I have not ventured to write much about the wide range of different cell phones provided from all the different cell carriers. The tech specs, features, operator customizations and software bundles is so confusing I wouldn't even try to sort out the differences. Heck, the same phone has different names on different carriers!

But it looks like the crew over at SNL took it upon themselves to cover all the tech mumbo-jumbo like 4G-LTE, a 1,000 different HTC handset versions and all the rest. So much noise that is leaving the "non-tech geek" so confused. If this doesn't clear it up for you...I don't know what could help ;-)

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

Panasonic spent a great deal of time talking about their infrastructure and technology projects that span well beyond our focus of consumer products. But there were several key product discussed that are very interesting.

The year of 3D Content
Panasonic highlighted the importance of 3D and the rapid adoption of 3D televisions. While all manufactures are pointing out that people are transitioning to 3D faster than they did High-Def...don't let a good story get in the way...the truth is the manufacturers are more rapidly offering the 3D on a greater percentage of the pricing chain. Especially since they are looking for selling propositions to drive TV sales in a flat segment of the marketplace and in the introduction of some low price competitors namely Vizio.

The other area of import for all the 3D television manufacturers is the lack of content. This is an area that all manufactures are getting out of the shells and trying to partner or drive additional channels of 3D content.

90% of Panasonic's plasma televisions. 40% of their LCDs and 4 out of 6 BluRay players will feature 3D capabilities.

3D was clearly the focus and Panasonic demonstrated their HDC-Z10000 3D camcorder that will retail for over $3,000! But that product is really geared for the up and coming film makers that I am sure you all will become. The exciting first's is that this camcorder is Broadcast quality and has a very short focal range for offering 3D. You can focus on objects only 18 inches in front of the 3D lenses.

Home Theater
Already talked about the importance of 3D for Panasonic but let's look at the televisions...
In 2012, Panasonic will continue to push plasma technology with three product lines; GT, VT and ST. They will have two product lines of LCD televisions; WT and DT. More specific details as we can checkout the booth tomorrow.

The big news in the television line-up is the evolution of Panasonic's internet connected services that includes Skype functionality and some exclusive applications including Flixter, a new interactive children's book series in partnership with Disney and a Miramax movie app. The televisions appear to be gaining enough processing power to finally multitask some of the apps in concern with your TV viewing.

On top of that, the team from the original social network, MySpace announced a social platform on Panasonic televisions called MySpaceTV that allows you to dialog and share content with your friends on and off the television. Imagine chatting with your friends while watching your favorite show or sporting event. Or the ability to track what shows are more popular to your friends.


Tablets
Panasonic is taking their Toughbook rugged notebook strategy and applying it to the tablet marketplace with a Toughbook Android Tablet. It is so tough, they actually dropped it during the demo today and it really looked like it was unplanned.

We'll definitely get more details at the show and will update as more information becomes available.

LG believes the continued success of LTE cellular technology is a key strength of their's with a large library of patents in the space. With those investments they continue to push the envelope of form and function within the Android-based smartphone marketplace.

LG Spectrum
The big news was the LG Spectrum with HD IPS display (same high-end technology used in their premium displays) with 329 pixel per inch and lower power needed than OLED. The smartphone's display is a 16x9 aspect ration to give you true high definition imagery.

Powering the device is a 1.5ghz dual-core processor, 4G LTE and an 8-megabyte camera that can record 1080p video. The phone will launch with Android 2.3 but is upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0).

The phone will launch with Verizon and features exclusive HD access to the ESPN ScoreCenter application. Product will be available on January 19th for $199.99 and a two-year contract.

Enterprise Smartphone?
LG is also focusing on enterprise smartphone solutions based on VMWare virtualization that enables the user to have two Google Android operating systems (one for work and one for personal). The Revolution LTE will be the first to support this functionality.

You can read more about CES and Future product trends at WouldntMind.com.

Lenovo, the Chinese manufacturer that use to create the IBM computer line let us have a hands-on demo of their forthcoming 55-inch IPS 3D LCD television running Google's Android (a first!) Instead of using Google's TV operating system, Lenovo has created a full-blown Android device running Google's Ice Cream Sandwich OS originally designed for tablets and smartphones. The television comes with over 100 applications, an Apps store and cloud services offering a wide range of media consuming options. The TV promises voice controls and a 5 megapixel webcam.

This appears to be a rather robust platform for a television with a full range of potential capabilities. The trick will be how much they can fine-tune and simplify the user experience for a regular TV consumer. The television comes with two remotes for someone to lose under a couch cushion. One features a traditional clicker-style and the other has a touch surface to navigate the tablet-like interface.

The TV is targeting the Chinese-maker but seems to have some unique aspects that could make US consumers jealous!

More on this as details are release.

Parrot is bringing out a new AR.Drone at this year's CES. For those of you unfamiliar with the original, it is a remote controlled helicopter that leverages your iPad, iPhone or Android smart-device to steer. The AR.Drone has a camera and streams the footage to your device to get you a real birds-eye view of the no so mini-copters flight. The unmanned little aerial vehicle also features a series of augmented reality games where simulated graphics interact with the real-world settings to really spice up your flying adventure. And if you bring a friend along, there are games that actually allow for dog-fights between the two drones.


The 2.0 version ups the experience with an all-new 720p video camera which allows you to record the action in high-definition. A new 3D Magnetometer helps makes the Drone self-orient and an overall easier flying experience. Priced at $299 and available in the second quarter.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus launches today on the Verizon's LTE 4G network and is the first phone to feature the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. The new OS brings an all new interface and simplifies the overall experience on an Android phone.

The interface is rich with pictures, interactive widgets and has a more magazine-like feel about it.

The large 4.65 inch vibrant Super AMOLED 720p display is easy to read and the pictures from the 5 mega-pixel low-light camera are quite clear. It also features 1080p video recording capabilities.

Overall, this is the hottest Android smart-phone offering to date and is available for $300 with a 2-year contract on Verizon.


I have also posted a write-up on WouldntMind.com: Great Holiday Gifts for Cool People You Know, WouldntMind.com Holiday Gifts for Good Little Boys and Girls and a WouldntMind.com: 2011 Holiday Video Gear Wish List.

I am always on the lookout for more great gift ideas for friends, family members or your favorite kids. Please feel free to share in the comments below if you have your eyes on something I haven't considered.

For recommendations on what to get and not get this holiday season...and avoid one of these OEM tablets. Check out WouldntMind.com: Don't Buy These for the Holidays - 2011!