My inner-geek loves early January. That’s when the Consumer Electronics Show takes over Las Vegas. CES is the biggest annual gathering of techies, geeks and electronic gadgeteers on the planet. With 1.4 million square feet of new electronics on display, one can spend days wandering with legions of fellow technophiles.

Yes, yes, yes. I strongly believe in David duChemin’s slogan “Gear is good. Vision is better.” But, I love CES because it’s like taking a trip into the future (without the headache afterward). Not many of these new gadgets will thrive or even survive. But, the ideas behind them often endure and multiply.

Here are the ideas and gadgets from CES 2010 that I think are most relevant to the future of photography:

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Panasonic unveiled a two-eyed camcorder that shoots 3D in full HD. It’s MSRP is $22,000. Can 3D home videos be far behind? Photo and details on DV.com.

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The larger format of the Skiff e-reader leapfrogs the Kindle and Nook. Here’s yet another reason that paperboys will not come back from extinction. The day of Harry Potter’s newspapers is not far off. Details & photo at Gizmodo. Skiff Reader site.

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Sharp looks to expand color gamut of LCD TVs by adding yellow pixels. Move over RGB! If this works, it could be a boon for the future of wide gamut monitors. IF.  Sharp press release.

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Haier (a China-sized electronics conglomerate) demo’d a prototype TV that is completely wireless (not even a power cord!). No word on whether remotes will become lose-proof. This is another demonstration of how WiTricity (wireless electricity) continues to sneak into the real world. Details from Gizmodo.

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While still in the infancy of HDSLR cinematography, a handful of forward-thinking bloggers hit the CES floor with crazy (and tiny) video rigs. Note that the camera may be shrinking, but these guys still like to carry a big mic. Pix on Gizmodo.

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Freeloader Pro solar charger allows you to charge DSLR batteries and all kinds of other devices out in the bush country using just the sun. No word on how many Freeloaders it would take to jump start a Profoto 7B. See it demo’d on CNET TV.

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Skype-enabled TVs: Sykpe was demo’d on large Panasonic and LG HDTVs. Not sure I’d want anyone’s face to be that big while I’m on the phone. But the trend of merging the TV with the Internet continues on many fronts. Details & photo on Engadget. Comments on Gizmodo. Details at Skype.

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Casio updated its super-slow-mo pocket cams with the EX-FH100. Last year’s model was plagued by noise. Many have reported that the quality of the new model is much better. Shoots at a range of speeds from 120fps all the way up to 1000 fps and also at 1fetyptb (one-frame-every-time-you-push-the-button). Pre-order on Amazon. Read about it on Gizmodo.

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Eye-fi wireless SD cards step speed up to 802.11n. Someday I might come up with a good reason to buy one. Details from Engadget. Buy it on Amazon.

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Kodak announces PlaySport pocket-sized HD camcorders that are supposedly waterproof to 10 ft. This will be helpful when you drink too much at the mid-summer office party. Kodak press release.

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Samsung NX10 features APS-C sensor, interchangeable lenses, electronic viewfinder. Think of it as a DSLR without the R. Hopefully Canon and Nikon are paying attention. Details on DPReview.com.

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Parrot demo’d the AR.drone, a 4-propellor, almost-any-idiot-can-fly-it helicopter that was controlled with an iPhone. Yep, an iPhone. Watch the video. One of these and the next item would be a fun combo to play with. Details and video on Parrot.com.
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Sony’s Bloggie pocket camcorder has more features than Flip Mino (like a lens that swivels 270º). Also, a lower price. Darn. Christmas just passed. See it at Sony. Order your Bloggie now on Amazon.

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Liquid Image debuted the first scuba mask with a camera built in. This now means that our toaster the only thing in our house that does not have a camera built into it. Details at Liquid Image.