CES Awards And CE Spotlights Salute Excellence And Inspiration

There are always tons of technology and products packed into CES, but perhaps the only way to be sure you catch the best products and designs is by scoping out the awards ceremonies and the CE Spotlights.

This year, CES will open the floor to four awards programs: the International CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Awards, the CNET Best of CES Awards, the esteemed Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards, and the Global Media Awards™.

Meanwhile, the baby boomer, child development, gaming, and wireless markets are of the utmost importance to CE distributors. CE Spotlights pool together the companies leading the charge in reaching out to these essential demographics and others as well. CES has also sprinkled TechZones around the exhibit halls focused on marquee digital technology. There’s a little bit of something for everyone, from design winners to the best products. Don’t miss out on this year’s awards and spotlights at CES.

INNOVATIONS 2009 DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AWARDS SHOWCASE The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards recognize the best products in more than 30 categories. Like events past, this year’s honorees have outdone themselves in taking the next step in CE ingenuity, and CEA has selected the top innovations poised to shake up the CE market.

Get a head start on your design ideas or sneak a peek at what will be on everyone’s shopping list down the road. You can check out the awards display at the Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Showcase at the Sands, Booth #72062. Also, the Best of Innovations, products that scored over 90% approval ratings by the judge’s panel, will be on display at the Innovations Showcase in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

CNET BEST OF CES AWARDS The experts at CNET will take up the task of selecting the best products on display at CES. Categories include Best of Show, People’s Voice Award, selected by an online constituency, and 10 trophies for individual markets. Categories include digital photo and video, car technology, cell phones and smartphones, computers and hardware, gaming, GPS, home audio, home video, MP3 and video players, and television. Come see what the experts anoint as the show’s cream of the crop. GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
CEA and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) are teaming up to launch the first Global Media Awards. This contest honors the best technology and content programming in advertising, Web site or Internet, repurposed linear or traditional content, long form or short form, platform, and user experience or program guides. CEA and NATAS look to kick off this new award program in style as this year’s winners will be announced at the inaugural banquet at The Venetian in Las Vegas on January 8, 2009. THE TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING EMMY AWARDS Three years in the running, the Emmy Awards for technology and engineering will be awarded at CES. The Emmy Awards immortalize individuals, technical organizations, or companies developing keystone technology or implementing standardization that brings forth noteworthy improvements to existing methods or have altered the course of current methods altogether. See all the winners during an evening ceremony on Wednesday, January 7, at The Venetian. CE SPOTLIGHTS Jumping on the bandwagon of the booming gaming market? Then check out what’s coming down the pipeline at the Gaming Showcase. Hardware, software, and products like online PC and HD games are only a taste of the excitement and progress behind video games—and the Gaming Showcase has its finger on the pulse of all the major innovations.

You can also check out the Underground Gaming Series (UGS), a pro-grade gaming tournament held for two reasons: to hold competitive tournaments for all skill levels and market gaming popularity and technology. You can visit companies such as Dynaflex, Electric Spin, Paleo Entertainment, SimCraft, and others at the Gaming Showcase in the LVCC, South Hall 2.

Asking your kids to help debug your computer? It’s no surprise. Children are growing up with sophisticated technology now more than ever—and at earlier ages than ever. This spotlight explores how the digital technology kids use from infancy mold them into electronic whizzes at a virtually innate level.

Retailers, content providers, distributors, game developers, educators, policy makers, CE manufacturers, parents, brothers, and sisters are all welcomed to join the discussion on how the everadvancing tools children play with shape the future. Kids@Play will be located at the Sands.

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The Silvers Summit spotlight is geared toward baby boomers. What technology keeps this generation engaged and in touch with constantly evolving electronics? What do they enjoy most? Distributors, journalists, research firms, and manufacturers will demonstrate and elaborate on the baby boomer demographic and the products they’re using to maximize the benefits of digital technology. The Silvers Summit spotlight will be in the Sands.

The Wireless World spotlight will present the entire vertical market of the wireless industry from design and manufacturing to distribution. You can check out the exhibitors in LVCC, South Hall 3.

Content@CES is the best spot to meet and greet some of the biggest companies at CES. There will be meeting rooms and a lounge available for attendees to come and pick the brains of some of the leading companies in the digital market today. Content@CES will be in the LVCC, Central Hall.

Plenty of digital imaging companies will be on hand at the Digital Imaging Showcase to show off their proprietary digital imaging solutions and CE products. This exhibit will be in the LVCC, South Hall 3.

This spotlight focuses on the technology behind delivering data to mobile devices and the companies behind those services. Here you can learn how data is transferring to an in-car GPS, or how mobile services and devices are customized for the end-user based on location. Location Based Services will be in the LVCC, South Hall 4.

Experience CEA is the best way for attendees to see what CEA is all about. Check out CEA’s initiatives leading up to the digital television transition in February 2009, CEAPAC, market research, and standards. CEA is also looking to advance consumer technology while addressing issues like free trade, energy conservation and recycling, and better member benefits. For CEA members, there will be food and beverages available in the CEA member lounges, and amenities such as HDTV and laptop stations will be available. You can find the Experience CEA booth in the LVCC, Grand Lobby.

More than a dozen TechZone stations will spread out across all the exhibit halls at CES. Catch up on the big discussions that are shaping technology in niche markets like robotics, green design, displays, wireless mobility, i-Stage, USB, GSMA, HDMI, ZigBee, and HomePlug. There also will be a few zones you might not expect. For instance, Stevie Wonder will headline an exhibit focusing on technology for the vision-impaired. The amount of information offered at these stations will be enough to keep you zoned in for days. Don’t miss out.

Combining the advances in the Technology & Emerging Countries TechZone and the Greener Gadgets TechZone, the Sustainable Planet Spotlight will look at how the next wave of innovation can work with the environment, not against it, especially in developing countries that need earth-friendly solutions for their rapidly expanding infrastructures. You can find Sustainable Planet in the LVCC, North Hall.