Most Anticipated Tech Products of 2011 155
adeelarshad82 writes "2011 is just around the corner, and with the new year comes expectations. Based on hype and recent announcements, PCMag put together a list of twelve most anticipated tech products of 2011. Some are new, like the technology to bridge Wi-Fi, PowerLine, and Ethernet or the 3D camcorders, which will let you create content for your 3D TV. Others will just carry over from what we anticipated in 2010 but never materialized like iPhone on the Verizon network or Phones with dual core processors."
Tablets (Score:4, Interesting)
While I understand that Tablets are going to be the next big thing (according to tech journalists, anyway), is it necessary to have 3 separate categories for the RIM tablet, Honeycomb Tablets, and tablets in general?
Re:Tablets (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes. My list goes to 11.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes. Otherwise the list of things to anticipate in 2011 would be much shorter.
That was my answer and I will add, if there are no flying cars on that list I am not looking.
Meh (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
(which are likely to suffer from the same thing android phones do: OS version fragmentation.)
They're likely to suffer from a competitor-purported myth while all running the same OS, video system, and packaging manager?
Re: (Score:2)
If it's such a myth, why do the actual developers agree with the fragmentation statements? The Angry Birds developers are one of the more recent and high profile examples.
Re:Tablets (Score:5, Interesting)
The squawking I always hear from these developers is that you never know your target, because everyone implements Android on a different platform with different amounts of CPU and RAM and sometimes there's a different set of system services running on it (like Motoblur etc) and so on. And also that some of them run 1.5, 1.6, 2.0. 2.1, 2.2.
So they are complaining that some machines have different specs... like just about every freaking computer out there. They also complain that there's more than 3 versions of Android, I guess, since there's 3 of iOS and I always hear that iOS is better about this. They also complain that other software might be installed (Motoblur is a software package Motorola installs).
Welcome to the world of embedded developers. It's a very specialized place, and when they meet something not so specialized they go apeshit. The problem is cell phones are general purpose computers now, not embedded devices.
Think about PC developers complaining about how their stuff might crash with Crossfire but not with 4 nVidia cards, even though this is supposed to be transparent. Or maybe it'll blow out on a specific AMD CPU combined with a specific VIA north bridge. Or a particular sound card gives troubles. How ridiculous does that seem? Oh and on top of it all, you might be running XP or Vista or Windows 7 now. The market is so fragmented, it's impossible to write programs for!
Re:Tablets (Score:5, Insightful)
I think a lot of the problem isn't that embeded developers are developing for phones, its that desktop application developers are developing for phones but they now have to make an application that, just like thier desktop apps, has to support a variety of machines and OS's and specifications but they have to sell that application for a fraction of what they might charge for a desktop application.
The challanges are similar to the desktop and its possible that there is even more money to be made, but its difficult to make the decision to support a bunch of devices when you are going to sell your application for just a couple of dollars.
Regarding OS fragmentation, you are right that iOS has several verison, but unike android you can install the latest version on the iPhone you bought last year so developers can insist on the latest OS and still support all but the very first iPhone (support 2 OS's and you can cover everything). Since many android phones are locked down or require a special version of Android from the Phone manufacturer you end up having to support more OS's just to make sure your app works on more phones. I know this isn't a technical failing of Android but it is a factor in developing for the platform.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There's also the issue that a cheap modern computer has plenty of CPU power and memory and disk space for apps, and mobile phones are more constrained.
Re:Tablets (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes. This. Thank you. Amazing how this "fragmentation recipe for failure" has caused the PC to fail so badly that PC sales have blown Mac out of the water for *decades.*
Here's another way to look at it: If you don't like something about the iPhone, you buy an Android. If you don't like something about the Droid X, you buy a . . different Android. So if developers want to write for a single-device market, and not get sales from everyone on an Android phone, have at. Enjoy. Let us know how that works for you.
Re: (Score:3)
The killer to me in mobile development is app stores with strange approval processes and delays. If you do actually get an app in the Apple app store, then fix a simple bug, you have to resubmit your app, and it may be weeks before they (hopefully) approve. Until then there's nothing yo
Re: (Score:2)
Not all app approvals are under weeks now. Also, consider the rejection of an app for a magazine because it covered Android. Or their inconsistency (which still exists) in approving functionality in one app while declining it in another.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm a mobile developer who has experienced the approval process in three app stores (nothing on WP7 yet). I switch between devices (usually weekly) to test apps and make sure I'm staying current in UIs. I hardly think I'm making assumptions here.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The only fragmentation in the Android is by device manufacturers, and most people who see it for what it is rather than regurgitating Lord Jobs, which is as a good thing. Read: choice.
As a developer, I love writing for Android. I can do more with it than the other two, and with ease. I don't have to us
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
The one I'm "hotly anticipating" is the Playbook. 7" form factor, duo core processor, supports flash, HTML 5, multi-tasking, POSIX compliant QNX OS, WIFI and 3G (via tethering to your Blackberry, so no need for
Re: (Score:2)
7" form factor
Too small and like all the other 7" units, has that stupid wide screen form factor.
supports flash, multi-tasking
Battery will last less than an hour or two on a good day.
POSIX compliant QNX OS
Compatible with nothing and no apps.
In other words, über fail just waiting to happen.
No Nintendo 3DS? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
The list is mostly tablets and smartphones.
Even if any one of those products manages to trump the Apple counterpart in features or specs, it won't matter. The brand recognition and loyalty that Apple carries negates any competitor superiority.
I agree with you. I'd rather see something that offers something I've never seen before over the "better, faster, stronger" wannabe of a device I've been using for a year now.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
3d camcorders? (Score:1)
my iphone is my camcorder
history has proved many times that cheap and mobile wins over single use and cool gee whiz tech
Re: (Score:2)
my iphone is my camcorder
history has proved many times that cheap and mobile wins over single use and cool gee whiz tech
Ahh the irony.
decent hardware webOS device (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:3)
WebOS is a great design concept waiting for a sane and reasonable manufacturer.
I can only hope the post-Carly, post-Hurd HP is that place.
Re: (Score:2)
Not just software... (Score:2)
I think Touchstone is a fantastic thing to have baked into your platform strategy, *particularly* with the exposition feature opened up to third-party stuff.
It's the only platform I see that is feasible to build a blind-dock automotive application. Bluetooth pairs with stereo system, and GPS/Internet radio app auto-start when user just slaps the phone in the vicinity of a car-mounted touchstone. iPhone comes closest, but their docking is generally clumsy in cars (most of the time a cable coming out clumsi
Re: (Score:2)
WebOS? Yawn. See my sig.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Well that's nice, and I see you can now run native Linux apps on WebOS (as long as they don't need an X desktop environment), but WebOS is mostly closed source, while Maemo is mostly open-source and its successor, MeeGo, is 100% FOSS.
Re: (Score:2)
Improved article technology (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Improved article technology (Score:5, Informative)
1. Verizon iPhone
2. BlackBerry PlayBook
3. Honeycomb Tablets
4. Even More Tablets
5. Chrome OS Notebooks
6. Phones with Dual-Core Processors
7. Mac App Store
8. Google TV: Take 2
9. Hulu for Magazines
10. Intel's Sandy Bridge and AMD's Fusion Processors
11. Sony PlayStation Phone
12. Net Neutrality Rules in Practice
In terms of subject areas, this is:
1. Smartphone
2. Tablets
3. Tablets
4. Tablets
5. Netbooks
6. Smartphone
7. Content Access
8. Content Access
9. Content Access
10. Processors
11. Smartphone
12. Content Access
The base technology (processors, etc.) is under-represented compared to hot product categories (tablets and smartphones). Clearly they were more focused on "products" (and "business models") and not so focused on new "technologies".
Re: (Score:2)
It was actually 12 items on 13 pages, the first page was there to tell you that you had 12 pages more to go.
Re: (Score:3)
Wouldn't merging pages onto a continuous page require site-specific hacks, or some kind of logic to try to detect page change buttons? Sounds like a cheap hack.
Duke Nukem Forever (Score:5, Funny)
Don't forget about DNF. It's supposed to come out in 2011. This year for sure!
Re: (Score:2)
Speaking of anticipation (Score:1)
"with an expected release date of 2011"
Re: (Score:2)
What... not this [wikipedia.org]?
Re: (Score:2)
Anticipating Linux on the Desktop is so 2001. Ubiquitous Android tablets are the new mobile equivalent of LotD.
Verizon iPhone? (Score:2)
And white? jesus christ...if it's black, we want a white one...if it's white, we want a black one.
Re: (Score:3)
How long are we going to beat that horse? Does that many people really care? Granted, an iPhone on a non-ATT network is automatically a better iphone, but the bloom is kind of off the iphone rose these days anyway.
Yeah, sadly, a Verizon-based iPhone will be a BFD. The bloom is so NOT off that rose for non-techies, which is the vast majority of people. And a lot of techies are into the iPhone as well. Wishing it weren't so doesn't make it not so. *sigh*
I'm more interested in a dual-core LTE-based phone with
Re: (Score:2)
I am interested in when the hell are they going to put up 4g service nationwide so I can take advantage of the $10 mandatory extra data fee on my Epic on a regular basis instead of the rare occasions I visit New Orleans or Atlanta.
Re: (Score:2)
I am interested in when the hell are they going to put up 4g service nationwide so I can take advantage of the $10 mandatory extra data fee on my Epic on a regular basis instead of the rare occasions I visit New Orleans or Atlanta.
Well, it's in most metro areas at this point, I think. The real problem I have here in the Seattle area is that WiMax signals SUCK indoors. It's mostly pointless for the way and where I use my phone. Honestly, the EVO is a great 3G phone, aside from the battery life.
I'm definitely
Re: (Score:2)
I'd better shut up about that before Steve focuses his reality distortion field on me.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Am I the only one immune to Steve's RDS and the only not-gay person immune to this girl's sweet, impossibly-blood-boiling begging and flirting? (I have a friend that can basically get any guy to do anything, she has her own reality distortion field... oh it gets my blood moving alright, but it doesn't distort my judgment ... various tech presenters get the same thing these days: a look from me and a lot of interest, but a critical eye looking for the eventual letdown).
I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Are you telling us you're not gay? (Thanks, I suppose, kept me up all night wondering about it). That you manage to not turn into a testosterone fueled blob of manliness at the sight of a pretty girl? (Ditto.)That Steve Jobs 'isn't your type'? (Really, some things should just be left as secrets.)
Oh, you don't want a white iPhone! Ahh... There's the rub!
Well, I don't want one either.
So there....
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Am I the only one immune to Steve's RDS and the only not-gay person immune to this girl's sweet, impossibly-blood-boiling begging and flirting?
Probably. I'm immune to Steve's field, but there are a couple of women who can get me to do damned near anything.
Depressing (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
I agree with you. If it was an advance in phones, I'd like to see more storage space, or even SDXC support so when 64 and 128 GB MicroSD cards come out (there are SD cards out with this capacity, but not MicroSD), the device can easily handle that.
Some things I would like to see in 2011, instead of more tablets:
1: A hard disk controller that can autotier. This way, it can have 4-5 standard hard disks in RAID6 configuration, as well as a SSD, and blocks of data that are often used get dropped on the SSD.
2
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I too read the list and thought, "So there will be mobile devices and multimedia applications in 2011? I could never have guessed!"
I'm hoping for a few more game-changing developments, though I have no idea how many might arrive in a useful form within the next 12 months. For example:
Re: (Score:2)
With BitLocker, Windows uses two partitions, first is equivalent to the /boot in Linux, which stores the OS kernel and some basic utilities. The second part is the usual C: volume. The Bitlocker boot process essentially scans the MBR, drops that hash into the TPM, and before each segment gets loaded, it gets hashed, the hash also sent to the TPM. As soon as the first phase of booting is complete and the machine is about to load the C: system, it asks the TPM for the key. If all the hashes match, the TPM
Re: (Score:2)
It's the year of Linux on the flying car!
No more 2010 or 2011 articles (Score:1)
White iPhone (Score:2)
Dual core cell phone ? (Score:5, Insightful)
Really why would that be an anticipated product. To the end user it should mean nothing. The only time multiple cores is better is when the power use / price / performance ration of a single core system has reached a maximum for the current capabilities of a single core. In the case of phones usually you are optimizing for performance / power use. I think we can still get more umph out of building a better core than adding more cores at this stage. Unless you scheduling is teh 5ux0r its still just as good a user experience if apps are otherwise properly threaded as N cores for smallish values of N and if apps are not properly threaded its a better experience.
Re:Dual core cell phone ? (Score:5, Insightful)
If the cores are different, it may be useful. Say a phone has two low power/low speed cores, one core dedicated to the radio, and two cores that have high speed/power. This would make the phone useful. When playing games, it could have one or both high speed cores running, but when just idle and sitting there, it could just be using one low-speed core for the OS and background apps.
The advantage about cores is that for devices which run a number of separate discrete tasks, it provides smoother performance. To boot, cores can be turned on and off for further power savings.
This isn't to say a fast, single core CPU is a bad thing, especially if it had the ability to power off or throttle back clock speed for battery savings. However, it might be easier for engineers to design a dual core system where one core is optimized solely for power savings and the other for performance as opposed to try to make one core do the whole show.
Re: (Score:2)
I had not thought of that. I agree if the cores have different functions / feature sets that are not always needed at the same time, that could be a useful approach, it would be innovative in terms of cellular handsets and probably worthy of anticipiation.
Re: (Score:2)
If the cores are different, it may be useful. Say a phone has two low power/low speed cores, one core dedicated to the radio, and two cores that have high speed/power. This would make the phone useful. When playing games, it could have one or both high speed cores running, but when just idle and sitting there, it could just be using one low-speed core for the OS and background apps.
Isn't this pretty much the way cell phones already work? One extremely low power standby mode, and one active mode. I seem to remember that was talked about when the Atom was introduced and they said it was way too power hungry in idle mode, that cell phones already had idle power in the <<1 W domain and had specialized on this for years. I'm guessing more cores would only matter between the "simple" active mode and entertainment mode. The limiting capacity will still be the battery, the dual core wil
Re: (Score:2)
faster battery use is not something to strive for. Its a pain in the ass to keep charging my Epic. It lasts about 3 hours of heavy use, about 6 of light use or less than 30 hours of nothing but standby.
Besides that, the biggest power sinks on a smartphone are the screen and radio (especially 4g), not the processor.
Re: (Score:2)
why not just buy ready-made radio chips from people with the fabs to make them and do all the R&D on them?
Gee, I wonder why not. Maybe because they're already doing it.
Re: (Score:2)
Agree. Some phones are underclocked already, running at 800MHz while the processors are spec'd at 1 or 1.2GHz, to save battery life. Unless you want more gaming there isn't much use for additional CPU power in phones.
Year of Linux on the Desktop!! (Score:1)
Huh. They forgot to mention it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Thankfully the US is only 3% of the world.
Re: (Score:2)
But we have something like 25% of the computers, and about 100% of the processor companies that make it into computers.
India and Russia and Germany and Britain and Japan and even China are all even more Windows bound than the USA anyway.
You should be groveling in the dirt, thanking God or Science for the existence of the USA.
They missed my #1 anticipated item (Score:2)
Diablo III
Seriously - I've only really liked a handful of games over the past decade+: StarCraft1, Diablo2, Civ III, UT2004. But I'm really looking forward to Diablo III. I think it will definitely enter my small personal Pantheon of beloved, replayable games.
Extra features most anticipated in phones (Score:5, Funny)
Hand warmer
lock deicer
car battery charger/jump starter
Hair drier
snow blower
fish finder
microwave oven
humidifier
coffee maker
and built in toilet
Re: (Score:2)
I'd settle for bluetooth that actually works on my iPhone. C'mon, Apple, would it really hurt to just have OBEX? Please?
I mean, I can live without FM radio but it sure would be nice to be able to receive videos from people who are even more apathetic about mobile email as I am.
Already a handwarming app (Score:2)
There's already a handwarming app [tuaw.com].
With dual cores it will just have to add that many more digits to the pi computation I guess.
Captions (Score:2)
I'm anticipating a new technology where a PC Magazine slideshow will finally be able to include captions with its images.
In that bright future, we won't have to speculate regarding what we're looking at.
Re: (Score:2)
They were on the top right side.
Tablets, Tablets Tablets (Score:2)
We have people thinking Microsoft will release desktop windows for ARM.
Lastly we've got colour e-ink finally making it's way on to the scene.
What's on their list? A White iPhone, Tablets and Chrome OS tablets.
"hulu for magazines"?? (Score:2)
Isn't "hulu for magazines" commonly called 'the world wide web'?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Its the reason I use hulu. It queues up new episodes of shows I subscribe to.
Re: (Score:2)
That's what RSS is for. It queues up web pages for you.
Re: (Score:2)
The first Magazine I looked at (Card Player) only has an RSS feed for news items. Most of the articles are only available to subscribers, while the RSS feed only covers stuff available to everyone (essentially.. their in-house blogger crap)
Apple App Store (Score:2)
So turning a software free market into another Apple walled garden is an advantage? Maybe they should call it "Apple Genuine Advantage."
Re: (Score:3)
While I've rarely been so unexcited about an Apple release, it isn't supplanting the ability to put anything I want on a Mac. Heck, Apple supplies free dev tools with each Mac; I can make sure mine always has non-Apple-approved software on it (with my own bugs, too!).
Commentary.. (Score:3)
Verizon iPhone, not my thing, but I get it.
Blackberry Playbook, most interesting aspect is blackberry ripped off WebOS gestures/display for multitasking. However, I am generally skeptical that Blackberry can get out of their niche of mostly business only, they spent way too long with a behind-the-curve platform.
Honeycomb, will see, but I don't see how people get excited over a "we'll get it right *this* time" promise.
If they were going to say 'tablets', they could've skipped Blackberry and Honeycomb. I personally still don't get the tablet fuss and wonder if it is destined to be a dead fad. I would be more excited over phones with glasses display and 'Kinect' like controls, though I really like tactile feedback. Done right that gives 'bigger' personal experience with increased convenience and privacy.
ChromeOS, I view as a dead-end. They should have focused more on enriched Android as a common platform. I don't think Google's name will salvage a concept even more limited than the Linux-only netbook attempts that did not do so well in the market.
Dual-core phones, I wouldn't mind *but* I don't know the power draw difference expected. Memory has hurt my experience more than processor.
Mac app store, please don't be *eager* for that. Why seek more and more ongoing draconian control over the product you purchase?
Google TV falls under the Honeycomb category, "this time it will be better" with no substantive evidence is not the makings of interesting news. Generically saying improved internet enabled TV, maybe. I personally treat my display as a dumb display and prefer the 'smarts' to be small, relatively inexpensive changeable parts.
Hulu for magazines. I think a magazine company might dream of a day where the magazine model dominates, but I just don't see that happening. A web presence in which articles are published as they are ready (not waiting for the next publish date) and adaptive formatting is well-established means e-magazines don't make a whole lot of sense.
Sure, Intel and AMD tech refreshes belong there.
I suspect the playstation phone will be more n-gage than DS. Nintendo 3DS is probably a more 'sure thing' for this sort of slot.
Will see if the net neutrality stuff has any impact. Most commentary I saw was that it was enough to give some annoyance to carriers, but not enough teeth to actually do anything.
I would be willing to be wowed by a second-chance WebOS set of devices. I loved so much about the Pre (WebOS, plug-free 'dock' that can be detected by software, remarkably malleable to consumer manipulation with blessing of vendor). If they did have a portrait slider & keyboardless phone to flesh out their portfolio, that could be exciting. Too bad I don't have hopes of more than just Android and iPhone long term in the mobile market.
Responses (Score:2)
Blackberry Playbook, most interesting aspect is blackberry ripped off WebOS gestures/display for multitasking. However, I am generally skeptical that Blackberry can get out of their niche of mostly business only, they spent way too long with a behind-the-curve platform.
One of the more interesting things about it is that you develop on it using Adobe Air, instead of the traditional Blackberry SDK.
It'll be interesting to see if they manage a wave of developer support.
Mac app store, please don't be *eager* for
Re: (Score:2)
One of the more interesting things about it is that you develop on it using Adobe Air, instead of the traditional Blackberry SDK.
I suppose that could be interesting for them. I wonder if Adobe has their game together on mobile devices yet, the time from initial promise of flash first appearing on devices to first time it actually appeared was a long time. The company can't even consistently deliver a 64-bit build alongside their 32-bit build. It gives me some doubts about their ability to maintain a lot of architectures and OSes (QNX, Linux w/ X, Android, WebOS Windows, OSX, x86, arm)
But that's not what it's about. It's about a curated set of software that is all updated more automatically than current software. What's wrong with that?
If it were like apt or yum where any organizati
Open diplomacy (Score:2)
That's not how Verizon iPhone will look! (Score:2)
One thing we can be sure of is that a Verizon iPhone won't look like the one in their picture. What were they thinking putting a Verizon label on the phone itself?
Comment removed (Score:3)
New? (Score:2)
"Some are new, like the technology to bridge Wi-Fi, PowerLine, and Ethernet"
Yea, sorry, we've had that for quite some time in software (tomato, DD-WRT, etc.) so a hardware version isn't unexpected, new, or really that anticipated.
Im not waiting for a 3D tv (Score:2)
3D violates the cool rule (Score:2)
Anything that makes you look like a dork will never take off.
3D glasses are a pain in the ass if you have real glasses, and you look like a dork.
Let's be practical: 100% ELECTRIC CARS (Score:2)
Haven't we have enough "next big things" (that often weren't so hot after all... with tiny screens to squint at, etc.), already?
Let's focus a moment on UK's freezing weather, AU's flooding in Queensland, & USA's Eastern Seaboard - to name a few spots with "Climate Change" screaming at us...
Let's push for & (and, when we get the happy chance to...) ...buy Electric Cars in 2011 or ASAP.
Bumper-Sticker Idea: " Next year in an All Electric car! "
Re: (Score:2)
Looks like you totally missed the Hadley CRU mail scandal.