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CEA Announces Technology is a Girl's Best Friend Diamond Product Showcase Honorees; CEA to Showcase What Women Want in Consumer Electronics at 2006 International CES (13/12/2005)

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)), producer of the world's largest annual technology tradeshow, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES(R)), today announced the honorees for the 2006 Technology is a Girl's Best Friend (TechGirl) Diamond Product Showcase, sponsored by CE Lifestyles.

"Women are buying and using consumer electronics; and retailers and manufacturers are paying attention," stated Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO. "Women influence 88 percent of household CE purchases in some fashion, and this year females are expected to initiate $65 billion in CE purchased themselves. CEA is pleased to play a leading role in disseminating the message that women have been and continue to be a large consumer and influencer of CE products."

Now in its fourth year, the TechGirl honorees were chosen based on results from a recently conducted survey by CEA Market Research. The survey, What Women Want, sampled more than 1,600 adults (men and women) to find what features women prefer in their consumer electronics devices. Eight distinct consumer electronics categories were explored: audio, computer, digital imaging, laptop bags, mobile/automotive electronics, portable audio, television and wireless.

"CE Lifestyles is pleased to sponsor this campaign," said Katie Sommer, editor of CE Lifestyles. "The products honored in this showcase illustrate that women want consumer electronics that can be used effectively and efficiently. Interest in style and flair is a concern but secondary to having a quality device. Women truly view CE products as a necessity, not a luxury."

Specifically, women cited ease-of-use, reliability and being lightweight as most important in their consumer electronics. Wireless phone preferred features included being lightweight and having a long battery life. Women surveyed also want portable audio devices that can "do it all," from receiving radio reception to MP3 playback. In the computer category, a flat monitor and computer speed was extremely important. The results showed the most important feature in television was having the best picture quality, specifically high-definition (HD). Audio and safety equipment ranked high in the mobile category. Great picture quality and the ability to easily share photos were top in the digital imaging space.

In both the audio and laptop bag categories, style and aesthetics ranked near the top of the list. The laptop bag features women most want include a comfortable strap and specialized pockets. Speakers that are aesthetically pleasing and not obtrusive rounded off the list.

The Diamond Products include:

-- Audio:
-- Denon Electronics' S-101 Home Entertainment System
-- Swan Speaker System's Swan S200A

-- Computer
-- BenQ America's FP93V Flat Panel Monitor
-- Sharp's M4000 WideNote

-- Digital Imaging
-- Hewlett Packard's Photosmart R817 Digital Camera
-- Hitachi's Microdrive 3K6

-- Laptop Bags
-- Motion System's Icon Female Laptop Tote
-- Targus's Getta Backpack Ladies Case

-- Mobile/Automotive Electronics
-- Alpine's Blackbird
-- Magna Donnelly's Video Mirror

-- Portable Audio
-- Philip's Sport Audio Player
-- Sony's Walkman Bean

-- Television
-- InFocus's Play Big IN72
-- Sharp's 20-inch Widescreen AQUOS Liquid Crystal

-- Wireless
-- Motorola's Magenta RAZR
-- Samsung's i73

All winning products will be showcased at the 2006 International CES in the lobby of Innovations Plus at the Sands Convention Center and will be featured in CE Lifestyles magazine early next year.

www.CESweb.org/techgirl