Surf Report: Hot new products for on the go

While much of the buzz in the tech world was tied to Apple's new phones, watch and mobile payment solution, there was quite a lot more happening just over 500 miles east of Cupertino.

The CTIA-The Wireless Association's Super Mobility Week rolled into the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas with more than 1,100 exhibitors from the wireless industry showcasing the latest in software, hardware and services.

As the largest forum for mobile innovations in North America, many sectors are represented, including business, automotive, education, finance, health, media and more.

Following are a few of the device highlights of the 2014 CTIA show.

DOUBLING DOWN

The world's most affordable tablet now has twice the processing power.

DataWind's new UbiSlate 7Ci — which sells for just $38 — is powered by a dual-core (1.2 GHz) processor. And it houses two cameras compared to its predecessor's sole front-facing camera.

Along with improved performance, this affordable 7-inch tablet also benefits from a sleeker look and new features including dozens of built-in apps (free games, ebooks and more), a few stores (including Amazon Appstore) and the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.

The company also showed off its UbiSlate 7CZm ($79.99), a dual-core, dual SIM, EDGE-enabled tablet that comes with a year's worth of free unlimited Internet access.

Be aware, however, the 7Ci and 7CZm only ship with 4 gigabytes of integrated storage, but they're both expandable to up to 32GB via microSD cards.

STORAGE WARS

Speaking of storage limitations, the SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive (from $34.99), a tiny USB flash drive for Android smartphones and tablets, can help with that. It lets you back up all your files from your mobile devices, free up space to take more photos and videos, and serves as an easy way to transfer files between your smartphone, tablet and computer (PC and Mac).

This drive has a male micro-USB on one end and a USB 2.0 connector on the other and up to 64 gigabytes of integrated flash storage in the middle. This compact accessory measures just 1.3-inches long.

Compatible with Android 2.2 and up, the SanDisk Memory Zone app — which facilitates the back-ups and transfers — also offers password protection, support for cloud services (DropBox, OneDrive, Google Docs, Box and SugarSync) and a clean graphical interface to give you a clear view of all your Android device's folders and files.

PROJECT YOURSELF

Nominated for a "Hot for the Holidays" award at CTIA, the Projector Hotspot by ZTE is billed as the world's first all-in-one Wi-Fi hotspot, portable projector and battery pack.

Running Android, this pocket-sized 4.7 x 4.7 x 1.1-inch device provides up to eight users with Wi-Fi access via wireless carrier LTE networks and projects images up to 120-inches onto a blank surface — be it in a boardroom, on a bedroom wall or the side of a tent.

Additional features include a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (through which you can select and share content stored on the device or from the Internet), optional inputs (such as HDMI, for laptops) and a 5000mAh rechargeable battery that can also be used to power up your smartphone.

Now available for purchase, prices start at $299.99.

WATCH THIS

Apple Watch wasn't the only smartwatch that garnered some buzz this week.

LG offered some hands-on time with its upcoming LG G Watch R (price is TBD; out in December), a circular smartwatch powered by the Android Wear platform. Style, says LG, was a huge priority for this second smartwatch from the Korean tech giant.

A little larger (and less minimalist) than the Moto 360, the black LG G Watch R offers a mostly stainless steel body, 1.3-inch plastic OLED watch face and support for swappable bands. Like the Moto 360, LG's offering is IP67-rated (water resistant) and has an integrated heart-rate monitor.

A 6-axis accelerometer helps with fitness application accuracy, as well as automatically adjusting brightness on the screen for power management purposes. On a related note, at 410mAh, LG's battery bests Moto's 320mAh battery on paper, but the two haven't been compared side by side.

Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at techcomments@usatoday.com.