THIS has been another great year where much-anticipated products came into the market and a few others that surprised consumers with themes such as touch-screen and better mobility. Tech&U lists the top 10 innovations that made the year’s headlines.

iPhone

HP TouchSmart IQ528d

1 iPhone

Apple made headlines this year when it introduced the iPhone locally in March to overwhelming response. Malaysians were lucky as the first iPhone made available here was the 3G version and now, the enhanced 3GS version.
The iPhone 3GS has more features than its predecessor. Two key features are video camera and support for multimedia messaging service.
This model is supported by the new iPhone OS 3.0, which comes with more than 100 new features such as cut, copy and paste, Spotlight Search and landscape keyboard.
And its 3.5-inch display makes it a breeze to browse and view content such as music, movies, TV shows and pictures.
That’s not all. The iPhone 3GS is twice as fast as the 3G model.

2 Windows 7

Microsoft’s Windows 7 hogged the headlines early this year, although the launch only took place in the fourth quarter. It features three major enhancements.
First, the computer now can be fired up in just 15 seconds.
Second, processes that seem insignificant have been improved to make everyday computing easier.
And third, it allows for new possibilities with dozens of new features such as multi-touch and Snap and Shake. It even has improved accessibility features for the visually impaired.

3 BlackBerry

Besides the iPhone, Research In Motion (RIM)’s BlackBerry smartphone played a part in making the mobile telecommunications industry more exciting. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 through Celcom, for instance, targets the youth market with its slim and sleek design.
It also offers easy access to e-mail, social networking and instant messaging services, and comes with popular instant messaging applications such as Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ.
Besides that, it supports up to 10 e-mail accounts, including Yahoo!, Windows Live Hotmail, AOL and Gmail.
Users can even deploy corporate e-mail with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which comes with advanced security and IT administration features.

4 Netbook

Since its local debut last year, the netbook has become one of the most popular devices in history. Its small size, light weight and Wi-Fi capability have made it a must-have for mobile executives and students.
The new-generation netbook no longer banks on size, but rather, on how long it can last. The Asus 1101HA and 1005HA are arguably the most energy-efficient from the famous Eee PC line yet. Using Asus-engineered Super Hybrid Engine, LED-backlit display and Intel Atom processor, these new models can run all day long – more than
10 hours on a single charge.

5 Touch-screen PC

Touch-screen gadgets dominated the industry since the arrival of the iPhone. But this feature is not just limited to handheld devices, but desktop computers as well.
The HP TouchSmart IQ528d is quite a performer in the desktop touch-screen space. It is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 chip, with performance boost from a 22-inch widescreen. As a one-touch entertainment centre, it comes with a built-in Webcam, microphone, speakers and a slot-load SuperMulti DVD burner. It also features an over-the-air DVB-T digital television receiver with personal video recorder, five USB 2.0 ports and an IEEE 1394 port.
Besides that, it is clutter-free with a single power cord, wireless keyboard, mouse, WLAN and an HP Media Center Remote Control.

6 WiMax

The broadband wars in the local market intensified as Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd beefed up its WiMax packages with the memorable Potong ads. The company offers businesses and home users various packages starting from just RM49.

7 Slim dSLR

It looks like a compact but functions like a digital single-lens reflex (dSLR). Could this be the future of dSLR?
The Olympus E-P1 is the world’s smallest 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens system camera, yet it has the flexibility to give you a professional experience with ease. A still photo, video and audio recorder in one package, the model takes impressive photos, inventive slide shows and remarkable videos for personal use or posting on social networking sites.

8 Smartphone

Big is definitely “in” in today’s smart handheld market, and HTC shows that through its latest smartphone, the HTC HD2. With a 4.3-inch touch-screen, it is currently the record holder in screen size in the smart handheld arena.
It even packs in one of the fastest smart handheld processors around – the Snapdragon one-gigahertz chip by
Qualcomm. The raw power of the Snapdragon makes this Windows 6.5-based device ideal for just about anything – from accessing number-crunching business applications and graphics-intensive software, to power-hungry video gaming and Internet activities.
For users who love anything touch-screen, the HD2 uses the first capacitive touch display, which makes viewing, zooming and resizing Web sites, Office files, PDF documents and pictures easier with just a pinch of their finger. With the larger display, users can have faster and more accurate typing using the soft keyboard.
9 Digital photo frame
Sony Malaysia has unveiled the industry’s first two-in-one digital photo frame, the S-Frame DPP-F700. Capable of storing up to 2,000 pictures, it allows users to print 4R-sized pictures that they see on the screen at once.
Integrating TruFast technology, the printouts from the digital photo frame are resistant to fingerprints, water and even discolouration when exposed to light. Users also can personalise their photos with more than 30 calendar and layout designs.
The DPP-F700 does not just accept Memory Sticks, but also other cards such as Memory Stick Duo, SD, SD High Capacity, CompactFlash and xD card.

10 Cinemascope TV

Philips seems ahead of competitors Sony, LG and Samsung in the lucrative LCD market with the introduction of the first cinema-proportion LCD TV in July. The model is also termed “cinemascope” because it offers a cinematic viewing experience, taking away the visibility of black bars normally seen on regular LCD TVs.
The Cinema 21:9 displays movies in 21:9 aspect ratio on its 56-inch full high-definition screen, allowing users to watch movies as they would in the cinema, or as the movie director intended the movie to be.



Consumer ICT favourites

Rozana Sani talks to IT market research and consulting company IDC Malaysia to find out what it thinks are the top five consumer ICT options in the country this year.

1 Wireless broadband

With the increase in the number of broadband service providers, IDC says wireless broadband providers have been revamping their monthly contract price plans to woo new subscribers. Mobile and WiMax service providers also have introduced prepaid broadband plans, allowing subscribers to use the service on an hourly, daily or weekly basis.
IDC’s associate analyst, telecommunications research Chua Fong Yang expects wireless broadband to continue its strong growth next year, and demand for the technology will be driven by tertiary students, sales representatives and new residential townships.

2 iPhone/BlackBerry

IDC believes that Apple and RIM have been the year’s most disruptive mobile phone vendors in Malaysia with the introduction of the iPhone and consumer-focus BlackBerry devices. The aggressive marketing and promotional activities from both vendors have caused consumers to demand touch-screen or Qwerty keypad features on their next mobile device purchase.
To defend their market share, IDC says, other mobile phone vendors also have introduced various touch-screen and Qwerty keypad mobile devices to the market.

3 Netbook

Throughout much of the year, the economy showed few signs of imminent recovery. Consumer and business sentiments were low and put downward pressure on the overall demand for PCs. But the mini-notebook market was an exception, where shipments were boosted by the prudent nature of consumers who still wanted to own a PC.
As of the third quarter, mini-notebooks maintained a steady growth and accounted for
13.8 per cent of total notebook sales in Malaysia.

4 Blogging/Facebook

Web 2.0 has gained momentum in Malaysia. The most notable Web 2.0 applications revolved around blogging and social networks.
Social network services such as Facebook, Twitter and Friendster started off as “fun” applications that helped people keep in touch with each other, but 2009 brought about a change in that trend. As these applications and their users mature, Malaysia is increasingly seeing a rise in the commercial viability of such applications, says IDC’s market analyst, peripherals research Quah Sae Soon.
As state-of-the-art gadgets such as smartphones and netbooks continue to capture the imagination of consumers around the globe, Web 2.0 also have evolved from being just a luxury.

5 Photo printing

The hardcopy peripherals vendors once hailed the growth of the digital camera as a new avenue for producing incremental print opportunities. But this year, it seemed that the majority of end users do not print at home, mainly because of the cost of printing. As a result, this group of end users has switched to cheaper alternatives – printing at booth/shops of third-party service providers, observes IDC’s associate analyst, peripherals research Chang Li-Shian.
There also has been a rise in interest in photography by a niche group of users, particularly the younger generation comprising hobbyists. The quality of the prints would be of main concern by this group of users, indirectly encouraging the
growth of the large-format printing segment.
The photography sector grew by 44 per cent sequentially in the third quarter.