In a world where technological advances pop up everyday in news-feeds and broadcasts, the annual T3 Gadget Awards is a microcosm of all of these advances in one place. Like the Oscars for Technology, the T3 Gadget Awards nominate the most cutting-edge gadgets out today. With past releases like the iPad 2, Microsoft’s Kinect and huge advances in gaming, it’s worth a quick note to show some of the most important revelations which have taken place in 2011. Over 960,000 votes, along with the final tabulations of a 6 person specialist panel, decided the winners. Here are just a few of the more interesting revelations, as well as some interesting–if not ironic–choices for winners.
Ironic Winners
As gadgetry encompasses many arenas, so must the T3 categories. This means that categories like Best Retailer and Gadget Personality of the Year are included. The latter had one of the most ironic choices for winner: Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Although one cannot argue his importance in the world of communication, he’s never been known for his George Clooney-esque charisma. Then there’s the category of Best Commuting Device. Here, pitted against automobiles and electric bicycles, the winner was the Amazon Kindle. True, it will help pass the time while traveling, but it does make a perplexing choice for Commuting Device of the Year.
Influential Winners
Another interesting revelation can be found in the voters’ decision that Twitter is the “Digital Media Service of the Year.” Sure, Zuckerberg’s got the Personality, but Twitter won the bigger battle. To be sure, the principals of large corporations like Apple, Google and Facebook are most likely not crying themselves to sleep because they didn’t win a Gadget gong. It is notable, however, that more votes were generated for Twitter than any other medium by the tech community themselves. Those in-the-know with lots of sway should be taken very seriously by the tech giants. In other words, Facebook can’t rest on its laurels (just look at MySpace for reference).
Surprising Winners
One of the most surprising winners to the average observer might be seen in the Phone of the Year. While most would think that the iPhone 4 would run away with the award, the Samsung Galaxy S II actually impressed the voters more. Likewise, the Brand of the Year surprised a few as Google took top honors. Surpassing giants like Apple and Facebook, Google’s place as the top brand can’t be taken for granted. Again, it is just the T3 Gadget Awards, but the fact that those in-the-know are voting makes it an important win for Google.
Ultimately, The 2011 T3 Gadget Awards offer an fascinating insight into just how much and how fast technology is evolving. If you were to go back to the first awards given in 2008, some of the heavy hitters of the time are no longer viable, while some upstarts were just getting their feet on the ground and are huge players today. Although these awards are offered annually, with the speed that many of these products are created, they may want to make it a semi-annual event.