What would you expect from a $500 pair of headphones? They would have to deliver phenomenal sound, of course, but would that be enough? Your cellphone likely cost you no more than $200 and think about everything that does.

Sennheiser’s PXC 360 BT headphones aim to satisfy the lofty expectations customers naturally have of headphones costing as much as an entry-level laptop by adding both noise-cancelling technology and  the option to go wireless with built-in Bluetooth. We’ll get into those extras in a minute but first let’s deal with how these things sound.

I’ve recently begun using the Phillips goLite Blu to fight a persistent bout of insomnia.

A few months ago, when the sleeping troubles were at their worst and the January days passed in a blur of twilight drives to and from work and grey skies in between, I hit rock bottom (actually, I fell down the stairs when heavily fatigued and missed a step). This prompted me to step up my efforts to sleep and go beyond the prescription sleeping pills that were having absolutely no effect.

To be clear, reggae legend Bob Marley has not been brought back to life at the Consumer Electronics Show. But his music and ideals have certainly been turning heads.

Getting seen is a struggle for many exhibitors drowned out by the latest 3D TVs and tablets here at the show. Some resort to celebrity appearances, scantily-clad models and even a bogus Lady Gaga seen yesterday, so imagine how shocked I was to come across a wooden shack off to the side blasting Bob Marley jams. I was intrigued.

One thing that goes under-reported at the Consumer Electronics Show here in Las Vegas is the sheer volume of exhibitors. For every Sony and Samsung, there’s a thousand smaller firms struggling to be seen. Most visitors develop the ability to tune out these smaller guys pretty quickly.

However, I couldn’t tune out this banner: “The wearable action camera.” What?

Apple, which sold over seven million iPads through September of last year, is expected to sell 28 million of the coveted devices in 2011, up from an estimated 22 million.

The technology darling created a market that wasn’t there a year ago, which put their competitors in a position of playing catch-up. But if there’s a takeaway from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, it’s this: the tablet market will heat up significantly in 2011.

A question has been plaguing me at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: with so many options now available, what are TV buyers supposed to do?

The big buzz item this year – and last year – has been 3D TVs. While there have been some whispers that this might just be a trend, there’s no doubt that the way we consume television is changing.

So I went looking for some answers.

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not a hard-core techie. I’m about as interested in technology as the person next to you. I’m curious. I’m invested in how it affects my lifestyle. But when the conversation gets geekie, my eyes glaze over.

So how did I find myself at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas? It’s 2011. Like it or not, electronics play a central role in everyone’s life – and that’s only going to grow. This is no longer a techie show. It’s for everyone.

Last Christmas, while shopping for gifts at an electronics store, I got into an interesting conversation with a sales guy about a brand new music player called a Squeezebox, which he dubbed "the Satellite Radio Killer”. He explained that it connected to the home WIFI connection and -- blamo -- you have access to every internet radio station there is, as well as access to your entire iTunes library. Unlike other models that stream web stations, the Squeezebox shows song and artist info (like a built-in Shazam!).

I listened with my mouth agape at the possibilities. I was sold within minutes. One gift down, dozens to go!

While the world embraced mp3 technology, I never did. In fact, I couldn't come to understand why everyone seemed to abandon the richness of CD sound (not to mention vinyl) in favour of the inferior quality of these music files.

In the years since mp3s debuted, Apple's iPod music player and iTunes music store came to prominence, providing a semblance of lawfulness to the Wild West of internet music piracy. But nothing has changed to improve the overall quality of music streaming. One could argue it's even gotten worse, as CD shops continued to close down, unable to compete with cheaper (or free) internet music.

Sennheiser PXC 450 well worth the price

From the screeching wail of subway cars coming to a halt to gaggles of giddy teens on the street squawking about the latest in asymmetrical haircuts to that damn baby on the plane who won’t stop crying: Life is noisy. And that’s not a good thing when sometimes all you want to do is get your jam on. That’s why God Sennheiser made noise-cancelling headphones.