Best Tech Gadgets for 2011 - Apples, Androids, Kindle Fires & More
We're living in a digital age, and many Australians want to keep up with the latest tech gadgets. Check out the best tech products for 2011 according to IB Times Australia, so that you can get ahead in 2012. What made it on the list?
The International Business Times recently published their annual list of the top tech products for the previous year. It will come as no surprise to many that the Apple iPhone 4s made it on this list, along with a group of other exciting and popular tech toys like the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Apple's iPhone 4s
According to the IB Times, the launch of the iPhone 4s came as a shock to many people who were anticipating that Apple would instead be releasing the iPhone 5. While the iPhone 4s was a disappointment to some, many others embraced it due to features like Siri, the AI voice recognition software which debuted in the 4s. Siri is designed to mimic a personal assistant for the iPhone user, allowing the user to send messages, place calls, arrange their schedule and more using voice commands.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus
Another cool device that made the IB Times list is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. This phone was rated as one of the top tech products of 2011 for two major reasons. First of all, the phone is the first to run on Android 4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich), along with its phone specs and wide array of features. These include a 4.65 inch screen with high resolution, 1 GB of RAM, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, and 16 GB internal storage.
This phone is also the first Android OS phone to offer near field communication (NFC) functionality. NFC is a secure wireless system that is designed to operate at short ranges. It enables devices to communicate with one another when the phones are within a few millimetres.
Android 4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich)
An additional technology which ranked on the IB Times list is the Android 4.0 OS, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). This is the latest version of the Android OS which is designed to be used in a number of different devices, including tablets, smartphones and more. One of the most exciting changes which Google implemented in Android 4.0 is the new interface which allows it to work without buttons.
It also features re-sizable widgets, improved lock screen options, home screen folders, a revamped gallery app, a photo editor, quick call response, more camera functionality and other upgrades. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was the first phone to hit the market with Android 4.0, but it is likely that other Android devices will soon update to Android 4.0 sometime in early 2012 as well.
Amazon Kindle Fire
The Amazon Kindle Fire also made the list for 2011, with editors at IB Times rating it one of the best new tablets of the year. This 7 inch tablet is designed to primarily function as an e reader, but it also supports plenty of other features. It weighs just 414 g, but is powered by a 1 Ghz dual core processor, and offers 8 GB storage space and 512 MB RAM. The Amazon Kindle Fire runs Android 2.3 OS (Gingerbread), and it is WiFi enabled. It also comes with a USB 2.0 micro-B connector.
The Amazon Kindle Fire provides free cloud storage and access to the vast Amazon medial library. Users are able to select from a wide range of movies, books, music and other media, all for a retail price of just $199. Unfortunately the Amazon Kindle Fire is currently not currently available for purchase through Amazon in Australia, but is expected to arrive sometime this year.
Buy the Apples iPhone 4s & Samsung Galaxy Nexus at TopBuy
Store Price: $635.05 [correct at time of publishing]
