CNN's top 10 Gadgets for the coming year

coolsax · January 2010

Two Audio products made the list from Polk and Sonos so thought this was interesting.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/technology/1001/gallery.ces_gadgets/index.html

I'm kinda disappointed on the sonos thing though b/c i hoping for something more like the Duet within the Duets price range... not just a boom box

Fireman32 · January 2010

Some cool stuff on there. Glad to see Polk made the list.

everpress · January 2010

Fireman32 wrote: »

Some cool stuff on there. Glad to see Polk made the list.

That is actually pretty bad-****$ when you think about it!

Fongolio · January 2010

They missed this one (carefull strong language):

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hearingimpared · January 2010

That was funny as all hell. I love the fade out to black comment, "It never ends, this ****!" WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Fireman32 · January 2010

Thats **** priceless!

Jstas · January 2010

That Electric Newspaper looks pretty slick. I'd probably use that provided content was available, relevant and affordable.

Jstas · January 2010

One thing I want to know though. People are creaming their pants over the forthcoming Apple Tablet computer. (What are they going to call it? iTab?) So much so that even the posted article's author couldn't resist mentioning it. They act like it's something incredible, like it's never been done. Yet I was messing with Windows based tablet PC's from NEC and HP 4 years ago and installed them on Coast Guard ships 3 years ago. Why is it when PC's are "behind the times" people ridicule them but when Apple is behind the times it's "innovative"? Not starting a PC vs. Apple war, just commentary on social behavior. The Apple tablet looks to be a nice piece of equipment. It's just a little late compared to it's competition. I hope it's got some high value to it because it's going to be hard to get in to the established market 'cause it's still quite small.

Fireman32 · January 2010

I am not a fan of the Tablet PC's myself. We hav a few users in my office that have them and they have more problems then the regular pc's. Mabye Apples will be diffferent who knows.

bobman1235 · January 2010

The thing Apple has shown that they can do well is take technology that, while it has been aaround a long time, hasn't yet been put together in a way that appeals to the common consumer. Sure, tablet PCs have been kicking around for half a decade or more, but they haven't yet made their way to the masses. Just like before the iPod there had been MP3 players, but nothing that had widespread appeal. And the iPhone isn't at all innovative, it just put everything that had been done before into a neat package that was accessible to EVERYONE.

A lot of it is marketing; Apple knows how to generate hype and get people interested in a product that isn't particularly revolutionary, which si where your "social behavior" comment probably fits in. But a lot of it is just knowing how to take something old and polish it up and make it a real marketable product.

Demiurge · January 2010

Nevermind the mass appeal. They actually make good products, too. I don't know why people get so angry about that. It forces other companies to offer better products as well.

Jstas · January 2010

Well I don't see much use for tablet PC's at a consumer level. We put them on the CG ships for use with ship inspection. It was easy to build the software needed to go over ship itineraries, crew rosters, cargo manifests and route logs as well as Customs stuff with the tablet PC and they could carry them like they were a clipboard.

We built systems for the Post Office when we updated the systems there. Truck inventory, destinations, manifests and all kinds of Customs stuff as well was made much simpler with a tablet PC.

We also put them in with the medical imaging systems we put in many hospitals because the wireless capability and ability to show portrait or landscape images from x-ray, CT, MRI and other machines while not being near the machines was what the hospitals wanted. Some hospitals liked it so much that they started issuing them as giant PDAs for patient records and charts. Instead of clipboards and wall pockets, we gave them barcodes and wireless barcode scanner pens.

I'm sure someone will like the tablets for consumer use. I can already see a tablet PC working with a media server as a giant remote control. But tablets don't have many applications in the consumer world right now. Maybe in the future but right now, commercial interests are what has driven tablet sales and innovation.

bobman1235 · January 2010

Demiurge wrote: »

Nevermind the mass appeal. They actually make good products, too. I don't know why people get so angry about that. It forces other companies to offer better products as well.

Apple, and more to the point their "fans", tend to overstate the "quality" a bit, which is why I think peopel get so "angry" about it. A lot of people treat Apple as if they're infallible, to the point where they won't even acknowledge the faults when they come up. I think this puts Apple in a position where they feel they don't have to fix those faults.

As an iPhone owner, I see a lot of this; the iPhone is a great device, but it has MAJOR problems, that I have gotten around by jailbreaking but given the amount of money Apple has made off of the iPhone there are a lot of problems they should be addressing.

everpress · January 2010

Jstas wrote: »

Well I don't see much use for tablet PC's at a consumer level.

Apple, like everything they've produced the past decade, will create need.
Did the world need a machine so difficult to upgrade, it was cheaper to toss than to pay the hourly wage of a certified tech (original iMac)? Do you really need to carry 20,000 songs with you all at once (iPod)?

I predict that their tablet will be slightly overpriced (which is very affordable terms for an Apple product) and probably be world-wide wireless through some really overpriced subscription program. BUT you will be able to use it as a supplement input device for your existing computer (wireless keyboard and mouse) as well as an alternative device for communication (giant iPhone).

The bells and whistles will make it seem revolutionary and Apple will sell a device that costs $100 to manufacture for $950. And a million will sell in a year.

bobman1235 · January 2010

everpress wrote: »

Do you really need to carry 20,000 songs with you all at once (iPod)?

You don't NEED any of the crap you have, they're luxury items and should be treated as such. If we're talking about NEED than stick to food and shelter and stop your whining.

The bells and whistles will make it seem revolutionary and Apple will sell a device that costs $100 to manufacture for $950. And a million will sell in a year.

I love the moral indignation people show when a company tries to amke a profit :rolleyes: And I doubt the tablet will cost "$100 to manufacture." Someone put together the cost of the iPhone pretty recently and it was still up around 200 bucks just for parts. Throw in R&D, packaging, storefronts, employees, advertising and marketing, support infrastructure, and sure they make a healthy profit but isn't that the whole goddamn point of making the thing in the first place? How much innovation would there be if everything just sold at cost?

AsSiMiLaTeD · January 2010

I'm glad to see you finally decided to jailbreak your phone Bob, it opens up some very critical functionalilty that really should have been there in the first place.

everpress · January 2010

bobman1235 wrote: »

You don't NEED any of the crap you have, they're luxury items and should be treated as such. If we're talking about NEED than stick to food and shelter and stop your whining.

I love the moral indignation people show when a company tries to amke a profit :rolleyes: And I doubt the tablet will cost "$100 to manufacture." Someone put together the cost of the iPhone pretty recently and it was still up around 200 bucks just for parts. Throw in R&D, packaging, storefronts, employees, advertising and marketing, support infrastructure, and sure they make a healthy profit but isn't that the whole goddamn point of making the thing in the first place? How much innovation would there be if everything just sold at cost?

Not whining. Not at all. I'm saying (as someone that loves marketing and advertising so much I work in the industry) that Apple creates 'need' and desire. The products aren't revolutionary besides the ease of use to part people and their money.
Everything about them is 'product'. Have you ever visited an Apple Store? It's amazing when one is 'rumored' to open in an area. But walk through and you'll notice no lines at the register. People are buying, trust me... But you'll see many transactions are done by the person helping customers; they run your credit card right there and out the store with you. They make it easy to drop coin for a new product.

As far as the cost of the iPhone, you only get it for $200 with a two year deal, which AT&T subsidizes the costs. Buy one unlocked ($799) and you'll see that $174 is chump change. Also, Apple didn't invent or manufacture any technology, just uses existing tech in new and different ways. I'm sure that their R&D is cheaper than their marketing.

I love when a company can do their job so well; I'm not complaining at all.

bobman1235 · January 2010

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I'm glad to see you finally decided to jailbreak your phone Bob, it opens up some very critical functionalilty that really should have been there in the first place.

Yes! It's amazing. When my phone was broken I was relying heavily on Google Voice, whihc is what prompted me to jailbreak when I fixed my phone. After that I kicked myself because of how easy it was and how many awesome things I discovered in the jailbreak world.

My most recent discovery is a program called "Overboard" that gives you a simple view of all the pages of your Springboard so you can jump directly to any page. With 8 pages of apps, this is hugely helpful, and is totally something Apple could and should have done themselves.

Not to mention SBSettings, Winterboard, the LockInfo lock screen app... just awesome.

Demiurge · January 2010

bobman1235 wrote: »

Apple, and more to the point their "fans", tend to overstate the "quality" a bit, which is why I think peopel get so "angry" about it. A lot of people treat Apple as if they're infallible, to the point where they won't even acknowledge the faults when they come up. I think this puts Apple in a position where they feel they don't have to fix those faults.

As an iPhone owner, I see a lot of this; the iPhone is a great device, but it has MAJOR problems, that I have gotten around by jailbreaking but given the amount of money Apple has made off of the iPhone there are a lot of problems they should be addressing.

The bitching about Apple computers (which is I thought what we were talking about) has been going on long before the advent of the iPhone or the iPod. I can't speak to the quality of the iPhone as I don't have one, which is also why I won't sit here and bash it or say it's great. The device seems to be overkill, but then again I think that of most phones on the market today as I don't text or have to be "connected" 24/7. I've had my iPod for about 4 years with no issues and I use it almost every day. I'd have to say that's a great product....but I digress.

We have people who have never even used a particular product claiming they hate it. That, to me, is hilarious.

If it isn't for you, don't buy it. In the same breath, if you have it and love it...don't be surprised if nobody wants to hear your constant praises of it or how the competition sucks.

I liked it a lot more when being a fanboy was pretty much restricted to cars. Now it's from gaming platforms to phones. If only these tools realized that competition is a good thing and hunkering down on a the **** of a brand name is retarded. I like my Polk speakers, but does that mean I shouldn't ever try something else?

Fongolio · January 2010

I want one of these:

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