Just came back from a sneak peak at some of the more innovative gadgets that’ll be on display this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, starting Thursday.

I wanted to run down a few of the more interesting items I came across tonite. Some are expensive. Some are quite odd. Some will make you want to reach for your credit card. And some may just leave you scratching your head. Of course, I’ll leave it to you to decide which is which.

So here we go:

• A new generation of telescope: At least that’s what I’m told by William Ostedt, a spokesman for the Meade ETX-LS - a telescope that promises to eliminate one of the great hassles of astronomy. You know, the one where you actually have to find stuff in the sky. The ETX-LS does it for you.  Set it up in your backyard and it will automatically scan the sky, surveying everything it can see.  Want to see Jupiter?  Just type that into they keypad and you get to see Jupiter, assuming it’s actually visible at the time. “You don’t have to know anythng about astronomy. Just how to push a button,” Ostedt said. Price: $1299.
• Indoor Hunting: This one drew quite a crowd. Maybe because it featured a guy in camouflage stalking a mechanical duck flying low over everyone’s heads. The Duck Hunter (expected to sell for $29.99 this spring) features a small duck that can fly for 30 seconds. Or until it has been hit three times by the infrared pistol. “What we’ve done is bring duck hunting indoors,” said Ian Chisholm, marketing director for Interactive Toy Concepts and wearer of camouflage clothing.
• Everyone’s a DJ: This really sort of travels along the same path as the telescope above. The Pacemaker is a handheld music lab. It  has a 60 gb harddrive, two “turntables” and a mixer for $550. “Anyone can take it out of the box and push a button and it seemlessly blends the music together like a real DJ.  No musical inclination whatsoever,” said Brian Metcalf, a spokesman. It should hit the stores this Spring.
• Internet music on the go: This one is for those of you who are hooked on those music stations you find on the Internet. A new radio by Blaupunkt and Miroamer will let you listen to those stations in your car. As long as you have a mobile phone with blue tooth ability. The signal streams to your phone and to the radio through a blue tooth connection. Expect it to be be out in the second half of the year, and expect to pay 299-399 euros. I could try to convert that to dollars, but they just told  me the press room here is about to close, so I need  to get hopping here.
• Mobile navigator and lots more: The Eclipse AVN726E and AVN4430 - in a partnership with TomTom, are at or near the top end of GPS navigational units. They’ll also operate as a radio and DVD player and can be used with satellite radio or high definition radio. And you can play your iPod through them. “We put everything we possibly could in there. If there’s anything else,  let us know and we’ll put it in there,” a company said Stefan Pollack, spokesman said. These aren’t cheap,  however, at $1,200 and $850 respectively. (note: I’m now told that no price has been set on the AVN726E model)
• A spy among us: WowWee, the maker of mobile webcam Rovio, is now offering a lighter version of the unusual toy. This one is shaped sort of like a softball on steroids, but looks like something out of a science fiction movie.  Unlike the Rovio, which can be controlled essentially from anywhere via the Internet, the SpyBall is more of a localized toy and can be operated through a video game system or home wifi network.  “You can torment your dog, chase your brother or sister, and spy on your parents,” said Steve Hardy of WowWee. They should hit the market in time for next Christmas at $149. (One note: one reader tells me they can be used over the Internet through a fairly complex connection)
• 3D comes home: The Minory 3D Webcam is a departure from the typical fare. Yes you do need to wear those funky 3d glasses to appreciate the images. Otherwise, it just looks like something’s wrong wth the picture. It’s expected to hit the market Thursday ($89 through Amazon.com) and ships with five pairs of glasses. So why buy this one instead of a regular Webcam? “It’s fun. And fun is good,” said spokesman David Holder.

Well I guess that’s it for today. More to come tomorrow, when many of the big names in electronics are set for a long day of press conferences.