The 10 finalists and six additional honorable mentions for the 7th annual Best of CES (News - Alert) Awards have been announced by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's (SIG).

These finalists, notes SIG, represent the most innovative products using Bluetooth technology. The list includes some of the world's first Bluetooth Smart Ready and Bluetooth Smart products that leverages Bluetooth v4.0 with low energy technology to free data from even the smallest devices.

Finalists of the 7th annual Best of CES Awards in the NOW category are Plantronics (News - Alert) Inc., Marque M115 headset; Soundmatters International Inc. with CSR/aptX, foxLv2 PLATINUM portable speaker; and Ford Motor Company, SYNC AppLink.

Finalists in the NEW category are Motorola (News - Alert) Mobility Inc., MOTOACTV; VOXLAND, BeeWi BBZ351 Helicopter; iHealth Lab Inc., Digital Scale with Bluetooth technology; and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SSG-3500CR active 3D glasses.

Finalists in the NEXT category are Siemens (News - Alert), miniTek automatic streamer for hearing instruments; Casio Computer Co., Ltd., GB-6900 watch; and Polar Electro Oy, Polar H7 Heart Rate Sensor.

Honorable mentions include Avantronics Ltd, Bluetooth Audio Adapter; Zeo, Sleep Manager Mobile; Cobra Electronics, Cobra Tag G5; Navior, nLocator for the iPhone 4S; Emerson (News - Alert) Blue Wireless Easy Install from White-Rodgers; and Pancreum LLC, Genesis Wearable Artificial Pancreas System.

The 10 finalists and six additional honorable mentions will be showcased at the Pepcom Digital Experience event at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

"What's most interesting when looking at this year's finalists and honorable mentions is how Bluetooth technology is truly extending the original purpose of these devices," said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth SIG. "We have a scale with an app that keeps a record of your weight; a glucose meter that will let patients better control their insulin levels - via their smartphone. These products are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the use cases Bluetooth technology is capable of enabling."

Read a related article at TMCnet “Sena Launches Bluetooth Stereo Headset & Intercom for Snow Sports Helmet.”

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