Friday, 11 January 2008

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

At the Customer Electronics Show (CES) yesterday Yahoo picked Eye-Fi as the winner of the Yahoo! Tech "Last Gadget Standing" competition. Eye-Fi reportedly emerged as the winner due to its specially designed low-power wireless chip with...

At the Customer Electronics Show (CES) yesterday Yahoo picked Eye-Fi as the winner of the Yahoo! Tech "Last Gadget Standing" competition.

Eye-Fi reportedly emerged as the winner due to its specially designed low-power wireless chip with a 2GB memory card that automatically transfers photos from a camera to a Mac or PC or any of the popular photo-sharing sites and social networks.

The annual "Last Gadget Standing" competition is a live event where ten gadgets duke it out for consumers' affection. Yahoo! Tech's experts reviewed hundreds of products, and with the help of millions of Yahoo! readers, narrowed the list to ten gadgets that represent the most relevant products to consumers' lives, as well as the directions the consumer electronics industry is headed. At the standing-room-only competition, each of the finalists gave a four minute demonstration of their products to the live audience, who 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," said Yahoo! Tech columnist and gadget expert Robin Raskin, who also hosted the event.

"'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 is over."

The remaining finalists included:

- Asus Eee PC 4G: A computer that costs only 399 dollars, has a tiny 7-inch screen, runs Linux, and comes with a suite of great software applications.

- The Verizon LG Voyager phone: Has a touch screen and beneath the flip is a QWERTY keyboard for easy typing.

- Dash Express: An Internet-connected GPS device that gives real-time traffic conditions based on data transmitted from other Dash users. Users can also receive up-to-the minute notifications via Yahoo! Local about everything from movies to gas prices.

- Sansa TakeTV: Offers a simple and less expensive way to move downloaded TV programs around the house. Using a cradle with standard RCA and S-Video plugs, your TV media is stored on the USB memory stick.

- iRobot's iLooj: A robotic gutter cleaner that will clean a stretch of gutter (60 feet) in ten minutes.

- Toshiba's TDP-EW25U wireless DLP projector: Produces an image that casts 41 feet or 1.6 feet, create a 60-inch picture even when it's positioned 2.4 feet away, and accommodates high-definition video.

- The Logitech DiNovo: A wireless keyboard that fits in the palm of a hand and makes it simple to navigate media when a user connects a PC to a TV screen.

- Electric-Spin's Golf Launchpad Tour: A unique golf simulation input device that allows users to play golf in the convenience of their home, with their own clubs.

-Fujitsu's U810 WWAN: An 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.