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This year's International Consumer Electronics Show, which opens in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday, is shaping up to be less of what's brand new in the industry and more about new twists on technology still struggling for the limelight.

Evolutionary technology to be highlighted includes an emerging class of mobile devices called smartbooks, tablet PCs, and 3D television, each of which is expected to be in sharp focus at CES. While the product categories are not exactly new, vendors are still trying to win the hearts and wallets of consumers.

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Smartbooks and tablets are mobile computing devices that have been around for awhile, but have yet to excite mainstream consumers. With the latest wave of devices, vendors are targeting teenagers and young adults, who may consider an inexpensive device with a larger screen than a smartphone for quick access to social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, and to Web browsing. The new products are also marketed as entertainment devices that can play back Web video and downloaded movies, as well as be used to buy and play digital music.

Among the vendors showing off a tablet PC is Freescale Semiconductor, which released this week a reference design for a model with a seven-inch touchscreen, optional keyboard, and support for Wi-Fi and 3G mobile broadband. The device would have a starting price of about $200.

While Microsoft will be at CES to talk about Windows 7, the company is also expected to discuss its Courier tablet. HP, Lenovo, and an Indian startup called Notion Ink are also expected to introduce tablet PCs at CES.

On the smartbook side, Lenovo has already grabbed some pre-show attention with the introduction of the Skylight. Scheduled to be available in April, the clamshell device weighs less than two pounds and has a custom interface for quick access to online services. The device has a starting price of $499.

But the company that has probably done the most to re-energize interest in devices that fall between a smartphone and mini-laptop won't be at CES. That company is Apple.
SOURCE-http://www.informationweek.com