When you're five foot five inches tall and not all that wide, it's sometimes hard to push your way to the various vendors at the CES Unveiled press preview.
However, I did managed to get a good look at the enTourage eDGe, a "dualbook" which features two displays: one a 9.7-inch e-ink display; the other a 10.1-inch color LCD touchscreen.
It looked fascinating: you can draw directly on the e-ink screen using a stylus (so you can make notes on a book or scribble stick figures in the margins). The other side of the device uses Google Android and lets you browse the Web (using a virtual keyboard). It includes, according to the PR materials, built in WiFi, Bluetooth and "future support for 3G." The device is priced at $490 (if you go with a blue case; other colors add $40) and is due to ship in February. This could be the answer to those (like me) who object to the idea of carrying around both a netbook and an e-reader.
I also managed to get a look (okay, so I had to used my elbows a bit, so sue me) at Lenovo's IdeaPad U1, the Windows 7 laptop that detaches from its keyboard and becomes a Linux tablet. This drew a lot of attention; while there are a number of tablet/notebook combinations in which the display swivels and settles on top of the keyboard, this is the first I can think of where the display actually detaches.
There were also a number of smaller devices by hopeful vendors -- for example, a small keychain device called the Zomm which signals if you get too far from your mobile phone (so you won't leave it in your car); acts as a speakerphone so you can easily answer the phone while you're driving, and provides a panic button (and a link to emergency services) if you find yourself in a hairy situation. It is due sometime this summer for about $80.
But of course the thing that drew the most attention was Parrot's A.R. Drone, a large UFO-like gaming device that hovered about five feet above the floor (via four propellers) and was surrounded by a circle of tech journalists who couldn't resist the idea of their own flying saucer.
However, I did managed to get a good look at the enTourage eDGe, a "dualbook" which features two displays: one a 9.7-inch e-ink display; the other a 10.1-inch color LCD touchscreen.
It looked fascinating: you can draw directly on the e-ink screen using a stylus (so you can make notes on a book or scribble stick figures in the margins). The other side of the device uses Google Android and lets you browse the Web (using a virtual keyboard). It includes, according to the PR materials, built in WiFi, Bluetooth and "future support for 3G." The device is priced at $490 (if you go with a blue case; other colors add $40) and is due to ship in February. This could be the answer to those (like me) who object to the idea of carrying around both a netbook and an e-reader.
I also managed to get a look (okay, so I had to used my elbows a bit, so sue me) at Lenovo's IdeaPad U1, the Windows 7 laptop that detaches from its keyboard and becomes a Linux tablet. This drew a lot of attention; while there are a number of tablet/notebook combinations in which the display swivels and settles on top of the keyboard, this is the first I can think of where the display actually detaches.
There were also a number of smaller devices by hopeful vendors -- for example, a small keychain device called the Zomm which signals if you get too far from your mobile phone (so you won't leave it in your car); acts as a speakerphone so you can easily answer the phone while you're driving, and provides a panic button (and a link to emergency services) if you find yourself in a hairy situation. It is due sometime this summer for about $80.
But of course the thing that drew the most attention was Parrot's A.R. Drone, a large UFO-like gaming device that hovered about five feet above the floor (via four propellers) and was surrounded by a circle of tech journalists who couldn't resist the idea of their own flying saucer.
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