Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- For a solid week in January, Las Vegas is taken over by all things tech, as the industry gathers at the International Consumer Electronics Show to see what new gadgets they can expect in the next year. In past years, the show has introduced the world to the VCR (1970), CD player (1981), and High-Definition TV (1998).

While the recession hung like a cloud over Vegas at this year’s show, which concluded on Jan. 11, with much less of the free-spending extravagance and parties that the show has become known for, there was still no shortage of jaw-dropping technology on display. Here are four of my favorites to keep an eye out for in 2009:

Palm Pre:

Palm Inc. pioneered the PDA (personal digital assistant), and its Treo phone had a groundbreaking combination of features. But in the past few years, the Sunnyvale, California-based company has seen its fortunes tank as its offerings were lapped by companies such as Research In Motion Ltd. and Apple Inc.

So the new Palm Pre phone, which will be available in the U.S. through Sprint Nextel Corp. in the first half of 2009, is a bit of a Hail Mary from a company that has seen better days.

Fortunately, early buzz is that the Pre is a winner. It’s got a multitouch-capable touchscreen, an easy-to-navigate interface, and a full keyboard that slides out from under the screen. Coolest of all, it has a built-in induction coil that allows it to charge without plugging in. Users can refuel it just by leaving it laying on a small accessory called the Touchstone.

Of course, Palm isn’t the only company relying on the Pre’s success. Sprint has seen its customer base disintegrate as consumers snatch up hot handsets like Apple’s iPhone, the T- Mobile G1, and Blackberry Storm, which are exclusive to its competitors.

LG Watch Phone:

The idea of a working watch phone comes straight from the pages of comic books, and is guaranteed to bring up fantastical imagery of Dick Tracy or James Bond. But in terms of perceived practicality, it’s probably up there with Maxwell Smart’s shoe phone. So it’s understandable that, when LG Electronics Inc. announced at its CES press conference that it intended to release such a product by the end of 2009, the room reverberated with shocked murmurs.

I had a few minutes to play with the device, and was left impressed enough to think that the product might actually be a winner. Even though the touchscreen measured just 1.43 inches, it was surprisingly easy to navigate, allowing me to quickly jump between a virtual clock face, phone, MP3 player, and camera.

Potential customers should take note of one potential dealbreaker: calls can only be placed through the built-in speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset, meaning you can’t simply hold it up to your head.

Samsung MBP200 Projector:

Since their debut at last year’s CES, pocket-sized projectors have slowly begun to trickle into the market. But current offerings are exclusively accessories, and are about as useful as a glorified light bulb when they aren’t tethered to a laptop or iPod.

That’s why Samsung Electronics Co.’s MBP200 projector is so exciting. It’s a portable media player with a tiny Texas Instruments Inc.-powered projector built right into it. Using Micro SD memory cards, users can load it up with videos or PowerPoint presentations, and project them without the need for a separate device. The company says the picture can expand up to 50 inches. When it comes out the device should allow road warriors to carry their presentations in their pocket. Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung is mum on a release date or price, but I would be surprised if it costs more than $300.

Polaroid Pogo Digital Camera:

After six decades and multiple bankruptcy filings, Polaroid Corp. has ceased production of the instant film that made the company famous. The film’s high price made it difficult to compete against digital photos, which are free to take and cheap to print. Still, instant photography has its fans, many of whom have been hoarding Polaroid film since the company announced it was ceasing production. So it’s somewhat reassuring to see the company, now a unit of Minnetonka, Minnesota-based Petters Group Worldwide LLC, hasn’t completely given up on the format -- they’ve just reimagined it for the digital age.

The 5-megapixel Polaroid Pogo Instant Digital Camera, which will come out in March for $200, is the first digital camera to come to the U.S. with a built-in instant printer. The printer is able to fit inside a camera because it eschews traditional ink ribbons for heat-activated dyes. Users can also save their shots to an SD card for editing and sharing.

And while the camera’s 2-inch-by-3-inch prints are tiny, and the quality leaves much to be desired (colors were muted and a bit washed out), the old Polaroids weren’t exactly known for their gallery-quality prints either. Wasn’t that part of their charm?

(Seth Porges is an editor for Popular Mechanics and a columnist for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Seth Porges at seth.c.porges@gmail.com

Last Updated: January 15, 2009 00:05 EST