Yahoo! Tech Announces Winner of 'Last Gadget Standing' at CES 2008

New gadgets were everywhere at the Consumer Electronics Show 2008 this week, but only one has emerged the winner—at least according to Yahoo! Inc. The company announced the winner of the Yahoo! Tech “Last Gadget Standing” competition, hosted by Yahoo! Tech columnist and gadget expert, Robin Raskin.

The Eye-Fi emerged the winner. This specially-designed, low-power wireless chip with a 2GB memory card automatically transfers photos from a camera to a MAC

or PC or any of the popular photo-sharing sites and social networks.

The “Last Gadget Standing” competition is an annual, live event where ten gadgets compete for consumers’ affection. To select the winner, Yahoo! Tech’s experts reviewed hundreds of products, while also relying on the help of million of Yahoo! readers.

The list was narrowed to ten gadgets thought to represent the most relevant products to consumers’ lives, as well as the directions the consumer electronics industry is headed.

During the standing-room-only competition, each of the finalists presented a four minute demonstration of their products to the live audience. The audience then voted for the gadget they felt would make a difference in their lives.

"The experts always have a platform to give their opinions, but 'Last Gadget Standing' gives the consumers a voice on what's going to emerge as our next gadget idol," Raskin said in a Thursday statement.

Raskin continued: "'Last Gadget Standing” winners represent the products that people believe will be relevant to their lives for years to come, and not simply disappear once CES (News - Alert) is over."

Those gadgets still standing towards the end included:

Asus Eee PC 4G computer with a $399 price point, a 7-inch screen, Linux run with a suite of great software applications

The Verizon (News - Alert) G Voyager phone with a touch screen and QWERTY keyboard beneath the flip

Dash Express, an Internet-connected GPS device providing real-time traffic conditions based on data transmitted from other Dash users

Sansa TakeTV, which uses a cradle with standard RCA and S-Video plugs to allow TV media to be downloaded and stored on a USM memory stick

iRobot’s iLooj, a robotic gutter cleaner

Toshiba’s (News - Alert) TDP-EW25U wireless DLP projector that produces an image that casts 41 feet or 1.6 feet, can create a 60-inch picture and accommodates high-definition video

Logitech DiNoo, a wireless, palm-sized keyboard for simple navigation of media when connecting a PC to a TV screen

Electric-Spin’s Golf Launchpad Tour simulation device that allows users to play golf in the convenience of their home, with their own clubs

Fujitsu’s U810 WWAN ultra-mobile PC with state-of-the-art connectivity

"All the finalists for 'Last Gadget Standing' are winners in that they represent ideas that will fuel the imagination of the audience about what technology can do," Raskin added.

To win such an honor at CES will help to propel the Eye-Fi quickly into the spotlight. The product had to sustain significant scrutiny and testing in order to emerge the winner and should be considered a tremendous feat. Those that came in closely to the winner have likely taken notes and will be back next year to try and claim their own prize.

Coverage of the "Last Gadget Standing" products and event and other product coverage from CES can be found at http://tech.yahoo.com.

Mark your calendars! Internet Telephony (News - Alert) Conference & EXPO—the first major IP communications event of the year—is just days away. It’s not too late to register for the event, which takes place in Miami Beach, FL, January 23–25, 2008. The EXPO will feature three valuable days of exhibits, conferences and networking that you won’t want to miss. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.