Pierre Wattre has narrowed down what will be the top tech gadgets in 2013 by closely following Kickstarter campaigns, big tech conferences, and industry media events.
1. Leapmotion
You might have heard about this tech gadget, but a little reminder won’t hurt, especially as the Leapmotion project accepts pre-orders and will be available early 2013. The Leapmotion is the most sensitive gesture-controlled device existing on the market. It can detect motion at one one-hundredth of a millimeter (200 times the sensitivity of current Kinect). Leapmotion has shipped hundreds of units to independent developers in September 2012, for them to create applications that will work with the device. Price: $69,99
2. Xbox 3
There are many gossips surrounding Microsoft’s next Xbox console, and thanks to a supposedly leaked document, a few can be considered as facts. The Xbox 720 (or Loop, Infinity, as name is not disclosed yet) would feature Blu-ray compatibility, a quad-core CPU, 8Gb of RAM, augmented reality glasses, second version of Kinect and new controller. All of that at a price of $299,99 will make it one of the hottest tech gadgets in 2013. Launch date is expected for November. You can expect official announcement will all details in February or March 2013 during Microsoft’s annual “MIX”.
3. Playstation 4
Rumors suggest that the PS4 will launch in time for Christmas 2013, but no announcement have been made yet. According to TechRadar, it would have an AMD A10 APU, between 8-18GB of RAM, 356GB of storage and Blu-ray drive. If PS3 let you play PS2 games, rumors say that the PS4 will ignore the possibility of backwards compatibility, so keep your PS3! Regarding the price, nothing is clear yet but something around $500-600 would look normal as the PS3 came to the market at a price over $600.
4. iPad 5
Tablet market is getting tougher with various competitors entering the market. This is why according to various rumors, Apple is planning the launch of the new iPad (5th generation) already in the first half of 2013. The 9.7-inch iPad would most likely be thinner and lighter thanks to two innovations: new touchscreen technology (GF DITO), already used in the new iPad mini, and according to Macworld, Apple could use one LED light bar instead of two, which would mean less power consumption and therefore smaller (and thinner) battery. An iPad mini 2 could be released before Christmas, but we will see how Apple will plan for it later in 2013.
5. Blackberry 10
Long-awaited Blackberry 10 will finally hit the market in January and it will be one of the most talked about tech gadgets in 2013. Featuring a 4.2-inch 1280×768 pixels resolution display, the phone is a massive update for RIM with a completely new OS, designed around social networking, messaging and notifications. Regarding apps, RIM says it will have 7000 applications in place for the launch in January. No word yet on price.
6. Augmented Reality Glasses
Google and Vuzix are working on models that are similar to headsets, projecting an image in front of the wearer’s eye, that will hit the market next year, with pre-orders opened for developers since 27 June 2012.
The glasses will connect to your phone via Bluetooth, displaying e-mail, texts, directions, stock quotes or anything else you need to follow on-the-go. The price? $1,500
7. Apple TV (Finally)
Since Tim Cook said in a interview in December 2012 that the TV industry was “an intense area of interest”, rumors have grown again regarding a possible Apple iTV. Most rumors predict a 2013 release date. Of course it would include Siri as main remote control, fully integrated AirPlay mirroring and FaceTime. Regarding size and price, nothing is known yet but rumors expect a price 30-50% more expensive than a comparable Smart TV.
8. Kickstarter Project: Sphericam
Sphericam is the world’s first affordable, GPS-enabled, live internet streaming, 360° video camera. Having 8 patents pending for innovative solutions in the capture and display of 360° video, Sphericam is a self-contained, battery-powered video camera that captures 4 synchronized fisheye videos which can be viewed on your computer or online as a single, seamless 360-degree movie. It also has a built-in monitor which allows you to see what you are shooting. Deliveries in Jan 2013. You have until Saturday Jan 12, 5:02am EST to support this project.
9. Kickstarter Project: Transporter
Transporter is an online, but off-cloud storage solution for privately sharing. They are coming at a time when the Cloud is exponentially growing, and services using the Cloud have seen a growth in attacks from hackers willing to access data stored online. What they offer is to share personal files or confidential documents via the Internet but without having to worry about them because they will be stored offline. Transporter wants to revolutionize social storage and unlike many Kickstarter projects, they are already in production verification with a delivery date in January 2013. You have until Friday Jan 11, 3.00am EST to support this project (and buy yourself one of the first Transporter).
10. 4G
Last but not least, as this is not one single product but a whole technology. 2013 will definitely be the year of the 4G, as most countries are finalizing the roll-out of their infrastructure plans. What does it mean for you? Faster and more reliable mobile internet – if you have the right device – especially in crowded places such as airports, concerts and city centers. However note that if 4G will be a technology used worldwide, you might not be able to use 4G on your device in every country, because of differences in frequencies used by national providers.