Bluetooth SIG announces its “Best of CES” contest winners

Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) announced the winners of its fourth annual “Best of CES” contest to highlight the “hottest, most innovative and consumer friendly Bluetooth enabled products.”

In total, 54 new Bluetooth products were submitted for the contest in 6 categories focusing on what consumers can do with the technology – talk on a headset, input information, listen to music, print data, transfer information, or enable use in an industrial or other vertical environment. Each product was carefully tested and judged on a variety of criteria. Bonus points were given to products complying with Experience Icon requirements, which make it simple for consumers to understand what a Bluetooth enabled device can do and how it will work with other devices.

Winners of the Bluetooth SIG “Best of CES 2009″ contest are (finalists indicated in parentheses):

• Overall: Parrot Zikmu by Starck wireless speakers
• Headset/Hands-Free: LG HFB-500 solar-powered car kit (Motorola (NYSE: MOT) H780 Universal Bluetooth headset)
• Input: Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Vista Feature Pack for Wireless (ISSC Dexin Bluetooth mouse)
• Music: Samsung YP-P3 media player (Parrot Zikmu by Starck wireless speakers)
• Print: LG Decoy mobile phone (Samsung M8800 mobile phone)
• Transfer: Parrot Specchio by Martin Szekely digital photo frame (Broadcom (NSDQ: BRCM) Windows Vista Bluetooth software stack)
• Vertical: Nonin Medical Model 9560 Pulse Oximeter (Ford Sync with 911 Assist)

New this year is the category of User’s Choice. By visiting a dedicated page on the SIG’s website, you can enter to win one of the finalist products by voting on their pick of best product. Good luck!