Well that about wraps it up for me, your deflowered CES correspondent. I have a flight to catch in a couple hours, which is about how long the cab lines are around here. It's been complete gadget madness. Tech overload. It's hard to say that I have any favorites--I've looked at everything from refrigerators to televisions to robots to porn--and I'm still trying to process it all. I'll let the pros prognosticate on what the hits and the duds will be. But I have heard grumblings among my fellow reporters (and even exhibitors): There was no big story this year. No home run. No major hit. CES is just too big, they complain. Exhibitors are frustrated because it's hard to stand out in this crowd. Unless you've got a freakshow of a gadget (150-inch screen, anyone?), there's no way you're going to gin up any major buzz. I don't have anything to compare this year's show to since it is my first time, but there does seem to be this undercurrent of disappointment. People are vaguely underwhelmed--and exhausted.

Maybe they're jaded, but I certainly saw some pretty neat stuff here. Some people who come to CES year in and year out may have lost the view of the forest for all those high-tech trees. Just as you don't see yourself age when you look in the mirror every day, you tend to forget that technological evolution is grinding ever onward: geek guru Robert Scoble mentioned offhand that he remembers when he couldn't even make a cell phone call from the floor--and now folks are streaming high definition video. That sounds like a pretty great story to me.

And now I've got a plane to board. I can't wait to settle in and spend some quality time with one of the lowest-tech items on earth: a book.

What is it?

The Central Park Refrigerator.

How much will it cost me?

1,999, not including accessories.

Who makes it?

Whirlpool

Why should I care?

Because this fridge stores much more than food.

How would you describe it?

The stainless steel fridge comes equipped with an accessory port hidden on top of the freezer door. Whirlpool has teamed with partners to make gizmos that slide stylishly onto the face of the fridge. On display at CES was a digital picture frame ($249), an iPod dock, a back-lit white board that doesn't stain, and a fully-functioning tablet PC (pricing not yet available on these items). Each accessory is about the size of an atlas and is powered by the fridge.

The Clio Vu, the touchscreen 512 MG tablet PC made by Data Evolution, is super cool -- it pops out of its docking station and folds open to reveal a keyboard. It syncs with Outlook and connects wireless to the Web so it can stream videos and access e-mails. Perfect for storing recipes, grocery lists and your calendar. The Ceiva snap-on picture frame is great because magnets don't work on stainless steel fridges and ... well, when was the last time you printed out a photo anyway? Now you can slide a memory stick into the frame and treat yourself to a slide show of your latest pictures. Better yet: post a photo of yourself in your fat pants to dissuade you from that midnight snack.

When can I get my hands on it?

Now.

What's your verdict?

Very, very cool. But at two grand per fridge, not counting the cost of accessories, it might make sense wait until the technology is refined--and proves that it's here to stay.