T3 reveals Gadget Awards shortlist

Gadget magazine T3 has announced the shortlist for its third annual Gadget Awards.

With over 65,000 votes cast by readers and an expert judging panel, the longlists for each of the awards’ 18 categories – including Innovation of the Year and Gadget of the Year – have been whittled down to five nominees apiece.

Apple products once again figure highly in the shortlist, with 11 nominations across 10 categories. Apple's new iPhone appears in the Gadget of the Year category, where it faces fresh competition from the HTC Hero and Palm’s upstart smartphone, the Pre.

Taiwan-based gadget maker HTC also makes its mark on the 2009 shortlist with a nomination for Tech Brand of the Year and in Phone of the Year, again for the Android-driven Hero.

BBC v Spotify v Google

Last year’s winner of the New Media Service of the Year, BBC iPlayer, is nominated for that award again, but will come up against music streaming service Spotify and controversial Google Street View in the final round of voting.

“This year sees the toughest competition for top honours ever,” says T3 editor Michael Brook. “Categories like Tech Brand of the Year – where Google, Apple, Microsoft, Asus and HTC will battle it out – are going to be really close ones to call.”

Gadget fans are invited to vote on the shortlist to pick this year’s winners at T3’s Gadget Awards website.