The Shortlist Underdogs

The T3 Gadget Awards 2009 shortlist has thrown up a few surprises, a few favourites and seen a few Wildcards enter the fray. As well as this though, there are a handful of gadgetry newcomers rubbing shoulders with the giants of tech, and jostling admirably for the prize.

Here, we’ll shine a light on those that have made it bravely through to the shortlist despite fierce competition, and the categories in which they’re residing.

The T3 Gadget Award 2009 shortlist underdogs:

Computer of the Year: Lenovo Ideapad S10E
A sleek and slim addition to the netbook clan, the Ideapad’s biggest strength is its stonking 10.2-inch, LED-backlit screen. There’s an instant-on feature for the impatient, up to 160GB of storage and a choice of Windows XP or Linux operating systems.

Green Gadget of the Year: Gocycle
Commuting by bike is all well and good, but doing so in busy urban areas with lots of traffic lights and subsequent stop-starting can be tiring. The 15mph GoCycle aims to fix that. It’s a lightweight, stylish chunk of white moulded magnesium that’s perfect for the city.

Launch of the Year: Microsoft Bing
Bing makes some sensible adjustments to the internet search formula. Image and video search are both well thought out: the former cutting out the need to cycle through pages, while the latter give you mini previews from within the search window when you hover the mouse over it. A worthy Google competitor.

Retailer of the Year: AMP3
The UK’s foremost stop for all things digital music, AMP3 has gone from strength to iPod-shifting strength. The range of makes, models and accessories here is unprecedented; clearly a result of mastering and cornering one specific area of the market. It’s gained them a grand following.

Work Gadget of the Year: Optoma PK101

With a condensed version of the technology found in full home cinema projectors, Pico’s pocket friendly device can connect to a variety of media sources and throw movies, slideshows or pictures up on the nearest wall, gifting up to a 60-inch image. Pocket projection is here.

Remember: With the announcement of the shortlist, voting commences again. Get voting to be in with a chance of winning our fantastic spot prizes.