One of my favorite events at CES each year is the Last Gadget Standing competition, where online and on-site participants vote on their favorite product.
In this event, several judges and a popular vote determine the 10 finalists from a group of new technology products. Then, CES attendees and online voters narrow it down to crown the “Last Gadget Standing.” An audience voice makes this exciting and although the winners aren’t always the world-changing products, they are often neat gadgets.
I’ve been one of the judges for the past several years, along with a number of well-known tech journalists and analysts, and while I can’t say the competition accurately forecasts which products will sell well, it’s always a lot of fun.
This year’s finalists include:
DROID DNA by HTC, the first smartphone I’ve seen with a full HD display—a 5-inch 1,920-by-1,080p resolution with an amazing pixel density of 440ppi. It makes for the sharpest images and text I’ve seen on a phone.
eFlow E3 Nitro, an electric bike with an integrated battery in the seat post, a 500-watt motor, and a 20-speed drive train, capable of going 20 miles per hour.
Looxcie HD, a wearable camera with full 1080p recording, built-in Wi-Fi, and direct-to-Facebook live-streaming.
Luminae Keyboard from TransluSense, which provides a keyboard and touchpad made out of light projected on a glass plane, with 16 million different color and light combinations.
Misfit Shine, which tracks walking, cycling, and swimming, but can uniquely sync with a smartphone by just placing the device on top of the screen.
Samsung Galaxy Camera, which adds a full Android device to the back of a real camera, combining the superior photo-taking ability of a point-and-shoot camera with the immediacy of uploading photos and checking social media sites of a smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Note II, which is certainly larger than the typical smartphone, but that makes it better for Web browsing, managing email, and reading. The built-in S-Pen also enables a variety of new and neat applications.
SecuraPatch, a wireless adhesive sensor that looks like a small bandage, but is designed to monitor a broad range of vital signs and activity.
Telcare’s wireless blood glucose meter, aimed at users with diabetes, which transmits information about blood sugar levels via an iPhone or Android device directly to a secure cloud server. It then returns immediate guidance and coaching to the user.
One other product (to be announced at the start of the show on Monday) will round out the 10 finalists.
So far, my favorites are the Galaxy Note II and the SecuraPatch, but I’m looking forward to seeing demos of the other products as well, and I wonder what the audience will think.
More details on all these products are on the Last Gadget Standing website and you’ll be able to see them at CES on Thursday, January 10 at 10:30 am PST at the Las Vegas Convention Center room N255. I hope to see many of you there. And remember to vote for your favorites either in person or online.
Copyright © 2012 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc