Too many ebook readers and other CES thoughts

Hello readers! I guess I'll do the obligatory "first post" intro. So, it's with great pleasure that I now communicate to you on this blog. As Matt previously mentioned we started writing together in 2001 and I've had the pleasure of reading him all over the internet since that time. Now we're back together and in a "good cop and bad cop" sort of way, we'll bring you what's hot in the world of mobile gadgets.

Of course, this week is the best week for any mobile gadget lover being that it's CES! Unfortunately, I couldn't make it but there are plenty of ZDNet people walking the show floor, including Matt, and ZDNet has created a great page that features a nice stream of all of the content.

I've been pretty impressed with the news streaming out of CES so far. As usual, though, there's an overabundance of gadgets saturating specific categories. For example, do we really need all of these ebook reader choices? I personally have a Kindle 2 and a nook, and haven't even decided if either of those is really delivering the experience that I require, not to mention that I'm also using the iPhone companion for both of them. Now we have the QUE proReader, the Spring Design Alex, the Skiff, and a whole lot more. And if you don't want to go the route of an actual hardware device, there's the Blio. One thing is for sure, there are going to be plenty of choices. For me though, I struggle with what the future of the ebook reader really is. Sure we all want to do away with paper, but I think we need to take a step back from what we know (books, magazines, etc..) and think about how technology today can deliver the written word. Then we'll finally see the true must-have ebook reader, or whatever it's called at that point.

Another favorite topic of mine is wireless charging. The folks at PowerMat are continuing to innovate and now have replacement batteries that work with most of the popular devices out there, so your jump to wireless charging won't require a bulky case or add-on in the future. That said, the iPhone still sports a non-replaceable battery, so you'll need to have an awkward case around it if you want to enjoy wireless charging. Perhaps the next iPhone will offer a wireless charging experience similar to the Palm Pre Touchstone?

There's a whole lot more coming from CES so stay tuned to our blog for highlights and a nice wrap-up when the show completes. For now I'll leave you with one of the more compelling, futuristic products I've seen: a laptop with a clear OLED screen. I'm not sure I'd buy one but it definitely looks like something I'd see in the movies and not on my desk. It's still a prototype but in the meantime, if you want a mobile phone that you can see thru today, that's not quite as impressive as the laptop above, Sony Ericsson is delivering the future now with its XPERIA X5 Pureness.

Have you seen any cool devices coming out of CES that are going on your soon-to-purchase list? If so, share below.