Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New year, new gadgets

The coming months means more new products to choose from. Tech fans talk about what will be hot (or not) for 2011.

Apples and tablets

BLOGGER Jason Goh who maintains www.smashpop.net, says he is looking forward to five new items this year, including the upcoming iPhone, which he believes will also be on other gadget lovers’ list.

“I think everyone is waiting for this as well. Some call it iPhone 5 while others call it iPhone 4s.

“I hope Apple will improve the notification system and revamp the three-year old interface.

“I’m also looking forward to the Samsung Omnia 7, one of the most advanced Windows Phone 7 devices announced so far. I’ve tried the HTC HD7 and I love the WP7 interface. It’s amazing how Microsoft is able to come up with such seamless interface and superb integration between the phonebook and Facebook contacts.”


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An iPad user, Goh is also excited about its replacement model. “Rumour has it that the iPad 2 will come with two cameras, thinner, lighter and a retina display.”

He is also interested in imaging devices. He says the Sony Alpha A77 is worth checking out.

“Alpha A77 is a semi-pro dSLR which will replace the four-year- old A700. It will have translucent glass technology for superb HD recording and other features.

“The big app I’m looking forward is the Mac AppStore. MAC users will soon be able to buy and install apps directly from their computers. Just browse, click and install,” he says.

His prediction for 2011?

“Not much impact will take place in 2011 since we already have many new items such as Google TV, tablets, 4G network and Xbox Kinect. But if I’m asked what will make more impact than the rest, I’d say tablets,” he says.

The reason? “iPad’s got everyone’s attention focused on tablets and exposed the capabilities to end users. Many are actually waiting for the right moment to jump on the bandwagon and when the time is right, we will see people using tablets for work, study and entertainment.”

Enticing Andoid devices

“TABLETS used to be priced like high-end laptops, but are more affordable now,” says Norliwati Sabudin, who believes that its popularity is due to advances in technology such as multi-touch capabilities and longer battery life as well as more budget- friendly Internet services.

Norliwati, who runs an online cake store via Blogspot, also believes that tablets will continue to create an impact in 2011.

She is currently using CSL DroidPad and is looking forward to getting more apps for it.

“The DroidPad size is unique because it’s a portable traditional organiser. It has a larger screen than a smartphone and is lighter than a netbook. It’s also a 3G phone, GPS device and a capable e- reader, all-in-one.

“I’m looking forward to getting an image editing software on Android as well as Skype with video support. More games like Angry Birds and Cut The Rope will be great as well. I’ve already subscribed to Unifi so I’m set to try out more cloud services be they apps, storage or simply scheduling online,” she says.

Her family has acquired Xbox Kinect and is waiting for more games to be introduced next year.

Social networks to expand

AZRUL Rahim, chief executive officer and lead developer of JomSocial.com says in 2011, the social networking landscape will get more exciting and expand to a new horizon.

“Enterprise social collaboration and social network management tools for brands will be big this year. These new branch of social networks will be must-haves this year.

“The potential of social networking in business has been visible the last year and many companies jumped on this new business mode. Last year, many big brands began to see visible return on investment and started to figure out how to obtain measurable returns in their social media investment. Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, for example, have become a necessity in almost all branding efforts. These provide a quick and effective way to reach out to the targeted audience. Companies and brand owners will seek to properly manage them in 2011 and will start to think of their long-term social media strategy.”

As for enterprise social collaboration tools, Azrul says 2010 has again proven that these are not just a marketing fad.

“Mass adoption of social collaboration tools in the workplace of forward thinking companies have resulted in a mad scramble, as more organisations jumped on the bandwagon to look for these solutions just to keep up.”

More powerful, fun-tastic cameras

AVID photographer Azlan Abdul Samad, a senior manager at Bank Islam, says technology has changed the digital photography landscape in more ways than one can imagine.

“I’ve seen new technologies emerge in just one year and I expect more this year. For example, the roll out of full high-definition video capturing capability in many new dSLRs and micro-third cameras in 2010 has taken digital photography to a new level. A few years ago, in order to shoot high definition video, one had to have a HD camcorder, but today all can be done with digital cameras.”

Besides that, he says producing professional-quality images can now be done even by amateurs. The use of translucent mirror technology in Sony’s a33 and a55 cameras and higher megapixel sensors have given photographers a new edge, something not possible five years ago, even with the most expensive dSLRs, he adds.

“For 2011, I expect better technology that will enable amateurs and semi-pros to take professional quality pictures.

“I’m looking forward to better versions of the a33 and a55 series. These new translucent mirror technology can give users up to 10 frames per second of burst rate in just a small camera body. Besides that, new cameras, especially in the dSLR category, are expected to have better ISO performance, double translucent mirrors and micro adjustment of auto focus points. These will be among the hot features of 2011.”

Eyeing more audio gadgets

BASKING in the success of Kekanda Adinda, singer Atilia plans to acquire more audio gadgets this year. She’s currently eyeing studio- quality microphones.

“I would like to have some studio microphones such as the Telefunken u-47 large diaphgram tube condensor mic and the wireless Neumann.”

She also has a few other gadgets in mind. “Since I have the Torch, I’m dying to have the iPhone 4 which I’ll be getting in mid- January,” she says. She can’t wait to subscribe to Yes and plans to keep tabs on the upcoming Blackberry device, the PlayBook.

However, Atilia is not into tablets. She feels that her current device, the iPad which she nicknamed “Peter Pad”, can serve her longer.

“I will stick to Peter Pad and concentrate on collecting more audio gadgets this year.”
Copyright 2011
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

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