Small size big at electronics show.

Byline: Stanley Miller II

LAS VEGAS _ The artists who design our high-tech toys are making the next generation of gadgets smaller, lighter, with more storage capacity and better battery life.

There might not have been "one big thing" that dominated this month's 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show _ that would be difficult with thousands of exhibitors, more than 130,000 attendees and more than 1 million square feet of show space.

But despite the lack of any revolutionary inventions, there is a lot to look forward to this year if the devices on display keep the promises of their spec sheets and product managers.

The consumer electronics industry is trying to catch up with the success of Apple Computer and its popular iPod, which has become a default term for digital music player.

There were dozens of competing players and for good reasons: according to the Consumer Electronics Association, sales of digital music players doubled in 2004 to nearly 7 million units.

No one was willing to boldly predict that their player would supplant the iPod, but everyone wants a …