibly want to place a TV.

HD ready, this model has an impressive resolution ration of 1366 x 768 pixels, resulting in pin-sharp images, vivid colours and a great contrast that will leave you feeling almost light headed with wonder.

Additionally, with its integrated Freeview tuner, it’s possible to choose from a multitude of free-to-air TV channels, while its SCART, VGA and HDMA connectivity means you can enjoy DVD’s, console games and more.

5.  Toshiba 22AV615DB 22 Inch HD Ready LCD TV

The new Toshiba 22AV615DB 22 Inch HD Ready LCD TV is an ideal choice for your living room, kitchen or bedroom, a perfect solution to your digital TV needs.

The second smallest model offered by Toshiba, this compactly designed model comes rich in features, including the Active Vision picture processing technology that produces sharp clarity images of never-before seen quality. Meanwhile its less than prohibitive cost of £199.99 makes its appeal all the more dramatic

Toshiba’s Dynamic Contrast feature allows for perfect automatic image balancing, decreasing backlight during dark scenes and increasing it during brightly lit scenes, so the quality of your images is perfection at all times.

The Stylish design of the Toshiba 22AV615DB hides a wealth of other features too, including a PC input, 3 HDMI slots and a gripping audio quality from its integrated stereo sound speakers.

6.  Samsung LE22B650 22 Inch HD Ready LCD TV

The Samsung LE2B650 22 inch HD Ready LCD TV offers all the supreme qualities that we have come to expect from Samsung, only this time in a compact size that makes it versatile enough to be used almost anywhere in your home.

The design is exquisite and flawless, and its beauty is matched by its efficient power consumption, meaning you will not only be saving money on the £237.44 price, but on your electric bills too.

Sharp image quality is guaranteed with Motion Plus, which runs at a rate of 200 Hz, double the rate of regular TV’s, meaning even the fastest paced action scenes will be seamless and free from blurs. Combined with Samsung’s Ultra Clear Panel®, you’ll be able to enjoy the crispest images yet that are totally free from glare, offering a vibrancy of colours.

Connections include 2 x HDMI slots, SCART and VGA inputs.

7.  LG 26LH2000 26 Inch LCD TV

The LG 26LH2000 26 inch LCD TV introduces innovation’s greener side with a model that is not only HD Ready, but has been officially Energy Saving Trust certified to save you money on your monthly bills.

As well as its HD-Readiness, the LG 26LH2000 comes with an incorporated Freeview receiver, meaning you can receive up to 48 completely free new terrestrial digital TV channels.

It’s also fully connectable with your Blu-ray player, home cinema system and games consoles thanks to its HDMI input port, offering you the definitive multimedia experience in the comfort of your own home, for just £279.99

In addition to its outstanding picture clarity and sound quality, LG’s AV mode offers three distinct choices that will allow you to enhance the image and audio quality dependent on what you are watching or what games you are playing. Cinema Mode allows you to watch movies with cinematic sounds, perfect motion and vivid colours while Sports Mode and Game Mode are optimized for the enjoyment of your favourite sports games and video games.

8.  Samsung LE32C450 32 Inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV

Available at an incredibly low price of just £268.19, the new Samsung LE32C459 32 inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV brings the ultimate in affordable, high quality 32 inch viewing to your home.

The unique Wide Colour Enhancer utilizes 3D colour stretching technology to saturate the pixels on screen, achieving a naturally sharp image quality that will leave viewers in awe. Moreover, your viewing pleasure is further enhanced with the Digital Noise Filter, subduing outside interference and background noise, leaving you with only the most crystal clear clarity

Samsung also grant the convenience of one touch control for each and every one of your HDMI connected devices, including audio and video players, delivered through the touch of the Anyet+ remote control. Never again will your coffee table be littered with dozens of remotes.

For photography fans, one further added benefit is the USB port, which allows you to connect and enjoy on 32 inch widescreen all of your home videos, holiday photos and memories, rendered in splendid detail.

9.  LG 32LD350 32 Inch HD LCD TV

If you want quality and affordability for your home entertainment system, look no further than the 32 inch LG 32LD350 LCD TV, available at a bargain price of just £339.29.

Sophisticated and stylish, it provides 5 times the image quality of a standard definition TV thanks to its HD Ready 1080p and 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, at the same time delivering cinematic clarity and dazzling colours. 1080p TV is truly the only way to enjoy Blu ray and high definition gaming to the fullest.

Maximize the settings and quality of your TV with the Picture Wizard, a unique image controlling feature that allows you to optimize your viewing for sports, movies and gaming.

Connectivity includes SCART and 2 HDMI inputs while just as with all LG models, the LG 32LD350 LCD TV comes with an inbuilt Digital Freeview receiver, giving you access to over 40 free terrestrial TV channels and Digital Interactive Services.

10.  LG 32LD450 32 Inch HD Ready LCD TV

Now’s the time to begin enjoying a full HD TV viewing experience and what better way to begin than with the LG 32LD450 32 Inch HD Ready LCD TV?

Beautiful and stylish, the LG 32LD450 is full of innovations and features, and offers a stunning performance that is matched only by its low cost, just £296.95.

You’ll get Full HD Resolution, giving you an image detail that is crystal clear, while the amazing Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 100,000:1 guarantees the deepest blacks and most vivid colours. Moreover, the 20 watt audio stereo system delivers clarity of sound that is as close to life as you can get.

Other notable performances include a MP3 and JPEG file capability via a USB port, a 4 millisecond response time and 3 HDMI inputs.

Toshiba joins the Tablet PC market with the release of the Folio 100 Tablet powered by the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, offering a cheaper alternative to both the Apple iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab devices.

The Toshiba Folio 100 is a 10.1-inch tablet pc featuring a capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch support that lets you tap, pinch and swipe the screen to zoom and flick through the menus.  The Folio 100 has a screen resolution of 1024×600 but also integrates a mini-hdmi output port allowing you to connect the device to a TV with full HD 1080p playback.

Toshiba Folio 100 Side View Images – Ports & Connectivity

The Toshiba Folio 100 comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options on board, while a mobile broadband 3G enabled version of the Folio 100 is expected to be released early next year in the first quarter of 2011.

Android 2.2 Froyo Platform

Powered by the Android 2.2 operating system ensures there is a wide range of apps available, although at the present time most Android applications have been optimized for smaller screen mobile devices so the large screen of the Folio 100 may not always be utilized to its fullest – this will likely change as Android application developers begin to cater for the larger screen tablet devices.

However, the Toshiba Folio 100 does have 10.1 Adobe Flash support, something which is lacking in the Apple iPad.  On the front of the Folio 100 device is a 1.3 megapixel camera for video calls (over WiFi), and there’s 16GB of storage included, which can be expanded up to 32GB with an optional high capacity SD Card.  A built in Accelerometer allows you to rotate the display, which will automatically turn the orientation of the menu interface, and this can also be locked into place, which is convenient if you are retiring to watch a movie for example.  The Toshiba Folio 100 measures 14mm thick and weighs 760g and has a stated battery life of 7 hours, calculated on the basis that you browse the web for most of the time (65%), a bit of video (10%) and some time on standby (25%).  The Toshiba Folio 100 is out now and has a retail price of £329.

Toshiba has successfully produced the first TV sets that allow you to watch 3D programming without the need for 3D glasses. Without doubt, this will be a major coup for the company, as TV manufacturers trip over themselves in order to be the innovators in the brave new world of 3D TV.

Thinking Outside The Box

Certainly Sony, LG, Samsung and Panasonic will be looking on at Toshiba’s newest development nervously, as their own models, rolling off the production lines, all require glasses and user reviews to date haven’t exactly been glowing. In fact, Panasonic has already cut prices in the US in order to stimulate demand.

It’s become clear that end-users are finding the glasses uncomfortable to wear (not to mention aesthetically unpleasing) and the overall 3D experience isn’t living up to the hype. Add in the high cost of purchasing the TV and the glasses, and it’s easy to see why many are sticking with tried and tested large-screen LCDs and plasmas.

However, Toshiba may not be the only manufacturer that’s set to release the first glasses-free 3D TV, Philips has been working on similar technology for some time and is said to be developing their technology in tandem with a method of upscaling standard 2D images into 3D.

It’s All About Vision

What we do know is that Toshiba is basing its format on Nintendo’s 3DS gaming console. This technology consists of a ‘parallax barrier’ made up of a thin layer of material on the screen with slits that allow the eye to view alternate sets of pixels, thereby creating the 3D effect.

Up Close and Personal

The disadvantage is that the technology was designed to be used with handheld devices. With bigger screens, the viewer needs to sit in a specific position to be able to experience the full 3D effect. In the case of Toshiba’s 20-inch screen, this means sitting at just 35 inches away in a centrally defined field of just 40 degrees. This, of course, will make it difficult for more than two viewers to watch the TV. So, cuddling up will be a pre-requisite if more than just one person wants to enjoy the full 3D effect.

The company is said to be working on a 56-inch model, but, until this appears, will there really be much demand for what is set to be the most expensive 20-inch TV in the world. As many people will have already forked out on a large-screen LCD/Plasma in the last couple of years, it may be a while yet before we see 3D TV really take off.

Let’s face it. Having a multitude of programmes open at any one time on your average 15 inch laptop can be hard on the eyes. Dual screens are already quite common among designers and sound engineers in desktop form, so why not in laptops too? Users are already saying that two screens can significantly boost  productivity.  With a whole range of new models ready to hit the market, you too could be enjoying a much larger electronic workspace and consign alt-tabbing between open applications to the past.

5. The gScreen Spacebook

Check out this foldaway two headed monster from gScreen. It’s called the Spacebook and is set to be released in the US any time now. Not only is there bags of on-screen manoevring, there’s plenty of headroom in the engine room as well with an Intel Core i7-740QM processor, a Geoforce N10E-1GB GTX250 and 4GB of RAM as standard. However, it’s not going to be cheap with a estimated retail price of $3000 in the US.

4. IBM’s ThinkPad W700ds

Techies needing a dual screen fix right now could take a look at IBM’s ThinkPad W700ds. The ThinkPad W700 already has a 17 inch screen, yet with a little push in the right place out pops a secondary spring-loaded 10 inch screen. Plus, it comes with a palm rest digitiser and pen. It’s been on the market a while now, but, like all dual screens, it’s bulky and doesn’t come cheap.

3. Toshiba’s Libretto W100

For those on a smaller budget, take a look at Toshiba’s Libretto W100. Small is indeed beautiful with this dual touchscreen 7 inch display. Okay, there’s no keyboard, but who needs a real keyboard when you can have a virtual one and this little gem doubles up as a really nifty e-reader.

2. Acer Dual Touch – Watch This Space

Not to be outdone, Acer is hard at work developing their own range of dual screen laptops. Details are sketchy at the moment, but if the rumours are true, we’ll be seeing two 15 inch touchscreens. If Acer’s past success in the Netbook market is anything to go by, we can expect big things from them in the dual screen arena too.

1. Apple MacBook Tri-screens

Finally, if you really want to go one better, why settle for two screens? Wait a little longer and pay a little more and you could be the proud owner of one of the first Apple MacBook Tri-screens. Yes, you heard right. A MacBook with not one, not two, but three screens – one on each side of your main monitor.

In the very near future, the old adage ‘two heads are better than one’ could very well be proved true.