On the one hand, you see the rising popularity of tablet devices. From the iPad to the Motorola Xoom, tablets are exploding onto the scene. On the other hand, you have the consistent popularity of notebook computers. People are still accustomed to that form factor when they want to get some real work done on the road. Fitting in between the two is the Acer Iconia TouchBook Tablet.

The model shown here is the Acer Iconia-6886 Dual-Screen Touchbook and it is said to offer a “truly unique notebook experience.” Instead of having a regular keyboard on the lower portion of the notebook, the Acer Iconia has a full touchscreen display. The top display is also a touchscreen, combining to provide a pair of 14-inch LED backlit touchscreen LCDs with Gorilla Glass for extra toughness.

This is a very innovative way to approach computing, as it marries the benefits of the tablet with the benefits of a notebook. The lower half can display a virtual keyboard as needed, but it can also show app-specific controls, a secondary video, or all sorts of other kinds of content. You really can experience virtually limitless possibilities.

Beyond the dual touchscreens, key features include an Intel Core i5-480M processor, 4GB DDR3 dual-channel memory, 640GB hard drive, WiFi-N, Dolby Advanced Audio v3, 1.3MP webcam, and Windows 7 Home Premium. The Acer Iconia Touchbook is available for preorder now on Amazon.ca.

Whether you are considering a digital SLR or a regular point and shoot digital camera, there’s a good chance that you are going to struggle in low light conditions, let alone pitch darkness. That’s where something like the Midnight Shot NV-1 might come into the picture.

This is dubbed a night vision camera, because that is precisely what it has been designed to do. When you are in complete darkness, you can activate the infrared light to effectively grant you night vision. You can even see through certain types of fabrics and other materials with the IR flash.

The infrared lamp is effectively invisible to the naked eye, but it allows the camera to be able to see in the dark. Other noted features include the 5.0 megapixel sensor, 8x digital zoom, shutter speeds as fast as 1/3000th of a second, and SD card slot support. It can only take videos at 640×480 resolution though.

The Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Camera is available now from ThinkGeek for $129.99, which is $20 off the regular price.

Just because you want to get an Android tablet doesn’t mean that you need to invest in something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. There are cheaper alternatives if you’re willing to go off the beaten path.

One such example is the Barnes & Noble Nook Color. For most consumers, this is really nothing more than an e-book reader, not unlike the Kobo Reader and the Amazon Kindle. However, for braver technology enthusiasts, this e-reader has more to offer. If you “root” the device, which is similar to “jailbreaking” an iPhone, you can run a full build of Google Android.

There are many tutorials available online (including video tutorials), but users have been able to successfully load everything up to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Now, there is also the rumor that Barnes and Noble may officially release Android 2.2 Froyo for the Nook Color.

If this indeed happens, it means that the e-reader will gain official support for “exciting new applications, email and many other requested features.” No, the Nook Color is nowhere near as powerful as the Motorola Xoom, for instance, but it is also much less expensive at $249.

There are many different smartphones on the market today that run on Google Android, but a great deal of them have custom “skins” from their respective manufacturers. HTC has Sense, for instance, and Motorola has MOTOBLUR.

For a “pure” Google Android experience, the Google Nexus S by Samsung may be a much better choice. There is no custom skin or custom user interface here; it’s the “vanilla” version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. But that’s not the only reason why you may be interested in this smartphone.

It also has a fantastic four-inch Super AMOLED display that has a slight curve to it. This is very unique in the smartphone arena. Other highlights include near-field communications (NFC) touchless technology, 3D graphics, 1GHz processor, 16GB memory, and a 5MP autofocus camera on the back.

The Google Nexus S by Samsung has been available in the United States for some time, both in unlocked form and locked to T-Mobile. Based on a registration page placed on Samsung’s website, the Canadian launch is also coming very soon. This includes a version that would be compatible with the networks of Telus, Bell, and Rogers, as well as Wind and Mobilicity.

The Apple iPad and iPad 2 are currently dominating the tablet market, but the onslaught of Android-based tablets is poised to really make a big impact in 2011. One of these products is the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The model with 3G connectivity is already available, but a less expensive version that only has Wi-Fi should be coming out in the next month or two. The WiFi-only Galaxy Tab is currently rumored for release on April 4 and it’s said that pricing will start at just $399, a full $100 cheaper than the lowest model iPad 2.

The specs and features on the WiFi Galaxy Tab are otherwise identical to its 3G counterpart. This includes the 16GB of storage, 7-inch touchscreen display, and Android 2.2 Froyo operating system. There does not appear to be any Android 3.0 Honeycomb support coming down the line for this particular product.

What do you think? Would you want to save $100 and buy the WiFi Galaxy Tab or would you rather stick to the Apple iPad? What about the other tablet offerings from HP (Palm), Asus, Motorola, and others?

Getting smartphone functionality doesn’t mean that you need to break the bank. The Nokia 5230 obviously isn’t the hottest new device on the block and it won’t be able to compete with a Samsung Galaxy S or an Apple iPhone 4. However, it is priced accordingly and will offer many of the same functions.

The Nokia 5230 Nuron is powered by the company’s signature Symbian operating system and it comes equipped with a fairly large 3.2-inch touchscreen interface. It comes packed with GPS, Nokia Maps, and high-speed 3G data connectivity. Naturally, there is also a camera on the back for taking quick pictures.

Other highlights include the built-in music and video player, microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, microUSB port, and Flash Lite 3.0, as well as stereo FM radio with RDS.

While other newer smartphones can easily cost you $500 or more for an unlocked model outside of a contract, the Nokia 5230 Nuron is less than $200 when purchased through Amazon. It’s compatible with Rogers, Fido, Bell, Telus, Virgin and Solo in Canada, as well as AT&T in the United States, plus many other countries around the world.