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There are still a few days before the golden gates of gadget heaven swing open, but that's no reason we we all shouldn't speculate like crazy about what's going to happen in Vegas just a few short days from now. Here's a short list to whet your appetite for free pens and boring press conferences.

SERIOUS

  • The HD DVD vs. Blu-ray smackdown will be in full effect, complete with monumental announcements and lots of celebrity firepower
  • The monumental announcements and celebrity firepower will not be enough to make people give a crap about either of the HD disc formats
  • The 100-plus-inch behemoth TVs will be overshadowed by the sweet smallness and huge contrast ratios of OLED TVs.
  • Canon and Nikon will keep their mouths shut for the time being, but I feel a Sony camera announcement coming on. It's been a while since they've made a big fuss out there.
  • Something is going to go down with the Xbox 360 and HD DVD. Either it's going in the box or they're going to drop the price substantially. I'm hoping for the latter.
  • UMPCs will become the new iPod dock. Everyone and their uncle are trying to put a PC in your pocket these days. Sorry, my pants are full.
  • DRM is going to take a beating. Maybe this one isn't so much a prediction, but a wish. I have this beautiful dream that I show up at the convention center and big media companies will have realized that they need to get their crap together.

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