Companies Called On to Nominate the Best Bluetooth® Devices of the Year
BELLEVUE, WA – October 14, 2009 – The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) today opened nominations for its 5th Annual Best of CES 2010 Awards. The program will feature the most innovative Bluetooth enabled devices of the year with one overall winner unveiled at an awards reception held the evening of Friday, January 8, during the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The SIG’s Best of CES Awards is a revamped version of the organization’s annual Best of CES contest. The new awards program was designed to create a simple and flexible nomination process to better shine a spotlight on the year’s most exciting Bluetooth devices. Submissions must no longer fall into a product category and can be entered when nominated by a member company or the SIG itself.
“The SIG’s theme at CES is ‘Bluetooth evolution’ so it’s fitting to see a new and improved means of showcasing the very best of the most recently released Bluetooth products,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. “During CES, the SIG will have much to say about the evolution Bluetooth technology is currently undergoing. With the new Bluetooth 3.0 High Speed (HS) and forthcoming low energy versions, new markets like home entertainment and health and fitness will enjoy the benefits of Bluetooth technology ensuring growth of the wireless technology well beyond the nearly three billion devices available worldwide today.”
The ten finalists will be announced on Tuesday, December 8, and promoted by the Bluetooth SIG prior to CES and throughout the first half of 2010. Non-disclosure agreements will be honored for any finalists with products announced later than December 8. Member companies and media alike will be able to view the featured devices firsthand at the SIG’s awards reception and hear the announcement of the overall winner.
Each product entered must meet the following criteria:
- Uses Bluetooth technology
- Qualified under Bluetooth qualification PRD 2.0 or later
- Introduction/launch date between July 1, 2009, and January 8, 2010
- Manufacturer is SIG Promoter or Associate level member
Products will be judged based on interoperability testing, containing expected profiles and ease of use. Bonus points will be awarded to products which include Experience Icons on packaging or product website. Products which have a confirmed issue on the SIG Issue Tracking System, are not qualified properly or do not include instructions for use will be automatically disqualified.
Products must be nominated by Friday, November 20, and review units received by the Bluetooth SIG no later than Tuesday, November 24. The online nomination forms can be accessed at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229QWQVGRK2. Questions about the contest can by directed to Lindsay Peattie, Bluetooth SIG member relations manager, at lpeattie@bluetooth.com
About Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology continues to evolve, building on its inherent strengths – small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. This evolution now provides manufacturers and consumers with three options for connecting wirelessly – classic Bluetooth technology for use in a wide range of consumer electronics; Bluetooth high speed technology for the transfer of video, music and photos between phones, cameras, camcorders, PCs and TVs; and Bluetooth low energy technology for low power sensor devices and new web services within the health and fitness, personal device, automotive and automation industries. More than eight new Bluetooth enabled products are qualified every working day and more than 19 million Bluetooth units are shipping per week. There are nearly three billion Bluetooth devices in the marketplace and that number climbs daily, making it the only proven wireless choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.
About the Bluetooth SIG
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 12,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visit www.bluetooth.com.
The Bluetooth word mark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Note to Editors: Media assets (stills and video) to accompany stories about Bluetooth wireless technology are available on Bluetooth.com, hosted by The NewsMarket: http://www.bluetooth.com/thenewsmarket
Press Contacts:
Americas
Starr Million Baker
INK Public Relations for the Bluetooth SIG
+1 (512) 382-8981
starr@ink-pr.com
CHINA
Maggie Gao
Hill & Knowlton for the Bluetooth SIG
+86 10 6512 8811
maggie.gao@hillandknowlton.com.cn
JAPAN
Takanori Suzuki
Inoue Public Relations for the Bluetooth SIG
+81-3-5269-2301
suzuki@inoue-pr.com
KOREA
Harry Yoon
Strategic Marketing and Communications, Inc. for the Bluetooth SIG
+82-2-3445-3232
harry@oksmc.co.kr
TAIWAN
Hira Yu
Apex Communications Consultants Co., Ltd., for the Bluetooth SIG
886-2-7718-7777 ext. 517
hira@apexpr.com.tw
danny.devriendt@porternovelli.be