CES 2006 coffee innovations: zilch

First, the bad news. Remember the supercool, fabulous slider-hole cups that we got at Starbucks last year? The miracle of technological, drip-free invention? Yeah, they don't have those this year. I don't know, I guess they couldn't get the patent or something. It's a massive bummer.

In other news, though, CNET's fabulous stage is up and running in the South Hall--we're at the top of the escalators, just behind the 50-foot banner and, ironically, just on top of the Starbucks in question. You'll know us by the booming sound of my voice, Brian Cooley's voice, and Tom Merritt's voice. Oh, and the 50-foot banner. So far, I've spent most of my time here, shooting First Look videos--but hey, the show floor's not even open yet, so the coolest tech I've seen is the stuff the construction guys are using. Oh, and Fender is exhibiting in our stage area, and they have a pink Hello Kitty guitar that, frankly, I just need to have.

More to come, of course, and stop by our booth! We'll be filming all week and recording the world-famous Buzz Out Loud podcast live and in person every day around 1 p.m. And you know what that means...T-shirts!