If you like gadgets, then besides your local Sharper Image, there is one place you need to be seen. That is the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Pulling the largest to the smallest, the high-tech to the low-tech, this show is the one stop shop for gadgetophiles.

The Innovation Insider, Steve Greenberg, was there finding some of the products sure to be on your wish list for 2008. Here’s what he had to say…

by Steve Greenberg

This was either my 9th or 10th CES– As always it was a mob scene–150,000 people pushing, shoving, trying to take it all in. The big news at CES was Bill Gates farewell and the decision by Warner to go with BluRay. The Sony people were bouncing off the wall–while Toshiba (which backed HD DVD) was in mourning for their format. Other BIG news was the HUGE Plasma revealed by Panasonic (see photo)–150-inches. Certainly a WOW product like this one got a great deal of media attention. It’s certainly not a product for the average home (who has a doorway large enough to let into their home?) Other issues–how much heat does it generate? How much power does it use? How strong does a wall need to be to hold it? Panasonic also had the worlds SMALLEST HD Camcorder. Weights about 1/2 pound, about the size of an egg, records 5.5 hours of 1080P video on a special SD-card–truly amazing.
WowWee the toy maker and force behind last years “Alive Elvis” (singing robotic Elvis bust) showed a few of their new products for 2008.

WowWee will have a line of “Plush” robots (see above)—similar to last years PLEO (robotic dinosaur–with rubbery feel) these robots will be lion cubs and other “babies” covered in a soft furry skin–making them very huggable. WowWee is also launching a non-toy robot (see above). Its sort of a surveillance camera that can roam through your home. Other cool products included a turntable from Ion that converts your vinyl albums into a digital signal that can be recorded directly onto your iPod. It also has some software called “grace” (I think) that goes on the web and can identify the music on the album and then list the tracks on your iPod/computer. Fujitsu had a palm ID system that can be used to protect your laptop–it can also be used to lock/unlock a door. Zoombak let’s you track your dog with a GPS system. If he leaves a predetermined location, it will signal the owner. If you want to track your kids, ID Conex has GPS sneakers. CaseLogic had computer bags made of environmentally friendly canvas. These bags come with markers so you can add your own artistic touch. Bell’O had their Wall Mount your TV “For Dummies.” Its a kit that includes an easy to use template, instructions and a DVD. AND 3DV Systems had a hardware-software game set up that let you interact without holding any remote control/stick. By making a fist you could box with the character on screen. It was nothing less than amazing

With all of the Hi Tech at CES, this old world product caught my eye. Jeffrey Stephenson has “Machines de Deco D’Art” Jeffrey creates these very elegant computer screen cases out of wood. You can contact him at jeffrey at slipperyskip.com

Ambient launched a line of products that get their info using the old beeper frequencies. One takes in football scores, another does baseball, still another does the stock market.

Check these out–lights and speakers that are designed to sit on top of a deck’s 4×4 posts from Marcato.
And finally “feeling is believing”

This very fashionable vest is from TN Games. The vest lets you “feel” the gun fire of a video game. I tried it out and I can tell you its a very strange sensation and takes gaming to a new level.
So much more to report–but that’s a quick sampler of CES 2008. Hope to see you there next year!

Steve Greenberg’s book, GADGET NATION, which is all about garage inventors, will hit bookstores in April.