It's hard not to be impressed by the sheer inventiveness of this industry, and all the ways it finds to satisfy human needs.

Exciting as this year's debuts have been, however, I can't help but think ahead with fresh hopes for next year--hopes for a bigger presence for open-source software, specifically, beyond just today's ubiquitous Android.

To be sure, we did see plenty of Android innovations in the smartphone and tablet realms, in particular--more, in fact, than I've been able to keep track of. But Android is only partly open, of course, and--as it was recently noted--most Android tablet devices fail miserably at complying with the GNU Public License.

Glad as I am for its success, it's only partially open, and there are many other compelling alternatives that deserve attention too.

What would I like to see at next year's CES? Here are just a few of my dreams: