Las Vegas Convention Center

As you may have heard, I spent most of last week in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. This is North America’s largest technology trade show and it showcases all kinds of great technologies spanning a huge range of industries. From smartphones to car audio, robotics to 3DTV, there really is something for everyone.

I’m still trying to recover from all the running around and picture-taking I had to do, but I always have a good time at CES. There’s always more to see and I never get around to seeing it all. What you’ll see below are a few quick snapshots that I took over the course of the trip. This is a really brief overview and it barely scrapes the surface of what you can expect from CES.

Asus Press Conference (CES 2011)

On the day we arrived, we hit up the Asus press conference. It was here that they unveiled several new tablets. These are going to be in direct competition with the iPad, of course, but they’ve got some key differentiating features like slide-out keyboards, and Intel Core i5 processors.

The next day was “press day,” which meant that I was running around to the different press conferences. The Motorola one was positively packed, but it was well worth it. The Motorola Atrix 4G is a real game-changer in the world of smartphones and the Motorola XOOM tablet is no slouch either.

Mattel Angry Birds (CES 2011)

It’s not all about high technology either. Angry Birds has really become quite the phenomenon and now it’s making the leap (or the slingshot-fueled launch) to the “real world” thanks to Mattel. The toy company has adapted the Rovio mobile game into a physical game that includes cards, building blocks, and a real working slingshot.

NVIDIA Computer Keg (CES 2011)

Can’t decide if you want to play computer games or drink a fresh pint of beer? You don’t need to choose, because NVIDIA has decided to put together the contraption you see above. It’s a fully functional computer that also happens to be a fully functional beer keg, complete with separate cooling. Nice choice in beer there too. I like Sierra Nevada.

Matte Black Audi R8 (CES 2011)

Do you like cars? This matte black Audi R8 was looking pretty sweet. As I made my way around the trade show floor, I also saw a Tesla Roadster on display, as well as a fully chromed-out R8.

Tron Gamer Chair (CES 2011)

When I started snapping pictures of this TRON gaming chair, I got approached by one of the product managers handling the booth. He told me that photos were not allowed. I told him that I was with the media. He said it didn’t matter. Why on Earth would you put something like this on display if you didn’t want any press coverage?

Golf course just off the Las Vegas Strip

And this is just me having some fun with my Olympus E-PL1. Almost looks like the tilt-shift effect, don’t you think? The picture was taken from the Thermaltake suite at the Palazzo.

As you might expect, I came home with some swag too. Keep your eyes open for a contest post here soon (maybe tomorrow), because I really want to give you some free trade show goodies. Sound good?