The following is my annual Product Trends review from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas each year. This show is a melting pot of all the latest and greatest product offerings in the Consumer Electronic space. Tons of televisions, computer, mobile, home appliance and automation gear.

My goal is to scrub this to help figure out what are the new or maturing trends and what products to watch out for over the coming year. So let's look at how this year breaks down...

Ultra HD
The biggest push at CES this year is clearly the television manufacturers efforts to obsolete your current flat-panel television. Did you know it needed to be obsoleted? Probably not. You would probably say your current set looks great! Well, the manufacturers over the past few years have tried to hype up 3D as a reason to replace your current TV but those efforts have failed to generate much excitement. As I've mentioned here before...3D has been too much of a gimmick to me. You have this nice, bright flat-panel plasma or LCD and you put on these sunglasses that dim the overall image to get a 3D effect. And don't get me started on the tricks movie studios have been pulling to post-convert movies into 3D so they can charge more for them even though they were original filmed in traditional 2D!

But this year is a bit of a different story, this year it is all about 4K displays. Televisions four times the pixels of your 1080p Full HD flat-panel. These displays feature a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and have been universally branded "Ultra HD". Unlike 3D, a 4K television is discernibly different...better than your current TV.


Now there is a catch...actually three BIG catches that make this more of an introduction and not really a meaningful launch for a couple years to come.

1) Like any new technology this stuff is much more expensive than the current offerings.

2) The distribution mechanisms (disks, download, etc.) to deliver these very large, high-resolution files is not really there. You won't be "on-demand" at this resolution for quite a while.

3) There will be very limited amount of content produced at that much higher resolution. Sony was showing movies originally filmed in 4K but then downgraded to 1080p to feel "almost 4K" resolution to fit on a Blu-Ray disk or a bundled package with a 65-inch display, tablet and dedicated server to hold these big movie files for $20,000+. Just expect the library of available content to be slim for quite some time following the launch of these Ultra HD televisions over the next year or so.

But I like where this is going. Not only is this image crisper and clearer, it also scales to support larger display sizes (65+ inches) while still keeping the content looking great. Also at these higher resolutions that 3D offering gets closer to being worthwhile. One big issue with 3D is that the current 1080p displays support 3D actual end up reducing the clarity of the image to support two frames at the same time to create the 3D effect. But at this higher resolution that reduction in clarity doesn't feel so noticeable. That might be different once we are use to a 4K pictures but for now is looked really nice.

One last thing before I get into the specifics of what everyone was offering at the show. There is some new display technology on the horizon called OLED. I talked a bit about it last year but this year everyone was talking about it. Currently LCD is the popular high-definition display technology out there and it is getting better each year (brighter, less glare, deeper blacks, off-angle viewing, etc.). This new OLED technology is lighter, more flexible and easier to produce in large sizes. But the big advantage is that they don't require a special layer of glass  like LCD's do which absorb some of the light...meaning OLED can be very bright, more vibrant and consume less power. It is still a new technology as you will see below but it is a pretty exciting development of the past couple years.

More on this in a bit...let's talk about what the big TV manufacturers specifically showcased -

Panasonic had a slew of new LCD and Plasma offerings but their showcase piece was their 56-inch Ultra HD OLED TV which in my opinion had the best image quality of these 4K displays at the show. The television weighed around 27 pounds and was less than half an inch thick. This was a prototype and the Panasonic CEO was clear to point out that the cost of this tech is prohibitive but they are focused on how to bring the prices down. I really loved the combination of the OLED technology at this Ultra HD resolution. Very nice!

As I mentioned earlier, I've not been a fan of the 3D offerings to date but I was impressed by LG's 84-inch Ultra HD LCD that was the largest 4K display to support 3D. With 8 million pixels to support the 3D (two frames at the same time issue) and its shear size...you really get an immersive 3D effect. And you can take one home later this year for only $20,000! At what point are they going to offering automobile-type financing for these things? ;-) With regards to their OLED offering and to give you a sense of pricing for their larger OLED televisions, the first generation shipping this year is a 55-inch (4mm thick) TV offering1080p resolution at a price around $12,000!

LG also demonstrated a 55-inch'ish slightly curved OLED to provide in theory better, more intimate viewing angles. This was just a prototype, I can just imagine this thing on my wall and me hitting the edge that sticks out of the wall every time I walk by but it was kinda cool to see.

Samsung was also loaded with similar Ultra HD goodness. They showcased the most extreme 110-inch LCD also supporting the 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. But this product is a beast. Huge stand and quite thick profile to support the glass and lighting to present this resolution at that scale. Samsung also had a 55-inch OLED that they showed last year and looks to ship this year probably similarly priced to the LG.

Sony demonstrated their Ultra HD solutions including 55" and 65" LCD versions as well as a 56" prototype OLED which made it the largest OLED Ultra HD at the show...by one inch! While the image quality was stunning I was not impressed by the integrated side mounted, non-removable speakers. Yes they were pretty but don't tell me you are going to buy a $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000+ TV and use the integrated speakers!? And like other manufacturers, Sony had an OLED Ultra HD product...it was a prototype with no pricing...matter of fact it actually didn't even work at the press conference (PC driving it died) but the units in the booth seem to work fine.

Obviously this Ultra HD tech is early in its life cycle and will come down in price over the next couple years. Definitely a technology to watch but not to prevent you from buying a contemporary LCD from Samsung or plasma from Panasonic in the near-term. I probably am due for a new TV write-up soon.

While talking about TV's...the thing everyone is waiting and watching for is the long-rumored Apple iTelevision. Apple does not participate at CES and nothing has been announced but it does make sense that a "giant iPad/app-enabled" TV leveraging the 100's of thousands of iOS apps has to be in the works inside the land of Apple R&D.

These app-enabled TVs (SMART TV's) will become more and more of a thing over the next few years. Research today shows that people are limiting their app use to mostly streaming services like Netflix but as the TV manufacturers wizen up a bit and put the same level of computational power in their tablets into the TVs and evolve the user interfaces beyond basic TV remotes...people will get more and more comfortable with the improved services available. This trend is coming...we were definitely hearing more and more mention of multi-core processor power televisions...Samsung was even offering an upgrade for some of last year's TVs to an even more powerful processing unit you can add to the back of the older sets!

Mobile, Sharing and Personalized
Now that your data (books, photos, music, videos) is digital the next thing is being able to do stuff with your data. Many manufacturers were talking about wireless transfer solutions to move digital information quickly between devices. LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, etc. All offered solutions. Some are talking about standardizing that hopefully will come to fruition over the coming year or two. Sony's new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z was great at demonstrating all the different Sony accessories you just tap to seamlessly interface with.

Mobile things are getting bigger. I really see this as a viable trend. With everyone in the family having personalize, unique content to consume...people will not necessarily all want to sit in front of one communal display when you can stream your own stuff to your own display. At the same time small phones, even tablets can potentially be too small to watch a movie on all the time. So here comes a trend of "bigger". Samsung and their Galaxy Note II (ie: huge smartphone), several manufacturers started showing/talking about larger tablets ranging upwards of 20 to 27-inches! Bigger portable displays to consume content while still small enough to move from room to room could be a hot new category.

Lenovo's Horizon is a great example of this "bigger" trend, a 27-inch tablet running Windows 8. Lenovo says they are targeting home use, families and schools. They see this size as ideal for 2 or 3 people to work together or experience custom games made for the larger screen real estate. EA and Ubisoft (two large game publishers) are already working on a couple games for this solution. Priced at $1,700 is a bit of an issue and a battery life when "unplugged" of only 3 hours limits its applications but  I can see how this type of solution will mature over the coming years as the power, price and weight issues get further addressed.

This year your access to content will continue to be more personalized with unique user logins and customization features. Tap your phone to a speaker and they are linked. Tap a picture on your tablet to the printer and it prints. Tap smart devices with a friend and transfer a movie clip. TVs that show a range of apps and video content based on who is viewing. Smart refrigerators...even the main console display in a new Chevy's can drag and drop apps to be configured to your personal preferences. Ford even introduced a developer program to enable 3rd parties to make apps for your car!

Speaking of mobile and taking everything with you, what about Kingston's 1 tera-byte USB drive! No price yet but a 512 giga-byte version sells for around $1,700.



Photography
In the realm of camera products at the show, I was definitely disappointed. 2012 was a spectacular year with tons of innovation, meaningful updates and new form-factors. But CES didn't offer much new stuff worth mentioning. Probably the only exception was the Fuji X100s which upgrades the retro-styled popular camera from last year to a 16.3 mega-pixel APS-C offering. The new camera also has an updated lens, faster processor and new solution that allows for even quicker focusing (something the original already did well). Expect this camera to come to market for around $1,300 in March. You can preorder the X100s at Amazon.

Sony is really on the cutting-edge of leveraging a Full-Frame (35mm equivalent) sensory is a whole range of products to provide a premium image quality over their peers. They had a compact Full-Frame called the Sony DSC-RX1 as well as a high-end camcorder that supported the Full-Frame sensor. The RX1 was probably the most agressive example of leveraging the large sensor versus a competitive set that typically holds the full-frame for their higher-end Digital SLR products. But this compact camera does come with a DSLR-price tag of $2,800!

Yes, there was an updated Nikon D5200, some new point-n-shoots from all the manufacturers, etc. I will do a more robust photography right up after the dust settles with some more real-world, hands-on details.

Gaming
I'm still looking for a "real" analog control solution for my iPhone and iPad. Apple has some "crazy" restrictions on what a peripheral can do with an App that limits the use of a real joystick controls across games on the iOS platform. I wish that restriction would go away because we could evolve games on these devices to have more advanced, serious gaming options. Even on Android there is no quality solution that is universal and easy to adopt.

So Nvidia (the maker of one of the more powerful tablet computing chips) has leveraged their next-generation CPU into a dedicated Android mobile gaming platform...Project Shield. I'm holding judgement but I am putting this on the freaky side for the time being. To fully take advantage of the product as presented at CES, you need a PC computer with a contemporary Nvidia graphics card in it. You then connect to your PC via wi-fi to stream the gameplay. Odd...huh? If I was them I would just focus on making their interfaces well understood for getting an Android game running well on their CPU and controller hardware. But they have their own plan. This is still just a prototype so we will have to wait and see where this goes.

So in conclusion...
1) Phones, tablets and TVs will grow in size, resolution and powered with more capable CPUs to make information and content more viewable/accessible.

2) Now that all your content (pictures, books, music and videos) is digital...it will become more and more important to make it easier to share and distribute these assets. This is a call to action for the manufacturers to ensure they are putting enough focus on the software and standards for connecting, pairing and sharing information.

3) The user interface needs to be evolved to make sure access to content is contextual and specific to the user(s) needs and preferences.

Yes there is a ton of other product categories but I really didn't see much "new and novel" to justify overly discussing these here in my trends section. I will be doing a couple odds and ends pieces to cover some of them in the coming week or so. This includes health and fitness, audio, photography, video, wireless storage and the like.

Wishing you a happy, prosperous and full of cool products 2013!

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

Every year there are product offers that seem too good to be true and as the adage goes...probably are. There are also gleaming new products entering the marketplace that from your first impression...these are awesome! But once you get it home you find out that the dream doesn't live up to reality.

My job around this time of year is to make sure you don't get caught up in the hype or end up getting something that will soon be obsoleted. Or at least you are informed enough to make the best decision for yourself.

So what don't you get over these Black Friday and holiday sales?
I would avoid gaming consoles EXCEPT for the Nintendo Wii U and perhaps the Nintendo 3DS (or 3DS XL). The Xbox 360 is at its end of life and is due for an update that should appear next year. The PlayStation 3 is pretty much in the same position. The Playstation Vita is just plain bad with a rather weak game library.

In the cameras I would avoid category, I was really excited about the prospect of a Canon mirrorless camera (Digital SLR cameras have a mirror so you can peek through a viewfinder and see what the camera's chip will see but this means they have to be pretty large) that takes advantage of the entire Canon library of lens. The Canon EOS-M had tons of promise...that at the end of the day just didn't deliver. It is a nice enough camera but it is missing a few physical dials to make sure functions easier to access and a rather slow focus...just ends up disappointing.

In a similar vein, I am not blown away by Nikon's offer in this category either. The Nikon 1 is a mirrorless camera but also exhibits slow focus speeds as well.

On the computer front, I would avoid the new Microsoft Surface tablet. Sure it looks cools with an all-new interface but try to use it! Unlike the Apple iPads, you have to micro-manage your memory on the Surface. If you have a few apps open...it starts to slow down and not run smoothly. I even had apps that wouldn't load! And don't be fooled, this is not a real computer running Windows 8. It is a version called RT that requires you to purchase new apps. For more information on why to avoid the Surface, check out my more in-depth Don't Buy a Microsoft Surface...not ready for prime-time piece.
Another Windows 8 device I was looking forward to but it ultimately let me down was the Lenovo Yoga 13. Okay, let me say that if you are looking for strictly a sleek Windows 8 ultrabook...then the Yoga might actually be a great choice. But as a tablet...it just doesn't deliver. Too bulky and cumbersome.

Televisions and digital cameras tend to see major updates in the early months of next year causing this years models to go on sale. It is then up to you to decide if the new version warrants the extra money or if you can save a good chunk on last years model. Even clothing and jewelry will see major discounts after the holidays as well!


And now you might be asking what do I get? Well be sure to check out my "2012 Holiday Gifts for your Cool Kids of All Ages" article.

And did I miss anything? Something else that should have been on this list of what to avoid? Add it in the comments below!

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

When I stop and look back over the past several days, this has been an awesome week for slick new product announcements...it feels like Christmas is already here! Did everyone try to get their product introductions in time for my birthday to make it hard for me to choose? ;-)

The Kindle is on Fire!
Amazon has announced an update to their color tablet offering called the Kindle Fire HD. This new version is available in both Wi-Fi and 4G LTE configurations. And while Amazon plans to go head-to-head with the Apple offerings, their primary strategy on the original Fire was to compete on price but these new tablets also appear to be focused on technology, loads of content and advanced features. Comparisons between this new Fire HD and the iPad will constantly pop up and rightfully so. When you look at who can provide the full value proposition (content, distribution and platform)...it really lands on Apple's and Amazon's capabilities to deliver the broadest range of services.

From a hardware perspective, the first thing you will notice is the new HD tablet is smaller and lighter than an iPad with its smaller 8.9" display running at a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels or 254 pixels per inch. This display is an inch smaller than the Apple offering but essentially has the same pixel density for clearly rendered graphics and text. The Fire HD also has a very impressive array of processing and communications hardware to keep you on the leading-edge of tablet computing. At its heart, it is still an Android tablet but with Amazon's dedicated wrapper, app and content e-store.

But at the end of the day, Amazon still plans to compete on price. We are talking about a 16 gigabyte Wi-Fi version ($299) which is $200 cheaper than a similarly configured iPad 3. But the killer surprise is the $50 annual wireless carrier pricing on their fully-loaded Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE ($499 for the 32 giga-byte) edition.

There is some new content/application support announced by several development organizations but the superior content library of apps is still on Apple's iTune.

Paperwhite Kindle
Amazon also announced this week the introduction of the most advanced e-reader in the marketplace. This new Paperwhite Kindle offers an entirely new high-resolution, bright white display that is also backlit for reading in darker environments.

For those simply looking for a lightweight e-reader for consuming your book and publication reading...this is a wonderful advancement and well worth a look. There is a Wi-Fi version available for as little at $119 and a no-cost 3G cellular version that starts at $179.

Note: There are two versions of each...the lower priced edition has "Special Offers" promotional advertising on it and for an additional $20 you can get rid of the on-screen ads.

Sony's New CyberShot DSC-RX1
I have regularly extolled the merits of larger camera sensors, especially full-frame sensors (an imaging chip the same size as the old 35mm film) and how most cameras except for the professional Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras tend to have much smaller sensors. The camera marketing and product folks have regularly confused the consumer by announcing large 10+ mega-pixel statements about their cameras but fail to discuss how small each of those pixels really are and thus resulting in lower quality imagery. Don't get me wrong, a decent number of megapixels is important but the size of the sensor can really dictate the quality of the capture.

The big issue challenging the camera industry is that phones are able to take a "good enough" picture on most occasions. And thus it is proving hard to justify the need to purchase or carry another camera. Truth be told, I have been seeing more and more people toting around DSLR cameras as those at least offer a major step up from the camera in their phone. But the camera manufacturers are finally catching on. In the past they have held the full-frame sensor for their top-of-the-line cameras costing $1,000's of dollar. But we are starting to see those old-school walls begin to crack and the all-mighty full-frame and its slightly smaller cousin the APS-C sensor showing up in smaller and more convenient packaging.

The latest is Sony's "big" announcement of the DSC-RX1. The camera features a 24 mega-pixel full-frame sensor, a fixed 35mm F2 (equals very fast and bright) lens and a extremely fast focusing mechanism. Quite simply, this is the smallest full-frame camera that fits in the palm of your hand and not surprising...with all that tech in a small size...comes a very big price :-) This small, professional camera is clocking in at a suggested retail of $2,800!

Sony Alpha NEX-6
Okay, that last Sony threw you for a loop with sticker shock. Yeah, I can totally understand that. So let's look at another product Sony announced this week as the latest addition to their NEX small interchangeable lens cameras. The NEX-6 is a 16 mega-pixel (APS-C sensor) camera that features built-in Wi-Fi, in-camera apps and a 3-inch, ultra-bright OLED back-panel display.

While not pocketable, these cameras offer a good-sized APS-C sensor (next size down from a full-frame but still produces excellent image quality) and interchangeable lens in a much more compact package than a full DSLR. And this NEX-6 fits near the top of the product line with includes the NEX-F3, 5N and 7 with a price just shy of $1,000 with an included 16-50mm zoom lens.

Nikon D600
While still in the realm of cameras, Nikon announced its smallest DSLR that includes a full-frame sensor clearly targeting someone interested in high-quality pictures but not approaching professional or even semi-professional status. The D600 features a 24 mega-pixel resolution, 39-point auto-focusing system and the ability to record 1080p high-definition video at up to 30 frames a second.

This latest Nikon is an impressive camera and has the benefit of leveraging the substantial library of quality lens available for Nikon full-frame and APS-C systems. Expect to pay around $2,700 for the camera body and the 24-85mm zoom lens.

Apple iPhone 5 and new iPods
What would a week of cool new product introductions be without some nice new Apple gear to round things out? What about a bigger, badder and thinner iPhone? How does that sound? Well we are getting all that with the new iPhone 5. A 4-inch Retina display with 326 pixels per inch that provides 18% more pixels while maintaining the same width as the iPhone 4s to make it still easy to hold.

The new iPhone is 18% thinner (7.6mm) and 20% lighter (112 grams) than the 4s. And the new iPhone is fast. It's new A6 CPU is twice as fast as the A5 which helps with launching apps, loading larger file attachments and even surfing the web. Even your network is faster...leveraging the latest 4G LTE cellular networks.

RANT WARNING: There has been a lot of "noise" out there in the media that the iPhone 5 was not an "innovation" and they start talking about how the Samsung Galaxy S3 is more innovative. I do agree that the iPhone has similar styling to the 4 and 4s and the S3 is an all-new slick design. But that is about where the "innovation" of the S3 stops. I know Samsung/Android fans will mention how the Near-Field Communications (NFC) aka: tapping to share capability is cool but it has very little support in the universe and I can understand why Apple didn't jump to support it...yet. Seriously, I use both Android and Apple devices and the focus should be on "great design" and this is where Apple has everyone beat. The eco-system of iTunes, AppStore, AirPlay, iCloud and iOS 6...let alone the introduction of the thinnest smartphone in the world is light-years ahead of any competitor. And it is evolving at an amazing pace with the largest active development and consumer marketplace for digital assets.

The biggest "gotcha" in the new iPhone is it's new Lightning connector that replaces the traditional iPod plug we have used for years. Apple needed to make this move to allow the iPhone to get thinner. Apple is offering adapters to allow you to still use most of your current peripherals.


Apple also updated their iPod line-up in time for the holidays. We have a colorful array including a new iPod Touch that takes advantage of the iPhone 5's 4-inch Retina display and iOS6 updates. Apple is sticking with the A5 processor. We also have a completely redesigned Nano that is roughly the same size as a credit card and just 5.4mm thick. It features a 2.5-inch multi-touch display and is available in seven different colors. The new Nano gains Bluetooth 4.0 as well as new EarPods which is Apple new earbuds that they claim rivals high-end headphones as a pack-in.

Nintendo Wii U
I've covered the introduction of the Wii U earlier this year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Well, Nintendo has come forth this week with launch details including pricing, configurations and game details.

The Wii U is a unique product that comes with the traditional console you hook up to your TV. You get a "second-screen" tablet-like controller (GamePad) and can use the original Wii's controllers. It is available in two models. A Black (Deluxe = $350) configuration with 32 gigabytes of storage, the GamePad and a copy of the NintendoLand videogame which is a set of 12 mini-games. The White (Standard - $300) version includes 8 gigabytes of storage, the GamePad but no game and no stands/cradles for the devices.

A novel capability is Nintendo TVii allowing you to find watch TV content on your GamePad. You can search across Wii U Video Entertainment (Netflix, YouTube and Hulu), TV channels and your own TiVo DVR. Now the storage on these devices does seem a bit anemic but Nintendo announced you can "add your own USB hard drive"! This is a positive direction and hopefully other console providers will follow suit.

Nintendo announced 50 titles at launch but here is where things get a bit off track. Yes, there is a slim few Nintendo first-party titles but Mario Bros. U looks promising, NintendoLand is pretty cool and Luigi's Mansion 2 was a welcome late announcement. Lego City should be a hit for the console also. But most of the other titles are already released on Xbox 360 or PS3. I am sure there is a large community of players that only had a Wii and this new platform seems to open up a world of opportunity (more action titles) for them but those of you with the latest Microsoft or Sony platform might not need to rush out and get this console...not just yet.

The Nintendo Wii U will launch on November 18th, 2012. The Black version preorders seems to be sold out from most of the online stores at this time. You'll have too keep an eye out if you want to pick one up.

Conclusion
Pretty exciting week...huh? I am jazzed. I already ordered my iPhone 5, didn't pull the trigger on the Wii U but will probably pick one up at some point and I really think the Paperwhite Kindle is pretty sweet. I didn't mention the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 because it was announce two weeks ago but I do think that it is a slick piece of hardware and bordered on warranting a mention :-)

This is the hot season for new camera introductions to be entering the market and 2012 is shaping up to be one of the hottest years in camera technologies in quite some time. The fact is that camera makers are having a bit of a hard time. There is no question that more and more people are taking pictures with their smart-phones and some of the latest camera phones take some impressive pictures, especially in well lit environments.

Just check out some unretouched pictures from Apple's latest iPhone 4s!




So the camera manufacturers are creating additional value propositions as consumers move up the scale beyond standard point-n-shot cameras. And I recently wrote a note about Nikon's big 2012 line-up and I see the same level of intensity coming from other manufacturers...especially Canon and Panasonic.

Let's look at some of the hotness recently released from Canon...

Canon PowerShot S100
Canon started out late last year with the introduction of the successor to the popular S90/S95 compact performance cameras. This camera features a high-end array of features including an all-new 12.1 megapixel image sensor, bright F2.0 lens and powerful new image processing technology that is a substantial upgrade from their previous models. You've heard me rave about the S95 and this S100 (I have both)...and I have to say that the latest S100 is a great camera, it is a marvel of small size and very good image quality especially when taking nice, bright pictures in the shorter zoom range (1x-3x). This lens lets in a lot of light for a camera so small and allows you to take many indoor photos even without a flash. The addition of a slightly wider-angle (24mm) is a nice boon but increasing the zoom to 5x did introduce some compromises on the the brightness on the latter end of the telephoto range. I wouldn't use this new level of zoom unless you are outdoors on a nice sunny day or well illuminated environment.

Another popular use for this camera at our household is as our "go to" video recorder. And the new S100 adds the ability to quietly zoom while recordings which is a very nice addition. We find that 80-90 percent of our family video shoots, we use this camera over pulling out a full camcorder. The S100 introduced full 1080p video resolution versus our old S95 at 720p.

Sadly, the battery life has gone backwards on the S100 from the S95 which is a bit of a shame. But I still highly recommend this camera, it really satisfies the "you can only take a picture, if you have a camera" and the S100's size is truly pocketable. The images can frequently be confused for pictures from my higher-end digital SLR cameras. This is something I carry around with me all the time. And most of the pictures I share with friends and family come from this camera.

If you have the S95, it is really not enough of an upgrade to justify the move. The update includes a longer 5x zoom starting with a respectably wide 24mm and going all the way up to 120mm, GPS and 1080p video capture with zoom. If you don't have a quality, easy to use and pocketable camera...this is the one for you.

Canon PowerShot G1X
In an effort to fill the void between "point and shoot" and "digital SLR" cameras, Canon is taking the approach of a compact, all-in-one design (camera body and integrated lens) where you get an all-new 1.5 inch 14 megapixel image sensor that is substantially larger than your traditional compact cameras (approaching Digital SLR size) and an integrated 28mm wide angle / 4x zoom lens allows this camera to be a good compliment to someone looking for a second camera to support their larger DSLR camera.

Sample from Canon G1X

I've played with this camera a far bit and have mixed feelings about this new, first-generation offering. Canon is taking a different tack versus their competitors that are offering small, professional-styled compacts with interchangeable lens. Canon integrated the lens and while this adds a lot of convenience in a compact form factor, I also believe this is giving the camera some serious weaknesses. The first thing you will notice is that focusing is not as fast and crisp as some of the competitor offerings. Where this camera shines though is in its large sensor that captures light more cleanly thus affording some very impressive low-light pictures and bright, clean pictures overall. See sample to the right.

I'd say this camera feels a bit first generation and has huge potential to improve over the years. For now I would lean toward the Canon S100 which is MUCH more pocketable if you want a small, secondary camera that offers a decent amount of control. Or if you looking for more of a step up than the S100 offers, I would recommend the Canon G12.

Canon 5D Mark III
Now we are really leaping into the upper regions of the Canon camera universe with the newly introduced 5D Mark III. This is a semi or professional digital SLR (DSLR) camera that offers an impressive 22 megapixel full-frame sensor. This is a very large sensor, most sensors in the consumer DSLR realm are "cropped" and only have a fraction of the size of a full-frame (same image sensor real estate equivalent to a 35mm film photograph).

Though it looks quite similar to the Canon 5D Mark II (note: this is my current "go-to" camera), the 5DM3 is an all-new design on the inside and really leverages some innovations in the Canon crop sensor space from the hugely successful Canon 7D. But this new camera one ups almost ever aspect of the previous Canons before it. The new 5DM3 leverages the 61 point Auto-Focus system from the top-end Canon 1DX and offers a huge ISO range of 100-25,600 to allow for some impressive low-light and high-speed photography.


At the core is a new Canon Digic 5+ processor which adds much needed horsepower to a camera handling large images. You will also find support for UDMA 7 Compact Flash cards as well as dual memory card slots accommodating Compact Flash and SDXC cards.

It is really hard to compare the 5DM3 versus the 5DM2. While they look almost identical except for a few tweaks here and there. The insides are completely different and really have evolved based on the needs and feedback of professionals to provide a fast and adaptable camera. The old 5DM2 was focused on megapixels and image clarity that proved a great landscape camera but the older camera was a bit slow on its focus. This new camera is notably more accurate and faster.

While I will go into a more in-depth review in the near future, suffice it to say, I am impressed with this new camera and it is right in my wheelhouse of features and capabilities. But I am a bit torn between the Canon and its direct competitor...the new Nikon D800. I do tend to prefer the color gamut of the Canon over the Nikon's almost surgical imagery.

My personal camera shopping dilema...

Typically I like to "make a recommendation" on this blog. I tend to point out my personal preferences and point out why I feel that way. But on this last category of product, I just haven't pulled the trigger on either yet as I need to spend a bit more time with both the Canon 5DM3 and the Nikon D800 before deciding.

Regarding price, the Canon 5DM3 and all it's horsepower comes at a price...$3,499 for just the body vs the original 5DM2s $2,699! There is no question, the 5DM3 is a much needed upgrade. I would love the improved speed, some notable improvements in some photographic technicals like how it handles color-fringe correction, metering and it's advanced focus system. And if you are vested in Canon lens...this is a great update and highly recommended. But I have both Canon and Nikon gear and from a pricing standpoint, the Nikon D800 is priced at $2,999 for the body and comes with an impressive 36 megapixel sensory plus all the other updates mentioned in my previous Nikon 2012 write-up. And my 5DM2 is still a solid performer. Hmmmm????

If you have some questions or thoughts about this, please comment.

More to come...

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

Okay, "Don't buy" might be a bit strong but one topic of discussion I seem to have with friends and family throughout the holiday season is "what not to buy". As you already know, technology evolves at an amazing pace and it can be tough keeping track of what to BUY and what to WAIT for. When I say WAIT, I am anticipating a new version of these products coming out shortly after the holidays that makes it potentially worth waiting for the latest incarnation with some meaningful new features. Nearly all of these products I have endorsed throughout the year but a newer iteration is probably in the wings. So here's a list of what I would suggest holding off or still feel save in purchasing...