The biggest technology and gadget show, CES, just kicked off in Las Vegas, and as usual much of the talk surrounds Apple:

Apple is the only company that consistently gets big buzz out of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — without even attending.

This year will be no different.

Connected TVs — TVs that connect to and can access content from the Internet — will be a big part of CES this year. And just about everyone in tech expects Apple at some point to launch such a television — an iTV — that easily consumes and shares with other Apple devices content served from the company’s media-storing iCloud.

Microsoft made news earlier by saying this was the last year they would attend CES/ Why attend if Apple gets all the buzz anyways? Maybe Microsoft should focus on new products instead of protecting its Windows/Office cash cow? Or maybe not . . .

The holiday season is here, and today is Cyber Monday so it’s time to go searching for deals. There are a ton of gadget gift guides out there, and Bullz-Eye.com has a gadget section in their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. The WOWee One Slim Portable Speaker is one of the featured products.

You’ll be amazed when you plug this tiny gadget into your MP3 player or phone and turn on some music. Of all the gadgets we’ve tested recently, the WOWee ONE Slim Portable Speaker is one of our favorites. It’s about the size of a deck of cards and easily plugs into any device with an audio jack. All of a sudden you can have a party. The WOWee turns flat, solid surfaces like tables, counters, bumpers, hoods and truck beds into bass-filled sound systems using patented gel technology. The sound changes depending on the type of surface and you can really feel the base on some surfaces. It’s perfect for events like tailgates as it provides about 10 hours of tunes and can turn your grill/cooler/hood into a high-end sound system for the whole parking lot. It’s also great for impromptu parties as it can fit in your pocket, computer bag or glove compartment. Take it on a trip and have parties in your hotel room or by the pool. The possibilities are endless and kids will love it as well. It seems like everyone listens to music alone these days with their headphones, so the WOWee makes it easier for everyone to share and enjoy music.

There are a ton of gadget gift guides out there, so do your research and you’ll find some great stuff. You can start with the ones from USA Today and CNET.

USA Today has a great gift guide for gadgets, covering cameras, video cameras and more.

That’s right – according to TG Daily, the actor famous for playing in one of Disney’s most spectacular 3D films, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, can’t see 3D images.

Here’s what the actor said to Access Hollywood:

“I’m unable to see in 3D. My eyes don’t see in 3D. I have a weird eye… It just doesn’t work. It may come as a surprise to you, but I’ve never seen normally.”

The condition, though unnamed and not recorded, is actually fairly prevalent according to most sources. I wouldn’t exactly call it a surprise, but it’s certainly intriguing to see all the effort behind shooting in 3D wasted on one of the film’s most prominent actors.

Today Cisco finally had to come to terms with the fact that it fundamentally misunderstands the consumer electronics market. Like, $590 million misunderstands it. That’s how much the company paid for Pure Digital originally. Now, Cisco will kill off the brand and let go of 550 employees in an attempt to restructure.

I can’t say I understand why Cisco bought the Flip in the first place. It’s like you can almost see the guys at Pure Digital biting their lips and trying not to laugh as Cisco drops a $590 million dollar offer on the table. I imagine there had to have been one guy in that meeting who would raise his hand every now and again to say “Hey, don’t you think this tech will be in every smartphone ever soon?” He was also probably getting kicked every time he got to, “Hey don’t you think…ow!”