CES 2011: 17 Rumors, Leaks, Expected Gadgets

Here are the latest rumors of CES 2011...

What products will we see at CES 2011? We don't know for sure, but we've rounded up the latest rumors, hearsay, and educated guesses.

Asus's 12-inch Windows 7 Tablet
This one's pretty locked in: Asus's new video says the company will unveil the Eee Slate EP121, a 12-inch table with an Intel i5 processor and Windows 7, at CES 2011. The EP121 is targeted at corporate users and will have HDMI and USB ports, as well as an SD Card slot and HD playback capabilities.

HP PalmPad Tablet
HP will show tablets running its own Palm WebOS operating system, according to Fox News. Fox reportedly got its hands on plans for four models. An 8.9-inch PalmPad aimed at the educational market won't arrive in January, but three slightly larger versions are expected to debut at CES, Fox says. HP inherited WebOS earlier this year when it acquired Palm.

Chrome Netbooks
Acer, HP, and Samsung are expected to start selling netbooks running Google's Chrome OS by mid-2011, but prototypes may make a debut at CES. Chrome, which relies on Internet connectivity and the cloud to store and back up data, has an interface similar to the Chrome Web browser. Chrome can't open Windows applications but has access to word processors, e-mail clients, and other essential apps on the Web.

Windows for ARM
A new version of Windows that supports low-power ARM processors will get a preview at CES, according to the Wall Street Journal. Since ARM chips are found in tablets and other small mobile devices, this will allow Windows to compete directly with Android and Apple's iOS for lightweight mobile computing devices, while opening up the vast library of Windows applications on this platform.

Big-Screen 3DTV without Glasses
Toshiba will show off bigger models of its Regza GLI 3DTVs that don't require 3D glasses, according to Engadget. The 12-inch Regza 12GLI went on sale in Japan recently and a 20-inch unit has been announced, but the rumor mill expects Toshiba to preview a much bigger model--maybe even a 40-incher--at CES.

Polaroid's Instant Camera
Polaroid, which recently returned to the instant photography market it created decades ago, is poised to introduce a sleek new instant-printing digital camera at CES, according to Engadget. The teaser images sent around by Polaroid in promoting its CES 2011 event are dark and murky, but hopefully the output from the newest instant camera will be far better.

Acer Dual-Screen Laptop
Acer's groundbreaking, keyboardless Iconia notebook has two 14-inch touchscreens, but the company has yet to indicate a price or a release date. Both may be revealed at CES, when the public gets a chance to use the Iconia's virtual keyboard, specialized apps, and other innovative features.

Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo is back at CES after 17 years to show off the 3DS, the first portable game console to enable users to view 3D images without 3D glasses. The unit won't go on sale until February 26 in Japan and sometime in March in the United States, but a handful of 3DS game titles have already been announced and many more are expected to be unveiled at CES.

No Sony PlayStation Phone
Sony's highly anticipated Android-based PlayStation phone will arrive too late for CES, according to Pocket-lint. Instead the phone will debut at Mobile World Congress in February, according to the report.

Nikon's Mirrorless Camera
The wraps on Nikon's long-rumored mirrorless interchangeable-lens digital camera may come off at CES, according to numerous sources. Nikon usually saves major announcements for the photo trade show, but the timing seems right for CES this time.

Super-thin Blu-ray Disc Player
Samsung Electronics has developed a Blu-ray Disc player that's just 23 millimeters thick, and plans to unveil it at CES, the company said Tuesday. The slim player supports 3D Blu-ray content and includes a function for converting conventional 2D content into a quasi-3D image, according to the company.

Samsung's iPod Touch Killer
Samsung is expected to announce U.S. ship dates for its Android-based entertainment player during the show. Samsung reportedly has its sights set on the iPod Touch with the Galaxy Player. The Samsung Galaxy Player will be available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB storage sizes.

HTC 4G Phone
A mobile HTC site has been spotted touting a mystery 4G phone under a veil. The site claims that we can find out more about the phone on January 6, which is in the midst of CES's run.

Intel Sandy Bridge at CES
Intel is expected to announce its Sandy Bridge processor at CES, and Internet reports indicate that we'll see a host of new PCs running the processor. One rumor predicts that Dell's high-end Precision T7600 and midrange T3600 and T5600 desktops will be shown at CES and will sport a new Fractal design.

LG's Thinnest Android Phone
The Android sleuths at Phandroid say that LG will show off its LG B--slimmer than the waferlike iPhone 4, which is currently the world's thinnest smart phone at 9.3mm.

Dell Streak 7 Tablet
A promotional video showing the Dell Streak 7 Android tablet has reportedly been leaked to YouTube. According to a report at Seer Press News, the Streak 7 runs Android 2.2 and features a 1.2GHz CPU and a 1280-by-800-pixel, 7-inch screen.

Windows 8 Revealed
Microsoft will be giving a first look at its successor to Windows 7--Windows 8--according to TechSpot. The report speculates that Steve Ballmer's CES keynote will end with a demonstration of Windows 8 running on a number of devices, including tablet PCs.

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