Weekly high-tech hot topics in the blogs: CES, Nexus One, Microsoft tablet

Hot topics in the tech blogs for the week of January 8: the public release of Google's Nexus One, new technology at the Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft's unveiling of the Windows 7 tablet, CES product releases and rumors surrounding the release of Apple's tablet.

Google Nexus One Phone
Technology bloggers have sensed Google-branded super slim Nexus One mobile phone coming since it landed in Google employees' sticky paws. While the device may not have turned out to be everything bloggers dreamed of, Engadget's Joshua Topolsky commented correctly in his Nexus One review when he said, it certainly managed to generate "legitimate excitement" in the tech blogs. Bloggers have spent the week cradling the device in their hands, providing hands-on reviews, musing over how other players in the Android-powered smartphone market will fare in light of Google releasing a proprietary phone and comparing and calculating the total costs of owning the device.

Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Bloggers who were not too busy drooling over the Nexus One could all be found making the rounds at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This week the blogs have been filled with product announcements, rumous and high expectations for this year's event with technology journalists' hopeful eyes posed on the sectors of 3D technology, ultra-flat screen TVs, tablets, new laptop designs, smartphones, in-car technology and all kinds of weird and wonderful gadgets.

Microsoft Windows 7 tablet
While it was not the announcement bloggers were hoping for (they wanted to get a detailed look at Microsoft's Courier booklet - a double-touchscreened, book-like tablet that bloggers have been drooling over since laying their eyes on leaked videos of the device) it was enough to strike worry into the articles of Mac fanboy bloggers. Articles such as Ashlee Vance's of The New York Times  - "Microsoft and HP to reveal slate PC ahead of Apple" - and the iPhone blog's "Microsoft's Ballmer to try and pre-empt Apple, introduce HP tablet tonight?" were commented on in the blogs before the official announcement was made. As Gizmodo's Wilson Rothman commented, "it's not exactly the Courier we have lusted after from Microsoft in our dreams."

CES new product announcements
Major product announcements revealed at the CES deserve their own category this week with so many gadgets and gizmos being released that many bloggers have had trouble keeping up with the flow of constant news. Product releases that have made headlines in the blogs this week include Palm's release of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smartphones, Plastic Logic's QUE e-reader, the Skiff bendable large-format e-reader, touch sensitive netbooks from HP, Lenovo ASUS and Bang & Olufsen's luxury designer laptop and a host of 3D technologies ranging from consumer-ready flatscreen TVs to demonstration models that are big enough to cover entire walls.

Apple tablet rumors
An article published in the Wall Street Journal provided bloggers with another wave of Apple tablet rumors. The article also inspired Mac Observer's John Martellaro's "How Apple does controlled leaks" article, detailing how the company is able to share vital information with bloggers without breaking its strict "no comment" policies. This week bloggers seem more adamant than ever that Apple will announce a touchscreen tablet at the company's January 27 press event and are not shy to share their thoughts and theories with their readers. Apple also shared images and information about a January 7 Apple patent application detailing "New Touch Screen Technology for iPhone & MacBook Tablet."

Technorati's list of Top 5 movers in the Top Technology blogs recorded on January 18:
1. Direct2Dell - http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell
2. WSJ.com: Tech Trader Daily - http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/
3. Shrinkage Is Good - http://www.billshrink.com/blog
4. Fone Arena - The Mobile Blog - http://www.fonearena.com/blog
5. The Nokia Blog - http://thenokiablog.com