CES 2011 - What We are Expecting

With CES about to kick off in Vegas tomorrow, alot of people will be wondering what will be announced/shown off in the event, and that is what I'm going to talk about now very briefly.

First off we are expecting total "Tablet" domination at the event. Since the release of the Apple iPad last year many companies have been drawing up plans to compete with the product, hence Samsung's release of their Galaxy Tablet which is Android based. Also HP have started shipping their Windows 7 Tablet called the HP Slate.

As with 2010's CES conference I am also expecting 3D to be a big hitter at the event aswell. With talk of Nintendo 3DS (Which I very much doubt Nintendo will go public with the product at this event) being 3D glasses free, I would expect companies to bring other 3D products which do not require the usage of 3D glasses.

4G, the next installation to the mobile internet. This is almost certain to be introduced by various companies at this years CES. With various 4G devices already in the market today, I would not be suprised if even though its almost certain to be announced in the CES event that companies will keep this to a low aspect.

Ofcourse there are many many other products to be announced in the CES event.

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Beta Test a Google Chrome Notebook

Google, recently had a private press conference last week where they announced the Cr-48. The Cr-48 is the first notebook with Chrome OS, however; it isn't branded and isn't for sale. If you want to see one of these bad boys in person you're going to have to apply for Google's Pilot Program. 

Google is looking for people to test the device and is currently accepting applications through their Pilot Program. To become a beta tester, you're going to have to be someone who does mostly everything through the internet. If you do lots of work in Adobe Photoshop and graphic design and those sorts of things, then you're probably not the prime candidate. They're looking for people such as students who take notes using Google Docs and listen to music through Pandora. 

Google Chrome OS, simply put, is an operating system based around a "cloud". Everything you do is stored in a "cloud" and the OS is basically just the Chrome browser with a lot of Google's web apps. It's a very interesting concept. If you were to lose your computer, all of your information would still be in the cloud, and when you logged in again you would just pick up where you left off. 

If accepted into their program, Google will send you a Cr-48 laptop. The laptop comes with 3G data through Verizon, however; you only get 100 MB free a month, but it's free for two years. If you need more data (you probably will) you can use either Wi-Fi or purchase more through Verizon.  

Data Plans: 

• 100 MB of data per month - Free for two years
• Limitless Day Pass - $9.99 per day
• Additional 1 GB of data - $20 per month
• Additional 3 GB of data - $35 per month
• Additional 5 GB of data - $50 per month

 *All 3G data is through the Verizon Wireless Network, you will probably use most of your internet through Wi--Fi, but 3G is a nice option to have. 

You're probably wondering about security. Well this device is very secure actually. Each time it boots up it checks for system errors and attacks and restores to an earlier version, if necessary, from the cloud. Also, it boots in about ten seconds!

They aren't going to be accepting many people into their pilot program, and will probably only ship thousands of notebooks, rather than tens of thousands. After testing is through they plan to release retail notebooks in the early part of 2011 through Acer and Samsung.

If you plan on applying to test one of these bad boys, then you need to apply ASAP. They are trying to get people to test from different areas of the country. By the way, this is only available to US citizens, they hope to allow people to test from other countries in the near future. If you would like to apply for their pilot program click HERE. Good Luck!

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Google's URL Shortener (goo.gl) Open to the Public

Google's URL shortener is now open to the public. The service was first announced December of 2009 Google introduced the service and let users create short URLs via the Google toolbar but now any one can create a short URL using the service by pointing there browsers to goo.gl. Google announced in a blog post. "We don't intend to overload goo.gl with features, but we do want it to be the stablest, most secure, and fastest URL shortener on the Web,". The service also has some nifty features such as all URL's are stored in a list form if you are logged in with your Google account, it lets you see how many clicks you have got on that short URL and it even gives your a QR code. This is great news for Twitterers which that 140 charter limit and because it is made by Google and 

GV Mobile + Run-Through

This is a run-through of the GV Mobile + app for iPhone. It is the second Google Voice app to be added to the app store. Even though it's the second Google Voice app to be added, it was the original Google Voice app when Google Voice was first started. You can pick it up in the Apple App Store for $2.99.

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GV Connect Run-Through

This is a run through of the GV Connect app. It is currently one of two Google Voice apps available. The other Google Voice app is the GV Mobile + app. You can see it in my video above. The GV Connect app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store for $2.99. 

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