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Byline: Robert MacMillan

Word from the control tower has it that the geeks have been cleared to take the runway.

That seems to be one of the trends on tap for this week's International Consumer Electronics Show , once thought to be the third-leading cause of deafness but now the would-be No. 1 arbiter of defness .

This year's gathering in Las Vegas probably will still feature walls of sound guaranteed to make Phil Spector jealous, but according to several recent news articles, the corporate suits and the temporarily unleashed D.C. policy wonks won't be the only ones sporting fast fashion.

We're not exactly talking about clothing, of course, though geeks with means do seem to favor more fashionable threads. Instead, consumer electronics companies are working hard to remember that form ought to follow function in the products they design. Here are the goods from the San Jose Mercury News: "How products look, not just work, has become an integral part of the design of everything from Sony 's PlayStation Portable video game console to the dozens of flat-screen televisions, digital cameras, camcorders and cell phones making their debut at the show. Long gone are the days of beige and boxy desktop computers, clunky black cell phones and ugly black laptop bags. Now the hottest tech gear styles mirror those that prevail in home and clothing design."

Mary Alice Stephenson , a contributing editor to Harper's Bazaar and a fashion design consultant to Intel Corp. , told the Mercury News that "Technology is an extension of personal style. It's gone from geek to chic. There's a kind of show-off factor now."

That's chick chic, according to Gary Shapiro , head of the Consumer Electronics Association , the group that runs CES. He said the trend toward fashionable tech coincides with the rise of women as buyers of technology, the Merc reported. Not that all companies know how to handle this trend. The paper wrote about VooDooPC , a "maker of specialty gaming PCs," such as its pink laptop. But as Stephenson of Harper's Bazaar pointed out, "designers have to do much more than change colors to please women."

The Mercury News article is chock full of other goodies on the intersection of the usually varying definitions of cool (often widely varying depending on whether you're quizzing geeks or hipsters): " Apple Computer 's iPod music player has brought back the simplicity of white. Cell phones come with interchangeable 'skins,' or personalized covers, that are bathed in blue light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. Even the once-homely Netgear network router comes in a sleek silver form that hides wires in the back. 'Technology should almost be invisible at this point,' says Ellen Glassman , general manager for brand design at Sony. Adds Paul Bradley of the industrial design firm Ideo in Palo Alto: 'The consumer electronics industry is going the way of the tennis shoe, where fashion really matters.'"

The Merc piece also took care to point out that today's routers, computers and other suddenly fashion-conscious gadgets are merely the latest models to walk the well-trodden catwalk established by Apple's iMac and the Sony Walkman . * San Jose Mercury News: Geek bling (Registration required)

You're Gonna Let Your iPod Go Out in That??

Speaking of Apple, its iPod digital music player (are we reaching the point where we don't have to tell you what it is every time we mention it?) is generating plenty of excitement at CES -- and not just because those captains of cool are making an appearance. "The country's hottest gadget won't be on display at the nation's biggest gadget show, but there will be plenty at the International Consumer Electronics Show this week to keep Apple Computer Inc.'s digital music player charged, connected -- and stylishly clothed," the Los Angeles Times reported. "In addition to the usual mix of cables, chargers and batteries, the pavilions of Las Vegas will host a wardrobe of iPod sweaters, jackets and socks. And like the collars on Paris Hilton 's Chihuahua , most come in a rainbow of matching colors."

Sigh, there's that darn Chihuahua again...

Anyway, the big draw will be a host of products designed to integrate the iPod even more into daily life than it already is, a move that almost seems to out-Microsoft Microsoft. Here's more from the L.A. Times: "Want to teach an iPod new tricks? Consider Nyko Technologies Inc. 's MoviePlayer , which allows iPods to play video. Or Griffin Technology Inc. 's $19.99 iBeam , which turns the iPod into a flashlight or a laser pointer. Or Belkin Corp. 's $29.99 microphone, which permits voice recording."

Reuters gave a sense of the money at stake in catering to iPod fans: "Industry experts claim that the typical user spends about 20 percent on top of the price of the iPod to dress it up in an attractive case or make it more versatile by attaching speakers or docking it to an automobile stereo system. With iPods selling for anywhere from $250 to $600, depending on the model, that translates into a hot business opportunity for many manufacturers looking to tap into the enthusiasm of the iPod user market." The news service offered some of its own accessory examples: "Many users, unsatisfied with the quality of the signature white earphones that come with the iPod, usually opt to upgrade to higher-quality buds that can range in price from $40 to over $300. Another issue for some mobile users is the iPod's battery life. Various battery-backup options range from $20 to about $150."

But wait, it gets better. "An iPod goody can cost more than the iPod itself," the L.A. Times reported. " Bose Corp. sells its SoundDock speaker, which integrates an iPod into a home stereo, for $299, about $50 more than the cheapest iPod. Clarion Co. 's in-dash, touch screen car entertainment system runs $1,599. 'Some people would say that the BMW is the ultimate iPod accessory,' said Forrester Research analyst Josh Bernoff , referring to a $149 adapter that lets BMW owners plug an iPod into the stereo system via a cable in the glove compartment." * Los Angeles Times: For iPod, the Gear Helps the Gadget Turn Heads (Registration required) * Reuters: PluggedIn -- Beyond the iPod, Accessories Are Hot Items

USA Today reported on other iPod car conveniences including Pioneer Electronics , which "plans to introduce a $140 adapter in March that will be compatible with 3 million of its newer and older car stereo units." Alpine, the paper said, "announced in September that it had developed a $100 adapter that keeps the iPod out of sight with a plug in the glove box, behind a seat or under a dashboard. Other high-end stereo makers such as Blaupunkt say their units are usually equipped with a plug-in that can accommodate an iPod, although the iPod can't be controlled from the stereo." USA Today also reported that DaimlerChrysler manufactured a limited edition of its Smart two-seater with a built-in iPod cradle, and that Subaru is watching the trend closely. * USA Today: Apple's iPod rocks car-stereo makers

Blog Me in St. Louis

Blog readership is in the millions throughout the United States, according to a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project . "The survey ... showed that blog readership has shot up by 58% in the last year," the BBC reported. "Some of this growth is attributable to political blogs written and read during the US presidential campaign." * BBC News: Blog reading explodes in America

Everything tends to get a little more popular with a dollop of controversy. For example, the " washingtonienne " blog about the true erotic adventures of Capitol Hill staffer Jessica Cutler got her: a) fired, b) a book deal and c) a potential Playboy photo shoot. On a less raunchy level, a whining/moaning/complaining blog by St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Daniel P. Finney led to his resignation.

"Finney's hard drive was seized on December 16, and he was suspended around the same time. Apparently, the St. Louis Newspaper Guild then entered into discussion with Post brass about Finney's fate. A week later, he resigned. Neither the Post nor Finney would discuss the details of the resignation, but Finney says that the paper did not pressure him," reported the Riverfront Times, an alternative weekly paper in St. Louis. "Finney's blog, entitled ' Rage, Anguish and Other Bad Craziness in St. Louis ' and written under the pseudonym Roland H. Thompson , often included the topics of his articles before they appeared in the paper." * Riverfront Times: Daniel P. Finney's blog sealed his fate with the Post-Dispatch. What now?