In the wake of CES, analysts wonder what devices will define 2012

As weary exhibitors and attendees disassembled their booths and packed up their gadgets Friday to return to their respective homelands after the International Consumer Electronics Show, technology insiders were left to consider what devices will define the industry in 2012.

There was a handful of breakout stars at the show, which featured more than 3,100 consumer electronics companies displaying some 20,000 products.

LG Electronics' 55-inch OLED 3-D TV took home some top prizes; Nokia announced that its Windows-based smartphones would soon be on sale in the United States; and ultrabooks and tablets based on Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system dominated the pre-show announcements and the Las Vegas Convention Center floor.

But San Jose, Calif.-based technology analyst Rob Enderle said he doesn't expect any products introduced at CES to make a big splash in the marketplace, at least not anytime soon.

"Not a lot happens in the first three quarters," Enderle said. "(The Windows 8-based) combination of products has the most potential because it has the most market dollars. It combines elements of the iPad, elements of the Macbook Air and elements of the Xbox, all into a product set."

TVs had a huge presence at CES this year, but the new technology being used in OLED and LCD/LED TVs is still too expensive for mainstream consumers.

Enderle said cutting-edge televisions probably won't penetrate the market for awhile -- years, even.

While some companies introduce new products, others see CES as a second chance to make a first impression. A year ago, Research in Motion, Motorola, Samsung, Toshiba and dozens of other companies showed off tablets they hoped would rival Apple Inc.'s iPad.

All were back again this year, showing off their upgraded tablets. On the CES show floor, RIM displayed its BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, an overhauled version with new software and features including a video store. Toshiba unveiled its new 10.1-inch-wide tablet that weighs slightly more than a 20-ounce bottle of soda.

Analysts with Gartner Inc. expect 103.5 million tablets of all brands to be sold in 2012.

In some ways, at this CES, smaller was better, he said.

"There wasn't that much that was visionary coming out of the big companies. There was some real interesting stuff coming out of the small companies, but as usual, that got eclipsed," Enderle said.

Enderle is a fan of Liquipel, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based company that uses nanotechnology to waterproof electronics. Liquipel also exhibited at Sunday's Start-up Debut event.

SpinKiX, electric skates that turn your feet into a Segway, and Parrot's camera-equipped AR Drone 2, a small helicopter controlled by a smartphone, also drew high praise from Enderle.

"I'm sure (the drone) will get a lot of kids in trouble," he said. "It's used for fun or misused for fun."

Smaller companies used the week of CES to hustle their wares on the show floor.

Andrew Fabian, assistant manager of sales for Eaglecell Phone Accessories, said his booth saw good turnaround at CES, and estimated that about 40 percent of his yearly new customer sales come from the trade show.

Falin said he saw about 150 visitors per day at his booth, and about half became actual customers.

The wholesale price of a cellphone cover ranges from $1 to $15, while consumers usually pay $30 to $40. Most orders Fabian receives are from for goods worth $700 to $1,500.

One challenge of exhibiting at a large show like CES for a company such as Eaglecell, which has a competitor around every corner, is that potential buyers try to get outrageous deals.

"It's a tough business," Fabian said. "A lot of customers want cheaper prices, but then they're marking it up 1,000 percent."

Large retailers send representatives to CES to look for new products, small and large.

A buyer from Sears on Wednesday was looking for new consumer electronics products that he could put on the retailer's shelves. He was in the market for televisions, but he couldn't disclose how much he was prepared to spend other than to say it would be a "significant" amount.

After striking deals, selling products and showing the world new (or marginally improved) technology, bleary-eyed CES attendees filed out of the convention center Friday with wheeled luggage in tow.

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at cmcgarry@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Contact reporter Laura Caroll at 702-38-4588 or lcarroll@reviewjournal.com. Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at csieroty@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.