All About CES 2007

You've heard us Advisors rattling on about CES (Consumer Electronics Show) for months now...but unless you're the kind of person who lives and breathes tech every day (like me), you may not really understand what it is or why it's important. Allow me to give you a little intro to the show.

Since the demise of COMDEX earlier in the decade, CES has become the country's most important technology trade show. In fact, it is essentially the only important tech trade show in America any more, though a few smaller shows dedicated to phones (CTIA), cameras (PMA), and Macs (Macworld) fulfill their niches.

In recent years, CES has become monstrously huge, as large as COMDEX ever was back in its heyday (the late '90s), and increasingly important to both tech companies and tech reporters. Why? Taking place in early January, it's when the upcoming year's products are formally rolled out, with virtually ever major tech vendor officially launching multiple products at the show. For many of the hundreds of thousands of visitors, this will be their first chance to get hands-on experience with Windows Vista, with HD-DVD recorders, or with the PlayStation 3.

Those are just a few of the things we actually know are going to be at the show, and this year is the 40th anniversary of CES. CES always hides a number of surprises, the most fun of which is watching the TV vendors attempt to one-up each other on who has the largest flat-panel TV on display (last year it was 103 inches...I'm hoping to see a 120-incher this year). But most of the new products are a little more subtle. Ultra-small MP3 players, handheld satellite TVs, stylish audio gear, and next-gen wireless technology are all on tap for CES 2007. Dig into some of CES's more obscure corners (which can be difficult to do; CES covers over 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space) and you'll find bizarre oddities from all around the world, all being shown off by upstart electronics companies hoping to make their mark.

We'll bring you all of this starting on January 8 from Las Vegas, from creepy robots to "vinyl demagnetizers" to those giant TVs to more mundane affairs like PCs, laptops, cameras, and cell phones. Keep an eye on our CES coverage to see what goodies we get our hands on.