Consumer Electronics Show

No segment of the electronics industry better highlights the challenges of these times than the television business. With sales of standard TVs flagging, the industry is pinning its hopes to new models TVs equipped to handle Internet streaming, WiFi and more.

The motto of this year's Consumer Electronics Show: You can't be too fast, too skinny or too connected. Beginning Tuesday, anorexic HDTVs and super-skinny laptops will vie for attention with accelerated WiFi devices and TVs that smartly connect to multiple devices simultaneously.

It'll be an interesting week in the news of the new: Yahoo has a fresh CEO, auto shows and the CES will show off the latest in cars and tech, and a major homebuilder will tell us how new construction is doing. (Oh, and JP Morgan will give us a clue about how the banks are faring.)

For the past 14 years, Microsoft has kicked off the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a a keynote address that set the tone for the exposition where tech companies showcase their latest wares. But Microsoft is announcing that next month's show will be its last.

Now that electronics makers have unveiled their latest gadgets and stores are slashing prices on old inventory and TVs for the Super Bowl, there are plenty of gadgets worth buying right now. Here's our short list of gizmos and electronics you should shop for. A High-Definition Television First...

Microsoft and Google can surely claim to compete head-to-head with Apple, but Samsung is pushing in hard: While its Galaxy Tab may not be as hot as the iPad, it's making headway. Indeed, Samsung is building a consumer electronics lineup that mirrors Apple's.

Now the No. 1. U.S. seller of LCD TVs, Vizio is setting its sights on the smartphone and tablet computer markets. But will its low-cost business model translate to the mobile electronics market? That's not a sure bet, but it'll be interesting to watch.

It's tablets, tablets everywhere at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which ends Sunday. Manufacturers such as Motorola Mobility, Toshiba and Dell have taken to hot pursuit of Apple, which sold more than 13 million iPads last year.

Despite all the amazing gadgets launched at the Consumer Electronics Show -- the smart TVs, 3-D technology, larger touch screens, and tablet PCs -- the bigger news in Las Vegas this week may be about price cuts.

Intel's stock is up just 2% this year compared to the Nasdaq's 17% rise, and investors fret that the explosive growth of smartphones and tablets will crimp the market for the PC chips that produce the bulk of Intel's revenue. But the tech giant has a plan.