CES 2008 in Review

Thursday is here, and that means CES is drawing to a close. We'll all be making our way homeward today. (After six days, I don't know anyone that isn't more than ready to get out of Vegas.) But before we all split for the airport, here's a look back at some of the biggest (literally, in one case) stories of the show.

Enormous TVs Leave Attendees Stunned - Panasonic's 150-inch plasma TV was easily the most talked-about product on the show floor, but the numerous demos of ultra-thin plasma and LCD prototypes also earned their share of praise.

HD DVD on Its Deathbed - Warner's declaration it was dropping HD DVD support wasn't an official CES announcement, but its impact echoed throughout the show, often in whispers. Companies showing HD DVD products were quick to relegate them to the sidelines as Blu-ray continues its dominance (and HD DVD's industry party was abruptly canceled, too). Earlier in the week, a rumor surfaced that Paramount would be dropping HD DVD too. Those rumors were soon denied, but they continue to bubble up. The latest rumors say that Universal is going Blu too. We'll know the truth soon.

OLED Gets Real(er) - Things weren't looking good for Organic LED displays when Toshiba announced it was getting out of the OLED business, but other vendors surprised us by showing some impressive examples of the technology, from camera LCDs to big TVs. Sony is even selling its first OLED set in America now.

Green Tech Abounds - From corn-based laptops to solar MP3 players, numerous companies are tiptoeing their way to more environmentally friendly products.

Robot Invasion - Some are utilitarian (iRobot's Looj gutter cleaner), some are merely cute (Sony's Rolly), and some even haul beer around. But robots were so common at CES that you actually had to watch your step for fear of squishing one.

Eye-Fi Wins Last Gadget Standing - Our annual gadget competition was a big success, with Eye-Fi's Wi-Fi-enabled SD card coming out the clear winner. Congrats!

... And the Rest - Don't miss our look at some of CES's quirkiest and most unusual products at the show.