Hey-o! The Jolly Gamesman here, recalling my favourite gadgets, gizmos, doo-dads, whatnots and mindblowers from this past year. Overall, it was a pricey and fruity (read: Apple) kinda year. This is what I spent my hard earned cash on in 2010, and it was worth every penny.
10. Angry Birds
Who would have thought that a game so odd in description would spawn such success? (See my original write-up here.) What started as an iPhone game has jumped to four other platforms, and even made its way into the real world as a soon-to-be-released board game. As the great Yogurt said, “Merchandising. Merchandising. Where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs – the T-shirt, Spaceballs – the Colouring Book, Spaceballs – the Lunch Box, Spaceballs – the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs – the Flame Thrower.” Don’t be surprised when you see your friend with an Angry Birds plush doll on their bed, or an iPhone case emblazoned with the likeness of a familiar avian hero.
9. Microsoft Kinect
Microsoft announced they had sold out of Xbox 360 consoles in December of 2010, no doubt due to the popularity of their flagship hardware add-on Kinect. You can read my first impressions on it here. And as of right this second, I still love the sh*t outta this system.
8. Jambox by Jawbone
A beautifully designed portable speaker system for anyone looking for big sound in a small package. Manufactured by Jawbone, a company best known for its military applications and Bluetooth headsets, the Jambox connects to any device that supports audio out via a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth. Don’t be fooled by the tiny package – this battery-powered musical device can fill a living room with great sound for up to seven hours on a battery charge.
7. Apple TV
With Netflix’s launch in Canada in full swing, the least expensive way to get your media library to your big screen TV is via the Apple TV. Not much larger than a hockey puck, this “hobby” of Apple’s rests quietly below your television, filling the living room with music, movies, TV shows and Podcast’s, all streamed from the Internet or your personal collection in iTunes. The simple interface allows anyone (read: yes, even your Mom) to pick up and access the limitless content with ease.
6. Star Wars Lego Minifig Alarm Clock
As I suspected, there was one of these beauties sitting under my tree come Christmas morning. It’s everything I could imagine and more. It has the weight of a substantial purchase, and it moves and feels like a Lego minifig. The only downside is that the alarm is simply a repeating tone, and not the Imperial March.
5. Steam for Mac
Apple computers have a stigma of there being no games available. Sure, it doesn’t help that while the world plays Call of Duty Black Ops, the ancient Call of Duty Modern Warfare, two releases prior, is still the newest title from Activision. To the delight of many Mac-owning gamers in the world, Valve decided to release it’s digital distribution platform this year, along with it’s lineup of amazing titles to back it. Supported by the complete Half Life 2 series, Left 4 Dead and Portal, gaming is getting a second chance in a world dominated by consoles and PC’s.
4. Project for iPad
The publishing world’s first salvo into a tablet-specific magazine was launched this year by Richard Branson, the billionaire Knight of Virgin. Up until this point, digital magazines were either glorified PDF versions of their in-print companions, or hussied-up versions with some extra video content pasted on top of the scanned pages. With Project comes a magazine built exclusively for the tablet market – all the stories and information inside Project are not available in print or web format. A still photo becomes a gallery when you swipe over it, a cover story begins to move into animated life in front of you. Tap on a series of photos and you can hear excerpts from the interview relating to the subject. (If you’ve ever seen a Harry Potter movie, try to picture the living newspaper that pops up from time to time, and you get the idea.) While currently only available on the iPad, the plan is to have it be available on the majority of the tablets that will no doubt be cluttering the aisles of your local electronics store in 2011
3. iPhone 4
For too long the mobile phone industry was stagnant. Little innovation was coming out of the big phone manufacturers, leaving Apple poised to strike in 2007 with the launch of the iPhone. Three years later, other manufactures were still playing catch up when Apple released the iPhone 4 in July 2010. Familiarity is key as the incremental updates added value to long time users. A higher resolution screen, an HD video camera and a front facing camera for video chat, along with a top-notch user interface and the healthy application and games selection on the App Store, make the iPhone 4 the best phone on the market.
2. Netflix
Five months after Netflix’s debut in Canada, haters are still going to hate. “There aren’t any new releases!” they will complain. “Why can’t I download and watch later?” they will sulk to themselves. Sure in the USA there may be a better selection of “Front of the Video Store” movies, but for $7.99 a month you’re telling me you can’t find at least two movies to watch? Come on!
1. Apple iPad
Leave it to Apple to create a million-selling product category overnight. Convergence is the key word when you think of an iPad. An eBook reader, an Internet surfing device, movie and music player straight out the box, it’s hard not to justify the purchase of this 9.7” tablet. Hundreds of thousands of Apps. A GPS & constellation navigation device. It can make Skype calls for you. Soak that in and it’s not surprising that every other tech company in the world is using the iPad as a template in their race for second place.
– The Jolly Gamesman
