Update on 01.12.10 4:01pm: Video demo of Parrot’s ARDrone after the fold.

The big news at this year’s CES last week in Las Vegas were tablets and 3D TV.

Tablets have been one of the main topics of dialogue for the last few months, as Apple’s tablet has been gossiped about incessantly, really heating up around September and doing its best to outlive the Energizer Bunny.

At CES that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer . . . talked about tablets. As if there hadn’t been enough ‘just talk’ already. The consensus in the tech press is that Ballmer wasted an opportunity here, especially since the next big show is MacWorld 2010 in San Francisco next month.

3D TV is the technology that seems to only come out at CES. Last year this technology was the big story coming out the event — along with the Palm Pre, which has generally disappointed since. But this year we are ready for adoption — even if our wallets aren’t — especially after the mainstream success of Avatar and Up.

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Outside of Windows 7 going beta, by far the biggest attention getter at CES in Las Vegas has been the Palm Pre, the smartphone that many in the media are saying will save the struggling company. Gizmodo calls it “maybe the most important handset to be announced in two years.” Ubergizmo has a great review of the Palm Pre.

Speaking of phones, the LG Watch Phone also got a lot of buzz and raised the level of Dick Tracy references to a height not seen in decades. “Our new 3G Touch Watch Phone is stylish, sophisticated and the height of technology, but it’s also undeniably fun. How else can you reenact those scenes from your favorite sci-fi or spy movie?” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

Something else getting considerable attention is wireless USB. Wireless USB works at up to ten meters’ distance, and it looks like a lot of vendors will be using it soon in notebooks, hubs, and phones.

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After the comitragedy that was The Vista Experience, Microsoft this week begins the Windows 7 era. While we will continue to be battered with “I’m a PC” ads, the beta release of Windows 7 marks the (legal) debut of the successor to the Redmond, WA, company’s much-maligned operating system.

“We are on track to deliver the best version of Windows ever, we are putting in all the right ingredients — simplicity, reliability and speed and working hard to get it right and to get it ready,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during his CES keynote.

So far, reviews have tended towards the positive. Windows 7 is by all accounts faster and less intrusive than Vista, with the annoying User Account Control interrupting your actions much less frequently; it is now also scalable. Windows 7 is also apparently more forgiving of lower-end systems than Vista was. It is also more energy efficient – shutting off ports when not in use – and kinder to battery life.

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The end of the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show has already left us with developments in several categories. The show continues until Sunday in Las Vegas, showcasing Wireless, Emerging Technology, Digital Imaging, Gaming, Audio, Home Networking, In-Vehicle Connectivity and Home Theater. Some highlights are distilled below.

CEO of Sony Sir Howard Stringer delivered a keynote address mindful of the projection that the consumer electronics industry will see negative growth this year. His guidelines to sustain the industry stress convergence of IT, consumer experience and entertainment. CNET interprets them as a newly developed mission statement for his own company, but the strategies carry over: focus on customer service, support open technologies, embrace social content, go green.

As for more consumer based plans, Microsoft will release a public beta of Windows 7 this week. After 2.5 million downloads, Microsoft will cap the beta, according to PC World . The official ship date remains early 2010.

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Three years already that the U.S. team of Atelier is attending the Consumer Electronic Show held in Las Vegas. Life is tough! But we aren’t here for fun - because we do not see the day light very often here - but to cover this annual trade show (aka. CES for the insiders), the great mess of the electronics industry which has being held for over 30 years in the sin city.

This was Bill Gates who was until now addressing the opening session. This year, it will still be Microsoft, but it will be Steve Ballmer’s turn to take Gates’s place. At least he’s a real speaker. As we say, this is a page that is being turned. We will follow this course for you and keep you updated. Despite a background of crisis, a rich program is waiting for us: the Presidents and CEOs of Ford, Sony, Intel and Cisco will set the tone for the year. It is being said that it will be very, very green-oriented and also low cost. We will tell you all about that. So stay tune.

Original post here. [credit photo: L'Atelier BNP Paribas]