Every spring — well, every spring since I’ve been in Indianapolis — I get a visit from the Consumer Electronics Association’s gadget guy.

Jim Barry’s his name, and he comes hauling a bag full of electronics. He shares his wisdom with me about what’s hot, and then I turn around and share it with you.

So, here we go.

E-book readers

Kindle DX anyone?

Last week, online book retail giant Amazon.com unveiled the long-rumored, wide-screen version of its popular eBook reader, the Kindle.

That was good news for reporters like me who work at newspapers, because Amazon is targeting the device to folks who read newspapers and magazines in addition to college students who would rather carry a lightweight Kindle than lug around 40 pounds of books. (My back still hurts just thinking about those days.)

The bad news was Amazon put it on the market a mere three months after it did the same for its second-generation Kindle. And at $489, the Kindle DX costs $130 more than the Kindle 2.

Still, Barry said, sales of the Kindle and rival e-book readers will continue to grow as consumers get more and more comfortable with reading text off a screen. Currently, it’s a niche but rapidly expanding market. Sony has a piece of it. So does Samsung.

The Kindle is the killer, though, because it makes purchasing and reading books simple and fast.

“The Kindle can do for e-books what the iPod did for music,” Barry said.

Smartphones

Most Apple watchers agree that this summer will bring another incarnation of the iconic iPhone. (And yes, I will be standing in line to buy it.) This one will certainly do more than its predecessors, perhaps even something revolutionary, like record video!

But seriously, the iPhone has ignited the market for computer-like cell phones, collectively known as smartphones. Sales of them are already up about one-third this year, Barry said, and that will surely continue when the new iPhone hits stores.

But competitors are lurking in the wings, too. There’s the Palm Pre from Sprint Nextel. And G2, running Google’s Android, from T-Mobile.

Android is an operating system for smartphones made by manufacturers such as HTC in the same way Microsoft Windows is an operating system for computers made by Dell, HP and others.

So far, Android is only available in the G1 from carrier T-Mobile. But the G2 is supposed to go on sale later this year.

“I think Google Android has the ability to give the iPhone a run for its money,” Barry said.

Friends of mine who have Sprint tell me the same thing about the Palm Pre and its revised operating system.

We shall see.

Green electronics

Earth Day may be over, but environmentally friendly electronics are still selling.

Consumers are picking up electronics such as the Motorola Renew phone made from recycled water bottles, computer mice made out of bamboo and power strips that make it easier to cut power to gadgets that never stop siphoning electricity.

I have nothing against saving the environment, but I was still a little surprised to hear that in this economy, Americans are willing to pay extra for sustainable products.

“If it’s not a huge price disparity, people will buy it,” Barry said. “Or if it’s something like the power strips that will save money, they will.”

Figures.