What do Lady Gaga, me, and Chris Matthews have in common?  We were all at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.  Lady Gaga was pitching a new Polaroid product line called Grey Label, and Chris Matthews was broadcasting live from the NBC Universal headquarters on the show floor.  You might ask, "but were there any geeks?"  Yes, it was a full-on geek-o-rama (yours truly included), but one of the trends this year was an increase in celebrity attendance.  We spotted GaGa and Chris Matthews, Rick Fox, Chef Richard Blais, and Maria Bartiromo, and heard about sightings of 50 Cent, Jeff Probst, and James Cromwell.  Some were there to promote product tie-ins, but some were there just to gawk like the rest of us.

But I digress...you want to know about the cutting edge technology, right?  Here are my key takeaways:

1. 3D is not quite as exciting as we thought last year.  There were 3D TVs and accessories, but no-one was jostling to try on the glasses this year. Bottom line: 3D is here, but remains to be seen whether consumers will embrace it for watching Mythbusters.
2. Ya want a tablet, I've got a tablet for ya!  Any booth that had a tablet or tablet-related device was swarmed with interest.  Everyone from Motorola to the tiny Chinese vendors was showing off touch pads.  Engadget has done a nice roundup of the different options; click here if you want details.
3. Protecting and blinging your devices is a clear trend.  We saw TONS of vendors with razzle dazzle stickers and customizations, even laser-etching for your tech.  There were pre-printed wraps for your iPhone and even ones you can print on your inkjet at home.  But by far the coolest protective tech we saw was from a company called P2i---they use nanotechnology to coat devices so that they're completely waterproof. Let's hope that vendor gets some traction so we can all rest easy next time our phone falls in the toilet.
4. Apple-related vendors are increasing in quantity at CES.  We discovered a motherlode of Apple-related booths in the North Hall...wonder if this is an encroachment that's going to continue?  Of note, the Microsoft booth was almost double the size of last year.
5. Business was getting done.  For the first time since I can remember, I saw guys with ordering pads out, pen in hand, doing real business on the show floor. This fits with the overall increase in attendance, booth size, and amount of free swag.  Perhaps we can all be cautiously optimistic about at least the electronics sector?

My pick for favorite tech at the show was Griffin's Beacon, which turns your iPad into a universal remote.  They partnered with Dijit to create an elegant and easy to use solution.  We were told the actual Beacon device (see photo) comes out in Spring, and we will be on the waiting list. It looks like it belongs in a Zen garden, doesn't it?

Favorite booth was Audi's absolutely stunning white, futuristic area. It showcased the cars, made for amazing show photos, and definitely wowed the crowd.