International CES announces awards for showcase products

As this year's International CES drew to a close in Las Vegas, the industry took stock of the high-tech announcements and products showcased during the week. From drones and robotics to wearables and connected home products, there was plenty to sift through.

The official “Best of CES” awards, which are run in conjunction with tech news wire Engadget, highlighted some of the more usual products around the show floor, from the best digital health and fitness product to the disruptive technology that impressed the most.

Sling TV walked away with three awards, named in Best Home Theatre, Best Software/App and “Best of the Best”. The new service offers internet TV for about $20 per month without a contract, meaning you are free to get rid of it at any time.

Bragi’s Dash Smart Headphones, meanwhile, were awarded Best Digital health and Fitness and Best Wearable at the show. The audio accessories not only allow you to listen to music while you run, but have a heart-rate monitor built in.

Energous WattUp won two awards, Best Connected Home Product and Best Innovation (Disruptive Tech), for its wireless product that will power your chargeable devices, including phones. In fact, it can charge devices from up to 15 feet away, so there’ll be no need to remember to charge up your fitness band or tablet – they’ll simply do it once you are within range of the wall mounted pad.

Razer’s Forge TV, which is an Android TV-based microconsole, not only won Best Gaming product, but was also named as People’s Choice winner.

Belty, the smart belt that adjusts its size automatically to fit your waist, took the prize in the “offbeat” category.

There were some nostalgia-tinged products among the slew of cameras, drones, PCs and TVs that dominated CES.

Polaroid was still pushing the portable instant camera, albeit in a slightly different form, with the Socialmatic camera that has a built in printer. And that icon of the 1980s, the Sony Walkman, could be set for a new lease of life thanks to high-res audio.

Sony is among a number of firms which are pushing for a return to high standards in audio, presenting music as the artist intended it to be heard. Music services such as Pono, which is headed up by Neil Young, are also trying to tap into the growing market for better quality audio, betting that some consumers at least are willing to pay for it.

Last year, Sony was keen to impress the benefits of high-res audio, unveiling headsets that linked up with compatible products to provide better quality audio to consumers.

This year, it was hoping that the technology would benefit its Walkman brand, with a new music player dedicated to playing the high quality sound files. The Android-based NW ZX2 is a pricey investment, coming in at just under €1,000.