Between the iPhone 5, Windows 8 and the legal drama between Apple and Samsung, the tech world has been heating up quite a bit in 2012. The coming year hopefully will be just the same, if not better. And with the likes of Xbox 720 and Amazon Phone being released, it looks pretty exciting.
Apple iTV: There has been a lot of speculation about Apple venturing into the TV market and the company’s CEO Apple CEO Tim Cook recently remarked that turning on a TV is like going “backwards in time by 20 or 30 years” and they want to revamp it. It would have both Siri and iSight enabling voice and facial recognition and priced at around $1500 to $2000.
Xbox 720: Finally Microsoft is getting to release its new game station around autumn 2013, which is expected to have the motion detection technology of Kinect and augmented reality 3D images. We certainly know what the gamers will be looking forward to!
Amazon Phone: So Amazon decided to add phone technology to its Kindle line. They are mostly aiming to increase profits, the phones would not be very costly, but Amazon is definitely trying to make the users spend a lot of money buying their services. A bit Faustian, but that’s the way amazon rolls.
Google Glass: Google and Vuzix are teaming up to create a headband-eyeglass that will make sure you look 100% futuristic. It will project small colour image in front of you and connecting through Bluetooth it’ll tell you all about people: their jobs, facebook photos and annoying tweets. With a price of $500, a piece of the future!
Nest: Developed by two ex-apple employees, Nest is said to be the ‘iPhone of thermostats’. Basically it’ll let you control the temperature of your home through phone and eventually learn your schedule to change your room ambience even before you get home. Priced at $250, this will be launched at the global market in the middle of the year.
Wi-spy Spectrum Analyser: If you are a regular person, you’re tired of searching quiet Wi-Fi spots to download your favourite movie. That’s when this handy device comes in- it will identify the quietest channel after isolating RF interfering sources at $199.
Wearable Videocam LX-2: The very first wearable videocam looxie LX2 will let the users wear and share hands free videos, stream live video and simultaneously share clips. Set the camera as the same direction as you, and it will capture whatever’s in front of you, available for $149.
Oculus Rift: For the avid gamers, Virtual Reality gaming is a dream come true. Oculus Rift presents your environment in full 3D, with a 110° field of view tracking your head movements so you can roam around in virtual worlds. It’s been trialled by some of the gaming industry’s leading experts and is expected to be below the $300 mark.
Celluon Laser Projection Keyboard: The Celluon magic cube keyboard will let you type on your desk. Connect with your touch phone or tablet and voila! This is also compatible with iOS 4.3.5+,windows XP, vista, and Mac 10.4+ and gives you up to 150 minutes of use with its lithium battery at around $115.
Iphone Game controller: If you spent your days playing temple run and blobby volleyball, the iPhone game control is the thing for you. It has a classic figuration with four buttons facing the front, 4-way directional pad and shoulder buttons that can withstand any kind of button mashing. You can connect the controller to your phone via Bluetooth and if you really want it, it comes with a price tag of $39 only.
Tsir Wristband Phone Charger: No, it’s not a whacky gadget. It’s something all of us with smartphones need very dearly. It has a built-in battery for almost any device you can think of, starting with IPad to Smartphones to PSP. A polymer and wristwatch design with a no load and a function to save energy. For $59.99, the price maybe steep, but we want it!
Neural Impulse Actuator: The NIA is a forerunner in the new technology gadgets that can be used with a mouse for a more appealing gaming experience. It can stream bio potentials into a computer replacing the keyboard commands with intentions that are converted to tensions and then translated to command game play and cut your reaction by half to outdo your opponents in reflex based gaming.
All in all, 2013 looks rather interesting, and with the new MS Office 2013 and all the other software, you can bet it would spice up even more.
-With The Observer input
