CES 2013: 7 Standout Technologies
January 08, 2013 11:06 AM What happens at CES 2013 doesn't stay in Vegas. From giant tablets to $20,000 televisions, take a peek at a few early standouts for gadget lovers.
Put Your Face On An iPhone Case With 3-D Printing
It seems like there are more varieties of iPhone cases on the market than there are iPhones in consumers' hands. Despite the surplus of options, Sculpteo still managed to stand out, thanks to the customizable, three-dimensional designs of its 3DPCase. Clement Moreau, the company's CEO and co-founder, said the cases are built through 3-D printing. Customers can customize templates through either a Web app or a mobile app, he said, explaining that, "you don't need to be a technician or an engineer in 3-D" to navigate the Sculpteo design interface. The app can ingest a picture of the phone's user, for example, and create a modifiable case design featuring that person's profile. Customers can also select from over 45 different materials to choose a texture and look that suits their taste.
Once the design is finalized, it's sent to Sculpteo's factory for printing, after which the finished product is shipped back to the customer. The app is free and the cases range from $25 to $35. Moreau said cases are only available for the iPhone presently but that support for other phones will be arriving soon. "We're working on it," he stated, adding, "I mean it: we are really working on it. We have been doing 3-D printing for three years now, and we have been doing this focus on iPhone cases for three months. It's a brand new subject for us." Despite being a recent entrant to the field, Sculpteo won the 2013 CES Best of Innovations Award in the Software and Mobile Apps category.
RECOMMENDED READING:
10 CES Trends That Matter To Business
CES 2013: Lenovo Bets Big On Windows 8
