A low-power memory card that automatically downloads photos wirelessly from a camera to a PC has won the prestigious Last Gadget Standing competition at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Eye-Fi card beat nine other finalists in the Yahoo-sponsored competition at the world’s largest consumer technology show.

The Eye-Fi card, which cost just US$100 (A$113), has 2GB of memory and uses WiFi technology to send pictures to computers – letting the user avoid the hassle of plugging in cables and playing with upload software.

Other finalists in the Yahoo! Last Gadget Standing competition included the innovative A$499 Asus Eee PC, the tiny laptop running Linux and a suite a open applications and web tools, and Dash Express, an internet-connected GPS mapping system that delivers real-time traffic information.

But the consumer innovation that seemed closest to taking the crown from Eye-Fi was a gutter-cleaning robot known as Looj from home robotics firm iRobot Corporation.

The annual Last Gadget Standing competition is a live event where ten gadgets slug it out for consumers' affection. At the standing-room-only competition, each of the finalists is given a four minute window to demonstrate their products to the live audience, who then vote for the gadget they felt would make a difference in their lives.

“The experts always have a platform to give their opinions, but Last Gadget Standing gives the consumers a voice on what's going to emerge as our next gadget idol,” said Robin Raskin, Yahoo Tech writer and competition spokesman said.

“Last Gadget Standing winners represent the products that people believe will be relevant to their lives for years to come, and not simply disappear once CES is over.”