This year has been a remarkable one for technology. We've seen the introduction of 3D technology products for the home, Apple's revolutionary iPad was launched and Microsoft unleashed the next generation of gaming.
Here's our selection of the very best gadgets from 2010 that are vying for your disposable income.
1. Apple iPad
Apple's tablet computer, whether you love the idea or not, has changed the way we think of computers.
Breaking into the spotlight at the beginning of the year, the 10-inch tablet computer runs the same operating system as the Apple iPhone, allows you to play games, surf the Internet, watch movies, and download hundreds of thousands of apps. It has dominated tech websites throughout the year, while at the same time creating a market that didn't exist 12 months ago.
Now the competition, having seen its success (3 million sales and counting), are quickly following suit with tablet computers of their own. Samsung, Toshiba, RIM, and HP have all since announced products that are either already available, or coming very soon, but so far none have been able to touch the iconic Apple device.
Apple's success has not been because it is the first to market, but because the iPad is incredibly easy to use, appeals aesthetically to those Apple looks to tease into buying it, and ultimately because it's just a cool product that most find they buy not for a rational need, but because of a more irrational urge.
That's right, it's an emotional luxury product that can be your in-flight entertainment, your reading book, your games console, as well as your email and Internet friend. Yes, you might already have a smartphone, and yes, you might already have a laptop; both equally versed in doing the same job considerably better, but this will make you want to share the web and technology, rather than just looking like a geek with a laptop when your friends come around for dinner.
RRP £429
Apple's tablet computer, whether you love the idea or not, has changed the way we think of computers.
Breaking into the spotlight at the beginning of the year, the 10-inch tablet computer runs the same operating system as the Apple iPhone, allows you to play games, surf the Internet, watch movies, and download hundreds of thousands of apps. It has dominated tech websites throughout the year, while at the same time creating a market that didn't exist 12 months ago.
Now the competition, having seen its success (3 million sales and counting), are quickly following suit with tablet computers of their own. Samsung, Toshiba, RIM, and HP have all since announced products that are either already available, or coming very soon, but so far none have been able to touch the iconic Apple device.Breaking into the spotlight at the beginning of the year, the 10-inch tablet computer runs the same operating system as the Apple iPhone, allows you to play games, surf the Internet, watch movies, and download hundreds of thousands of apps. It has dominated tech websites throughout the year, while at the same time creating a market that didn't exist 12 months ago.
Apple's success has not been because it is the first to market, but because the iPad is incredibly easy to use, appeals aesthetically to those Apple looks to tease into buying it, and ultimately because it's just a cool product that most find they buy not for a rational need, but because of a more irrational urge.
That's right, it's an emotional luxury product that can be your in-flight entertainment, your reading book, your games console, as well as your email and Internet friend. Yes, you might already have a smartphone, and yes, you might already have a laptop; both equally versed in doing the same job considerably better, but this will make you want to share the web and technology, rather than just looking like a geek with a laptop when your friends come around for dinner.
RRP £429
2. Canon EOS 550D
In the short space of time that the Digital SLR camera has been around, we've seen massive leaps in their capabilities, perhaps best exemplified by the Canon 550D, the company's entry level camera introduced in February.
The Canon EOS 550D, successor to the EOS 500D prosumer DSLR, received significant upgrades to several features in 2010, but most notably the sensor, movie shooting options, and metering have all seen a bump in specs.
This means you get an 18-megapixel sensor for snapping pictures, ISO settings from 100 to 6400, a 9-point autofocus, with an extra-sensitive cross-type point in the middle for very fast lenses, and 3.7fps continuous shooting, if you hold down the shutter button. You also get 1920 x 1080p full HD movie support at 30, 25 and 24fps, allowing you to record high-def video, and a bigger screen to view it on round the back.
In fact, you end up getting a similar spec to Canon’s more powerful EOS 7D model, which costs almost twice as much – which makes the EOS 550D a steal, however you look at it. We think it's one of the best cameras of the year, and certainly a major contender for DSLR model of the year.
While it remains to be seen if the DSLR will be able to hold off the onslaught of hybrid cameras in 2011 from companies like Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung and Sony, for now, if you are a photography enthusiast and you are looking for a camera to upgrade to, you can't really go wrong with the Canon EOS 550D.
RRP £899.99
The Canon EOS 550D, successor to the EOS 500D prosumer DSLR, received significant upgrades to several features in 2010, but most notably the sensor, movie shooting options, and metering have all seen a bump in specs.
This means you get an 18-megapixel sensor for snapping pictures, ISO settings from 100 to 6400, a 9-point autofocus, with an extra-sensitive cross-type point in the middle for very fast lenses, and 3.7fps continuous shooting, if you hold down the shutter button. You also get 1920 x 1080p full HD movie support at 30, 25 and 24fps, allowing you to record high-def video, and a bigger screen to view it on round the back.
In fact, you end up getting a similar spec to Canon’s more powerful EOS 7D model, which costs almost twice as much – which makes the EOS 550D a steal, however you look at it. We think it's one of the best cameras of the year, and certainly a major contender for DSLR model of the year.
While it remains to be seen if the DSLR will be able to hold off the onslaught of hybrid cameras in 2011 from companies like Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung and Sony, for now, if you are a photography enthusiast and you are looking for a camera to upgrade to, you can't really go wrong with the Canon EOS 550D.
RRP £899.99
3. Microsoft Kinect
Kinect is new system for the Xbox 360 that entirely removes the controller from videogames; you become the controller, entirely eliminating the need to learn confusing button combos, or how to waggle two thumbsticks at the same time.
It is expected to open up whole new genres of games, and a whole new way of playing them, giving new life and a new audience to the Microsoft games console.
The Kinect technology works by using two cameras and a microphone in front of the console to track your movements and voice, and then relay those movements back to the console and the games you are playing.
That means if you are playing a yoga game, you've actually got to achieve the right yoga position to do well; if you are playing a racing game, then you have to pretend to hold a steering wheel to steer the car.
You see - we told you it sounded like magic! But it's not just the concept of the technology that works, some of the games already available or being demoed make this one of the top gadgets of 2010.
Favourites so far include ‘Fighters Uncaged’, a fighting game that will have you sweating - yes, really sweating - in front of your TV, and ‘Kinectimals’, a game where you get to make friends with a tiger that lives inside your television - a great one for the kids.
RRP£200
4. Amazon Kindle
Actually, there were two variations of the new model in 2010 - a WiFi-only version, and one that includes 3G connectivity, so you can buy and download books wherever you are in the world. 21 per cent smaller, 15 per cent lighter, with 50 per cent better contrast, 20 per cent faster page turns, up to one-month of battery life, and twice as much storage – now up to 3500 books at a time – you can see why we like them.
But it's not just the new, thinner, lighter, smaller profile that we like, but also the cost: the UK versions are priced at £109 and £149, respectively.
Combine that killer price with: the ease of getting books on to it without the need for a computer; the built-in features (like instant dictionary definitions of unfamiliar words), and a viewer that lets you change the font size to make it easier to read, and you'll struggle for reasons not to zip over to Amazon and buy one sharpish.
It might be a closed system, but this is electronic book reading at its easiest, and in the end that's what we like - services, technology and gadgets that are not only easy to use, but make a real difference in your life. The Amazon Kindle is one of those gadgets.
RRP £109
5. Vodafone Mobile broadband Wi-Fi
Vodafone have been at the forefront of mobile broadband for a number of years, allowing workers who find themselves out of the office to still get online. But as users start to shift away from laptops and netbooks, and towards smartphones and tablets, they need to have mobile broadband hardware that can connect to numerous different devices, many of which won’t have a USB socket to plug into - yes we are thinking the iPad and other tablets here.
In steps the Vodafone Mobile Wi-Fi, a small battery-powered white box of tricks the size of a bar of soap. It allows you to create a mobile wi-fi hotspot wherever you are, and connect your laptop, netbook, tablet and phone to it all at the same time, without either getting the device out of your bag, or even plugging anything in.It's great, not only because it allows you to surf the Internet on the go, but because it connects to any wi-fi capable device you own. That means no software to install, no battery power to drain, and no hassle. All that's left for you to do is enjoy super fast Internet connectivity (provided you are in coverage).
Like the 3 Mi-Fi before it, the Vodafone Mobile Wi-Fi will change the way mobile workers work. The final advantage over other options available is that you benefit from Vodafone's excellent national coverage and infrastructure. Add that to its hassle-free operation, and we think it's one of the best gadgets of 2010.
RRP Free with 18 month £25 a month contract
6. Sky 3D
By now you probably already have an HD-ready television, and if you've got Sky, Virgin Media, or Freeview HD, then there are a range of HD channels from sports, to movies, to the BBC, that you've probably been enjoying.
But HD is so 2009. What you want for 2010 is Sky 3D, the satellite broadcaster's 3D service that it hopes will change the way we watch television - by adding another dimension.Launched in October 2010, Sky’s service is the first to offer viewers 3D content to their home as a regular daily channel you can watch anytime, as long as you have a 3D-enabled television. They’ve effectively saved you from having to buy a dedicated Blu-ray 3D player, and searching shops for 3D films (there really aren't that many to buy right now).
The service is just a few weeks old, but is already showing us what’s possible, as long as you are prepared to sit on your sofa wearing a pair of 3D glasses.
Whether it's the latest blockbuster movies, football matches, documentaries, boxing, rugby, arts or nature, Sky is creating and showing over 14 hours of 3D content every day to showcase the new technology.
If you are one of the top tier Sky customers paying £61.50 a month (that also gives you over 50 HD Channels) then the real sweetener is that the 3D channel is free; all you need is a 3D television to watch it on, and you can embrace the new technology from the comfort of your sofa.
RRP Free with Sky top tier package
7. HTC Legend
With a case fashioned from a single piece of metal that had been hollowed out like a piece of art, the HTC Legend showed not only what HTC, as a company, was capable of, but also the future possibilities of cutting-edge phone design.
Following the Legend’s February debut, many more HTC handsets appeared over the course of the next 10 months - the Desire HD, Desire Z, the 7 Mozart and the HD7 - and most echoed the striking design ethos of that metal casing structure.
HTC will tell you it’s all about the hidden strength within, and nothing shows that more than a metal phone that doesn't have reception signal problems! Add to that the powerful punch it packs when it comes to running apps, getting email, playing games, surfing the Internet, and, of course, making phone calls, and you've got a cracking smartphone package.
Better still, the phone is affordably priced in the UK, allowing customers to buy a beautiful handset, a great operating system (Android, along with HTC’s Sense UI) and a superb phone without breaking the bank.
We love it.
RRP Free with 2 year £25 a month contract
8. Philips 3D Cinema 21:9 Platinum
It's the 3D version of the company's Cinema 21:9 display that was first launched in 2009, and brings with it enhanced picture quality as well as 3D capabilities.
The Philips 3D Cinema 21:9 Platinum will set you back £4000, but for that you get a 21:9 aspect ratio, so movies in the 2.39:1 format (think Star Wars and other classics) completely fill the screen - no ‘letterbox’ black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
The 2010 Cinema 21:9 model has received a comprehensive performance upgrade, adding more picture quality innovations to the already award-winning Philips 9000 series, including Direct lit LED screen illumination, a 400Hz refresh rate, and the Perfect Pixel HD Engine that optimally matches each pixel’s colour, packaged in an even larger 58-inch Full HD screen in 21:9 aspect ratio.
The TV also comes with three-sided Ambilight Spectra, which creates an ambient glow around the screen that matches the onscreen image, and is claimed to immerse you far more thoroughly in whatever you’re watching.
As long as you've got the room in your lounge, you're pretty much bringing the cinema, as the name suggests, into your living room. And while it could be said this beast isn't really designed for watching your everyday episodes of EastEnders or Corrie, when it comes to watching 3D movies you'll struggle to beat it.
Now, where's the popcorn?
RRP £4000
9. Spotify for Sonos
If you like music, you probably already love Spotify, the service that lets you stream millions of tracks over the Internet to your computer or smartphone, for just a tenner per month.In September, Sonos, makers of an ingenious multi-room music system, announced that it was adding support for the Spotify music service, bringing the massive streaming music library into the living room properly for the first time.
While Spotify has long been available for free on your computer, and for a premium payment on your mobile phone, the service has effectively been stuck in the self–contained world of laptops and iPhones. Neither is the ideal medium to bang out the latest tunes in your lounge.
Sonos’ amazing wireless, multi-room, music distribution system had already been wowing users with its seamless ability to pick up music from a PC or iPod’s digital library, and then play it anywhere in your home. By adding Spotify‘s ability to deliver virtually any track you can think of at the press of the button, Sonos puts a endless global jukebox into every room in your home.
We aren't overstating it when we say it will potentially change how you listen to music forever, and save you a fortune in the process: you no longer need to buy and store tracks to listen to them on your hifi - now you can just stream whatever you want, whenever you want.
The only small catch is that you'll need to have a Spotify Premium account to get the service. However, at just £9.99 (less than the cost of a single CD album) per month this shouldn’t be a great hardship if you love your music.
RRP Spotify Premium service £9.99 per month; Sonos S5 music system £320
10. Boxee Box
Your brand new state-of-the-art television is, whether you like it or not, dumb. But all that's about to change. A whole host of new devices are appearing that allow you to take full advantage of all the digital content you find on the Internet.
Now you can listen to music, watch TV shows, and enjoy movies on your television, all controlled from your phone (it's your new remote).The most hyped device so far is probably the Apple TV. However, while it pushes the boundaries of streaming, and offers a very good ‘rental’ service for TV shows and movies, it hasn’t impressed us as much in 2010 as our new favourite media centre: the Boxee Box.
The Boxee Box, built in association with D-Link, is one of the best of the new breed of ‘set-top’ boxes, allowing you to stream content, to watch off a hard drive, surf the Internet, catch up with friends, and do a whole host of other things without having to have a PC around to enjoy it.
Where the device really succeeds though, is that there is app support and plenty of apps either available or in the making. British owners can get services like the BBC iPlayer for example, while Americans get Hulu, among others.
The interface is friendly and easy to use, and it’s also available in exactly the same format on your computer, so you experience the same familiar controls when you are away from your television. Basically, it's your new home cinema interface, whether you are on the go, or on the sofa.
RRP £199.99"
Well, that's all for this year, join us again for next year's awesome tech roundup!
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