Every year the tech world shifts focus to one of the biggest gadget/tech shows, the Consumer Electronics Show.

From Desktops to Tablets, Phones to Home entertainment. It is all there on display by thousands of companies from around the globe showing off what we can expect for 2012.

Here are a few highlights we should expect this year:

Phones: There is a lot of noise about Windows smartphones this year, we can expect something big out of HTC, Samsung and Nokia. This year should bring us Quad-Core processors, LTE and higher spec camera’s and screens.

Ultrabooks: Gone are the days of big bulky power hungry laptop’s, we can expect a few big names launching some sleek energy efficient machines running the latest Intel Sandy Bridge processors and I am sure all geared for Windows 8.

Home Entertainment / Automation: I don’t think we can expect any new TV technology this year but we will certainly find bigger ones.  Keep an eye on Google with their living room OS. There will be the usual household appliance guys there too with I am sure something that will connect to your home network and even the cloud.

Gaming: We will probably not hear anything major from the big three console manufacturers this year but will definitely be showing off their new toys launched at E3 last year, however keep a look out for something on the accessory side from the independents.

Cars: CES is not a car show, but more and more technology is being included in cars and year after year we have seen the car side of things growing. We won’t expect flash looking cars with the latest body kits and mags, but inside is where we can see some big things.

We are sure to see some changes in the Tablet/E-reader, Photography and Audio markets too, I will be popping in a few posts to keep you updated.