The year about to end has seen some of the most exciting gadgets sporting unmatched technical wizardry since the start of the 21st century. Here are some of the most noteworthy that should be part of every technology geek’s collection before the year ends, in no particular order
– 3D home viewing have started to make waves after two years of high definition Blu-ray has emerged as the new home theater standard. The first 3D televisions hit store shelves late last and new models with stunning features from, consumers electronic giants like Panasonic, Sony and Samsung are scrambling to lead what is to become the viewing phenomena of the next decade. Still nascent, 3D content is starting to grow with blockbuster Hollywood titles filmed in 3D like Cameron’s Avatar but the more important thing is that the video players and monitors are geared up for them. There is no clear winner but it’s safe to say that both Samsung with its 55-inch LED 3D TV (UN55C8000) and the Panasonic 58″ 3D Plasma (TC-P58VT25) lead the pack. Expensive for now but expect this home theater tech gear to come don in price in the next couple of years.
– The iPhone created a landmark sensation in 2007 and it gets repeated this year with its 4th generation iPhone 4. With its retina display boasting the highest resolution and dot pitch that has no equal, the first with a 4-point gyroscopic motion sensor, the new iPhone 4 pushes the envelope on smartphone gadget wizardry like it did with the multitouch capacitive display of its first iconic launch. Never mind that at 9.3mm, it remains the world’s thinnest smartphone todate.
– Gesture and motion sensing game consoles pioneered by Nintendo’s Wii got enhanced early this year but it was bettered by Microsoft’s new generation Xbox 360. The new generation Xbox can be equipped with an optional Kinect that allows you to control games by gesture. Console gaming tech gears never had it as good.
– Tablet computing has been around since the 90s but never caught on with consumers until this year. Thanks to multimedia-centricity and multitouch displays, you have the like of Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Archos 7 taking consumer tech gears by storm. Needless to say, the iPad reigns supreme in this market niche.
As far as tech gears go, the digital camera sits at the top and the point-and-shoot cameras remain perched there among the most crowded of all consumer gadgets. You now have 10 – 12 megapixel resolution cameras with 10x optical zoom with a slow motion video as standard offering with adjustment features that make them no less feature rich as professional digital SLRs. Canon and Casio lead the pack such as the Casio Exilim FC100 with a 1,000 fps shooting speed for ultra fast capture that can leave you breathless.
