Silliest Use of Chair-enabled Technology
Winner: Intel

Intel also had a pair of F1 frames set up, their steering wheels connected to remote-controlled toy cars half a mile away via the new Wi-Max wireless technology.

The chair wasn't the most comfortable in the world, and the remote cars were slow as dirt, but I won my race, so Intel makes the list again.

Best Alternative to Sex
Winner: 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

The 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder may be more than a chair, but it has chairs in it. And 512 horses. And more testosterone than the entire South Hall of CES.

Monster Cables was touting this car, perhaps hoping to draw attention away from their overpriced products with an even more overpriced product. Either way, it was cool to look at.

Runner-up: X-Rocker

Ahh, rumble chairs. There's nothing quite like falling asleep as the peaceful sub-sonic frequencies of The Bourne Ultimatum Special Edition give your buttocks a firm shake.

There were plenty of rumble-chair hybrids at the show, but the X-Rocker was one of the few mobile units with proper arm rests and padding, which definitely earned it extra points.

Get some Halo time in while your girlfriend dials it to 11.

But if Lamborghini and vibrators couldn't win the coveted top award, what could possibly top them?

Best Chair of CES 2008
Winner: The Chair-stool

Going into award deliberations after one of the most amazing years of chairs in recent memory, we all assumed this category would be hotly contested. As it turned out, the chair-stool was the clear winner, standing tall above the competition.

The chair-stool's utility is unmatched by any other chair on the market. Not only was the chair-stool the most popular of all chairs on the floor, but it also was the easiest to carry. There were chair-stools everywhere. In booths. In conference rooms. In bathrooms.

Its competitors--all excellent--are largely refinements of existing formulae, either sequels or spiritual successors to past groundbreaking chairs. Building off the proof-of-concept stool, the chair-stool adds a short backing to the mix, and gets it all right.

Some are likely to angrily contest the choice of the chair-stool on the grounds that it is more stool than chair; on the contrary, its hybridity only enhances its quality.

And, unlike almost everything else here at CES, the chair-stool is both practical and affordable.

We did not take Chair of the Year to mean "most value for money" or "best package" or "most epic experience;" it recognizes quality, ambition, achievement, and the pure joy of sitting. In a year packed with many incredible chairs, the chair-stool stood out to us as our 2008 Chair of the Year.

So there you have it, the best chairs of CES 08. It was a banner year for the chair industry. Here's hoping for some more great seats come next year.

Bonus Award
Best Computerized Embroidery Machine
Winner: brother

Oh, you guys are going to check out the Microsoft Surface, huh? That's pretty neat.

Nah, that's cool, I'll catch up with you later. Yeah, I just need to go talk to a CEO or two for a second. Tell them what for. Threaten legal action. You know how it is.

Oh hey guys, you're back fast. What am I doing? What do you mean? Oh, you mean these things. It's really weird. For some reason I just get better reception over here. By the computerized embroidery machines.