In another sign of the tentative economic recovery, the country's largest trade show saw at least a small increase in attendees, after a large drop a year ago.
According to preliminary figures, The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had more than 120,000 attendees last week, the Consumer Electronics Association said Monday. Its preliminary figures are usually within a few thousand of the final, audited figures.
In 2008, 141,150 people attended the annual show at the enormous Las Vegas Convention Center. Then the figure dropped sharply last year to 113,085, as the recession coincided with raised registration fees intended to keep out gawkers with no connection to the industry.
The CEA said more than 2,500 companies exhibited at the show, a figure that would be down from the 2,700 that came last year. Press and blogger attendance may also have been down significantly, from 6,000 last year to somewhere north of 5,000 this year.
Highlights of this year's show included a big push from TV manufacturers to introduce 3-D sets, as well as e-readers and tablets from other manufacturers.
