CES 2012 Ready for the next generation of gadgets? Check in here for the latest from the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas.

Christina DesMarais photoApple's popular tablet can now be charged using the same technology that is built into some of the high-end cooktops on the market today -- induction.

Inductive charging technology had a big presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, and one product displayed there can wirelessly charge an iPad 2.

On World Tech Update this week, protestors rally against SOPA and PIPA, Yahoo's Yang resigns, Sony teases a universal remote gadget, the heated battle between Apple and Samsung rages on, the AR Drone 2 gets easier to fly, and a small company makes a big splash at CES.

[Photo: iRobot]Have you ever wanted a robot in your home like those cool robots in the film iRobot? The idea of servant robots that can perform tasks, adapt to their surroundings, and call for help when needed is not new, but actual bots that can do these things may be closer than ever.

A new robot from iRobot Corporation called Ava is currently in the R&D stage but it may soon be able to help out the elderly in their homes, monitor patients in hospitals, help with retail by helping you find a product in a store, and more.

I watched the new product announcements at CES 2012 with much more interest this year. Why? Because the use of cloud computing has gone from few and far between to pretty much anything and everything. CES 2012 shows that shift in no uncertain terms.

The rise of what I call the retail cloud has been a real mover and shaker the past few years. Today, it's reached critical mass as everything from DVD players to TVs, from car entertainment to alarm clocks, comes with some sort of cloud service to support that device.

The thinnest and lightest tablet at CES features a Texas Instruments 1.2-GHz OMAP 4430 multicore processor, 1GB of memory, and a 1280-by-800 resolution IPS display.

For more blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, check out PCWorld's complete coverage of CES 2012.

Augmented reality isn't new--we've been covering it at GeekTech for years--but we spotted some new augmented reality gear among the piles of gadgets showcased at CES last week.

Vuzix's SMART Glasses come with a built in camera to recognize objects and people, and they provide you some privacy for your augmented-reality browsing. According to the Vuzix personnel at the company's CES booth, the above glasses will be out within the next 18 months or so, and they could be useful for browsing the Web or looking up maps online.

Microsoft is aiming for October to release the commercial version of Windows 8, based on comments attributed to a Microsoft spokeswoman at CES.

During a demo of the new operating system, public relations director of the Windows Business Group Janelle Poole said, "Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7," according to a posting by Pocket-lint. "So I think that's a good guideline to consider."

CES is more popular than ever -- according to its sponsors -- despite naysayers who predicted doom for the mammoth trade show after Microsoft said it would drastically scale back its participation following this year's event.

The 2012 International CES had more exhibitors (3100) hawking their wares across more space (1.9 million square feet) and attracted more people (153,000 attendees) than any other CES in the 44-year history of the event, the Consumer Electronics Association revealed in a statement released Friday.

Jillian Michaels at CES (Source: Jamie Allen Larson)Gadgets for health-conscious consumers abound.

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has wrapped up, but not before 153,000 people tread its floors covering the equivalent of 35 football fields of exhibits. For days not spent doing such substantial walking, attendees could also find a plethora of health gadgets and platforms exhibited at the show.