Briefs out of this year’s starting gate

       Time for that next portable PC? Yet another choice awaits you in 2012: the ultrabook. At CES PC makers put new emphasis on on the compact PC, without compromise,showing off respective versions of the thin and light  powered by Intel processors.

IdeaPad Yoga, one of the new ultrabooks

Not for the budget minded, yet, they offer the portable experience the MacBook Air  has allowed its users, with all the PC performance one can’t get from a tablet. Introductions include the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, Dell’s XPS 13, HP Envy Spectre and the Acer Aspire S5.....In peripherals, Logitech has a new take on the mobile mouse with its Cube ,wireless handheld device for controlling your screen or presentations with swipes of the touch sensitive surface. of this palm sized device.

Lumia 900

Think the choice smartphones comes down t IPhone or Android for app-powered functionality, don’t  count Windows Phone handsets out entirely. Recent developments there: Both HTC and : Nokia’s  have announced  new models  for the Windows Phone operating system, the Titan and Lumia 900, respectively.... Adding to their appeal could be a software tool from the company BlueStacks which will allow existing Android apps to run on Windows  PCs and possibly smartphones  when Windows 8 appears.... Since the topic is phones, here’s something useful every handset could use, regardless of OS.  HzO WaterBlock nano technology  if adopted by manufacturers could permanently protect electronics from spills, splashes, even the dreaded  accidental drop into water.

Logitech Cube

       Ipad and  notebook who have been wishing for a way to scan detailed forms and contracts without heading back to the office, take heart. Xerox may have the just he solution you’ve been awaiting with its Mobile Scanner   Powered by a lithium battery, the scanner reads and converts documents into JPEGs or PDF files then transfers them via WiFi to your hardware of choice. 

       CES always is a showcase for things to come, maybe. Two of note: Cotton Candy, from FXI Technology , essentially a tablet in a flash drive, for the ultimate in mobile convenience. Plug it into a TV set or monitor via USB or HD connectors built into the unit, it becomes an Android device, connected to the cloud, controllable by an app-powered smartphone.....The car as computer cockpit isn’t that far off, either. Auto makers Audi, Mercedes Benz and Kia, gave glimpse of what could be the the future for the car dash and interior with interactive display systems. Graphics and text projected on the windshield/screen, could provide touch control of car functions and easy access to the kind of information you get now form your mobile PC or navigation system.

Cotton Candy