LG

Projection displays offer that MTV Cribs-style home theater experience, but typically a big room is needed to properly project large cinema-quality images. LG's Hecto TV, just announced this week at CES, gives size-conscious apartment dwellers a chance to get in on the home theater dream. The Hecto includes a 100-inch laser screen TV display and a projector that uses something called Ultra Short Throw technology to display HD images at 1920 x 1080 resolution even from just a few inches away — yeah, science!

We took a look at the Hecto on the CES show floor, where the projector was set up less than a foot away from the wall-size screen (seen at the base of the screen in the above photo), and we have to admit: the image quality was barely rivaled by the OLED and UHD TVs nearby.

Included with the TV is the same WiFi-enabled smart software available with other LG units, as well as the voice and gesture-controlled Magic Remote. Sadly, like many products at CES, pricing and US availability have not been announced.

Early adopter technology doesn't come cheap. Want the latest in ultra high-definition displays? Be prepared for a five-figure price tag, as LG announced in its CES press conference today. After an introduction at last year's show, the company will ship its OLED TVs this year, starting with the 55-inch screen size, priced at $12,000 and shipping in March.

LG plans to partner with media providers like Activision, Google, and Disney to make more content configured for higher-resolution displays available. Also coming this year is LG's 65-inch OLED TV; no word on pricing yet, but it's a safe bet you should get a lottery ticket ready.

The Magic Motion Remote from LG, which ships this year for the company's Cinema 3D Smart TV line, is designed to be as wand-waving magical as its name. The redesigned universal remote recognizes voice (Expecto Patronum!), gesture (swish and flick), point (click), and wheel (scrolling) commands, making the home theater experience as interactive and intuitive as possible.

LG claims its Natural Language Recognition technology on board the remote removes the stiff, awkward AI talk consumers often have to use with voice recognition software. Use the gesture functions to quickly scroll through menu functions or write a number in the air with the remote to switch to that TV channel.

The big question is: can LG also make a wizardly remote in the style of our favorite sci-fi character?

Sprint customers will soon have a wider range of choices when it comes to phone selection. The company announced two new phones at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, one with an advanced OS, the other with a green thumb. Check out the details on each of them below, and stay tuned for pricing and release date information.

Galaxy Nexus
You've heard its name before. Samsung's Galaxy Nexus is one blazing-hot phone that you should definitely keep an eye on. Coming with 4G LTE speeds and Google's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system — which boasts an all new interface, facial recognition, NFC technology, native support for Google Wallet, and lots more — the Galaxy Nexus is a tough act to follow. Not to mention its 4.65-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, and teardrop-shaped bod. Sexy.

LG Viper
The LG Viper may be eco-friendly — its casing is made of 35 percent recycled plastics and comes with an energy-efficient charger — but that doesn't mean it's boring as dirt. The Viper is a 4G LTE phone, and comes with a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, two cameras (one 5MP rear-facing and one VGA front-facing), and a nice 4-inch WVGA NOVA display. Plus, you can expand your on-board memory up to 32GB with your own microSD card.

LG's home appliance lineup will be getting a little geekier (and healthier) with new Smart Thinq technologies. In general, Smart Thinq connects your mobile device to your home appliances so you can monitor things like your laundry cycle and cooking times from anywhere, but new refrigerators may actually help you achieve your 2012 weight-loss goals with the inclusion of a feature called the Health Manager.

This feature will help you build a personal profile, then suggests recipes, daily and weekly meal plans, menus, and food selections based on age, gender, weight, height, and BMI. Dropping a few pounds gets even easier when you can select and send a shopping list to your phone, and send recipes to a LG Smart Oven, which will then automatically adjust cook settings. It's almost like having a digital butler . . . except you'll still have to prepare the food yourself. Bummer.

Stay tuned for pricing and release date information!

We kicked off CES press day this morning with LG, who is introducing a wide array of products in the TV, smartphone, and smart appliance categories. The product that caught my attention, though, was the "world's largest, lightest, and thinnest" 55-inch OLED TV, pictured here. It's quite stunning, even from 20 rows back in the conference room where I was sitting, and for good reason: its contrast ratio is 50 times greater than that of LED/LCD display panels.

LG also announced the Magic Remote. This remote will include your usual buttons, a scroll wheel, and voice recognition, but will be boosted by a 3D gesture interface. The 3D interface panel sits on top of your TV, allowing you to use your body to choose channels and programs with a swipe of your hand. Sound familiar? Yes, it's like Kinect for TV browsing.

Multiple press conferences are kicking off today, so it should be a news-filled Wednesday, indeed! We've already relayed a ton of announcements over the course of the week, and this is what's been dropping so far this morning:

• LG goes lean — LG revealed its new Optimus Black, the "world's thinnest" smartphone.
• LG smart TV — LG also announced a sweet-looking app platform for TVs.
• Polaroid in 3D — Polaroid is releasing its own line of 3D glasses for at-home viewing.
• Compact Canon — Canon is giving us a few more reasons to want to get behind the lens: a pair of affordable new Powershots.
• OnStar gets a voice — OnStar announced its new Bluetooth Android app, which reads your Facebook messages to you.

There's even more news after the break.

Looking for a great deal on a new phone? You're in luck — Amazon Wireless has put a ton of new (and some not-so-new) AT&T phones on sale for — wait for it — a penny.

That's right, if you're looking for a Windows Phone 7 device, a BlackBerry, or even a sweet little square phone that was all the rage this Summer, then head on over to Amazon's wireless page to pick one up. The sale ends Monday, Nov. 15, so you'd better hurry. As you may have expected, to get that amazing price you'll need to sign a two-year contract with AT&T.

Want some tips on which ones to grab? Then keep reading.