Welcome to Network World's official CES blog!

Hello all, this is Network World staff writer Brad Reed welcoming you to the official NWW blog for this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The show doesn't officially kick off until later tonight when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivers his opening keynote, and the showroom floor isn't due to open until tomorrow morning. Even so, several companies have been previewing their products in advance of the show. Here are some of the ones I've found most interesting:

• Motorola’s MOTO W233: This cellular phone is made out of recycled water bottles and is being described by Motorola as “the world’s first carbon-neutral phone.” The phone, which will be available exclusively from T-Mobile, has also received a CarbonFree Product Certification from the CarbonFund.org, a nonprofit website that specializes in helping companies create carbon-neutral products.

  

• Linksys Wireless Home Audio system: In what is sure to be a popular item for partiers across the country, Cisco’s Linksys Wireless Home Audio system lets users utilize Wi-Fi to take songs from a central hub and zap them onto any speaker in their house. The system also features an optional docking station that lets you attach your own iPod to sync up your iTunes setlist to system.

  

• Novo Minoru 3D web camera: Although 3D films haven’t been in their heyday since the 1950s, when classics such as “Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “House of Wax” graced the silver screen, the Minoru is trying to help them make a comeback. With the new Minoru 3D web camera, which will remind old-school video gamers of Nintendo’s R.O.B. device, users can take both 3D pictures and video and display them over the web. The camera, which is compatible with MSN, Skype, YouTube and other popular media websites, can also be used as a standard 2D web camera.

  

• MSI’s Wind NetOn all-in-one PC: And finally, MSI is upping the ante in its competition with Asus by debuting its Wind NetOn all-in-one PC. The new PC features a touchscreen display and is powered by Intel’s dual-core Atom processor, which happens to be the same processor that the HP Mini 2140 uses to significantly extend its battery life. The Wind NetOn comes in two different models, one with a 19-inch display and one with a 22-inch display.

  

Obviously, we're going to see a lot more consumer gadgets over the next two days. I'll be back regularly to give you updates on some of the highlights.