LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the finalists of its Bluetooth Breakthrough Awards last night from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Breakthrough Awards recognize the best Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart enabled products and applications on the market today, as well as innovative prototypes of products coming soon. The Student category, in its second year, highlights young innovators from around the world for their potential contributions to the Bluetooth market.
“The submissions for this year’s Bluetooth Breakthrough Awards really run the gamut, from fun and novel to life-improving,” said Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. “Our finalists this year touch on practically every market, including smart home, health and wellness, retail, accessories, consumer electronics, and even public transport. Bluetooth wireless technology is the common thread that brings all these devices, and the broader Internet of Things, together.”
Finalists by Category:
Breakthrough Products
BusAccess®,
smart public transport application and product (GeoMobile GmbH)
Microsoft
Band, fitness tracker (Microsoft Corporation)
Nova,
smartphone flash accessory and application (SneakySquid LLC)
SMART
kapp, Bluetooth enabled whiteboard (SMART Technologies)
SwingTracker,
motion monitor for softball/baseball bats (Diamond Kinetics)
Zuli
Smartplug, smart plug/outlet adapter (Zuli)
Breakthrough Applications
Cub
Connect™, lawn tractor and application (Cub Cadet)
Oral-B
Application, electronic toothbrush and application (Procter &
Gamble)
ReSound
Smart™, hearing aid and application (ReSound)
Riccardo
Application, in-store beacon system and retail application (AMP
Media Group)
Breakthrough Prototypes
COBI,
wireless hub and hands-free bicycle system (iCradle GmbH)
FITGuard,
Bluetooth enabled mouth guard (Force Impact Technologies)
FreeWavz,
wireless headphones with fitness tracking capabilities (hEar Gear,
Inc)
Noke,
Bluetooth enabled padlock (FŪZ Designs)
oort,
home automation system and hub (Oort Technologies)
SmartMat,
sensor-laden yoga mat (SmartMat)
Breakthrough Student
Santiago Ambit, WeOn Glasses
Christopher Morales, BlueFly
Olivia
Siller, Bluetooth Diabetic Pump
Kenneth Shinozuka, Wearable
Sensors for Healthcare Innovation
Jody Vankeuren, CAPD
Bluetooth
Sarah White, Fitwell
The SIG will announce the overall winner, along with the category winners, from Mobile World Congress (MWC) on 2 March 2015, in Barcelona, Spain.
All finalists will be featured by the Bluetooth SIG at media events throughout the winter and spring of 2015. Additionally, finalists will be able to display the Bluetooth Breakthrough Award logo on websites, product packaging, and marketing collateral. Finalists will also receive development kits from CSR and Nordic Semiconductor.
Over the next two months, each student submission will be featured on the Bluetooth SIG blog. The Student category winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000 USD.
The overall winner will also be awarded two round-trip tickets to attend Bluetooth World 2015 in April, with entry into the event and free exhibition space, valued at $12,500 USD.
For complete details on all finalists, visit CNET or https://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/news-events/bluetooth-breakthrough-awards.
About Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Bluetooth wireless technology is the global wireless standard enabling simple, secure connectivity for an expanding range of devices and serves as the backbone of the connected world. Bluetooth Smart technology, through an updatable platform and low power consumption, creates new application opportunities for the mobile phone, consumer electronics, PC, automotive, health & fitness and smart home industries. With nearly three billion devices shipping annually, Bluetooth is the wireless technology of choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide. Backed by industry leading companies, the Bluetooth SIG empowers over 25,000 member companies to collaborate, innovate and guide Bluetooth wireless technology. For more information, please visit www.bluetooth.com.
