It could be that Vegas is the perfect place for such a show like this since everything being brought down there is more or less a gamble. There are at least 100 new tablet computers on display from just about every manufacturer you can think of. Marketplace reporter Steve Henn is on the scene in Las Vegas and he says the PlayBook by Blackberry’s parent company Research In Motion is getting a lot of attention. And so is the Motorola Xoom (pronounced Zoom if you want to sound in the know). It takes a lot to stand out in the sea of tablets but these seem to be doing the job.

Steve says 3D is still being pushed, companies insist you will love sitting in your living room wearing special glasses. But the hype has died down a bit since last year 3D’s boom.

Overall, the big meta-trend is “preemptive gratification” as companies try to show off products you really need before you really need them. For instance, the baby monitoring system that involves climatic room monitoring from your smartphone along with video surveillance and, well, paranoia, really. Steve also reports seeing bifocals that adjust your prescription based on the tilt of your head.

Also in this show, acclaimed film composer Ennio Morricone is composing ringtones. Is that a step down for Morricone or a step up for cell phones?