Weirdly enough the hottest thing at CES Las Vegas is 3D television (3D without any glasses) and the coolest is probably the LED lanyards. Problem is that 3D tvs without glasses is already very very old news. At CES it is about 10 000 different people, all seeking attention but nothing that great this year, although the earphones that you can tailor specifically to your ears, are also way cool and here and there, there is something that draws the eye…
Sustainable technology is the next big thing. There is very little or no such thing on offer this year even considering all the consumer electronics available or on offer at CES. Yes, there are some very cool ideas, products, software and concepts but imho nothing stunning or amazing.
The remote control touch screen pad for television and the voice recognition television controls and technological achievements like the so very very high definition television images seem like future consumer technology that we could all be using. The very niche market products like custom pads and pad operating systems for specific use, seem interesting but I am not convinced that these niche products will matter in five years time or that anyone will even be talking about any of it.
Of all the unsustainable technologies the uber coolest is probably the multi dimensional television tech. I mean, come on, how cool is it for two people to sit together watching the same screen and seeing (and hearing) two entirely different things
So, in summation: Most cool stuff is television based. Televisions on which you can access Facebook and watch Harold and Kumar killing Santa in 3D is about the best of what CES 2012 has to offer.