Finally, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has reached the ears and eyes of tech lovers all over the world. The Las Vegas, Nevada-based CES, the world's largest and most influential annual tech convention, was held over four days, from Tuesday to yesterday, and took the wraps off many new gadgets. With some 2,700 companies joining the party and more than 20,000 new products introduced at the show, this year's CES is the second-largest in history, occupying 1.851 million square feet, only trailing 2008's show, which measured in at 1.857 million square feet, according to show organizer Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

There seems to be no reason that the CEA would be unhappy about such a gigantic show, save for the decision by Redmond, Washington-based software giant Microsoft Corp to opt out from the CES beginning in 2013.

Though Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the CEA, called Microsoft's bowing out "a pause" and expects the software giant to return to the show at some point, there have been concerns that Microsoft's withdrawal is likely to be a blow to the annual CES, seen as the "Super Bowl" of tech conventions, which has already felt the constant absence of Apple.

But in any case, tech fever raged unabated across the show. This week's special TECH page introduces you into several of the most eye-catching smartphones unveiled at the convention.

Global Times