The top 10 gadgets of 2013
(First of two parts)
MANILA, Philippines - The year 2013 delivered on all its promises of drool-worthy gadgets. And then some. We have got drop-dead gorgeous smartphones, phablets, and tablets — and we have also got a couple of titans in the gaming sector. Toward the end of this year, we even had peeks of smart watches, curved phones, and curved smart LED TVs — but they have yet to really penetrate the mainstream. Perhaps next year.
In the meantime, feast your eyes on the Top 10 Gadgets of 2013. Here they are in no particular order:
Samsung Galaxy S4/Note 3
There is no way a Top 10 Gadgets of the Year list can be complete without these two all-conquering devices from Samsung. The Galaxy S4 is the anti-iPhone that every other superphone wants to be. It checks all the right boxes and effortlessly delivers on all its promises. It is simply a darn good phone. And not only that, Samsung even saw fit to make it a three-pronged attack with the S4 Zoom and the S4 Active — two Galaxy S4 variants that target specific smartphone niches.
The Galaxy Note 3, on the other hand, is the super-phablet that takes over where the much loved Galaxy Note II left off. Sporting an upscale and handsome “plastic leather†case with faux metallic bezel, the Note 3 further improves the Note’s stylus- and multi-tasking-oriented functionality and adds a navigation wheel for its pen-enabled apps. No surprise that the Galaxy Note 3 sold five million units in its first month and breached the 10-million sales mark in only its second month on the market.
Apple iPhone 5s/5c
Every time Apple launches a new phone, the whole world sits up and listens. The iPhone 5s and 5c — even if they lack the innovative genius of their predecessors — are no exception. The 5s is the smarter of the two new 5’s — boasting a smart Touch ID fingerprint processor, a better camera, as well as a fast and powerful 64-bit processor. Both phones add color to iPhone users’ lives: the 5s comes in gold, silver and gray while the lower priced 5c comes in a rainbow of polycarbonate colors.
Sony PS4
Sony is on a global renaissance. And its latest products are a testament to this. One such product is the much-anticipated PlayStation 4 or PS4. It’s one pricey machine — but like most pricey machines, it gives you maximum bang for the buck. It takes gaming immersiveness to a whole new ballgame, thanks to unprecedented levels of connectivity: the PS4 lets you play from the cloud, over PlayStation App (using smartphones and tablets), and with the PlayStation Vita handheld console. And yes, it’s pure eye candy.
Xbox One
It’s no coincidence that the titans of gaming consoles launch their respective products mere months — or even weeks — apart. Such is the competition between the two giants — Nintendo seems to have lost its way after its pioneering gesture-controlled Wii console — that gamers and game developers alike await the launches with bated breath. Interestingly, the Xbox One seems to target its predecessor more than its Japanese rival. It’s now a multi-tasking maven, with no less than eight x86 cores and two independent operating systems for smoother graphics and the ability to play games while tweaking settings or messing around with other apps at the same time.
Nokia Lumia 1020
Nokia may have lost its smartphone mojo since it went all Microsoft on us, but it does not mean it’s not churning out state-of-the-smartphone-art hardware. The Lumia 1020 is the not-so-Finnish company’s flagship phone for 2013 and, while offering the best Windows Phone operating system yet, raises the bar in camera phone technology. For one thing it’s got a whopping 41-megapixel camera. Add to that a high-resolution f2.2 Car Zeiss lens and you have got a snapper that could shame many point-and-shooters out there.
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