Vegas, Baby

More than 200,000 people will be on their way to Las Vegas this week for technology's biggest and glitziest convention: International CES in Las Vegas. So why are so many people who are staying behind smiling so wide?

This is, by far, is my favorite blog post on this week’s convention:

dad left this morning for ces in vegas, and i've got the whole house to myself for a week.

For the past six weeks, I’ve gotten between 40 and 50 emails or phone calls a day from public relations types, inviting me to visit with their companies or clients at the International CES this week in Las Vegas. I haven’t been this harassed by the flak barrage since Comdex ’98.

CES stands for “Consumer Electronics Show,” but three commercial IT heavyweights will be doing a good amount of the talking this week: Bill Gates, Paul Otellini and Michael Dell. (Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights to expect.)

Each of their respective companies - Microsoft, Intel, and Dell Computer – have been making noise the past few years about diving head first into the digital home and consumer electronics markets, but each has yet to find the promised land. Intel appears to have the most aggressive plans for the CES show – and will be talking about everything from new branding initiatives to digital health care.

But pay attention to the margins and smaller headlines out of CES this week, too.

From cell phone technology to digital imaging technology, everyone seems to have their eyes peeled for different news this week.

If you haven’t made your plans to attend the show yet, get ready to spend through the nose for even a third-rate room in a second-rate hotel. You can also check out the CES Wiki for late-breaking deals and information. (Hat tip: Jeneane Sessum, who admittedly doesn’t have a lot of time herself to plan ahead.)

And if you do attend CES, you might want to call home, early and often, and touch base with the kids.