CNET.com Editors Honor the Creative Zen Vision:M with the “Best of Show” and the Pioneer Inno with the “People’s Voice” Awards
CNET (http://www.cnet.com), the trusted, unbiased resource dedicated to helping consumers live the digital lifestyle, and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNET), today announced the winners of its “Best of CES” Awards at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The CNET editors, who reviewed more than seven hundred entries, awarded Creative Zen the Best of Show Award for the Vision:M MP3 player and Pioneer the People’s Voice Award for the Inno, combining a player/recorder for XM Satellite Radio and MP3 player. Twelve companies were recognized as having the best products in their respective categories (see full list below).
Tech enthusiasts visited CNET.com to follow the extensive CES coverage provided by the site’s expert editors, who scoured the CES show floor to choose from the hundreds of new products and technologies announced at the show. The CNET.com “People’s Voice” award, which used an online voting system promoted across CNET Networks’ family of web properties, including CNET Download.com, CNET News.com, GameSpot, Webshots, MP3.com, TV.com, and ZDNet, drew thousands of votes from consumers who wanted to see recognition for their favorite product at CES.
“Once again, our editors were amazed by the innovation and creativity showcased at CES, particularly in the music player category as evidenced by the top winners of the awards this year,” said Brian Cooley, editor-at-large at CNET.com and host of the Best of CES Awards presentation at the CNET Stage. “At the end of the day, the Creative Zen Vision:M truly stood out among the pack for it’s excellent sound quality, user-friendly design, and overwhelming amount of features — including subscription music, video support, and an FM tuner and recorder.”
To qualify, all products had to be exhibited at the 2006 International CES in Las Vegas. CNET’s expert editors judged products on criteria including:
- Its promise to delight customers with its usefulness, design, and/or capacity to entertain
- Its cutting edge approach, enabling owners to gain a certain cachet
- It must break new ground in ease of use; working easily and readily with other products
- It should be a leader in some regard, such as pioneering a new category, setting a new standard for excellence in an existing category or innovation, selling in substantial numbers, or capturing a new level of the “cool” factor.
The 12 category winners include:
- Cameras and Camcorders: Sanyo Xacti HD1
- Home Audio: Denon AVR-2807
- Car Technology: Pioneer AVIC-Z1
- Home Video: Pioneer BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player
- Cell Phones and PDAs: Samsung ZX20
- MP3 and Portable Video: Creative Zen Vision:M
- Computers: Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology
- Networking: The D-Link SecureSpot All-in-One Internet Security Appliance
- Emerging Technologies: ZenSys Z-Wave
- Peripherals: Belkin CableFree USB hub
- Gaming: Nvidia’s GeForce Quad SLI
- Televisions: Samsung HL-S5679W HDTV
To review a detailed summary of the products selected, a video of the winners and finalists showcasing their technology is available on http://ces.cnet.com
About CNET
CNET (http://www.cnet.com), a property of CNET Networks, Inc., is dedicated to helping people buy and use personal technology to enhance and enrich their lives. CNET’s award winning editorial staff reviews thousands of products each year, providing expert and unbiased advice on what products to buy. The site also offers help and how-to features enhanced with video content that visually shows consumers how to get the most out of technology once they own it. And, with an extensive directory of more than 400,000 products and price comparisons, CNET also gives consumers the most up-to-date and efficient shopping resource on the Web.
About CNET Networks, Inc.
CNET Networks, Inc. is a worldwide media company and creator of content environments for the interactive age. CNET Networks takes pride in being “a different kind of media company,” creating richer, deeper interactive experiences by combining the wisdom and passion of users, marketers and its own expert editors. CNET Networks’ leading brands — such as CNET, GameSpot, MP3.com, Webshots, and ZDNet — focus on the personal technology, entertainment, and business technology categories. The company has a strong presence in the US, Asia and Europe.
