Awards cement 3D printing’s place as one of the year’s biggest technology trends
Incredible response from public in voting for most influential and popular gadget of the year
left to right – Thomas Shamber, Ribi Kenneth and Bilal Al Rais
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The first-ever GITEX Hot Stuff Awards saw a Cubify 3D printer scooping first prize, earning the title as the region’s most innovative and popular technology gadget and cementing 3D printing’s place as one of the year’s biggest technology trends. The 3D printers’ plasti
c-excreting tubes can print everything from practical objects and toys to fashion and home accessories.
The GITEX Hot Stuff Awards, powered by Stuff magazine, are one of the region’s largest gadget awards, and designed to celebrate the most desirable, exciting and innovative consumer electronic products currently or soon to be available in the region.
Ribi Kenneth, Manager, Detail Distribution Division, PROTECHnology, which has the exclusive distribution rights for Cubify 3D printers in the region, said:“We are delighted to win this fantastic award. There is a lot of innovation in this new technology, and we are excited to bring it to the region. The concept of manufacturing the future is going to be really powerful and big, particularly here in the region. The potential impact is huge.”
Cubify 3D printers won the award ahead of some of the region’s most talked-about gadgets, including the Apple iPad Mini tablet, the Asus PadfoneInifity Android mobile phone and tablet, the Fitbit Flex inactivity tracker, the HTC One Android smartphone, the 84-inch LG 65LA970 Ultra HD TV with 8-million pixel performance, the 11-inch MacBook Air laptop, the Nvidia Shield Android-powered gaming machines, the PlayStation 4 home gaming console, and the Sony NEX-7 compact DSLR-quality camera.
Thomas Shambler, Editor, Stuff Middle East, and one of the award’s judges said:“The UAE is centre of technological innovation, and customers across the region are among the earliest adopters of the latest gadgets. We saw an incredible response from the public on voting and widespread media buzz for the Hot Stuff Awards, and the Cubify 3D printer is a worthy first winner.”
GITEX Hot Stuff Awards judge Omar Kassim, Founder of Jadopado.com, said: “The region is becoming increasingly important for global brands to launch must-have products, so it is great to have such a comprehensive award show celebrating tech and gadgets on the absolute cutting-edge. It is also important to have an event that reflects local taste, which the Hot Stuff Awards must certainly does in a new and exciting fashion.”
Hot Stuff Awards judges included Thomas Shambler, Editor, Stuff Middle East; Samer Geissah, Vice President of Innovations and Corporate Affairs, Du; Najeeb Jarrar, Product Marketing Manager, Google MENA; Abbas Jaffar Ali, Director, tbreak media; and Omar Kassim, Founder, Jadopado.com.
The region is one of the most important for new device launches, with the UAE serving as a key market, buoyed by strong economic growth and the millions of tourists who come annually to shop at the country’s malls, boutiques and souqs.
As a result, UAE consumer electronics sales are expected to continue picking up pace in the coming years – growing from USD 4.06 billion in 2013 to USD 6.62 billion in 2017, according to Business Monitor International’s Q2 UAE Retail Report 2013.
The 3D printers also will receive honourable mention in the November issue of Stuff magazine, the magazine’s website at stuffmideast.com and the GITEX website at GITEX.com.
Attendees at GITEX Technology Week 2013 can engage in hands-on demonstrations of the Top 10 gadgets in display cases located at the GITEX Hot Stuff Awards 2013 stand, located in the Consumer Technology Hall of GITEX Technology World, from October 20-24, 2013.
As part of the Hot Stuff Awards, a panel of Stuff Magazine staff along with the region’s technology fans, journalists, and industry experts narrowed a shortlist of more than 100 gadgets available in the region down to a shortlist of 10 of the most popular and innovative gadgets.Voting was decided in equal halves by panellists and members of the public and GITEX Technology Week 2013 attendees, who voted online for their favourite gadget from October 9-23.
Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President at Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “All eyes are on GITEX Technology Week 2013, and there is no better place to launch the first-ever Hot Stuff Awards to celebrate gadget innovation in the region. We give our congratulations to Cubify, and encourage customers to visit GITEX Technology Week 2013 to demo the wide range of gadgets that were shortlisted for Hot Stuff Awards – from tablets to TVs – that make the perfect winter shopping season gifts.”
The 33rd edition of GITEX Technology Week 2013, running under the theme “Lets Create, Disrupt and Re-imagine Together”, runs from October 20-24 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.