Photo Credit: CES

Without a breakthrough, must-have product showcasing at CES in Vegas this year, we thought the crowds might be smaller. We were wrong. The Consumer Electronics Association reports that there are over 150,000 attendees this year, and a record 3,100 companies exhibiting.

As always, Apple doesn't join the party, preferring to launch its products at its own convention, but there are plenty of "i" products to see. iBike, iRobot, iDevices, iWish ... (ok, just kidding on that last one.)

IF there is any news this year, it's in the TV world. They're bigger, with better resolution (4K is now the standard to beat) and Samsung showed off a prototype of its high-end "Smart TV line," that it says will allow users to control their sets with voice and motion control and facial-recognition technology.

"For example, users can turn the TV on or off, activate selected apps or search for content in the web browser simply by speaking in any of the 20 to 30 languages that are supported by the technology," a Samsung spokesman said. "With a wave of their hand, they can browse and choose a link or content via the web browser and two unidirectional array microphones recognize voice at an incredibly accurate rate." (A built-in camera in the top-of-theline Smart TV sets recognizes movement.)

Meanwhile, Sharp demonstrated its Aquos Freestyle TVs which are made to be portable. By using a wireless signal the models at the booth were able to happily carry them around and we did find the TV very lightweight. Take it outside for a BBQ or into the kitchen to watch a cooking demo.

Every company is out to beat Apple to their rumored TV launch, but if an iTV does hit the market this year - if history is any indicator - it will probably outstrip everything we saw at CES.

Besides TVs, we saw an iPhone in a fountain, demonstrating a water-proof coating from company Liquipel ; miles of bejeweled iPhone cases, and made friends with iRobot Ava, who roamed the convention floor. Ava has a tablet for a head and from the "neck" down looks like a vacuum cleaner. If we hadn't been so tired, I'm sure we wouldn't have asked it for directions.