1. iPhone 3GMany have tried to imitate the Apple iPhone – the Samsung Omnia, Pixon and Tocco, the LG Viewty and Renoir, the Blackberry Storm and the Sony Xperia X1. Others, like the Chinese Meizu M8, have simply tried to rip it off. Ignoring the iPhone's crude 2MP camera, Apple's elegant touchscreen handset still remains the smartest mobile phone around. 2008 saw Apple bring its iPod-phone bang up to date with 3G connectivity and GPS. It also opened the iTunes App Store for business, transforming the iPhone into a handheld games machine and, ultimately, a versatile mobile computer.
2. T-Mobile G1Imagine if the Apple iPhone didn't exist... We'd be raving (much more so) about the potential of the HTC-built T-Mobile G1. True, its Android operating system might be a little rough around the edges. The G1 has been plagued with usability problems, hardware crashes and patchy application support. These teething troubles aside, the G1 is a milestone in mobile phone development. As the value of smartphones shifts from hardware to software, the flexibility and the open source nature of the Android OS should work to its advantage.
3. Intel Core i7As Nvidia's David Luebke has suggested, computers aren't just getting faster
these days. With the move to multi-core they're getting "wider". The new Core i7 processors we reviewed this year are based on Intel's 45nm Nehalem microarchitecture. These quad-core chips not only feature a new integrated memory controller, but they resurrect Intel's HyperThreading technology. Consequently, each of the four cores can process two threads simultaneously, giving you the equivalent of eight logical processors. And this is just an entry-level Nehalem product. Expect Intel to scale the Core i7 line to incorporate eight and 16 processors in the future. 4. Sony XEL-1Would you buy an 11-inch TV for £1,300? The Sony XEL-1 is guaranteed to separate the geeks from the early adopters. As the world's first commercially-available OLED television, it's certainly got pulling power. The XEL-1 is ultra-thin (the screen is barely 3mm thick) and beautifully designed (note the chrome). And in technical terms, the OLED display smugly waves a (cough) 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio in the faces of LCD and plasma. One day, all TVs will be made this way. Until then, your £1,300 would be better spent on a nice 46-inch Samsung LE46A786.
5. Windows 7In 2008 we got our first glimpse of Windows Vista 2 – Windows 7. Microsoft-watchers suggest that a late-2009 release could be on the cards, which means that the bullet headed Steve Ballmer will use CES to trumpet Windows 7's good points – backwards compatibility, improved boot performance, multi-touch and DirectX 11. It's worrying times for Microsoft. Apple and Linux have chipped away at the dominance of the Windows platform and rumours of a 'Google OS' refuse to shut up and die. Microsoft needs a big win in 2009.
6. Google ChromeSince its launch in September, Google's Chrome web browser is still a little rough around the edges. It doesn't handle RSS very well and there are only a few third-party add-ons or plugins. But compared to IE7 and Firefox, Google Chrome is fast, simple, effortlessly usable and very forgiving. Google's minimalist design ethic means that there's no cluttered menu strip, while a multi-purpose 'Omnibar' is used for Google searches and typing in web URLs.
7. Nintendo Wii FitGive Nintendo a round of applause. Who else could take a £70 'fitness game' and turn it into one of the most popular products of 2008? According to recent ELSPA figures, Wii Fit has sold in excess of 1 million units in the UK this year. Worldwide, Nintendo has shifted around 9 million Balance Boards. The numbers validate Nintendo's decision to sit out the HD gaming war and aim its console at the so-called 'casual' gamer. Chances of finding a Wii Fit this year and paying £70 for it? Slim to absolutely none.
7. Nintendo Wii FitGive Nintendo a round of applause. Who else could take a £70 'fitness game' and turn it into one of the most popular products of 2008? According to recent ELSPA figures, Wii Fit has sold in excess of 1 million units in the UK this year. Worldwide, Nintendo has shifted around 9 million Balance Boards. The numbers validate Nintendo's decision to sit out the HD gaming war and aim its console at the so-called 'casual' gamer. Chances of finding a Wii Fit this year and paying £70 for it? Slim to absolutely none.
8. FreesatAccording to Ofcom, the UK is "one of the most digitally advanced nations in the world". Consider the range of digital TV choices on offer – Freeview, IPTV, Internet catch-up TV (iPlayer, Sky Player, ITV Player, 4OD), Sky, Virgin Media and, most recently, Freesat. Crucially, FreeSat is more than just 'Freeview from space'. Unlike Freeview, Freesat is readily available to 98 per cent of the UK. And it has enough bandwidth to carry subscription-free high-definition channels from the BBC and ITV.
9. MSI WindWhile the Asus Eee sparked the netbook craze, the diminutive laptop has arguably been bettered by rival models – the Acer Aspire One, for example, and the MSI Wind. Earlier this year, our gaze was drawn to the MSI Wind 100, the first netbook to feature Intel's N270 Atom processor. And while websites like us have been chattering about the potential of Linux on these micro-portables, the real winner this year has been Windows XP's netbook-friendliness. Yet another embarrassment for Windows Vista.
10. Virgin 50Mbps broadbandBack in 1988, CIX was the UK's leading ISP and people could log onto the fledgeling 'World Wide Web' at a heady 2.4Kbps. 20 years on, Virgin has broken the speed barrier for residential net-access with its new 50Mbps service. What's interesting here isn't just the ability to download a Leona Lewis album in 11 seconds flat. No, Virgin's fibre optic technology throws the gauntlet down to BT, which is beavering away on its own 21st Century Network (21CN). Faster broadband for all by 2012? It's a distinct possibility.
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