Consumer Electronics Show The 2009 International CES, January 8-11, Las Vegas, Nev.

Consumer Electronics Show
The 2009 International CES, January 8-11, Las Vegas, Nev.

INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW 2009: High tech in low spirit.
Organizers optimistic, but data suggest expo's draw will drop.
The last time the International Consumer Electronics Show opened in a recession this deep, pocket calculators, bar codes and rudimentary word processors were cutting-edge technology.
How the current recession -- the worst since 1974, according to some recent national unemployment numbers -- affects the 2009 edition of North America's biggest gadget show remains to be seen.
Indicators to measure the success of CES, which opens Thursday, are mixed.
Organizers at the Consumer Electronics Association say preregistration numbers are similar to 2008 when about 142,000 people attended the event.
The 2009 show also boasts about 300 new exhibitors, including mobile telecommunications giant Verizon Wireless, and CES could get another boost from an announcement that Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs won't be participating in the competing Macworld show in California.

Las Vegas tech show shrinks
The annual Consumer Electronics Show will likely feel the economic recession, with fewer manufacturers, retailers and people turning up to check out the newest gadgets.
With shoppers in a funk and companies scaling back, the annual Consumer Electronics Show extravaganza in Las Vegas this week is likely to be subdued, with fewer manufacturers, retailers and people expected in attendance.
The focus is likely to be on smaller, more connected and greener devices that can help consumers save on bills. That is a change from years past, when companies trafficked in excess, offering items such as massive 150-inch TVs that were beyond the financial reach of most consumers.

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