On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

Lenovo launches what it says is the first TV running on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0)-- the IdeaTV K91, a 55" IPS 3D HDTV that's not quite a Google TV.

It carries a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon APQ8060 processor, together with 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, SD card slot, 802.11b/g/n wifi, 10M/100M ethernet, HDMI and USB 2.0 ports.

Few details are available yet, but the K91 will include a number of Lenovo cloud services, including an app store and a video-on-demand service. It also comes with a 5MP webcam (for facial recognition purposes) and voice control options.

The TV makes part of the Lenovo "Personal Cloud" lineup, which includes the integration of tablets and smartphones as well as TVs.

Go Lenovo CES 2012 Announcements

LG joins the Google TV ranks with a CES 2012 announcement saying the company will launch HDTVs using a combination of the Android OS and LG 3D and Smart TV technologies.

The LG Google TV line will run on the company's L9 setup with a custom Google TV UI and Cinema 3D FPR (Film Patterned Retarder) technology. Joining the custom UI is a "QWERTY Magic Remote" combining gesture and voice control. We should have more details following the LG press conference later this week.

The company will still continue making smart TVs using its own NetCast-based system, which should be available in "more than 60%" of LG flat panel TVs in 2012.

In other LG CES announcements, the company introduces the "Cinema Screen Design"-- reducing Cinema 3D display bezels to just 1mm. Cinema 3D TVs will also start offering a Dual Play function, letting 2 players to only see their perspective using polarised glasses on certain games (as seen last year in the Sony Playstation 3D display).

Go LG to Introduce Google TV at CES 2012

Go LG Cinema Screen Design

It has been a long time coming-- Netflix is now available in the UK and Ireland, with a catalog of video-on-demand content for PCs, tablets and mobile devices.

Supported devices include PCs, game consoles, LG internet-enabled Blu-ray players, iOS devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Philips, WD and Roku STBs and Android devices. Content comes from sources such as All3Media, the BBC, CBS, Channel 4's 4oD, Disney UK & Ireland, ITV, Lionsgate UK, MGM, Miramax, Momentum Pictures, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Viacom International Media Networks.

Users can also integrate Netflix accounts with Facebook, making it easier to show off exactly what they're watching.

The service is available now for the price of £5.99/€6.99 monthly. Now one only wonders when the service will be available for the rest of the continent...

Go Netflix Launches in UK, Ireland Today

What's better than flying a helicopter? Maybe controlling a "quadricopter"-- Parrott launches the updated smartphone-controlled AR.Drone 2.0 at CES 2012.

The AR.Drone 2.0 is a flying drone with x4 rotors (explaining the "quadricopter" name). Like the previous model, users control it via wifi-connected smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android) apps.

The sequel has a number of upgrades-- the on-board camera records flights in 720p HD, while users can also control the drone via gyroscopes, tilting the control device to move the drone.

Dual ultrasound sensors increase stability, adding to a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis magnetometer and a pressure sensor.

The control apps include new augmented reality games, as well as video recording and flight data saving/sharing.

Go Parrot AR.Drone