Geeks and bloggers love the month of January for it marks the biggest event in the consumer electronics industry as a whole - the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008. Running from January 7 to 10, about 140,000 people grace this much anticipated event to see the latest and prestigious gizmos from mobile phones to home entertainment system.

While this is typically the channel to introduce new and innovative products, NYT has pointed out the major downside - it has become an ineffective place to promote new products because it is as much a place to get lost as to get discovered.

Since this event is considered as the "biggest comparison-shopping floor in the world of consumer electronics", the biggest hurdle is how to cut through the clutter without hurting your marketing budget.

Unfortunately, most consumer electronics displayed today are of enhancements rather than innovation, primarily to outdo the competition.

Maybe it's high time for CES to break into different segments as it continually expands its horizon. Just like the major pharmaceutical conventions, perhaps mid-year or quarterly conventions are more appropriate in the next International CES.