A hive of activity
As we've already noted, this is an especially convergent CES, with the main reason being tablets. Not only is that form-factor half-way between a phone and a PC, but the entire ecosystem around them is coveted by companies associated with PCs and phones alike. It's no coincidence that they've been pioneered by the one company to have excelled at both.
Right now they're more phones on steroids than mini PCs, running as they do mobile OSs and mobile chips, but Intel and AMD aren't about to just sit by and let tablets happen without them, while Microsoft still seems to think its PC OS is better suited to tablets than its mobile one.
But the OS that will host the main battle for non-Apple tablet supremacy is a mobile one - Android 3.0, otherwise known as Honeycomb. Speaking to IDG, Intel has confirmed that it expects Honeycomb to be ready for use with its Atom chips. While we've yet to hear such a confirmation from AMD, we'd be amazed if it didn't issue one soon, given its enthusiasm for tablets with its new Fusion chips.
So we'll have every smartphone OEM, every PC OEM, every chip company and every mobile operator all looking to be involved with Honeycomb tablets, while the app and gaming potential of such devices looks pretty limit-less.
Right on cue, T-Mobile USA has published a bunch more Honeycomb teaser vids to YouTube to promote the new LG tablet - the G Slate - which we hadn't even seen a press release for prior to writing this story, but which was apparently launched at CES yesterday. Here they are.
