At first glance CES seemed beyond generalization — just a mass of tech companies all with various products designed to solve different problems in different ways. But, after two days of winding through what seemed to be endless booths, a few words stick out. These tech buzzwords seemed to be everywhere,m pitched by every company for different devices.

Here is my list of the top buzzwords heard and seen at CES, with definitions intended to help consumers find out what these terms actually mean.

1. Mobile: This word was used to market products at a majority of the CES booths, expanding beyond cell phone makers. The term has come to mean any product that can be or is designed to be used while away from your desk or office. Products include:

• GPS navigation devices for use while driving or walking
• Audio systems and DVD players that can be used in cars
• Bags that house products while away from home or the office
• Of course, cell phones and smartphones
• Ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPC)

2. Hi-def, HD and hi-res: Just like mobile, these terms stretched beyond their usual definitions at this year’s CES. The first two terms really represent high-definition television, or rather sets that play a higher resolution for TV and DVDs. The highest resolution is 1080p, meaning sets that can display 1080 horizontal lines. This year, these terms were also slapped on cell phones, laptops and computers that play hi-resolution video.

3. Simple and intuitive (see Samsung ad at left): Many booths and products were aimed at appearing “simple” to consumers. Many companies I talked with at CES really drove home points that made products “simple” — such as products that do not require specific software, that have very few buttons and that are designed with plain, unobtrusive colors and clean lines.

Also popular was the idea that products are designed for consumers, rather than companies. These products were labeled as “intuitive.” It means that they should be easy for people to use because programs and buttons are given standard labels, like “maps,” instead of proprietary names like “Microsoft Streets & Maps.” The “intuitive” label comes from the idea that the steps to use programs should follow what a user would do naturally, rather than the way a company thinks users should use programs.

4. Wireless and unplugged: As consumers find reasons to buy and use more and more devices, nests of cables will emerge. As part of the trend towards “simple” devices, companies are reducing either the number of cables or the need for cables altogether. I mean, who hasn’t searched through a ball of cables for the specific USB cord to connect camera to computer? This trend towards reducing cables is enabled mostly through Bluetooth, a technology that allows devices to wirelessly connect and share information with each other.

5. Connected: This is possibly the loosest term of the list, being applied in all sorts of fashions by companies. The term has become very popular given the rise of social networking Web sites such as Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and Flickr. In this application, “connected” means people can easily connect to either known or not-yet-known people to share stories, locations, photos and videos. Many products at CES this year focused on expanding this networking – through media centers for viewing information, photo frames for sharing photos and devices for creating this content — such as laptops with easy video editors.

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