ABU DHABI // Forget wildly popular songs, blockbuster films or headline-grabbing world events – Apple’s iPhone 6s was the most searched-for item on Google by UAE users this year.
The company released its annual list of the year’s most popular queries from residents.
Coming in behind searches for the smartphone was information on cricket’s Indian Premier League, Furious 7, which was partly filmed in the UAE, Ramadan and video game Agario.
In the entertainment world, singers Adele, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Wiz Khalifa and Drake took the top 5 spots in the search for music.
Top movie searches saw UAE users seeking information on Furious 7, Jurassic World, Spectre, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and American Sniper.
The results show a growing interest in people, movies, technology, sport and global events, said Joyce Baz, head of communications at Google Mena.
“Our Year in Search is meant to reflect the spirit of the times for each country, and we strive to capture this spirit through exploring the year’s new and exciting search terms,” she said.
Other rankings include the most searched brands, with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, souq.com and Dubai’s Electricity and Water Authority on top.
This year’s most searched person, who was sixth in the overall top-trending list and most searched current event, was the late Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.
The eldest son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, died of a heart attack on September 19, aged 33.
Second on the list of most searched people was Filipino actress Andrea Brillantes, 12, who hit the headlines after a private video was leaked.
Others in the top 10 were former basketball player Lamar Odom, who was taken to hospital in October after an overdose, former Indian president A P J Abdul Kalam, who died in July, and American television personality Caitlyn Jenner.
In sport, this year’s IPL led the way along with the ICC Cricket World Cup. The Rugby World Cup, South American football tournament Copa America, Wimbledon and the Mayweather v Pacquiao boxing match also made the cut.
In the list of most searched for events, second was the Nepal earthquake, then the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, January’s Charlie Hebdo massacre, and the death of Abdul Kalam.
The results were gathered by studying trillions of Google searches, internal tools and an algorithm comparing the increase in searches for a term over a specific period, Ms Baz said.
esamoglou@thenational.ae
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Elmawkaa
Based: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Founders: Ebrahem Anwar, Mahmoud Habib and Mohamed Thabet
Sector: PropTech
Total funding: $400,000
Investors: 500 Startups, Flat6Labs and angel investors
Number of employees: 12
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Bawaal
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor
Rating: 1/5
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Superliminal
Developer: Pillow Castle Games
Publisher: Pillow Castle Games
Console: PlayStation 4&5, Xbox Series One & X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC and Mac
Rating: 4/5
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
THE HOLDOVERS
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: PlanRadar
Started: 2013
Co-founders: Ibrahim Imam, Sander van de Rijdt, Constantin Köck, Clemens Hammerl, Domagoj Dolinsek
Based: Vienna, Austria
Sector: Construction and real estate
Current number of staff: 400+
Investment stage: Series B
Investors: Headline, Berliner Volksbank Ventures, aws Gründerfonds, Cavalry Ventures, Proptech1, Russmedia, GR Capital
