Most Anticipated Tech Products of 2011

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."

Comments

Tablets

[Sonny Yatsen]

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

[RapmasterT]

Yes. Otherwise the list of things to anticipate in 2011 would be much shorter.

Re:Tablets

[grimJester]

Top ten lists are so 2010.

Re:Tablets

[bluefoxlucid]

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

[Altus]

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:Tablets

[shadowfaxcrx]

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:Tablets

[I8TheWorm]

As a mobile developer, I'll say Android fragmentation is the least of my concerns. Pick a line in the sand (2.1, 2.2) and write. Make sure your layers are % based rather than fixed width and form factor rarely matters.

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 you can do because users can't (well, without jailbreaking) sideload.

With Apple, Android, and Blackberry (with the exception of OS6), you can target a previous OS and expect backward compatibily, but you lose out on new features you may or may not need.

Re:Tablets

[Plouf]

Except that most applications don't care about the kind of GPU being installed. However they care a lot about input devices, screen layout, look-and-feel, available system APIs, network connectivity and so on. All things that have been normalized and didn't change between XP, Vista or Seven making the "fragmentation" of the Windows platform totally irrelevant for >99% of developers.

No Nintendo 3DS?

[Daverd]

It promises 3D without glasses! That sounds way bigger to me than a slightly better smartphone.

Re:No Nintendo 3DS?

[Renaissance 2K]

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:No Nintendo 3DS?

[EdZ]

And its not even a Playstation phone! It's an Android 'gaming' phone: i.e. a regular android phone from Sony-Ericsson which replaces a slide-out keypad with a slide-out gamepad, and happens to run the Playstation app available for all other Android handsets. If people are expecting a PSP phone, they're going to be sorely disappointed.

decent hardware webOS device

[tacroy]

My one wish for 2011 (early 2011) is webOS on solid and fast hardware. I believe it is the BEST mobile OS but it is REALLY in need of some hardware to support it!

Re:decent hardware webOS device

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

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:decent hardware webOS device

[tacroy]

Heh, webOS can be rooted by just turning on dev mode (just type in the konami code and press the "dev mode on" toggle) And palm not only SUPPORTS homebrew they actually paid to have the lead homebrew developer flown to the dev day as a keynote speaker.

Improved article technology

[swanzilla]

I hope 2011 will bring us the technology to load twelve items on a single page.

Re:Improved article technology

[JustinOpinion]

The "Products & Technologies" are:

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:Improved article technology

[GameboyRMH]

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

[verbatim]

Don't forget about DNF. It's supposed to come out in 2011. This year for sure!

Depressing

[__aagmrb7289]

If this is the exciting tech for 2011, I have to admit - I'm a bit depressed. Luckily, we rarely know at the beginning of the year what'll actually be big the next year. More tablets, gaming phones, and processors really just isn't that exciting, however.

Re:Depressing

[mlts]

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: A consumer level tape drive that has modern capacities. Even if it means having a SSD [1] for storing data temporarily until it gets streamed to the tape to slow down the incidence of shoe-shining.

3: Significant price drops on SSD technology.

4: US Internet infrastructure improvements. Shouldn't we have 100gbs wireless mesh networks in all metropolitan areas by now, instead of getting mobile plans changed so we pay $10 a gig for already slow wireless connections?

5: Other operating systems than Windows have BitLocker-like functionality so they too can boot using a TPM chip for key storage without needing a password on IPL.

6: A wholesale move to LTE-Advanced, so it doesn't matter which carrier you use, just swap SIM cards into your device.

7: A new HDD design specifically built for libraries. Use the same 2.5" platters, but have a different enclosure for the platters, head, and controller that is made specifically for automated changing in and out of a library, not to mention the ability to slap barcodes on. The result of this would be the advantages of disk (random access), with tape's advantages (resistance to physical damage, long archive life, etc.) If not a HDD design, then a standard robot-friendly enclosure for 2.5" or even 3.5" drives that is used by multiple vendors, with a read-write/read-only switch on them.

[1]: Ideally an AES-256 encrypted SSD that uses transitory keys in RAM, so when the tape transaction is up, it forgets the keys (overwriting the DRAM locations multiple times), then generates new ones for the next transaction. This way, old data isn't still accessible even if the tape is secured.

Re:Depressing

[ColdWetDog]

You sure put a high bar up for next year. I'm just looking for the Higgs Boson. That'll be enough.

Dual core cell phone ?

[DarkOx]

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 ?

[mlts]

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:Verizon iPhone?

[Tumbleweed]

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 a big screen (4.3" like my EVO). Running Android, of course. :)

Re:3d camcorders?

[BradleyUffner]

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.

Extra features most anticipated in phones

[rossdee]

Hand warmer
lock deicer
car battery charger/jump starter
Hair drier
snow blower
fish finder
microwave oven
humidifier
coffee maker

and built in toilet

Commentary..

[Junta]

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.

Keep this list for one year

[houghi]

This list be used by posting it in December 2011 by just changing anticipated with overhyped.

Re:Apple App Store

[david_thornley]

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!).

Im not waiting for a 3D tv

[bobjr94]

From what Ive read seems like studios are dropping 3D releases of some movies due to the lower turnouts for 3D movies the last year. I am one of them people, avatar 3d was cool, but once movies like step-up 3D came out, it officially went from a technology back to a fad. Since I dont often sit and watch a movies in its entirety at home 3d glasses would be a pain. Put them on, take them off goto the kitchen, put them back on, them them off to look up someone on imdb, put them on, take them off let the cat in/out.......