Best Tech of 2010: Desktop and Mobile Computers
2010 has been a great year for technology in general affecting various sectors and cultural groups around the world. Here is As I See Tech's rundown of the best technologies for desktop and mobile computers that made remarkable achievements in 2010...
Processors
Intel released their Core i3
, i5
and i7
family of processors in 2010. These 32nm processors are optimized for rich online experiences and dependable multi-media processing/playback. There's also a full range of Core processors that target mobile computers designed with better power and thermal management capabilities.
Meanwhile, ARM continues to be the dominant platform for mobile phones and gadgets. Prominent ARM-based brands in 2010 include NVidia Tegra, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Texas Instruments OMAP and, the immediately successful newbie, Apple A4.
Intel is yet to release in 2011 a family of processors that specifically target portable mobile devices. If you're waiting to read about AMD... well... 2010 is actually a slow year for them. It seems that AMD is targeting 2011 instead to release their new lines of products.
Desktop Computers
Desktop PCs in 2010 are mostly the same as they were in the past years. The only driving factor is the continuous growth of processing power care of Moore's Law. For the most part, 2010 is the year of Intel's Core processors. Major manufacturers like Dell, HP, Gateway and Apple have products released in 2010 with Intel Core inside.
A slow to pick-up category in desktop computing is the compact and slim form factor. In 2010, the news maker is Apple Mac Mini
which re-design was released in mid-2010.
Meanwhile, Apple and HP continue with their all-in-one iMac
and Touchsmart
PC lines, respectively, by basically upgrading to Intel's Core processors. Competing as well in the all-in-one PC category include the beautiful Sony VIAO J-series
and the gorgeous Lenovo IdeaCentre A-series
.
Mobile Computers
For people to move to mobile computers is inevitable. In terms of processing power, mobile computers are competitive with the desktop models. It won't be surprising for desktops to be targeting mostly businesses, organizations and institutions in the near future. Very soon, the consumer market would likely be more mobile focused.
Laptops/Notebooks
Laptops are laptops and notebooks are notebooks -- what's the difference anyway? Thin is in. Light is in. HD widescreen is in. And longer battery life is always in... the wish list.
I suppose the best way to start is to mention Apple's beautiful beast, the MacBook Air
. Although supposedly under the "netbook" category, it has a competitive laptop/notebook-like power. I think MacBook Air nails it right not just in form and style but more so because it made the "netbook" category truly irrelevant.
Now to tell you the truth, that's about it. Everything else just played around with processing power, screen size and price. Can't the industry be more imaginative with the laptop/notebook category?
Hybrids
So we immediately switch to the new form factors. Hybrids and tablets are the real stars of the year! The trend is all about natural user-interfaces like (multi-)touch and gestures.
The most remarkable design-innovation in hybrid is Dell's Inspiron Duo. For those who can't really part with the keyboard yet but wants to have a tablet now, Dell's Inspiron Duo is a beautiful answer. A unique hinge-flip design is smarter and faster to use than the classic hinge-twist designs from other manufacturers. Priced at $550, it offers great value for your money!
Meanwhile, Lenovo's Ideapad U1 is still vaporware. It created a lot of excitement when it was announced early this year. The product's design is like getting two products in one: a notebook style dock and a detachable tablet. Beautiful isn't it? If only Lenovo could deliver. I find it unfortunate that Lenovo literally created and killed their own hype... in the same year.
Tablets/Slates
Apple's iPad
is the most desired mobile computer in the tablet form factor. It is sized just right, weighs just right and performs just right. Most of the existing applications for iPhone and iPod Touch work with the iPad. Apps developers also published iPad specific versions of their applications that take advantage of the extra screen size.
HP Slate 500 is supposedly a business user targeting tablet. It has Windows 7 so it can actually compete in the consumer market. However, the user-interface is Windows 7 as-is which makes it less exciting. Nonetheless, the product does have some advantages over the iPad and should not be snubbed. If you're a current Windows user and considering a tablet, it is recommended to look at the HP Slate 500 first before looking elsewhere.
Notable mention would be the Android-powered tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab
. It's the best in the pack. Although Google says that the Android is not designed for tablets yet, a million Samsung Galaxy Tabs actually got sold this year. Here's a good comparison of 4 of the best Android tablets available.
The Kno is a tablet that targets students. It started shipping this December in time for the holidays. The device is humongous and seems priced mostly for the rich kids in school. However, there are partnerships and perks for the product that could make it valuable if you count in the savings on buying printed books vs. the cost of the e-books which Kno, Inc. also sells or rents out in their website.
The popularity of touch screens and multi-touch screens in 2010 is growing exponentially. It is expected that this trend would continue on to the next year, and even up to 2012 when it should officially be "mainstream" for computers (desktop or mobile) to come with (multi-)touch screens. The way I see it, 2011 would be a transitional year as more and more people get exposed to the (multi-)touchscreen and gesture-based user-experiences. Come 2012, touch and gestures should be the most prominent built-in features of the modern computer.
Read all Best Tech of 2010...
Processors
Intel released their Core i3
, i5 and i7 family of processors in 2010. These 32nm processors are optimized for rich online experiences and dependable multi-media processing/playback. There's also a full range of Core processors that target mobile computers designed with better power and thermal management capabilities.Meanwhile, ARM continues to be the dominant platform for mobile phones and gadgets. Prominent ARM-based brands in 2010 include NVidia Tegra, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Texas Instruments OMAP and, the immediately successful newbie, Apple A4.
Intel is yet to release in 2011 a family of processors that specifically target portable mobile devices. If you're waiting to read about AMD... well... 2010 is actually a slow year for them. It seems that AMD is targeting 2011 instead to release their new lines of products.
Desktop Computers
If you're looking for Forbes' computer of 2010, this will disappoint you: we are not anywhere near halfway towards how that article envisioned the computer 10 years ago. There are innovations that are probably heading towards building that computer, but we're really still not there.
A slow to pick-up category in desktop computing is the compact and slim form factor. In 2010, the news maker is Apple Mac Mini
which re-design was released in mid-2010.Meanwhile, Apple and HP continue with their all-in-one iMac
and Touchsmart PC lines, respectively, by basically upgrading to Intel's Core processors. Competing as well in the all-in-one PC category include the beautiful Sony VIAO J-series and the gorgeous Lenovo IdeaCentre A-series.Mobile Computers
For people to move to mobile computers is inevitable. In terms of processing power, mobile computers are competitive with the desktop models. It won't be surprising for desktops to be targeting mostly businesses, organizations and institutions in the near future. Very soon, the consumer market would likely be more mobile focused.
Laptops/Notebooks
Laptops are laptops and notebooks are notebooks -- what's the difference anyway? Thin is in. Light is in. HD widescreen is in. And longer battery life is always in... the wish list.
I suppose the best way to start is to mention Apple's beautiful beast, the MacBook Air
. Although supposedly under the "netbook" category, it has a competitive laptop/notebook-like power. I think MacBook Air nails it right not just in form and style but more so because it made the "netbook" category truly irrelevant.Now to tell you the truth, that's about it. Everything else just played around with processing power, screen size and price. Can't the industry be more imaginative with the laptop/notebook category?
Hybrids
So we immediately switch to the new form factors. Hybrids and tablets are the real stars of the year! The trend is all about natural user-interfaces like (multi-)touch and gestures.
The most remarkable design-innovation in hybrid is Dell's Inspiron Duo. For those who can't really part with the keyboard yet but wants to have a tablet now, Dell's Inspiron Duo is a beautiful answer. A unique hinge-flip design is smarter and faster to use than the classic hinge-twist designs from other manufacturers. Priced at $550, it offers great value for your money!
Meanwhile, Lenovo's Ideapad U1 is still vaporware. It created a lot of excitement when it was announced early this year. The product's design is like getting two products in one: a notebook style dock and a detachable tablet. Beautiful isn't it? If only Lenovo could deliver. I find it unfortunate that Lenovo literally created and killed their own hype... in the same year.
Tablets/Slates
Apple's iPad
is the most desired mobile computer in the tablet form factor. It is sized just right, weighs just right and performs just right. Most of the existing applications for iPhone and iPod Touch work with the iPad. Apps developers also published iPad specific versions of their applications that take advantage of the extra screen size.HP Slate 500 is supposedly a business user targeting tablet. It has Windows 7 so it can actually compete in the consumer market. However, the user-interface is Windows 7 as-is which makes it less exciting. Nonetheless, the product does have some advantages over the iPad and should not be snubbed. If you're a current Windows user and considering a tablet, it is recommended to look at the HP Slate 500 first before looking elsewhere.
Notable mention would be the Android-powered tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab
. It's the best in the pack. Although Google says that the Android is not designed for tablets yet, a million Samsung Galaxy Tabs actually got sold this year. Here's a good comparison of 4 of the best Android tablets available.The Kno is a tablet that targets students. It started shipping this December in time for the holidays. The device is humongous and seems priced mostly for the rich kids in school. However, there are partnerships and perks for the product that could make it valuable if you count in the savings on buying printed books vs. the cost of the e-books which Kno, Inc. also sells or rents out in their website.
The popularity of touch screens and multi-touch screens in 2010 is growing exponentially. It is expected that this trend would continue on to the next year, and even up to 2012 when it should officially be "mainstream" for computers (desktop or mobile) to come with (multi-)touch screens. The way I see it, 2011 would be a transitional year as more and more people get exposed to the (multi-)touchscreen and gesture-based user-experiences. Come 2012, touch and gestures should be the most prominent built-in features of the modern computer.
Read all Best Tech of 2010...
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