The year 2010 marked a wide variety of advances in personal electronics technology,and a lot of really great devices were released or announced that changed the way we live our lives,and the definition of what we think is possible. 2011 has only just begun,and already a slew of terrific gadgets have been announced and released that will make those of yesteryear look old and dated yet again. Here are our top gadget picks of 2011 so far. Some were announced in 2010,but have yet to be released. Others have either come out in 2011,or soon will. Still others were released in 2010,but are rapidly rising to popularity as the star gadgets of 2011. Without further ado,here’s our list of the top 10 gadgets of the year for 2011.
#1 – iPad 2
Beyond a shadow of a doubt,the iPad 2 is the single most influential gadget of 2011. It’s predecessor,the original iPad,shook the tech world at it’s roots and made millions of people fundamentally shift the way they viewed technology as a whole. People who previously lived on their laptops shunned them in favor of this new,light,thin,easy-to-use device that could run an entire day nonstop on a single charge. Young children,the elderly,and the technophobic all embraced the iPad as the first piece of technology that did not intimidate them. It changed the faces of education,business,productivity,gaming,software development,and mobile computing in a single year.
#2 – XBox Kinect
Microsoft changed the face of gaming with it’s XBox Kinect,which debuts the first mainstream use of what’s known as a “NUI” or “Natural User Interface.” Also known as “Spacial-Gestural Interfaces,” these systems previously occupied only the world of Science Fiction. Popularized in movies such as Minority Report,the idea of using one’s body movements as the means of interacting with a machine had long been discussed but never successfully implemented in a mainstream product. Microsoft’s decision to use gaming as a platform for experimentation with the technology was sheer genius. Expect to see this technology show up in many more applications,and eventually end up in everything from desktop computers to HDTVs. With the growing adoption of HD 3D technology in TVs,and the rise of these new natural interaction methods,we can expect some truly impressive devices and systems in the near future.
#3 – MacBook Air
The MacBook air iconifies in a single device the future of mobile computing. It’s unibody construction,light weight,full-sized keyboard,high-resolution display,combine to make it the template to build on for the future of the laptop computer. Most importantly,it’s all-in-one system-on-a-chip,which uses solid state storage exclusively,and eliminates every moving part with the exception of one small fan,sets a new standard for simplicity,speed,and reliability that’s sure to be emulated all over the industry. Critics and reviewers the world over can’t stop raving about how much they love the new MacBook Air. Professional bloggers and designers are ditching their much heavier and more powerful MacBook Pros for these new thin and lightweight MacBook Airs.
#4 – HP / Palm TouchPad
When HP bought Palm,we knew some really terrific stuff would eventually emerge. They’re taking their time with the releases,announcing products 6 months before availability,but the devices HP is building are second only to Apple in their design and build quality. HP,through their acquisition of Palm’s intellectual property,now has one of the best multitasking systems available on any modern computing platform in WebOS. We’ll have to wait for July to get our hands on the production hardware,but if the early reviews,videos,and demonstrations are any indicator,this summer is looking pretty bright.
#5 – Amazon Kindle 3
Amazon changed the world of electronic books with its original Kindle. The Kindle 2 greatly improved on the first Kindle,with a smoother,more modern-looking design,and improved keyboard. The Kindle 3 further advances and improves upon the Kindle experience,and has been hailed as best e-reader ever made by any company to date. It’s e-ink display features the most effective use of the technology by any device to date. Amazon reports that the Kindle 3 is now their best-selling product worldwide. The price reduction to $139 brought the Kindle 3 into much more widespread adoption,where it now enjoys nearly universal recognition,even among those who don’t otherwise have any interest in technology.
#6 – Motorola Atrix 4G
Motorola made a gutsy move with the introduction of it’s Atrix 4G Android smartphone. The Atrix boasts specs and features worthy of a small laptop computer. It’s also the first smartphone to dock with a laptop-like docking station,which allows the Atrix to be used as a laptop computer with a full sized display,touchpad,and keyboard. Let’s make this perfectly clear—in this configuration,the Atrix 4G becomes a laptop computer. This has long been predicted as the future of both smartphones and computers. The Atrix is the first device to go out on a limb and actually try a system that allows a smartphone to be used as a computer. This begs the question—is it too much too soon?
#7 – BlackBerry PlayBook
R.I.M. is another company that has been dragging its feet entering into tablet design and production. Their BlackBerry PlayBook has been in development for a long time,and is border-lining on becoming vaporware. It is however rumored to be scheduled for a spring 2011 release. R.I.M. claims the 7-inch size of the tablet as one of the primary differentiating factors for the device. The PlayBook also features very close integration with R.I.M.’s own BlackBerry line of smartphones,which is designed to increase it’s appeal in the worlds of business and enterprise.
#8 – Motorola Xoom
2011 is the year tablets,as many manufacturers make their generally futile attempts to take on Apple’s phenomenally successful iPad. Motorola tried to take on the iPhone with it’s Droid line of smartphones,and now is attempting to garner some new attention with it’s Xoom Android tablet. The Xoom has a notably better build quality and specifications than most other Android tablets,and has been hailed as the best Android device to date. Unfortunately,it suffers from a crushingly severe lack of apps,software that’s been called “prototype-like” in quality (not ready for public use),and battery life that’s unreliable at best. Nonetheless,it deserves inclusion on this list for being the finest Android device available today.
#9 – HP/Palm Pre 3
HP / Palm’s Palm Pre 3 is the long-anticipated successor to the popular Pre line of smartphones. Palm updated the line twice with it’s Pre Plus and Pre 2,but in both cases did not notably change the device’s display or feature set. With the Pre 3,Palm introduces a phone that finally has a display large enough to use without the cramped feeling that came from using the smaller displays found on it’s earlier models. Palm also debuted WebOS 2 alongside the Pre 3,which greatly enhances already stellar multitasking abilities. The Pre 3 also features a futuristic level of integration with Palm’s own TouchPad tablet that must be seen to be fully appreciated.
#10 – Samsung Focus
The Samsung Focus isn’t so much on this list of it’s own merit as that of the Windows Phone 7 operating system it runs,courtesy of Microsoft. Samsung’s Focus has been an outstanding example of what a phone built for Microsoft’s new mobile operating system can and should be. It’s beautiful AMOLED display,slick construction,and smooth operation are all hallmarks of what Microsoft’s debut platform is aiming for. In heavy use,the Focus shows no lag whatsoever,has smooth animations and transitions throughout the software,and overall performs admirably and beautifully. It truly is a pleasure to use. If Samsung and Microsoft can keep this up,they may just have a fighting chance. The real question becomes,will they?
March 16,2011 | by Sujan
http://www.aweseurs.com/the-top-10-gadgets-of-2011/