Only a few years back our mobile phones were simple devices capable only of making calls and sending text messages and when computers were a boring beige box hidden away in a corner, but those days are now long over.
2011 is set to be one of the best years ever for gadget fans with the launch of all sorts of new tablet computers, smartphones and games consoles from leading manufacturers all over the globe. With so much to choose from, techies will struggle to pick their favourites from this year’s extensive new ranges.
If the story of the last two years in the mobile phone market has been the battle of the smartphones, 2011 seems to offer no respite. With Apple’s iPhone 4 still the phone to beat, Google’s Android has made significant inroads into the market thanks to fantastic handsets like HTC’s Desire range, largely at the expense of RIM’s Blackberry. On the side lines, Microsoft’s Windows 7 phones from HTC and Nokia have begun to win fans after a slow start. With its forthcoming operating system Windows 8 Microsoft is all set to introduce unparalleled connectivity between desktop computers and mobile phones.
Apple’s iPad, of course, has gone from strength to strength since its release in 2010 and Spring 2011 saw the launch of its successor, the iPad 2. Although only a minor upgrade over last year’s model, the iPad 2 now comes in a slimmer form factor with sleeker design and packs upgraded processing power and twin cameras, making it perfect for video calls. With stocks still in short supply three months after launch, the iPad 2 remains perhaps the most coveted gadget on the market today and it’s not unusual to see queues forming outside stores that have just got a fresh batch of the tablet computer on the shelves.
In videogames, 2010 saw the launch of Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation Move motion control system. 2011, however, is set to be the year of 3D with the launch of Nintendo’s new 3DS handheld console and Sony’s continued commitment to bring 3D gaming to the living room through its Playstation 3. Nintendo’s new system – which does not require glasses to view the 3D effect – has got off to a slower start than anticipated but is now picking up steam as a glut of quality titles, including a new Legend of Zelda adventure, make the device a must have.
Recent developments at the E3 videogames conference suggest that the 3DS may not be the only new handheld console to be released this year with rumours that Sony is preparing to release its Playstation Vita system in Winter 2011. The successor to the Playstation Portable, the Vita offers PS3 quality graphics and touch screen controls, making for an entirely new handheld experience. It’s a distinctly different offering to Nintendo’s boundary-pushing 3D efforts but it’s clear that Vita will be the most advanced portable hardware on the market by the time it launches at the end of the year.
Whatever your preference in electronics, you’re sure to be spoilt for choice in 2011. If you find yourself lusting after more than one device, it might well be investigating some electrical discount codes to make sure that your money goes as far as it can.