CES 2012: The top 7 phones at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show

Whereas last year's Consumer Electronics Show was all about Android, the surprise mindshare leader at CES 2012 is Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating system. After completely reinventing the artist formerly known as Windows Mobile in late 2010, the company fleshed out and polished up the OS with the current Windows Phone 7.5 iteration. Thanks to a $1 billion partnership with Finnish giant Nokia early last year, as well as strong continued partnerships with handset makers HTC and Samsung, the Windows Phone ecosystem is set to finally come into its own in 2012. Despite not dominating the show floor to the extent it did last year, Google's Android mobile operating system nevertheless managed a strong showing at CES 2012. Motorola announced a brace of powerful smartphones with the Droid Razr Maxx and the Droid 4, LG brought out the 4G LTE Spectrum handset for Verizon, and Samsung introduced a unique entrant to that middle ground between phone and tablet with the 5.3" Galaxy Note on AT&T. Samsung also saw its flagship Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone, the Galaxy Nexus, leave Verizon exclusivity for Sprint. Here's our list of of the top 7 phones at CES 2012: 1. Nokia Lumia 900

The Microsoft-Nokia partnership is finally bearing fruit in the U.S., with the much-heralded Lumia family the long-awaited result. Of the 710, 800, and 900 trio, the latter is the most powerful flagship Windows Phone device of the bunch. The Nokia Lumia 900 features a sleek and curvy design — refreshing amidst a sea of sometimes barely differentiated Android slabs. Set to be the world's first 4G LTE Windows Phone on AT&T when it launches in the coming months, the handset literally turned heads on the CES show floor with its sharp looks and 4.3" AMOLED display. Another notable feature is its 8-megapixel camera, which includes an f2.2/28mm Carl Zeiss lens that can snap wide-angle shots and performs admirably in low light settings. 2. HTC Titan II

This successor to the original HTC Titan can lay two world's first claims to its crown: it'll be the first Windows Phone handset to run on a 4G LTE network in the States (courtesy of AT&T), and features a whopping 16-megapixel camera — the highest resolution ever seen on a handset released in the U.S. market. Beyond being the equivalent of Mecca for cameraphone enthusiasts, the HTC Titan II comes with a stable of other hardware specs to match, including a big and beautiful 4.7" Super LCD display, 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, front-facing camera, and 16GB onboard storage. 3. Motorola Droid Razr Maxx

Launched just late last year, the Motorola Droid Razr is already getting an update in the Droid Razr Maxx. The claim to fame of this new ultra-thin Android device is its extreme battery life: with a reported 21 hours of operation from a single charge, the Razr Maxx essentially doubles that of the original. Launching as a Verizon exclusive, the 4G LTE handset runs the elder Gingerbread version of the Android OS, but a Motorola representative told us to expect an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update in the second quarter of 2012. Also featuring an 8-megapixel camera that shoots 1080p high-definition video, a front-facing camera for video chat, and water-repellent nanoparticles that keep it safer from moisture, the Razr Maxx will be launching on January 26 for $299.99 on contract. 4. Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note took the baton from powerful, oversized superphones and ran with it. If you think the Galaxy Nexus's 4.65" screen was big, the Note might make you do a doubletake. At first glance, the Note doesn't look like a phone at all, and you wouldn't be off base if you mistook it for a teensy little tablet. But it isn't just a gimmick: with Android ICS en route, a dazzling Super AMOLED display, support for AT&T's LTE network, and a built-in stylus that's as practical as it is fun, the Note is both flashy and feature-rich. It may pack an unpocketable 5.3" screen, but at 0.38" thick and 0.63 oz., the Note felt quite light and manageable during our time testing it out. One thing's for sure: the Galaxy Note mini-tablet (or is it a mega-phone?) is a bold device. And while only time will tell if consumers will be intrigued or just plain puzzled, we think Samsung's smartphone experiment might just be crazy enough to work. 5. LG Spectrum

If you're sensing a 4G LTE trend by now, you'd be absolutely correct; even Sprint is now ditching its WiMax network in favor of LTE as its primary 4G technology. LG tossed its own contender into that ring with the LG Spectrum. Featuring a 4.5" HD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 16GB storage, an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and support for Dolby Digital Plus, the Spectrum also supports wireless media streaming via DLNA and exclusive access to the ESPN ScoreCenter app. The LG Spectrum will be launching as a Verizon exclusive on January 19 for $199.99 with a 2-year contract. 6. Motorola Droid 4

Billed as the world's thinnest 4G LTE smartphone with a full physical keyboard, the Motorola Droid 4 is an Android slider running the elder Gingerbread version of the OS, but a Motorola representative told us to expect an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update in the second quarter of 2012. If you're one of those smartphone users who never quite fell in love with virtual keyboards, the Droid 4 could be just the ticket for you. When we tested out the QWERTY offering we found the keyboard pleasantly tactile and responsive, though you'll be trading off some physical thickness to get it. The Droid 4 will head to Verizon in the coming weeks for an as yet undisclosed price. 7. Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint

Everything we love about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus — its beautiful 4.65" Super AMOLED display, powerful dual-core processor, and status as the world's first phone to run the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system — will be following the device to a second carrier when it leaves Verizon exclusivity for Sprint later this year. Faced with a surprising dearth of new ICS handset announcements at this year's CES, we're at least happy to see consumers finally get more carrier options for the newest flavor of Android. While sharing most of the specs of its Verizon counterpart including a healthy 32GB of storage, there is one notable feature Sprint's version of the Nexus will include that the original does not: support for Google Wallet, the search giant's mobile payment system based on Near Field Communication technology. There's no word yet on exactly when Sprint will launch the Galaxy Nexus, but it's reasonable to expect availability around the same time the carrier launches its new LTE network sometime mid-2012.

CES 2012: Digital camera makers struggle to keep pace

At first glance, it would appear the camera industry is in trouble. Some of the smartphones introduced at CES have specs that equal or surpass cameras: 16-megapixel sensors, displays as big as 5.3 inches and the ability to shoot HD video at 1080p. Plus, smartphones have much more intuitive interfaces and can instantly upload photos and video to the internet for instant sharing. Which is why more and more people shoot photos and video on their phones, leaving cameras and camcorders at home. To counter this trend, camera and camcorder manufacturers have introduced a number of models that connect to the Internet via WiFi. Some look promising, like Sony’s Bloggie Live, which lets you live stream video to your computer through a web video service called Qik. Some new connected cameras are just plain confusing, though. Take Polaroid’s new “smart camera”, the Polaroid SC1630 Android HD. A phone-like device with a 3x optical zoom lens, it uses the Android operating system, doesn’t have a phone, but does have WiFi, so it can connect to the web. Apparently, Polaroid is in talks with various carriers to include 3G when the device actually launches. Still, when it comes to connectivity, WiFi enabled cameras don’t pose any serious competition to camera phones. WiFi is only available at hot spots, while 3G is available virtually anywhere in major cities. If your town doesn't provide a way to recycle non-rechargeable batteries, it's OK to toss them in the trash. To find out where to recycle rechargeables, go to www.call2recycle.org. A better bet for camera makers in fending off the threat of smartphones is by emphasizing quality and advanced features in a small package. SLR-like, or mirrorless, cameras do exactly that, with sensors as large as those in SLRs, but much smaller bodies. That’s why they’ve been one of the few areas of growth in the camera industry. The photos these cameras capture blow away virtually anything you can shoot on a smartphone. Their acceptance by consumers shows that people still care about capturing quality photos. Fujifilm introduced one such mirrorless model at CES, the 16-megapixel X-Pro1, which has a large SLR-type sensor and accepts interchangeable lenses. It features a high-quality 3-inch LCD, a maximum ISO of ISO 25,600, and a unique hybrid viewfinder that lets you toggle between an optical and electronic view. It also has the same retro, rangefinder-style of body design as other X-series cameras. At the moment, Fujifilm offers three prime, or non-zoom, lenses for the X-Pro1: XF18mm (f/2), XF35mm (f/1.4) and XF60mm (f/2.4 macro). As with most advanced cameras, you can capture Raw files and theres a hot-shoe for an external flash. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but word has it that it will cost around $1,700 and $600 for each lens. Despite any anticipation, this CES came and went without Canon announcing even one mirrorless model. Instead, they got halfway there with the PowerShot G1 X, which has a large sensor that’s almost as big as the ones in their Rebels, but which doesn’t use interchangeable lenses. And, just to show everyone that true SLRs are still very relevant, Nikon was showing off its flagship D4, which will set you back at least $6000.

Rotating Home That Follows the Sun

Normally, when someone asks for the remote, it’s because they want to undertake some serious TV channel surfing. But in one unique home located just 90 minutes north of New York City, playing with the remote control will set the entire wooden house spinning on its axis. This dome home was, in fact, built on an electronically-controlled axle. So with a push of a button, the 3,000-square-foot New Paltz home for sale can rotate 360 degrees. In five orbital minutes, the house will turn one full rotation. The home is listed at $1.2 million. The owners of this circular domicile aren’t constantly on the spin cycle. The feature is used to take advantage of the sun for the home’s solar energy needs. Each season, the home is rotated for maximum efficiency, explained listing agent Anne Rajs. While the home looks similar to geodesic dome homes, it was built using a kit from France called Domespace and is the only structure like it that has been constructed in the U.S. “It does look like a space ship,” said Rajs. “But it’s an amazing home. It’s the coolest home I’ve ever seen.”

The two-story home features 40-foot ceilings centered by the axle. Tall, wedge-shaped windows keep the interiors light-filled and open. The home features bamboo flooring and custom wood and stone cabinetry. The first floor contains two bedrooms and the majority of the living space. A central spiral staircase leads to the second floor which holds the master suite, office and additional balcony space. Although one of the home’s main appeals is its unique design, Rajs believes that the home’s location is a big sell as well. “It’s this beauty of a house in the middle of 28 acres,” Rajs said. “And you can walk to the Mohonk Preserve which has 1,000 acres more of hiking and rock climbing.”