The global economy may be in the dumps but there is still plenty of innovation on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, the global industry’s annual showcase event now under way in Las Vegas. Much of it appears to be aimed at increasingly cost-conscious buyers.

The “next big things” on display include: wireless charging for portable devices, internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes ready to download digital content to the living room, a portable mus­ic player that comes loaded with 1,000 music tracks and an ultra-thin laptop from Micro Star International that looks like a MacBook Air but costs less than half the price.