Overview CES 2009: Hottest New Technologies

We came, we saw, we drooled. After three grueling days of soaking up the thinnest, fastest and sharpest that tech companies have to offer, we’ve finally had time to mull it over. Here’s a look back (or forward, if you’re looking to buy them) at some of the most promising technologies we saw on the floor at CES.

OLED TVs

Though not new for 2009, OLED televisions continued to steal the show this year with stunning brightness, contrast, pixel clarity, and viewing angle, all packed into panels that are literally paper thin. LG’s OLED display was a particular favorite among the Digital Trends crew, but as expected, Sony and Samsung also made impressive showings. Even Kodak has gotten into the game with OLED picture frames. Unfortunately, this year’s show didn’t bring as many larger sets as many had expected before the show, and Sony’s XEL-1 remains the only OLED television you can go out and buy.

LED TVs

With the buying public clamoring for more energy-efficient products this year, it’s no surprise that nearly every TV manufacturer released some form of LED-backlit television at CES 2009. Not only do LEDs cut down on power consumption significantly compared to traditional cold-cathode tubes, they can also be arranged in grids to light up some parts of the screen more than others, boosting contrast ratios. As yet another benefit, they can be made slimmer, as evidenced by the plethora of one-inch-thick LCDs that debuted this year from various companies.

Wireless Charging

Nobody’s charging laptops from 20 feet away, or powering 60-watt lightbulbs just yet, but wireless electricity, a concept still in its infancy, is starting to get commercial. Companies like Fulton Innovation showed off various gadgets that had been modified to charge wireless on a charging pad, while major smartphone manufacturer Palm announced that its new Pre handset will come prepackaged with a wireless charger.

Connected TVs

As expected, built-in Internet connectivity for TVs made a huge splash this year, with Yahoo managing to position itself at the helm. Yahoo Widgets will be available on TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG, Toshiba and even Vizio in the coming year, allowing users to do everything from watch stocks to check the weather by merely lifting the remote. Unfortunately, major manufacturers have yet to build a full computer or even full browser into a set, but we expect that it will be forthcoming as the hardware to drive it drops in price.

Smartphones

There’s only one that matters here: Palm’s new Pre handset and the WebOS software that powers it. Palm blew naysayers away at its Thursday press conference by debuting perhaps the first mobile operating system that makes the iPhone look… well, pretty weak in comparison. We’re anxious to get hands on with the new model to see whether it’s really the “iPhone killer” that everyone has been looking for, but in the mean time, it’s already caused a major shake-up on the smartphone scene.

Set-Top TV Streamers

Cable TV continues to lose its luster as more and more manufacturers look to the Internet to give viewers a virtually unlimited selection of content from the comfort of their couches. Everything from LG’s new BD390 Blu-ray player to Kodak’s Theatre HD will now deliver YouTube to the big tube, and more complex solutions like Netgear’s EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite will even pull 1080p high-def movies from networked computers and storage devices.

Connected GPS

The features newcomer Dash pioneered with its Internet-connected Express GPS unit are finally trickling into the mainstream. TomTom debuted its new GO 740 at CES, which uses an internal GPRS modem to perform everything from local Google searches to finding the best nearby gas station by price. With all the advantages of a nav unit that can access the Web, we expect the other big players won’t be far behind.

3D TVs

Is the promise of 3D television in the home finally on the brink of becoming reality? Not likely, but that didn’t stop Sony, Panasonic and Samsung, among others, from showing off the possibilities in concept demos. Just don the special glasses and suddenly off-road vehicles are rolling out of the television, soccer balls are flying at your face, and panoramic vistas look real.