CEA Announces 2008 Innovations Awards for Excellence in Product Design and Engineering

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA^®) today announced its 2008 International CES Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award honorees. Sponsored by CEA, producer of the International CES, and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the International CES Innovations awards honor exceptional product and engineering design in 32 consumer electronics product categories, including new categories such as eco-design and sustainable technology and healthcare.

“The Innovations awards program continues to expand and gain prestige each year, with industry-leading product entries and the addition of new categories”

“The Innovations awards program continues to expand and gain prestige each year, with industry-leading product entries and the addition of new categories,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “As pioneering technology propels our industry forward, we are thrilled to honor the outstanding product designs fueling the advancement of the consumer technology industry and look forward to showcasing these amazing products at the 2008 International CES.”

The Best of Innovations awards are given to the most honored products in each of the 32 categories. Innovations honorees will be featured in the Innovations Showcase at the Sands Expo and Convention Center/The Venetian at the 2008 International CES. In addition to housing the prestigious Innovations honorees, the Sands/Venetian will feature emerging technology exhibits and hot product TechZones including the DisplayPort, ExpressCard, IP, Mobile Internet & WiMAX, NFC Forum, Podcasting and Robotics TechZones. Additionally, the CES keynotes, high-performance audio and home theater exhibits and CES Unveiled will be featured at the Sands/Venetian.

For more than 17 years, the Innovations awards program has provided a showcase for the industry’s top creative products. The Best of Innovations designation is awarded to products that earned the highest honors from the panel of judges, which include engineers, independent designers and journalists for each product category. These “best of the best” products will be displayed at CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, January 5, in the Marco Polo Ballroom at the Sands/Venetian.

The Best of Innovations honorees for 2008 include:

			Model
Product Category	Mfg Company	Product Name	Number	Company URL
Audio Accessories	Kensington	Kensington LiquidFM™ Deluxe for iPod-FM Transmitter	33424	www.kensington.com
Audio Components	Bowers & Wilkins	Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin		www.bowers-wilkins.com
Computer Accessories	Yoggie Security Systems	Yoggie Pico		www.yoggie.com
Computer Hardware	Dell Inc.	XPS Consumer Notebook Family M1330		www.dell.com
Computer Peripherals	Sentry Group	Sentry®Safe Fire-Safe®/ Waterproof Hard Drive (160 GB)	QA0004	www.sentrysafe.com
Digital Imaging	Sanyo	SANYO Xacti E1	VPC-E1	www.us.sanyo.com
Electronic Gaming	Lightglove	LtWv Wrist Vmote		www.lightglove.com
Enabling Technologies	SanDisk Corp.	Vaulter™ Disk		www.sandisk.com
Enabling Technologies	SiBEAM, Inc.	SiBEAM, Inc., WirelessHD™ Semiconductor Systems with OmniLink60™ Technology		www.sibeam.com
Furniture	Sentry Group	Sentry®Safe FIRE-SAFE® /Water-Resistant Data Storage Safe	QE5541	www.sentrysafe.com
Headphones	Motorola, Inc.	MOTOROKR S9	98801N	www.motorola.com
Healthcare	Oticon, Inc.	Oticon Epoq		www.oticonusa.com
High Performance Audio	KEF America, Inc.	KEF MUON Loudspeakers		www.kefamerica.com
Home Appliances	iRobot Corporation	iRobot® Looj™ Gutter Cleaning Robot	120	www.irobot.com
Home Theater Speakers	Sunfire Corporation	Sunfire SubRosa	SRS-210R	www.sunfire.com
Integrated Home Systems	se2 labs	ITC One (Integrated Theater Console)	One	www.se2labs.com
In-Vehicle Accessories	Navigon, Inc.	NAVIGON 7100		www.navigon.com
In-Vehicle Control/OEM Integration	Directed Electronics, Inc.	Responder LE 2-Way Vehicle Security & Remote Start System	Viper 5701	www.directed.com
In-Vehicle Navigation/ Telematics/ ITS	Auto Page, Inc.	C3- Cellular Car Communications		www.autopageusa.com
In-Vehicle Video	Sirius Satellite Radio	SiriusConnect™ Audio/Video Tuner	SCV1	www.sirius.com
Multi-Room Audio/Video	Sling Media, Inc.	SlingCatcher™		www.slingmedia.com
Personal Electronics	Emtrace Technologies, Inc	Photoskins	PS100	www.emtrace.com
Portable Media Accessories	Belkin International, Inc.	TuneStudio for iPod 5th generation (video)	F8Z109	www.belkin.com
Portable Media Players	Samsung Electronics America	Samsung YA-BS900 Bluetooth Hyper-Directional 3-Channel Surround Sound Speaker System	YA-BS900	www.samsung.com
Portable Power	WildCharge, Inc.	WildCharger		www.wildcharge.com
Telephones	Thomson Inc.	GE InfoLink DECT 6.0 Phone	28320EE2	www.ge.com/phones
Video Accessories	OWLink Technology, Inc.	HD Digital Light Link	FO2850	www.owlink.com
Video Components	Niveus Media, Inc.	Niveus Media Center - Denali Limited Edition	N00-01010XX	www.niveusmedia.com
Wireless Handsets	fuseproject	Drop phone	SKY IM-U200	www.fuseproject.com
Wireless Handsets Accessories	Samsung Telecommunications America	UbiCell		www.samsungwireless.com

For more information on the Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Awards, including photos and descriptions of all honorees, visit www.CESweb.org/innovations.

Note to Journalists:

General press and analyst registration for the 2008 International CES is available at CESweb.org. Detailed press conference information can be found at http://www.CESweb.org/press/events. Journalists are encouraged to arrive in Las Vegas by Saturday, January 5 to take advantage of all the CES press events.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $148 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS

-- CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe: Strategies for Digital Living Markets

December 4-6, 2007, Berlin, Germany

-- CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES

January 5, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

-- 2008 International CES

January 7-10, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

-- Digital Music Forum East

February 26-27, 2008, New York, NY

-- EHX Spring 2008

March 11-15, 2008, Orlando, FL

-- 2008 PARA Conference