Still, some themes kept reasserting - great minds and companies thinking alike, and products evolving at a certain pace. So here are some of the more important trends I saw playing out at the show, with apt examples.
Screens grow sharper, bigger, smarter: There's strong incentive for TV display manufacturers to up their quality again. HDTVs are now in a majority of homes, while China keeps building more factories to make 'em cheaper. So this year, the more seasoned Japanese and Korean brands unveiled a host of premium grade TVs - including so-called "4K" or "Ultra-Definition" displays boasting eight times the resolution of today's HDTVs, plus 55-inch AMOLED screens.
Currently found in some smartphones and tablets up to 7 inches, active matrix light emitting diode panels boast gorgeous color, contrast and off-axis viewing, plus low-energy consumption, a super-slim profile and minimal heft. LG's 55-inch prototype weighs a scant 16 pounds.
Sony surprised with a new-tech "Crystal LED" TV display, basically a downsized Jumbotron boasting 6 million LEDs and probably costing as much as a luxury car to build. Don't hold your breath waiting for that one.
Fine-tuning of today's TV tech also is ongoing. Panasonic will enhance the brightness of neo-plasma screens 50 percent, while Sony is winding up its image-clocking circuitry. Both efforts will make 3- (and 2-D) look better. Samsung is adding a dual-core processor to its Smart TVs; LG is going quad-core, for more dexterous multitasking.
And everyone, even second-tier marketer Coby, touted BIGGER screen models at CES. Sixty-inch flat panels are almost being treated like the new big-screen "standard." Sharp and rear-projection-TV lone wolf Mitsubishi also have a bunch of 70-, 80- (and in Mitsubishi's case) 92-inch models.
Your Mobile Home: Mobile phones are also bulking up. Samsung's Galaxy Note boasts enough real estate (a 5.3-inch AMOLED screen) to turn it into a sketch pad.
LG was touting a higher-resolution IPS screen on its Optimus and Spectra mobile phones to match the devices' HD movie making ability.
Meanwhile, a Corning ("Gorilla Glass") executive on a flat-panel, um, panel I moderated confirmed that higher-resolution screens are coming "soon" to tablet computers. But Corning's Peter Bocko refused to name the brand (Apple) likely to introduce it.
Two-for-one special: Phones and tablets that function as a "second screen" enhancement to your primary TV also grabbed my eye. Samsung, for one, showed TVs that can "throw" content wirelessly to portable devices.
Justin Timberlake, no less, touted the new, improved MySpace coming to Panasonic Viera TVs, so you can mash up live TV viewing with socializing on your tab or phone.
Off the show floor, Nintendo offered a sneak peek of its forthcoming (later this year) Wii-U game system built around a 6.2-inch tablet screen/remote that really ups the ante for multiplayer/multi-angle action. Wii-U's hybrid controller may also offer stand-alone tablet functionality.
Yet more connections: There were tons of new "apps" that effectively turn your iOS or Android phone or tablet into a jackknife of all trades, or double the pleasure of other devices:
* Withings showed a baby scale and baby monitor that register weight or show color pictures on a mobile phone.
* JVC introduced Wi-Fi-ready camcorders, starting at $349, that double as house monitors/nanny cams, watchable on an Android/iOS mobile.
* Sony Ericsson's got a very cool, Bluetooth-connected watch that can see who's calling (and answer calls) from the Android mobile stashed in your pocket.
* Radar detector maker Escort touted a mobile phone interface, Escort Live, characterized as "social networking for the road." I'd call it "ratting out the speed trap cops hiding behind the billboard."
A car show, too: As the leading lifestyle product show, CES also attracts an increasing number of automakers looking to enhance their brand image. Ford grabbed attention with the 2013 Ford Fusion, a swoopy, coupe-styled four-door with a front that could pass for an Aston Martin and loads of high-tech goodness inside - including optional eco, hybrid and (longer range) plug-in hybrid engine options.
Audi and Kia showed off nifty city car "concept" vehicles, the former's looking like an overgrown Soapbox Derby entry, the latter's a six-door subcompact repurposing your tablet computer as its plug-in dashboard display.
UltraBooks: Slim-line, fast-starting laptop PCs mimicking the MacBook Air were another CES saga. The big surprise was Vizio's foray into the "thin and light" portable category and its first Apple-aping integrated desktops, which a company spokesman claimed will arrive midyear. Uh, what about product support? Vizio's South Dakota call center is "well staffed with ex-Gateway employees."
