The next Consumer Electronics Show is coming in early January, and a number of new Android OS smartphones are expected to be unveiled at this gigantic trade show, and maybe a new version of the iPhone, too.
Verizon is apparently going to be the star of the show, as it has promised to announce its first 4G smart phones on the first day of the show. This company's LTE service, which debuted earlier this month, offers significantly faster data transfers than its 3G service, but is currently available only for laptops.
The device most likely on the docket is the Motorola Olympus, a cutting-edge device that unconfirmed reports say is going to run Google's Android OS on a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and be built around a 4.1-inch display.
Whatever Verizon's first 4G model turns out to be, it won't be produced by HTC, as this company's CES announced recently that HTC isn't going to have an LTE-based device on the market until the middle of next year.
A long-shot for an appearance at CES 2011 is Verizon's version of the Apple iPhone 4. There have been persistent, albeit unconfirmed, reports that this device is in development and headed for release early next year, but whether the big event will be at this tradeshow is an open question.
Verizon likes to use CES to show off products, while Apple prefers to host its own events. At this point, there's no way to know which company will get its way.
In any case, numerous reports from industry insiders say that the Verizon version of the iPhone 4 is gong to be on the market before springtime.
A Dual-Core Smartphone
The wraps came off the LG Optimus 2X last week, another model that's going to use a Tegra 2 dual-core processor to run Google's operating system.
An unconfirmed report indicates that this high-end model is headed for T-Mobile in the spring, and this carrier might be planning to make an official announcement of this at CES.
About 2011 International CES
CES is not generally a tradeshow that sees loads of smartphones announced. These are consumer products, and companies only unveil them immediately after the Holiday Shopping Season under special circumstances.
Want to know more about the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow? Check out the About CES section of CESweb.org.