CES 2012: Ten Hot New Gadgets

Fun gadgets like the Xbox, Tetris and home version of Pong all made their debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and this year's batch kicks off in just two more days. More than ever, the emphasis is on digital gadgets like Blu-ray players with USB ports and Skype. Televisions always make up a large part of the show, and Panasonic alone is debuting 18 HDTV models and variations. Microsoft may even be intentionally displaying more prototypes this year because they won't be attending next year's event.

Samsung and Microsoft both will be debuting tablet computers, but, especially for Microsoft, they are not ready for production yet. That's a common theme in January. Furthermore, while some products are being teased and mentioned without details, others have had a full release. A company called Velocity Micro unveiled its new line of Cruz Tablets; the 9.7-inch T510 and the 7-inch T507. The One Laptop per Child campaign will debut their own brand of tablet and it's an eight-inch device for only $100. They aren't for sale individually, however, as they are intended for schools and institutions. Logitech is debuting a handheld wireless device for making presentations. It's the Cube mouse, and it's tiny, has no visible buttons and is capable of scrolling through Web pages by stroking its surface.

Corning is making a sequel to the popular Gorilla Glass, and this one should be stronger and lighter, but hopefully it will be less prone to cracking when dropped. Next is the Magellan RoadMate RV9145, and it's an extra-wide high-res seven-inch GPS device for recreational vehicles. It's designed for low-light conditions, can be viewed in 2D or 3D and has ports for an iPod or even a back-up camera. Nikon's D4 pro style DSLR camera will debut at CES, and it includes a 16 megapixel sensor, 10 frames per second speed and support for next-generation high-speed XQD memory cards.

Finally, AT&T and Verizon will be getting some new 4G phones for their respective LTE networks. A Verizon version of the LG Nitro HD should debut, the LG Revolution 2. AT&T will get the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note smartphone and a tablet and LTE phone from newcomer Pantech.

Tell us in the comments if you plan on following CES closely or if you plan on being there.