Even in the run up to the New Year - with myriad places to go and people to see  - there's no escaping the Consumer Electronics Show . We're looking forward to swapping the cold of a UK winter for the desert warmth of Las Vegas at the end of the first week of the new year.

Without the benefit of clairvoyance we can't predict what this year's gadget-fest will bring, but the initial signs are that we're in for an exciting trip, with flat screen TVs and displays, entertainment PCs, innovative, and huge, storage devices, not to mention voice recognition technologies.

We know we can't afford to take our eye off the ball at this huge show, which is expected to attract 130,000 attendees and 2,400 exhibitors. Indeed, just our colleagues from the fourth estate will number a whopping 4,000.

One thing's for sure: the Consumer Electronics Show definitely beats the January sales in London. Happy new year!