Apple's iPad has trumped Amazon and Sky to be crowned top Gadget of the Year, it was announced today.
The iPad beat the Amazon Kindle and Sky 3D to win both Gadget of the Year and Readers' Gadget of the Year in the 2010 Stuff Gadget Awards.
Readers also voted in their droves for Microsoft’s controller-free, motion-sensitive gaming system, Xbox Kinect, which took Innovation of the Year.
01.jpgWinners: Apple's iPad took the top award for gadget of the year but Microsoft's new motion-based controller Kinect won Innovation of the Year
Stuff magazine editor and judge Fraser Macdonald said: 'The iPad's success was by no means pre-ordained. It's expensive and functionally limited.
'But it is also quite gloriously indispensable and only making itself more so with the increasing number of apps and accessories. To see it is to want it, and that's why it's our gadget of the year.'
More...
The Social Media Sobriety Test: App stops you posting on Facebook and Twitter if you're too drunk
Microsoft's motion-sensor gaming system Xbox Kinect won readers' votes for Innovation of the Year.
The annual awards recognise the best consumer technology released in the past year and are decided by expert judges and readers.
Apple's iPhone4 won Phone of the Year, while the iPodTouch, was voted ‘Portable Entertainment Gadget of the year’, thanks to its powerful hardware, Wi-Fi and the huge range of affordable games available from the App Store.
In two new categories, the Web App of the Year title went to film library LoveFilm, while personal fitness trainer MiCoach won Mobile App of the Year.
Call of Duty: Black Ops was voted video game of the year by Stuff readers
Sony won three awards, Camera of the Year with the Sony NEX-5, Home Entertainment Gadget of the Year for the Sony BDP-S570 Blu-ray Disc player and TV of the Year for the HX903.
The iPod Touch was voted Portable Entertainment Gadget of the Year for its powerful hardware, Wi-Fi and range of affordable games available from Apple's App Store.
Fourteen of the 17 awards were decided by Stuff magazine's panel of judges, while the remaining three were voted for by consumers and readers of Stuff magazine.
The compact hybrid electric car Honda CR-Z, came away with ‘Eco Gadget of the Year'. A compact hybridelectric car, the CR-Z is one of the lowest polluting vehicles currently on the market.
Macdonald said: ‘Say what you will about the karma-cancelling effects of buying any new car, the Honda CR-Z is the first truly desirable, affordable hybrid. Looks ace, goes fast, sends a positive message – gets an award.’
Reflecting the rise of the app as the new gadget, Google Navigation took the accolade of Navigadget of the Year
Other award winners announced at last night’s ceremony include the super slim and super smart Samsung C9000‘TV, for ‘Gadgextravagance of the Year’, the Parrot A.R. Drone as ‘Time-killer Gadget of the Year’ for its combination of sophisticated electronics and augmented reality.
The Pogoplug, was awarded ‘Tech Accessory of the Year’ enabling users to share, stream, upload or download from anywhere in the world making technology truly mobile.
Nominees were judged first and foremost on their capability – whether they make our lives easier, or more fun or, preferably, both. But judges also awarded points for innovation, and for sheer cool factor.
The incredibly thin 3D TV from Samsung, the Samsung C9000, won Gadgextravagance of the Year
The Honda CR-Z has won the award for eco-gadget of the year
Stuff Gadget Award Winners 2010
• Gadget of the year: Apple iPad – ‘The iPad’s success was by no means pre-ordained. It’s expensive and functionally limited. But it is also quite gloriously indispensible, and only making itself more so with the increasing number of apps and accessories. To see it is to want it, and that’s why its our gadget of the year’
Shortlist: Apple iPhone 4, HTC HD7, Samsung C9000, Sony NEX-5, Amazon Kindle, Sky 3D, Sony Playstation 3
• Phone of the Year: Apple iPhone 4 – ‘Apple now faces massive competition from Android, and an exciting late entry from Microsoft’s fresh new OS, but there’s no denying it: the iPhone 4 is a bit nice.’
Shortlist: Nokia N8, Samsung Galaxy S, HTC Desire HD, HTC HD7, Blackberry Torch
• Camera of the Year: Sony NEX-5- ‘Tiny, flexible and powerful, the NEX-5 shows once again that while Sony might occasionally turn up a little late to a party, it always turns up with the best kit’
Shortlist: Kodak Playsport, Canon G12, Canon EOS 550D, Panasonic FT2, Fujifilm FinePix W3
• Computer of the Year: Alienware M11x - ‘Finally – the laptop we’ve been waiting for! Portable enough to fit in a handbag or manbag, yet powerful enough for some lunchtime fragging.’
Shortlist: Dell Adamo XPS, Samsung M230, Asus NX90, Apple iMac, Asus Eee Box EB1501
The Sony NEX 5 compact digital camera with interchangeable lenses was described as flexible and powerful
• Home Entertainment Gadget of the Year: Sony BDP-S570 – ‘Of all the amazing, high-design home cinema kit in all the world, we’ve chosen a lowly Blu-ray player. Why? Because its utterly brilliant, and now completely essential.’
Shortlist: Sky+HD 1TB. Arcam rCube, Denon D-M38, Logitech Squeezebox Touch, Samsung HT-C6930
• TV of the Year: Sony HX903 – ‘In a year where home 3D became a reality, the TV market has become richer than ever. Sony’s HX903 sure ain’t cheap, but it is stunning, and terribly clever.’
Shortlist: Panasonic VT20, Samsung C8000, LG PX990, Philips PFL9705, Samsung C6900
• Portable Entertainment Gadget of the Year: Apple iPod Touch - ‘In a year where we’ve seen the reinvention of the tablet computer, the multi-talented, pocketable, pocket-money iPod Touch is still the portable media player of choice.’
Shortlist: Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy TAB, Sony Walkman A845, Samsung SP-H03
• Navigadget of the Year: Google Navigation – ‘Fact: sat-nav devices make journeys less stressful and more efficient. Fact: free sat-nav, like Google navigation on your smartphone, also makes you 90 per cent more smug’
Shortlist: TomTom GO 1000, Garmin nuvi 3790, Garmin Edge 800, CoPilot Live , Nokia Ovi Maps
• Time-killer Gadget of the Year: Parrot A.R. Drone – ‘The Drone combines sophisticated electronics and augmented reality iPod control to make a RC flyer that’s set for virtual battles and obstacle courses. That’s Xmas sorted, then.’
Shortlist: Amazon Kindle, Korg Monotron, Playstation Move, HD Hero, Horizon H-Cell
