CES 2009

LAS VEGAS--With my time at the Consumer Electronics Show having drawn to a close, here's a roundup of my observations from the show:

Sign that the economy used to be good
My Sin City accommodations included dual 42-inch flat screen TVs, plus another small LCD screen in the bathroom.

Sign that the economy has tanked
The only reason that spot was for rent (and could be had for as little as $159 a night) is that it was a condo that didn't sell.

Sign No. 2 that the economy has tanked
There were $5 blackjack tables at the Palms in the evening. (Last year it was hard to find a table with less than a $20 minimum.)

Weirdest mix of Silicon Valley and Las Vegas I spotted this year
The giant eBay slot machine I saw as I wound my way through the Venetian casino.

Less swag, less sushi
Two other visible indicators that things aren't so hot: Both swag and sushi were far less present at the show, notes colleague Rafe Needleman.

Ballmer talks to CNET
It took a bit to get the video up (there's a lot of video being shot and streamed over at the CNET stage). But it's worth a look to hear Steve Ballmer talking about the economy and Windows 7.

Other random CES observances? Feel free to send them my way...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was set to unveil the pact as part of his keynote later Wednesday. However, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg mentioned the deal at a Citigroup conference earlier Wednesday, according to a Reuters report.

The Wall Street Journal reported last year that the two companies were working on some sort of deal. And it's not the first time that Microsoft has partnered to get content onto Verizon phones.

The Verizon deal is just one part of Ballmer's keynote, which is expected to focus heavily on Windows 7.

A beta version of Windows 7 got leaked onto the Internet late last month, raising hopes that an officially sanctioned version would be available soon. A Microsoft developer's blog post earlier in December also appeared to indicate that the beta would come in January.