Tablets

With the Consumer Electronics Show under way, there have been a number of new technologies that have been demonstrated. Not surprisingly, with the recent success of Apples' iPad, a number of these has focused on the emerging tablet market. As the now out-of-favour netbooks were three years ago with everyone and their brother trying to get a piece of the pie, the tablet is the new wunderkind.

First off was Google, who demonstrated Android 3, aka Honeycomb. They've confirmed the specs for this and all those who have jumped onto the Android tablet wagon will not be getting this operating system on their current tablets. But for those who have the patience to wait for the second wave of Android tablets, it looks like you'll get an experience that is more pleasurable than the current square peg in round hole scenario.

Secondly, Microsoft has confirmed that while hell isn't frozen over, it is getting a bit frosty there. After decades of Windows being only compatible with Intel processors, they've announced that the next version of Windows will work on ARM processors, which currently power almost all smartphones and most tablets. So while this announcement surprised most people, it makes logical sense if Microsoft wants to remain relevant in a post-PC era, which is where we are quickly heading.

Finally, Asus, arguably the founder of the netbook market, has announced a whole slew of tablets, with some models built upon ARM running Android and one model built using Intel running Windows 7.

And what of the company that started the recent tablet craze, Apple? To no one's surprise, they are being Apple and will wait to announce the iPad 2 in their own time.