Samsung's booth at CES 2010

Today marks the opening of the exhibition floor at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. To honor the hype, I’ve compiled a list of fun facts for those lucky to attend and those stuck behind the looking glass (including me).

Apple- Wasn’t at CES last year, won’t be there this year, and don’t count on it next year- Apple itself doesn’t do trade shows. When Apple has an announcement, it stages its own events.

Booth Babes- The bikinis are a little much, but it is Vegas.

Celebrities- 50 Cent will be signing autographs for Sleek Audio, Earth, Wind and Fire will be performing their greatest hits (I mean, why not), Blackberry’s got Olivia Wilde, Adrian Grenier (Vinny!), Common and Piers Morgan, Rick Fox and Bill Walton are signing autographs in Haier America’s booth, Larry’s King’s going for fun, and that’s just the beginning…

Download the App- If you’re one of the 120,000 expected to attend CES this weekend, be sure to download the official CES 2011 Mobile App. It allows you to navigate the show floor using interactive maps, get coupons from local merchants, download exhibitor info and brochures and get real-time show alerts.

Ed Hardy- After entering the world of mobile accessories last year, the clothing line is back with more rhinestones, more skulls and crossbones and more booth babes. Why, why, whyyy?

Foursquare- Check-in at five of the 10 official CES venues between Tuesday, January 4 and Sunday, January 9 to earn the official 2011 CES Foursquare badge. Once you’ve earned your badge, be one of the first 2,000 to stop by the Experience CEA booth in the LVCC Grand Lobby to get you official Foursquare button.

Glasses- 3D TV stole the show last year, but it wasn’t long until people started to realize how much they hated wearing the 3D glasses. This year, Toshiba is showing off prototypes of 56-inch and 65-inch glasses-free 3D TVs.

Honeycomb- One on the top tablets to watch for at this year’s show is Motorola’s Android tablet, which will be the first device to run the Android 3.0 OS, called “Honeycomb.” When PC Magazine got a look at the new OS last month, they said it was “… an Android interface unlike any we’ve seen before.” (See more on tablets -> letter T)

International- CES is expecting attendees from 130 different countries and 1,200 exhibitors from outside the United States – a 25% increase from 2010.

Jobs-  (Steve, that is) Speculation increased today about when Apple CEO Steve Jobs would announce the iPad2 as Dexim, an Apple accessories maker, was demoing an iPad2 Case at CES yesterday.

Keynote-  The C-suite is in the house! Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and Audi chairman Rupert Stadler are speaking this morning and Cisco CEO John Chambers, General Electric CEO Jeffery Immelt, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns and Ford CEO Alan Mulally take the stage tomorrow. Can’t make the show? Check this list for links to which CES 2011 keynotes are video streaming.

Lady Gaga- Polaroid made a big splash last year announcing it’s partnership with Lady Gaga, who promised to return next year and “blow us away” with her creations. Watch Gaga unveil her secret project, the Grey Label, at 3:30pm PST today at www.polaroid.com.

Mashable Awards- After receiving nearly a million nominations, winners of the 2010 Mashable Awards will be announced tonight at the Mashable Awards Gala at the New York New York Hotel. Other reasons to go? Pete Cashmore’s beautiful face will be there and Antonie Dodson will be speaking.

Nintendo- Nintendo, which is returning to CES after a 16-year absence, will be doing private demos of the 3DS this year. The downside- the demos are for media only. The upside- 3D visuals without the annoying glasses! The 3DS is expected to launch in the US in March of this year.

OLED- One of the highlights from CES 2010,  Samsung showed off a 14-inch notebook with a 40-percent transparent OLED display screen, so you could see right through it. Where is it now? According to Erich Strasser of OLED-display.net, windows with transparent OLEDs will be commonplace in a few years time. Monitory Report, here we come!

Parties- Mix and mingle and show off your gadgets. For a list of parties at CES, check out Karennet’s CES party list. Once again, it is Vegas.

Q-tip- Couldn’t find anything for this letter, so I’ll remind everyone to keep their gadgets in tip-top shape by cleaning them regularly, perhaps with Q-tips.

Remote- The remote just got better! Netflix announced Tuesday at CES that consumer electronics companies would begin selling remotes this spring with “Netflix” buttons. Good news for the two-thirds of the company’s nearly 17 million subscribers who watch video on the company’s online service.

Social- Can’t make the show? Follow the #CES hashtag on Twitter and enjoy the latest news from the comfort of your couch.

Tablet- ‘Tis the year of the tablet. Ever major PC manufacturer is expected to unveil a tablet at CES and, earlier this week, Forrester Research claimed that one in three Americans will own a PC tablet by 2015.

Uniform- All CES staff will be dressed in black pants, black shoes, and a blue button-down shirt with the CES logo- ask them for insider tips (shortest bathroom line, best place to eat). The guy with the blue-button down and the blue jeans? He’s just Canadian.

Vegas- Take a step outside and enjoy what Vegas has to offer in addition to CES – great restaurants, exciting shows and a rockin’ nightlife. Oh, and FYI- it’s relatively chilly in Las Vegas in January- bring a light jacket.

Walking- CES veterans all say the same thing: bring good, comfortable shoes because you’re on your feet all day. The show floor is 1.5 million square feet.

XXX- The Adult Entertainment Expo is the same weekend as CES, over at the Sands Expo Center. (Don’t act like you didn’t know.)

Yahoo!- Yep, they’ll have a booth.

ZZZ- Did you really make it all the way to Z?