THINK your high-definition TV is hot stuff - as sharp as it gets? At the biggest trade show in the Americas, which took place this week in Las Vegas, TV makers were doing their best to convince consumers that HDTVs are old hat, and should make room for "Ultra HDTV."

It was the latest gambit from an industry struggling with a shift in consumer spending from TVs, PCs and single-purpose devices such as camcorders to small, portable do-it-all gadgets: smartphones and tablets. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that device shipments to United States buyers fell 5 percent in dollar terms last year excluding smartphones and tablets, but rose 6 percent to US$207 billion if you include those categories.

Trends suggest that the International CES - formerly the Consumer Electronics Show - is losing its stature as a start-of-the-year showcase for gadgets that consumers will buy over the next 12 months.

It started out as a venue for the TV and stereo industries. Later, PCs joined the party. But it's not a major venue for phone and tablet launches, though some new models are unveiled.

The biggest trendsetter in mobile gadgets industry, Apple Inc, wasn't an attendee, as it shuns all events it doesn't organize itself.

And Apple rival Microsoft Corp scaled back its patronage. For the first time since 1999, Microsoft's CEO didn't delivering the kick-off keynote.

Instead, Qualcomm Inc took over the podium. It's an important maker of chips that go into cellphones, but not a household name.

None of this seemed to matter much to the industry people who go to the show, which was set to be bigger than ever, at least in terms of floor space.

Gary Shapiro the CEO of the organizing Consumer Electronics Association, expected attendance close to the 156,000 people who turned out last year. That's pretty much at capacity for Las Vegas, which has about 150,000 hotel rooms.

The show doesn't welcome gawkers: attendees are executives, purchasing managers, engineers, marketers, journalists and others with connections to the industry.

"We don't want to be over 160,000," Shapiro said beforehand. "We do everything we can not to be too crowded."

Nor do the shifting sands of the technology industry seem to matter much to exhibitors. Though some big names were scaling back or missing, there were many smaller companies clamoring for booth space and a spot in the limelight.

For example, there were set to be 500 companies displaying Apple accessories in the "iLounge Pavilion."

Overall, the CEA sold a record 1.9 million square feet of floor space for this year's show.

Here are some show highlights.

Lenovo 27-inch 'coffee table PC'

Dismayed that family members are spread out over the house, each with a separate PC or tablet? Lenovo has something it believes will get them back together: a PC the size of a coffee table that works like a gigantic tablet and lets four people use it at once. Lenovo Group Ltd, one of the world's largest PC makers, is calling the IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC the first "interpersonal computer."

It's big enough for four people, and the screen can respond to 10 fingers touching it at the same time. The screen is the size of eight iPads stitched together, and it weighs 6.8 kilograms.

Who it's for: Family get-togethers or business conferences

Price: From US$1,699, starting this summer

Windows 8 Pen

Many people who have tried Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system without a touch screen have hated it because of the inability to use touch and swipe commands. Now, E Fun, a West Covina, California-based company, has come out with the Apen Touch8 a digital pen to allow people to use Windows 8 on their old monitors.

The pen emits an infrared beam out of its tip. Pushing down on it results in a separate ultrasonic signal, which is equivalent to a touch screen sensing when you are touching it. Just like that, you can swipe and tap your way through Windows 8.

Who it's for: Windows 8 users without a touch screen

Price: US$80, from March

Lego Mindstorms EV3

Lego bricks are getting cozy with the iPhone and other Apple devices in the latest incarnation of the Mindstorms robotics kit.

Lego announced Monday that a new Mindstorms EV3 kit will have the ability to talk to iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches through Bluetooth wireless connections. That means Lego builders can use the devices as remote controls for their robots, or create simple programs that are then sent to the robots to control their actions.

The EV3 will also be the first Mindstorms kit to be available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Russian.

Who it's for: From 10 years-and up

Price: US$350, from later this year

Samsung 3D lens

Cameras that can record in 3D are usually pretty complicated, sporting two lenses instead of one, to mimic human binocular vision. Samsung Electronics Co says it has a more elegant solution: a single lens that can go from 2D to 3D mode with the flip of a switch.

The lens is an optional accessory for Samsung's new NX300 camera, the latest in the company's NX line of compact cameras with interchangeable lenses. The camera will record video, including 3D video, on its 20-megapixel sensor. Any 3D TV can play back the 3D movies.

A switch flips an extra shutter into the path of the light through the lens. The shutter has two sides, allowing the single lens to act as if it were two, offset from each other.

When you snap a shot in 3D, the camera looks quickly through one side of the front lens and records an image. It then switches quickly to the other side to record another exposure of the same subject from a slightly different angle.

Who it's for: Shutterbugs

Price: The NX300 camera goes on sale in March for US$750 with a standard zoom lens. The 3D lens will be sold separately for US$500.


Mondo Spider, Titanoboa

A pair of giant hydraulic and lithium polymer battery controlled beasts from Canadian art organization eatART caught the eye at the show. A rideable eight-legged creature, Mondo Spider weighs 1,600 pounds and can crawl forward at about 5 miles per hour. The 1,200-pound Titanoboa slithers along at an as yet unmeasured speed.

Computer maker Lenovo sponsored the group to show off the inventions at CES. Titanoboa was made to match the size of a 15-meter reptile from to 50 million years ago

Who it's for: Your inner child, people with large living rooms.

Price: The spider costs US$26,000 while a Titanoboa will set you back US$70,000.

HAPIfork

If you don't watch what you put in your mouth, this fork will - or at least try to. Called HAPIfork, it's a fork with a fat handle containing electronics and a battery. A motion sensor knows when you are lifting the fork to your mouth. If you're eating too fast, it warns you. The company behind it, HapiLabs, believes that using the fork 60 to 75 times during meals that last 20 to 30 minutes is ideal.

Who it's for: Fast eaters

Price: US$99

Motorheadphone

Bass-heavy headphones that borrow the names of hip-hop luminaries like Dr Dre have become very popular. Rock fans have been left out of the party - until now. British metal band Motorhead, famous for playing gut-punchingly loud, is endorsing headphones that "go to eleven." Says lead singer and bassist Lemmy Kilmister, explaining his creative input: "I just said make them louder than everybody else's."

The Motorheadphone line consists of three over-the-ear and six in-ear models. Distribution and marketing is handled by Swedish company Krusell International AB.

Who it's for: According to Lemmy, they're ideal for Motorhead fans because "their hearing is already damaged."

Price: US$50-US$130

Eye-sensing TV

A prototype of an eye-sensing TV from Haier didn't quite meet viewers eye-to-eye. An on-screen cursor is supposed to appear where the viewer looks to help, say, select a show to watch. Blinking while controlling the cursor is supposed to result in a click. In our brief time with the TV, we observed may quirks and comic difficulties.

For one, the company said the system doesn't work that well when viewers wear eyeglasses. But one bespectacled reporter was able to make it work. However, the cursor appeared a couple inches below where the viewer was looking.

Who it's for: People too lazy to move their arms

Price: Unknown

iPotty

Toilet training a toddler is no picnic, but iPotty from CTA Digital seeks to make it a little easier by letting parents attach an iPad to it.

This way, junior can gape and paw at the iPad while taking care of business in the old-fashioned part of the plastic potty.

There are potty training apps out there that reward toddlers for accomplishing the deed. The company is also examining whether the potty's attachment can be adapted for other types of tablets.

"We've gotten great feedback from parents who think it'd be great for training," said CTA product specialist Camilo Gallardo.

Who it's for: Parents at their wit's end

Price: US$39.99, from March

Parrot flower power

A company named after a bird wants to make life easier for your plants. A plant sensor called Flower Power from Paris-based Parrot is designed to update your mobile device with information about the health of your plant and the environment it lives in. Just stick the y-shaped sensor in your plant's soil, download the accompanying app and - hopefully - watch your plant thrive.

"It's basically a Bluetooth smart low-energy sensor. It senses light, sunlight, temperature, moisture and soil as well as fertilizer in the soil," said a company representative. It will be available sometime this year, Parrot said.

Who it's for: Green-fingered folk and plants with a will to live

Price: Unknown