I been thinking about this for some time and have struggled getting it down to 10. But 10 it is, but they are in no order. Some have been around prior to 2010, but have come into their own this year.
1. Ipad
No list for this year can be without the Ipad, whether i like it or not. Its an interesting struggle between a top technology idea and a reason for having one. Personally, i feel there are single use devices that are far better than what Apple are trying to acheive (see Kindle, below). But as a jack of all trades, it copes but has some wierd foibles that need sorting (eg one place for files, and not per app). The second one , as we all know will be some sort of fantastic, but lets wait for Feb to see.
2. Android.
This year the mighty google really flexed their muscle with the first decent releases of their phone OS, Android. 2,2 introduced a big increase in performance, and 2,3 Gingerbread increased this again. BUT, the app store needs to take a tip from Apple, and stop being the wildwest, and get more sensible. Also, to be sucessful does not mean allowing release of 100 different handsets every month. This really has the potential to be the number 1 in phone systems but if some people are 4 versions behind others, and have no idea when they will get updates, i’m sure market share will start to fall. So B+ for effort, E for application of business strategy.
3. Windows Phone
In order to complete the new world order of phone system trinity, i have to mention Microsoft’s re-entry into the phone market. This is the second one this year but less said about the Kin project the better (i’m surprised Balmer didn’t call it the f’kin project !).
Please don’t call it Windows 7 on the phone as every bloke in a phone shops wants to. ITS WINDOWS PHONE (SYSTEM 7). Microsoft marketing at its best – again.
What we get here is fantastic , as long as you already use (or don’t mind moving towards) the windows live suite of products and have an xbox.
Again the potential here is huge, but i’m not hearing big take up values. Every review is great, but if the marketplace is to explode with apps, the devs need to know there are going to be customers. Maybe when all those 3gs and nexus 1 contracts are up we may see some uptake. But if MS don;t get their way, i;m sure they will throw money at it. To be fair the system looks too good to fail, but you know what they said about the Titantic.
4. Hand held camcorders.
HHC’s have been about for eons, but this year they have caught up with the rest if the digital photography world and have become, pocket sized, HD, SDHC compatible, and most importantly, cheap. Great fun, and makes youtube a less out of focus place !
5. Kinect
A little biased as i got one on launch day, but this could be the tool to put MS back at the top of console wars. Once setup (a bit laborious) its worth its wait. Want to watch sky without a remote? Check. Want to have a VC on a decent sized screen? Check. OH yeah it plays games as well. We only have kinect adventures at the moment, and an unplayed active2. Reviews to come.
6. COD Black Ops
Nuff said. The biggest entertainment earner of 2009, does it again in 2010. Fair play to Treyarch, who were always the inferior partner to Infinity Ward in pulling this off. Now sort out some minor issues with lag. I’m getting fed up with getting 4 hit markers and then getting shot by 1 bullet 2 seconds afterwards. Where does this leave us with COD, bearing in mind the IW issues / lawsuits, etc, i don’t know, but i could play the final 3 (maybe 4) for ever.
7. 3D TV
Welcome to the 1950’s and the world of 3D. Welcome aboard Avatar, and ummmmmmmmmmm Avatar ! This is fedgling tech for sure, but needs to lose the glasses to become really mainstream. I nearly looked at one for christmas, but checked the Sky 3D listings and i had already seen……………………………..Avatar. Next year this will be in again i’m sure but without glasses, and with more content.
8. The Cloud
From Amazon wanting all your companies data held on the internet to Microsoft advertising “to the cloud” as a way of families watching videos from remote locations, everyone is caching in on the cloud. Web based storage has been around for ever, and so has remote hosting of servers, so can we drop the pretence about this being the next big thing and recognise it for what it is. However in the days of cheap online storage, whoever makes the killer app is onto some big profit. MS have had a go with office 365, but it suffers the same issue as google. NO PAGINATION. This is quite a bugbear for me so i’ll l eave it there.
9. Wikileaks
Was 2010 a good year or a bad year for Julian Assange? When does too much information become a bad thing, or is it a fuss about nothing. If nothing else this should keep IT security experts in jobs for a few years.
10. Kindle 3
Donly have one so i cannot review completely, but this looks a game changer. Free 3G, quick book downloads, small files, and of course the screen. No apple glossy reflective nonsense. Nearer holiday time i might get one, or do i go for the kindle client on the Itouch ??
So roll on 2011, what ya got ? More of the same i think, but just made easier. A bit like this year 🙂
Mrben09 