Android: The King Of CES 2012

It's Android all over at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 in Las Vegas. Android just conquered the show like never before. From smartphones and tablets to televisions and watches, over 30 Android-based gadgets were launched at the tradeshow floor at CES.

Here is a list of 20 such devices that made it big at CES 2012 and are likely to impact the market patterns in future.

1. Acer Iconia Tab A200

Acer showcased Iconia Tab A200, the latest member in Acer's line of Android tablets. It comes with 1GB of RAM and boasts a 25.7-cm (10.1-inch) display, with 1280 x 800 resolution. Available in either Titanium Gray or Metallic Red, the slate is powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor. It also comes equipped with a 2-megapixel front facing camera and Acer Ring--a multi-tasking manager that provides shortcuts to Google Maps, screenshot functions and other apps. This tablet has a full-size USB port for hooking up other devices and a microSD slot for passing data. The new Iconia Tab A200 will be available on 15 January and is priced at $329.99.

2. Acer Iconia Tab A700

Acer has unveiled its first quad-core processor-based tablet, the Iconia Tab A700. The tablet is powered by a 1.3 GHz Tegra 3 processor and runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The Iconia A700 features a 25.7-cm (10.1-inch) full 1080p HD screen that supports 1920x1200 pixel resolution. Apart from the processor, the A700 runs on 1 GB RAM and sports an HDMI-port, microSD and a micro USB port. There are no details yet on pricing for the tablet, but the latest addition to the Iconia Tab family is expected to be released in the second quarter. If the device is priced competitively, it could make an impact in the market.

3. Asus Eee Pad Transformer Pad MeMO

Asus has unveiled the Eee Pad MeMO that runs on Android 4.0. Primarily designed to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire with its smaller form factor and matching price range, the Asus Eee Pad MeMO sports a 17.7-cm (7-inch) display with WXGA resolution IPS panel, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear facing camera capable of shooting 1080p video and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Powered by Qualcomm 8260 dual-core 1.2GHz processor, the Asus MeMo tablet packs 1GB of memory and has an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor on the inside. The device offers up to 32GB of internal storage, and comes enabled with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

4. Coby tablet collection

Coby is amongst the first few companies that have come up with an extensive line-up of Ice Cream Sandwich-Operated Capacitive Touch Units at CES. The exciting Android 4.0 assortment includes the 17.8-cm (7-inch) MID7042, 20.3-cm (8-inch) MID8042 (4:3 aspect ratio), 22.9-cm (9-inch) MID9042, 24.6-cm (9.7-inch) MID9742 (4:3 aspect ratio), and 25.4-cm (10-inch) MID1042. With lightning-fast access to thousands of apps and wireless Web browsing, the units featured 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU and offer capacitive multi-touch screens, up to 1GB of RAM, expandable memory up to 32GB, Wi-Fi and HDMI 1080p output. Overall, Coby has streamlined its features to address the core applications including: browsing the Web, playing games, e-mail and viewing one's favourite media.

5. Fujitsu ARROWS ES IS12F smartphone

According to Fujitsu and partner Toshiba, the ARROWS is the thinnest smartphone that measures a mere 6.7mm thick. The other specs of the device include a 10.2-cm (4-inch) touchscreen display with WVGA (800 x 480 pixel) resolution, 1GB of built-in storage teamed up with a single-core Qualcomm 1.4GHz processor, and a 1400mAh battery.

6. Huawei Ascend smartphones

The two devices that come under this umbrella are amongst the fastest smartphones launched. They come with a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS. Both the models feature a 4G 21Mbps HSPA+ technology and are banded for use on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks.

7. Le Pan II tablet

Le Pan has introduced its captivating new Le Pan II tablet, which comes redesigned with a sleek and light exterior. The Le Pan II tablet boasts of Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS, 24.6-cm (9.7-inch) multi-touch display and high-quality video calling with the high-resolution front-facing 2-megapixel camera and microphone. Crafted out of durable materials that provide added resistance to everyday scratches and scrapes, the new Le Pan II tablet packs a fast and powerful new 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM. With its multi-tasking features, the tablet enables users to play the latest games, enjoy a range of TV shows and movies, navigate via GPS with free, turn-by-turn directions, make high-quality video calls and experience full, fast, PC-like Internet.

8. LG Spectrum phone for Verizon

This device is likely to make a mark of its own because it is incredibly responsive to touch. It features an 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video capture. It includes a 1830mAh battery, microSD slot loaded with a 16GB card to complement the 4GB of internal storage. This Android smartphone runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor that's bolstered by 1GB of RAM.

9. LG Viper on Sprint

The LG Viper is amongst the first LTE phones from Sprint. The device sports a candy bar design with a trim profile and rectangular shape. It features Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a 1.2 dual-core GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera around back, a second front-facing camera, and support for NFC Google Wallet.

10. Motorla DROID 4 on Verizon

Motorola has unveiled the fourth generation of its Droid Android smartphone. It is a 4G LTE device that sports a 10.2-cm (4-inch) qHD display. This new offering from Motorola resembles the Droid RAZR, with the only exception being the presence of a full QWERTY keyboard. It is worth mentioning here that the Droid RAZR was unveiled by the company in November, but its hype was completely overshadowed by Samsung's Galaxy Nexus that includes Android Ice Cream Sandwich. With Droid 4, the company aims to target the Android phone fans who always wished for a physical keyboard. The smartphone is 1.3-cm (0.5-inches) thick and comes with a dual-core 1.2-GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, 16GB of internal storage and 4G LTE.

11. Motorola Defy Mini

Motorola's Defy Mini packs a 8.1-cm (3.2-inch) 480 x 320 display, 600MHz processor and a mere 3-megapixel camera an comes wrapped in a ruggedised casing with Gorilla Glass fascia. It is a smaller device with 109 x 58.5 x 12.55 mm dimensions and weighs 107g, but accommodates a larger 1650 mAh battery along with Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi b/g/n (with WiFi Direct support) and an FM radio. It too has a VGA front-facing camera, dual-band HSDPA and quadband EDGE.

12. Sony Smartwatch

Sony's love for the Android platform is quite evident with the fact that most of its smartphones and the recently introduced Tablet S and P are based on Android. According to a PC World report, the company is planning to launch a small Android based-device that it calls the SmartWatch. The speciality of the product will be its ability to link to Android phones via Bluetooth and run a suite of custom mini-apps. The new device is of the shape and size of an iPod nano and is likely to debut sometime in the end of the first quarter for $149. Demonstrations showed how the SmartWatch received data feeds from handsets including Facebook and Twitter updates, as well as remotely controlling mobile audio player software. The device will have 15 pre-installed apps at launch but will store up to 255. Just like Apple's iPod nano, it displays four apps at a time in a grid pattern.

13. Sony Xperia S

Sony's new handset will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is expected to receive the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update by the second half of 2012. The specs of the device include a 10.9-cm (4.3-inch) HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, 1.5GHz dual-core processor with a MSM8260 chipset, 12 megapixel camera with Sony Exmor R sensor and 1080p video recording capabilities, 32GB internal memory. The smartphone weighs 144g.

14. Pantech Element Waterproof Tablet

Pantech has showcased its products at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show 2012 event. The first one is the Pantech Burst, AT&T's first budget priced 4G LTE smartphone. Along with that Pantech has unveiled its debut Android tablet Element with waterproof features. The Pantech Element tablet comes equipped with a 20.3-cm (8-inch) display with 1024 x 768 pixels resolution, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and 4X digital zoom, along with a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat. Presently based on Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) OS, the company promises to bring Android 4.0 update on this device, without specifying the exact timeline. The sturdy Element tablet comes powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. It further packs 16GB of internal memory and an empty microSD card slot, which can be expanded up to 32GB.

15. Toshiba Excite X10

Toshiba has unveiled what it calls the world's thinnest tablet at the CES. Toshiba Excite is just 7.7mm, around 0.9mm thinner than the previous thinnest tablet in the world, which is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The 25.7-cm (10.1-inch) device comes with a capacitive touchscreen with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. The tablet is powered by 1.2 GHz dual core TI OMAP4 processor and runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Other specs of the tablet include 1GB of RAM, up to 64GB internal storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, microHDMI, microUSB, 5 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera and memory expandable via microSD card.

16. Lenovo K91 Android TV

Lenovo has unveiled the world's first Android 4.0 Smart TV at CES 2012. What is interesting is that Lenovo's K9 runs on Android 4.0, not Google TV. The company touts that it has wrapped a new 'smart UI' around Android 4.0 and has presented K9. With this new offering, the company aims to bring features like video-on-demand, Web apps, and of course TV programmes. The Lenovo K91 smart TV runs on a 1.5GHz Qualcomm 8060 SnapDragon processor which is likely to be fast enough to play 1080p movies and also apt for running casual games. Lenovo has rendered K91 a pretty decent design, but it still does not seem to be competing with the televisions offered by Samsung or LG.

17. Sony Walkman Z

Sony's latest device that has been announced at CES 2012 is the Sony Walkman Z, which is being touted as Sony's answer to Apple's iPod Touch. The walkman runs Android 2.3 operating system on a 10.9-cm (4.3-inch) touchscreen with an 800x480 resolution. The walkman will be available in three capacities -- 8 GB ($249), 16GB ($279), and 32GB ($329). It is expected to hit the market in the first half of 2012 and users will have only one option in terms of colour -- black, with a purplish backing. The device is a fully licensed Google product. It offers its users the entire Android experience, which includes Android Market, Gmail, Maps, Books, and more. Along with it, users also get to use Sony's services like Sony Music Unlimited (a subscription music service), and a heavily customised music player.

18. Wikipad

A new tablet called WikiPad has been unveiled that supports 2D and 3D content. But we must also inform that the tablet has nothing to do with Wikipedia! The tablet comes with a game controller attachment which rebrands it into a gaming device. The 20.3-cm (8-inch) screen tablet comes with a 1080p resolution and runs on the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The unique thing about the tablet is that it is the first glasses-free 3D gaming tablet that supports Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The WikiPad comprises dual-camera, a USB 2.0 port and has support for mini-HDMI. Internal memory is restricted to 8 GB that can be expanded to 64 GB through a microSD card slot.

19. Cotton Candy:

FXI Technologies has demonstrated its new USB stick dubbed as 'Cotton Candy' at CES 2012. The company showcased Android 4.0 and Ubuntu on the world's smallest PC. The Cotton Candy is a USB stick-sized computing device which allows users a single, secure point of access to all personal cloud services and apps through their favourite operating system, while delivering a consistent experience on any screen. This powerful device will support a slew of devices and platforms. The Cotton Candy USB stick will serve as a companion to smartphones, tablets, and notebook PC and Macs. It will let you add smart capabilities to existing displays, TVs, set-top boxes and other media that supports USB mass storage. The Cotton Candy USB stick comes equipped with an ARM Cortex-A9 (1GHz) CPU from Samsung, an ARM Mali-400 MP (Quad-core, 1.2GHz) GPU, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, HDMI output and the Android operating system. The power-packed stick decodes MPEG-4, H.264 and other video formats and displays HD graphics on any HDMI-equipped screen. Users can control content via smartphones, keyboards, mice and other USB peripherals.

20. ViewSonic ViewPad E70

ViewSonic has unveiled its budget Android 4.0 ICS tablet device aka ViewPad e70. Compared to other budget tablets in the market, this new device boasts of the most updated Google's Android platform...that too at a much cheaper price tag. Featuring some very basic specs, the ViewPad e70 sports a 17.7-cm (7-inch) screen display with a low 800x480 pixel resolution and an unidentified 1 GHz single core processor. However, the device is fairly responsive with its capacitive touchscreen. Additionally, the device packs a microSD card slot, microHDMI port and 4GB of storage. Reportedly, the ViewPad e70 tablet will offer Amazon Appstore and Amazon Kindle app but without the official Google Android Market. The company defines this device as a low-cost alternative for consumers seeking a wallet-friendly, portable device to enjoy multi-media mobile entertainment, check e-mail and read e-books. The ViewSonic ViewPad e70 ICS tablet will be available in the coming months for $169.

-- Diksha P Gupta