Laser projector, set-top box win gadget awards

A pocket-size laser projector and a set-top box which delivers Web content to your television were named among the best products in an annual competition as the CES prepared to wrap up.

The SHOWWX Laser Pico Projector from Microvision won the online vote and the D-Link Boxee Box won by audience acclamation in the contest called “Last Gadget Standing” sponsored by Living in Digital Times and NetShelter Technology Media.

The SHOWWX projector, which is about the size of a pack of cards, uses lasers to provide a high-quality wide-screen image on any surface.

It can connect to a mobile phone, portable media player or computer and is to go on sale later this year for 500 dollars.

The Boxee Box, which is to be sold for around 200 dollars, is a set-top box that streams content from the Web to a TV without the need of a computer.

It was named the winner over nine other devices through the clapping and cheering of hundreds of CES attendees measured by an “applause-o-meter.”

In a nod to the growing popularity of mobile phone applications, the organizers of the competition also held another contest this year called “Mobile Apps Showdown.”

The winner of the online vote was Gwabbit, which organizes the details of contacts in emails, while the audience favorite was Clixtr, a photo-sharing program.