The latest and greatest in gadgets

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held last week in Las Vegas. The show was first held in 1967 and has since become an extremely popular event. The big companies use it to showcase their exciting new products. As always, this year’s show gave a glimpse of what we can expect in the near future.

4G Smartphones

The first 4G smartphones available in Australia are tipped to hit the shelves later this month. They will be twice as fast as 3G phones making them a very attractive new gadget for the growing number of smartphone fans.

Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera

Things have come a long way since “taking a Polaroid” meant getting out your bulky instant camera and ending up with one of those iconic white frames around your photo. The newest release from Polaroid is an Android-powered smart camera. It has 16 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom.

OLED Televisions

It looks like 2012 will see the release of a number of Organic LED (OLED) TVs. These are considered to be much better than the more common LCD TVs. Among other things, the picture quality is better, they have a wider viewing range and they will be much lighter. But you’ll have to start saving your dollars because early predictions suggest that the LG model will cost around $8,000.

The latest in tablet technology

While the iPad is the most well-known tablet device, there were plenty of alternatives on display at CES. And a number of them were much cheaper than the Apple product. An interesting one was the Panasonic ToughPad, which is highly water resistant and perfect for using outdoors. 

Motorised shoes

Tired of walking everywhere? Why not get yourself some motorised shoes? SpnKiX can be strapped onto your shoes and then whizz you off at speeds of up to 16km/h. Although, try not to get too reliant on them because the battery only lasts for 3-5km.