Most exciting consumer tech for 2011

01.01.2011 There was widespread alarm on Twitter last night as midnight struck and iPhone users who had timed alarms to go off at 00.00 on 1 January 2011 discovered an issue with the...

Lot to live up to

Google’s upcoming Nexus S has a lot to live up to. Not only is it the sequel to the Nexus, however it’s as well the first phone to sport the latest Android update – Gingerbread.

It’s looking promising so far. Google co-developed the phone with Samsung and it features front and rear-facing cameras, a dedicated GPU for mobile gaming and nearly field communication functionality.

The iPad is a popular topic

Apple’s straightway upgrade to the iPad is a popular topic, with rumours abounding that it will be out in early 2011. So far, the most predicted new feature is a front and rear-facing camera, like the one on the Samsung Galaxy Tab. There are as well hopes it might have the fabled “USB port” I’ve been hearing so much about in the media these days.

Other predictions include Retina display, just like the iPhone 4 has and 3-axis gyroscopes for improved gaming control. During all of these sound great, it would be nice if the upgrade has a few brand new features that haven’t been seen previously to help the iPad keep its edge. Apple has always been innovative, so I’m excited to see what the company will have cooked up in the new year.

How Chrome OS will impact the computing world

It’ll be interesting to see how Chrome OS will impact the computing world and how it and Honeycomb will live side by side.

Microsoft is set to unveilWindows-powered tablets at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, developed by Dell and Samsung. They’ll to all appearances be “similar in size and shape” to the iPad, now thicker, as it will run the Windows 7 OS at length.

The tablets are said to focus on both consuming apps media and as well focus on products – seems like the tablet will be aimed at professionals. It should be pretty interesting to see how Microsoft takes on the tablet world, though moreover interesting is the rumoured reveal of Windows 8, which may be where Microsoft starts its real tablet battle.

One of the hottest rumours circulating has to be the PlayStation Phone. It’s said it’ll run on Gingerbread and will be a slider touchscreen phone, which reveals a PlayStation controller underneath.

4-inch screen

It as well features a 4-inch screen and a long touchpad in the centre. Considering how huge mobile gaming has become recently, it’s exciting to see a phone that will have a strong focus on gaming. It might give the mobile gaming sector, particularly for the Android market, an even bigger push.

One thing you can say about Apple: they know how to make things cool. Although apps for phones have been available for years, it took the App Store and the iPhone to make them a huge industry in and of itself, changing what we want in consumer tech.

And nevertheless, Apple is planning to bring a store to offer app functionality to Mac computers. Will it revolutionise the Mac as we know it in 2011? Only time will tell.

Google will be releasing its own service, bringing apps and internet connectivity to televisions. Apple has its TV service and Microsoft may be putting its own spin on it, like as not combining the Xbox 360 with the concept. And UPC plans to bring an interactive TV service of its own – nevertheless not until 2012.

All right, I’ll admit it – during I like Apple products, I don’t get the huge desire Apple fans seem to have for the white iPhone 4. The hype sort of reminds me of Waylon Smithers from The Simpsons justifying the demand for the new Malibu Stacey doll because “she’s got a new hat!”

Oh, so then. The iPhone with the coat of paint has been delayed for months nevertheless, and if anything, that has helped it out, sparking demand for the device. It’s expected to show off its new look in the spring.

It’s not going to be particularly innovative or game changing, nevertheless that’s not as a matter of fact what Apple was going for, all the same. I suppose it is a bit pretty. No matter how you feel about it, expect it to sell by the bucket load.