The Best Small Business Tech at CES

LAS VEGAS -- Could this be the year of the small-business hyper inversion?

If the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show this week is any indication, this is going to be one weird year in the world of technology built by and for smaller companies.

On one hand, it is clear that this show, and our businesses, are adjusting to a world of diminished expectations. Not only could I get a hotel room for this year's show, but I could nickel-and-dime the place I'm staying in for a bigger room at a lower cost than what I normally pay for a basic room.

(Photo gallery: 2009 Consumer Electronics Show)

But once inside this arid coliseum of consumer electronics, the level of innovation is remarkable. There are advancements in everything from security systems to packaging to improved route-driving to imaging. Now, who knows how long it will last? In theory, the drag of slower times should catch up with electronics makers eventually.

But for now, the operating thesis really is the exact opposite of the all-hype-and-no-reality Internet Bubble in 1999. But in 2009 it's all about reality. The hype is the real victim.

Here are some of my favorite examples: