2011 has been great for tech products, devices and apps. #IFWT has put together some of the best of 2011 after the jump. Is there something you think which could have made the list??
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iPhone 4S
Even though we were all looking forward to an iPhone 5 the iPhone 4S was a great improvement to the iPhone 4. Faster processor with the A5 chip, better camera and of course Siri the iPhone 4S has set a new plateau for smartphones.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Until Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich arrived on the scene, Google’s ubiquitous smartphone interface suffered from a fractured, scatterbrained implementation across many devices from many manufacturers. With ICS, Google wants to unify the smartphone and tablet form factors, so that Android looks like Android on any screen size. ICS has yet to appear on many devices, but when it does, we’ll be thrilled. For now, know that ICS includes such novelties as the capability to unlock by looking at your face.
iPad 2
New design, front and back facing cameras and improved processer with the A5 chip the iPad 2 kept Apple with the King of Tablets crown. Rumors have been emerging about the iPad 3, what do you expect in the new device next year??
Kindle Fire
Amazon has been a strong force entering the tablet game in 2011 with hopes of knocking the iPad 2 from its top slot. The Android based device has been moving units with the base price of $199 how could you lose?? The Kindle Fire is not going anywhere anytime soon so expect to hear the name in 2012.
Kindle
We debated whether to include yet another Kindle in this coveted list of winners. But here’s the thing about the ad-supported $79 Kindle: black-and-white though this entry-level e-reader may be, the Kindle wins by dint of its rock-bottom price and the fact that its subtle ads–mostly in the form of Amazon deals–are so targeted they’re actually useful in and of themselves. Yep. There, we said it: we actually like these ads.
Macbook Air
The second generation of Apple’s MacBook Air fixes many of our gripes about the ambitious original MacBook Air, adding more USB ports, an SD card slot, and a more powerful processor. Now, the Air stands to define an entire generation of so-called ultrabooks. These superthin laptops have no hard drive, start up instantly, and–short of a touch screen–do much of what a tablet can’t thanks to their built-in keyboard. It turns out, the world still needs keyboards.
Roku
I copped one of these for my mother this holiday season and I was very satisfied with this purchase. No sense to buy my mother a Xbox 360 to stream Netflix like me but on top of Netflix Roku can stream HBO GO, Hulu and Crackle just to name a few. Small in size and price the Roku player is a simple alternative for streaming television.
Nest Learning Thermostat
Yep. That’s right. It’s a thermostat. But if there’s ever going to be a thermostat for the ages, the Nest Learning Thermostat–just released this fall and already selling out–will be it. This connected hockey puck of a thermostat looks beautiful and lets you program by simply turning the body of the device, or by operating it from your smartphone. A motion sensor lets the thermostat “see” when people are usually in a room, and its artificial intelligence improves home efficiency automatically. Wow.
Motorola Droid Razar
Remember the original Motorola Razr? If you were born before the turn of the millennium, there’s no way you could forget it. In a feat of marketing brilliance, Motorola revived the Razr this year in a completely new–but equally satisfying–design. The Motorola Droid Razr combines the winning Google Android operating system with a broad-screened, razor-thin (yes, we said it) design that has us over the moon. Plus, the back of the phone is make of Kevlar. Kevlar!
Spotify
The list of music services competing for your online listening pleasure is long: iTunes, Pandora, Slacker, Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio, Napster, Amazon Cloud Player, Google Music, on and on, each appealing in some way. And yet European import Spotify still stood out in its U.S. launch in July. You get free on-demand access to 15 million tracks. Pay $4.99 a month, and you can listen to that stuff ad-free. Splurge for $9.99 a month — still a bargain for music lovers — and you can listen on your mobile phone, listen offline and stream at a higher quality. Spotify boasts Facebook integration, easy-to-discover music and the ability to share playlists. Spotify is adding apps, including a Pandora-like radio service and an app that supplies lyrics.
