CES Unveiled 2012: Tobii eye-tracking input device (Watch video)

The annually-held Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is one of the world's biggest tech-trade shows and is held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CES Unveiled 2012: Latest Gadgets and Gizmo's on the Show  

The show boasts of more than four decades of excellence and reaches international markets, presents previews of products as well as announcements, connects different parts of the industry and enables innovations to grow and thrive.

CES 2012 is yet to kick off officially but the flying camera drones, solar-powered Kindles, backpacks that can charge your gadgets, Android-powered TVs and the world’s thinnest laptop are some of the innovations unveiled already.

Two days before the world's biggest gadget show, many of the vendors – particularly smaller gadget-makers - like to get in early by showing off a sneak peak at their new wares at an event dubbed CES Unveiled.

Watch video below; Sarah Purewal from PCWorld tries out the Tobii eye-tracking input device at CES Unveiled 2012.

‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’ from SolarFocus -- the first ever solar-powered cover for an e-reader

The world's biggest tech show CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2012 begins today and will run until Friday (January 13).

‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’ from SolarFocus

The show witnesses the entire tech world descend on Las Vegas. The world will be getting latest from the biggest names in tech to talk about their plans for 2012. The show covers more than 1.8 million square feet and has more than 140,000 attendees from across the globe.

On the very first day of CES 2012; the first ever solar-powered cover for an e-reader was showcased by SolarFocus dubbed as ‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’, specifically designed for Amazon Kindle.

The ‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’ keeps on charging the Kindle as long as it is exposed to daylight. Its also capable of charging the reserve built-in lithium battery that provides 1,500 mA juice for the e-reader.

‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’ from SolarFocus

The ‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’ also includes a built-in reading light to light up the Kindle's screen; the power for this light is drawn from the reserve battery, not the Kindle itself.

According to the manufacturers, SolarFocus, one-hour charging in sunlight will be enough for almost 3 days reading time. ‘SolarKindle Lighted Cover’ will be available to purchase from January 15 priced at $79.99.

VIDEO: Parrot's AR.Drone 2.0 (Version 2) Showcased at CES Unveiled 2012

Tech fanatics certainly wouldn’t have forget the initial version of Parrot AR.Drone unveiled at CES 2010. The quadrocopter robot was tremendously efficient, controlled via an app on your smartphone to float in the air, amazingly stable on four rotors.

Parrot's AR.Drone 2.0 (Version 2) Showcased at CES Unveiled 2012

Now come to the latest version of the gadget introduced today at CES Unveiled i.e. AR.Drone 2.0, which added a new set of upgrades that made the gadget even smarter.

The original version of AR.Drone needed a skilful expert, because there was a serious learning curve in order to get good at flying it, but latest version AR.Drone 2.0 is much easier to control. It uses the compasses in both your controller and the Drone to make sure "forward" is always the direction you think it is, unlike before when it was easy to confuse its orientation.

Just tilt the tablet or phone with the toy’s partner app on it away from your body, and the drone zooms away. Tilting towards you makes the drone draw nearer—there’s no learning curve to playing with it.

It's now better-built and much stronger (apparently a few users had some destructive learning experiences with the initial version), and Parrot also added an HD camera that records 720p footage, which can be delivered right to your phone or tablet using Wi-Fi.

The manufacturers have also updated the apps that you need to fly the Drone, supplementing lots of video sharing features, plus a social network of sorts that lets you see who else is flying their Drone nearby.

Though there’re no official words on the availability; but it is rumored that the AR.Drone 2.0 will be available in the second quarter of 2012. But the good news is that it will have the same $299 price tag as the original.

Watch video below to see the Parrot's AR.Drone 2.0 in action:

Watch video below, what Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux has to say about their AR.Drone 2.0:

Android Powered i’mWatch: World's First Smartphone Watch by Blue Sky -- Set to be Showcased at CES in January 2012

Italian company Blue Sky has come up with a unique idea of the world’s first ‘smartphone watch’ dubbed as "i’mWatch". Claimed to be the “first real smartwatch in the world”, the gadget lets users to take phone calls, receive text messages and check Facebook and Twitter feeds on the 1.5-inch touchscreen.

i'mWatch available in seven different colors

Weighing just 70 grams i’mWatch intends in future to facilitate the users to control kitchen appliances from the wrist after downloading the app from Apple-style marketplace for users created by the manufacturers.

Powered by the Android OS, the watch uses Bluetooth to link up to users’ smartphones, transmitting phone calls, messages and notifications to the device. 

i’mWatch: World's First Smartphone Watch

Furthermore, unlike the most of the smartphones, the manufacturers have claimed that the battery life of an i’mWatch can last up to 48 hours.

The basic model of i’mWatch costs EUR 249 (GBP 213) available in seven different colors and the company has also produced a range of luxury ‘Jewel’ versions for a whopping EUR 11,999 (GBP 10,286).

According to Blue Sky directors; the company has already received more than half a million online pre-orders for the device.

The i’mWatch is set to market after being showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January next year.