The year hasn’t been heavily focused on creating new gadgets, but major hardware revisions have kept technology interesting in 2010.
Huge movements were made in Android, with the platform accelerating rapidly across both carriers and devices. Apple defined a whole new class of iOS devices. The Internet finally wove its way into virtually every aspect of our lives, from hyperconnected mobile devices, to Internet TVs, there’s just no stopping that “series of tubes.”
And that’s just a shred of it. The year isn’t dead yet.
There are more than a few devices left on the 2010 radar, so here are just five of the coolest happenings so far this year in gadgetry.
1. Apple iPad
The iPad is Apple’s bittersweet victory. It is at once a technical marvel and a sore disappointment, but the dichotomy itself is something to be celebrated.
In its current incarnation, the Apple iPad
could no more replace your main computing device than could anetbook. Still, the case could be made that the iPad is a success based solely on its aesthetics. Indeed, that 1Ghz Apple A4 processor encased between a 10-inch oleophobic touchscreen and a perfectly cut aluminum shell is a testament to Apple’s ability to design.
could no more replace your main computing device than could anetbook. Still, the case could be made that the iPad is a success based solely on its aesthetics. Indeed, that 1Ghz Apple A4 processor encased between a 10-inch oleophobic touchscreen and a perfectly cut aluminum shell is a testament to Apple’s ability to design.Spending any extended duration with the device, however, will reveal that it’s currently little more than a novelty. This is something that wouldn’t be so alarming if Apple didn’t possess such decisive skills in design.
One is left to wonder why Apple, months later, would release the iPhone
4 with a forward facing camera when the iPad begs for the FaceTime experience. But despite its flaws and the fact that it wasn’t even the first tablet to market, Apple stirred the imaginations of the tech set.
4 with a forward facing camera when the iPad begs for the FaceTime experience. But despite its flaws and the fact that it wasn’t even the first tablet to market, Apple stirred the imaginations of the tech set.A decade from now, the iPad will be less useful than the first iPod is today, but it will forever be the face that truly launched the tablet computing. For that, it deserves recognition.
2. Vizio XVT473SV
Vizio doesn’t mess around. In February 2009, the California-based company stopped producing plasma screens to focus exclusively on LCD displays. The results can be seen in sets like the Vizio XVT473SV.
This 47-inch LCD packs all of the crucial features you’d require in a new TV. Full 1080p/24 video with a 240Hz refresh rate ensures that video runs as smoothly as it was intended. A particularly precise picture is achieved through accurate color saturation alongside deep blacks. And, of course, a bezel design that is aesthetically pleasing enough to take center stage in your home theater.
All of those features are among the best in class, but Vizio distinguishes its sets further by equipping them with standard built-in features like Wi-Fi and LED full-array local dimming. The TruLED feature allows the display’s LED backlight to dim and brighten independently, so the picture remains fully dynamic and realistic.
Vizio has also made a concerted push to makes its devices Internet-connected. The XVT473SV, for instance, has a full widgets gallery featuring Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand and more. It’s also not much of a stretch to imagine Hulu Plus finding its way to the gallery at some point in the not too distant future.
All in all, it might have embedded Google TV, but the XVT473SV stands out with a welcome out-of-the-box feature: Just being a TV.
3. Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 isn’t new in the most traditional sense of the word but it continues to find ways to reinvent itself, and for that we applaud it. In 2010, the console saw a major hardware revision with the release of the Xbox 360 S, a silky looking remake that featured a number of under-the-hood enhancements.
The updated system features an integrated optical audio connector, built-in 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and overhauled graphics and processing units, but that’s all just filler. The real story here is the addition of a new input for the Kinect motion capture device.
Unlike competing motion gaming platforms like the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Move, Xbox Kinect monitors your body motion from afar and then interprets it into actual game actions. (It’s a little more complicated than that, but this is the core idea.)
The area where the Xbox 360 shines most brightly is versatility. The Xbox 360 launched in November 2005 as a gaming console with some media functions. Five years later, it’s still an amazing gaming platform but it’s also a fully functional media center capable of streaming a wide variety of media formats. It can also stream Netflix videos and will soon have Hulu Plus capabilities.
If you’re looking for the one device to add the most value to your home theater, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Xbox 360.
4. HTC DROID Incredible
It’s not easy to challenge the throne but the HTC DROID Incredible is the most solid contender the iPhone has faced. The Incredible runs on a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor and features an AMOLED screen that’s hard to beat.
You won’t find FaceTime here but Android has more than enough tricks up its sleeve to make up for a lack of a front-facing camera. There’s also the little fact that the DROID Incredible by HTC runs on Verizon, not AT&T, so it actually works as a phone instead of something cool to just fill your pocket with.
5. HP Officejet 6500A Plus e-All-in-One Printer
This fall Hewlett-Packard released an onslaught of all-in-one printers. We saw everything from the HP ENVY 100, a print, copy and scan system that’s stylish enough to sit in the living room, to the features heavy HP Photosmart eStation C510, that comes complete with a detachable Android tablet.
Printers aren’t exciting, and that’s OK. It’ll be a happy day when printing and faxing are no longer parts of our lives, but that day has not yet come.
Little gimmicks like a detachable Android tablets will always be cool, but at the end of the day, something as cumbersome as printing, scanning and/or faxing simply demands a workhorse. Features like fast printing, simple networking and an aversion to ink guzzling are a must.
It could be argued that the Officejet 6500A Plus was overshadowed by its launch mates, but if your objectives are to reliably print, scan and fax, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a comprable and viable competitor. If you’re still not sold, consider this: The 6500A Plus come with ePrint, a service that, among other things, allows you to send documents to a special e-mail address to be printed automatically — no drivers necessary.
The HP Officejet 6500A Plus might not be completely revolutionary, but if you use it for some time, you’ll likely find it an absolutely necessity.
What were your favorite gadgets of 2010? Are there any that would make your own list? Let us know in the comments or nominate your favorites.
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