Tech '09: The Hottest Rock Gadgets on the Horizon

So much for predictions that a prolonged recession and continued budget cutbacks would cause annual tech and gadget confab the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held last week in Las Vegas, to short circuit. Despite a 22 percent drop in attendance, even lingering economic fears couldn't keep an estimated 110,000 industry insiders and journalists eager to sample tomorrow's technology away. Palpable undercurrent of uncertainty — manifested in tamer boots, decreased foot traffic and readily available cabs and hotel rooms — aside, the countless gee-whiz electronics on display likewise mirrored manufacturers' optimistic attitudes towards 2009.

While it was clear some companies are anticipating continued demand for high-end devices (see Motorola's $2,000 stainless steel cell phone), it's sheer practicality, not pioneering design, that's expected to make headlines in coming months. While executives alternately trumpeted products as larger or smaller, more feature-rich or streamlined, in truth, the future isn't about faster 240Hz television refresh rates or digital cameras with integrated Web browsers. Rather, the following watchwords effectively summarize the state of high-tech in '09: Slimmer, greener, wireless, connected and more intuitive.

Shrinking form factors were visible everywhere from 0.85mm-thick Organic LED TVs capable of enhanced color output to the world's first portable Blu-ray player and micro projectors which fit in your pocket. Increasing demand for Energy Star compliance and lower power consumption is also evident across the board. There's Sony's eco-friendly Bravia VE5 television sets, Motorola's Moto W223 Renew cell phone (made from recycled bottles) and Energizer's new oxygen-activated Prismatic zinc-air batteries, which purportedly power gizmos three times longer than alkaline or lithium ion counterparts. But it's music and video lovers, blog-a-holics and everyday shoppers who'll benefit most from current sea changes, as wirelessly interconnected TVs, set-top boxes, storage solutions and portable media players bring streaming audio/video to mainstream prominence.

Witness iRiver's stunning Wave-Home, a kitchen-friendly, touch-screen multimedia hub that doubles as a wireless Internet-powered (VoIP) phone, Web surfing tablet, digital music player, photo viewer and videoconferencing solution. Due for launch by year-end, like Kodak's Theater HD and Netgear's Digital Entertainer Elite, set-top boxes that beam tunes, photos and YouTube shorts from room to room, it could become an essential home network purchase. Internet-ready HDTVs, enabling wireless access to audiovisual content from the Web or PC hard disk (including services like Pandora, Rhapsody, Netflix, Blockbuster OnDemand and Amazon) such as Panasonic's G10 series, Sony's Bravia XBR9 lineup and Vizio's Connected HDTV models, are also anticipated to enjoy growing prominence.

For tech-savvy audiophiles, the party's just getting started. Here's a guide to the most rockin' gadgets heading your way: