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LAS VEGAS (AdAge.com) -- The recession has squeezed consumers into giving up a lot of things -- but gadgets, TVs and smartphones have managed to remain essential, maybe more so than pants.

While the consumer electronics industry took a bruising in 2009, with sales down 7.8% from the prior year, it weathered this once-in-a-lifetime recession well compared to automotive, retail, apparel and other industries. And while it's facing another down year in 2010, according to the Consumer Electronics Association's new forecast, it's benefiting from a recent change in consumer behavior that has elevated the electronic device from something discretionary to must-have.

Consumers are showing that there are a lot of corners to cut -- such as packing a lunch for a few months, perhaps, or not buying a new suit -- before they'll decide not to upgrade to the next smartphone. Indeed, smart phones will take the lead as the industry's top category in 2010 with $17 billion in sales, its penetration having grown from 11% of the U.S. population to 17% in the past year, per Forrester Research.

This year CE sales will actually be up, slightly, from 2009 to $165 billion in sales, but still below 2008's high-water mark of nearly $179 billion. But if there's one thing the consumer-electronics industry has learned, it is to not underestimate consumer desire to adopt the next new thing -- even in a tough economy -- so manufacturers are once again betting they can fire up the dream factory and build devices consumers don't yet know they want, but will soon consider must-haves.

That's why Sony Style stores are getting 3-D demonstration TVs in the coming weeks, even though it will be June before Sony says any mass-market 3-D TVs will be available for sale. Apple is titillating the market with its upcoming tablet computer, another device that solves the terrible problem of people who want (or need, really) something smaller and thinner than a netbook on which to watch or read their media.

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