Appropriately staged at the start of the year, the annual International Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas wrapped last Sunday. The weeklong, no-longer-geek driven event, set the stage for what is likely to be the biggest trend for 2011 - tablets.

More than just tablets, CES was all about screens. Just about every gadget on display had a screen - a touch screen, an interactive display, a connected screen, some kind of screen.

But let's start with the largest trend, the tablet. Driven by the success of the Apple iPad, scores of tablet computers were unveiled with almost all sporting an Android based platform. The title of 'potential iPad killer', previously held by the Samsung Galaxy Tab, was "awarded" to the Motorola Xoom.

powerful processor

Like the iPad, the Xoom is in the 10-inch tablet category with a powerful processor. Unlike the iPad, the Xoom has two cameras, built-in micro-SD slot, is lighter and 4G compatible. But what really gets geeks excited is the pre-loaded Honeycomb OS. Though almost all tablets are sporting an Android operating system, the Xoom is the first to run the Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS specially designed for large-screen mobile devices.

Still, as exciting as the Xoom sounds, Jamaica is excited about the pending (and I mean any-week-now pending) availability of the Blackberry Playbook. Firmly in the 7-inch tablet category, the Playbook sports an OS that more of us are familiar with, making for a shorter learning curve and a smother transition.

The Android trend extended from tablets to phones. Scores of new phones are slated to hit the market this year. Look out for handsets from HTC (like the Thunderbolt, Inspire and Evo), Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson. And lots of the new devices are LTE 4G compatible.

Many phones may seem like a personal-entertainment centre, but the big screen - the TV - was still a hot trend at CES. 3D was, as expected, a big hit. But my personal prediction is that 3D will be a slow adoption process; consumers will sit out the technology war between active shutter and passive viewing glasses, buying only when a winner is declared.

Until then, 'connected' or 'smart' TVs will be not just popular, but standard.

TV isn't just TV any more. The large screen in your living room can now be used for traditional TV, cable, movie rental, internet streaming and browsing, photo album display, gaming or even just a decorative accessory with abstract images. But TV alone is just old-school.

Controlling smart TVs requires a smart remote. Many new remotes have full QWERTY keypads and touch screens to increase the level of control the user has over the smart TV.

Microsoft Surface

For me, the most intriguing technology introduced at CES was the updated Microsoft Surface; it's an interactive tabletop screen that may be in every home four or five years from now.

Moving from the home to the car, I'd like to see more interoperability with mobile gadgets (like phones and tablets) with vehicle consoles. I dream of a time when I can dock my phone or table in my auto, stream music, get directions and play a game while making a call to friend in my contacts and researching our conversation topic on the internet. Cool perhaps, dangerous yes - unless you are in the passenger seat. We'll leave that trend for later.

The bottom line is, whether fixed like your TV or mobile like your phone or tablet, screens will be with you at every turn in 2011. Enjoy the image.

Tech Glitch: Claudette asks, can my Bold 2 run OS 6.0?

Tech Fix: In theory, yes, the Blackberry Bold 2 can be upgraded to the Blackberry OS 6. Always do a complete backup of your phone using the Blackberry desktop software before attempting any kind of upgrade. Then, visit your telecoms provider or mobile handset repair shop and request the upgrade. Since OS 6.0 was not originally designed for the Bold, be prepared for a few bugs, but have fun with it.

Have a tech glitch of your own? Send your questions to: techiteasy@carlettedeleon.com