Robin Raskin, former editor of PC Magazine, Editor in Chief of FamilyPC, and blogger for Yahoo!Tech, has been hosting an event at CES every year called Last Gadget Standing. According to an older blog of hers here, Robin says that the idea behind The Last Gadget Standing is to let the "people," not the "experts," vote to pick the gadget that has the best chance of actually making it off the show floor and becoming a life-changing force. She said that it has to be a cool gadget and it's also got to have survivability.

So it's time for the "people" to vote again as CES 2009 is here. Even if you're not actually there at CES, you can still vote for your favorite gadget.

From the Last Gadget Standing website:

This Saturday, live from the Las Vegas Convention Center at CES, audience attendees will have the chance to see live demos of ten hugely important products that have changed the way we use technology. But even if you didn’t make the pilgrimage to Las Vegas you can still get into the act.

Sadly, the Palm Pre didn't make the top 10. The Last Gadget Standing judges usually have the main gadgets in their hands weeks ahead of the CES, and they preview some of the products that we'd see at the show. So of course they didn't have access to the Palm Pre weeks ahead.

Below are the top ten products for this year's CES:

1. Eye-Fi video Card - Makes it possible to wirelessly upload your videos from your digital camera to your computer. Will not only upload videos, but will even allow you to share your videos in real time, over the internet.
2. Bug Labs - Consumers can create their own gadget out of these modular and programmable electronic units
3. ClickFree Transformer USB Cable - Turn any ordinary USB hard drive into a Clickfree Automatic Backup hard drive. Simply plug the USB cable into your computer, then plug an external hard drive into the cable. When launched, the software searches for and backs up your important data.
4. emWave - The emWave PSR is an affordable, portable biofeedback tool. Made by HeartMath, it is an effective and convenient way to reduce stress, balance emotions, and increase performance.
5. Flip MinoHD - The world’s smallest HD-quality video camcorder, the Mino HD features 4GB of memory and up to 60 minutes of recording time and all-new built-in FlipShare software for easy saving, organizing and sharing of video from your computer.
6. LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen - You’ll never miss a word with this pen-sized computer that records and syncs audio with what you write.
7. MSI Wind - Wi-Fi Network Device is the first 10-inch notebook to feature the speedy new Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor. Weighing in at just 2.6 lbs, it’s designed to be lightweight and ultra-mobile, without sacrificing convenience or performance.
8. Motorola ZN5 - According to the judges, it’s the first mobile phone that lets them feel comfortable leaving their digital camera behind. The MOTOZINE ZN5 is the only product that combines Motorola’s mobile device design, call quality, and technology with Kodak’s powerful imaging innovation and leadership.
9. T-Mobile G1 Powered by Google Android - A complete portable Web solution right in your pocket. The T-Mobile Android is the first mobile phone to feature Google’s Android operating system, offering free email access to Gmail users.
10. WowWee Joebot - The leading innovator of hi-tech consumer robotic and entertainment products unwraps its newest product – Joebot – a walking, talking, interactive buddy, and with more personality than any robot ever.

Those sound like some very cool gadgets indeed! There are three that I really like. I bet you can guess what one of them is since I actually had some hands-on time with this sweet gadget during our Smartphone Round Robin. I'd love to get my hands on that MSI Wind too as I've read lots about that one.

According to The Last Gadget Standing website, you can vote for the one or the ones you think are most likely to endure and to change the face of computing. Read more here. The winner will be announced on Saturday, Januarey 10th at noon (PST). Read more here.

The Last Gadget Standing sounds like a lot of fun! I love getting the chance to find out about new gadgets. The lucky folks who are actually there at CES can take advantage of The Last Gadget Standing demos! How fun would that be?! I'm definitely going to be putting in my online votes! To go and vote, head over here.

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