iPhone 4S
It wasn't the iPhone 5 that everyone hoped for. But the iPhone 4S is a darn smart smartphone, punctuated by a superior camera and the Siri personal voice assistant. The Siri voice is cool, funny and, yep, helpful — I found no better way to set the alarm clock on the iPhone. Siri is far from a finished feature, though, which is why Apple considers it to be still in beta.
I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the battery problems plaguing some 4S owners, which Apple owned up to when it brought out an iOS 5 software fix.
As for iOS 5, it's at the forefront of the iPhone 4S, along with the iPad, iPad 2 and recent versions of the iPod Touch. Among other features, it provides a handy Notification Center and Reminders app, improvements to the Safari browser and, of course, iCloud, the ability to store music, photos and documents online and keep everything current across all your iOS devices.
"Sweet" Mobile Operating Systems
I'm speaking of Google's Android version 4.0, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, and of Windows Phone 7.5, known as Mango. The sweet Ice Cream Sandwich update showed up late in the year on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, initially available in the USA from Verizon Wireless. Ice Cream Sandwich boasts some neat, if imperfect, features, including Face Unlock or the ability to unlock your phone when you stick your face in front of the screen. Galaxy Nexus lets you take advantage of NFC chip technology to exploit a feature called Android Beam. With it, you can share a YouTube video, Web page, map and so on with another phone by holding the Galaxy Nexus back to back against another NFC-capable Android device. Unfortunately for now, Verizon isn't letting you use NFC to make mobile payments via Google Wallet.
Mango has a slick so-called Metro-style interface built around fresh, dynamic, colorful Live Tiles. You have the expected Microsoft tie-ins with Bing search, Xbox Live, Zune and Office. And while Microsoft still trails badly in the apps sweepstakes compared with Apple and Android, the Mango software does a terrific job of integrating apps into activities and showcasing apps in search results. Mango fixed a number of prior Windows Phone shortcomings, adding for example visual voice mail and custom ring tones. The software is or will be available on several handsets, including the new $50 Nokia Lumia 710 that is coming out next month.
OS X Lion
OS X Lion is the eighth major release (in 10 years) of the Mac's OS X operating system. This latest feline is a beautiful, finger-friendly operating system that adds 250-plus new features, from handy reading lists in the Safari Web browser to clever special effects in Photo Booth. It is no accident that with Lion, Apple takes the Mac closer to the habitat of the iPad.
Ultrabooks
Chip giant Intel is fanning the flames for ultrabooks, thin and light Windows computers that seem to have been inspired by Apple's MacBook Air. I reviewed early ultrabooks from Acer and Asus, but models are available from Lenovo and Toshiba, with others likely on the way. Such machines are light and responsive — they come to life in a jiffy — and they promise decent battery life. Just like the Air, the ultrabooks I've seen lack optical drives and removable batteries and, at a grand, give or take, tend to be on the expensive side.
Spotify
The list of music services competing for your online listening pleasure is long: iTunes, Pandora, Slacker, Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio, Napster, Amazon Cloud Player, Google Music, on and on, each appealing in some way. And yet European import Spotify still stood out in its U.S. launch in July. You get free on-demand access to 15 million tracks. Pay $4.99 a month, and you can listen to that stuff ad-free. Splurge for $9.99 a month — still a bargain for music lovers — and you can listen on your mobile phone, listen offline and stream at a higher quality. Spotify boasts Facebook integration, easy-to-discover music and the ability to share playlists. Spotify is adding apps, including a Pandora-like radio service and an app that supplies lyrics.
Nintendo 3DS
I'm more of a casual gamer than a die-hard. But I appreciated the notion of 3-D gaming without glasses. It took me awhile to get accustomed to the stereoscopic 3-D technology on the 3DS, and I was put off by the initial $250 price tag that has since been dramatically reduced to about $170 in light of sluggish sales and competition from games on smartphones. Still, the 3DS is fun, and I especially liked some of the AR, or augmented reality, games.
Competitors to iPad
I believe the iPad 2 is second to none among tablets. But I welcome spirited competition, from the e-book side (Barnes & Noble with Nook Color and Nook Tablet, Amazon with Kindle Fire) or from a broader perspective.
The beautiful Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 became the first Android tablet to exploit Verizon Wireless' blazing-fast 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network. Downsides: costly data plans and disappointing battery life.
One Android tablet that caught my eye late in the year is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, the best Android slate I've seen from a hardware perspective: fast, attractive, generous with power. It has a clever dock accessory that adds a physical keyboard, extra battery life and extra ports. Android needs more tablet-specific apps. And I've never been wild about Android software for such slates. But the promise of upgrading the Asus to Ice Cream Sandwich may improve the experience.
Nest Thermostat
A thermostat with sex appeal? Nest takes a sledgehammer to preconceived notions of what a thermostat looks like and how it operates, whether you're in front of it or accessing it remotely from an iPhone or iPad. It takes advantage of cloud computing, and it learns from your behavior. The stylish hockey puck of a device wakes up as you approach. There is a proximity sensor along with other sensors for temperature, humidity and ambient light. It costs $249, more than your typical thermostat.
AND MY TOP FAVORITE OF ALL...
Mini Scooter E Concept
While Minis are well known for their small compact scale, their latest vehicle takes it to a new level because the new Mini is actually a scooter. The Mini Scooter E Concept, as it is called, was unveiled in February of 2010. The electric scooter was designed by BMW director of design Adrian Van Hooydonk. It charges through a plug-in system and features a docking station for smartphones which also serves as the key to start the engine. Special software on the device then acts as a GPS system for the scooter and also notifies users when other Mini Scooter riders are nearby...Wow!
PS. See the Mini Scooter E video here.
UPDATE (01/13/12) BY POPULAR DEMAND...
Nikon 1 V1
Nikon had always struggled to make a great compact digital camera, and it didn't take long for the compact SLR V1 to come out. The screen at the back is impressively bright and very responsive. The speed of the new sensor is astounding. While every other manufacturer struggled to produce an amazing new product, Nikon gets my vote for producing one of the most innovative and top-performing cameras ever.
Spotify is my must have app. I quickly switched from Pandora to Spotify when it was released and I was able to set up an account. While Pandora is still a great app, I like the idea of having my own playlists with Spotify. I don't use the app on my phone but I do use it on my computer while listening to music at work.
Posted by: Jackie | January 12, 2012 at 01:34 AM
I was dead against iPads until a mate brought one on an overseas holiday and it turned out to be essential. Bought one on the way back through Hong Kong and it basically replaced my computer. I turn it on to transfer stuff to my iPad and thats about it.
Posted by: Josh | January 12, 2012 at 09:39 AM