The 10 most disappointing gadgets of 2012

We’ve looked at the best gadgets of the year that was: now it’s time to look at the most disappointing ones. Read on for our list of the gear we’re most bitter about from the last twelve months. Do you agree? Now it’s worth pointing out that these aren’t necessarily the worst gadgets of 2012. They’re just the ones that didn’t live up to their potential. Without further ado, here’s our list of biggest offenders: Amazon Kindle Fire HD It took Amazon more than a year to bring one of its Kindle tablets to the UK, and when it finally did, it was too late. The similarly priced and sized, faster Google Nexus 7 from Asus was already on sale, with more apps and absolutely no adverts getting up in your grill. If you’re going to tweak Android, Amazon, at least make it better than what Google has to offer to start with. Sony PS Vita Sony’s hoping for a long tail success with its turbo-charged gaming handheld, in the same way the Nintendo 3DS is now enjoying. But right now, it’s just lacking the top notch games to tempt us – threatening to lock it into a terrible death spiral of no customers – no games – no customers. Nokia Lumia 900 Nokia was supposed to blow the doors off with this monster-sized Windows Phone, but the poor screen and lack of apps meant it just couldn’t compete against the Samsung Galaxy S3 which arrived at the same time. To cap things off, it went on sale just a few months before Windows Phone 8 was announced – and it’ll never, ever taste it because an update isn’t possible. PS3 Super Slim Even after a few months of use, we still don’t see the point of the new look 500GB Sony PS3. It’s not really any quieter, it’s barely any smaller, and the lack of slot-loading tray for discs is just plain fiddly. Why bother? Luckily, the 12GB version now brings the Sony PS3 under £150 for the first time ever, making it a much more tempting offer if you can cope without the storage space. Nintendo Wii Mini At least the new PS3 super slim doesn’t strip any features out from Sony’s current PlayStation. The Nintendo Wii Mini does: inexplicably, it lacks Wi-FI and internet of any form. That means no multiplayer Mario Kart, no Netflix movie streaming, no software updates, and no Virtual Console for retro gaming. Way to cripple the world’s most popular console, Nintendo. Thankfully, it’s only on sale in Canada for the moment. iPod nano 7G Don’t get us wrong. As a gym accessory, the new iPod nano is cheap, beautiful and easy to use device, and it’s nice to have the option to watch video on it once more with the seventh generation model. But as we said in our review, Apple could do so much more with the iPod nano. Why doesn’t it have Wi-Fi? Why doesn’t it connect to your iPhone? Why doesn’t it read your emails to you? With iPhone sales on the up, and iPod sales on the down, it feels like a missed opportunity, and more of the same. Orange San Diego The chances are, the computer you own is powered by an Intel processor. But the silicon giant’s been a non-player in the smartphone explosion. The Android-powered Orange San Diego was supposed to prove that it could play with the big boys of mobile hardware, but with a weird screen resolution and out of date OS, it was as tepid an entry as they come. Luckily, the Intel-powered Motorola RAZR i that followed was much more promising. BlackBerry Curve 9320 What’s this? Another low end BlackBerry with the same software and design of the three year old Curve 8520? Yawn. Microsoft Surface It looked gorgeous in press pictures and promised to be a true iPad killer. But the Microsoft Surface is deceptively large, thick and long, and Windows RT is more than a tad confusing: why is there even a desktop mode on it at all when you can only use it for Office? It’s just weird. Here’s hoping Microsoft can fix things for a follow up as it still has lots of potential – not to mention an amazing keyboard cover. iOS 6 The new version of Apple’s software for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is unquestionably the most poorly received of any update in iOS history. Sure, it’s still bleeding fast, and Siri is smarter than ever. But Apple Maps remains a disaster – it’s shouldn’t come as a surprise that iOS software boss Scott Forstall and the man in charge of the Google Maps replacement was pushed out of Apple just a few months after the release and bad headlines. And in the meantime, Google has raced ahead with Android “Jelly Bean” – only Jony Ive can fix things for Cupertino. What were your most disappointing gadgets of 2012? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below! www.tell-me-first.com

Apple iPhone 5: hottest rumour roundup

 

As the release of the iPhone 5 surely draws closer, the already sizzling rumours continue to hot up. Everyone wants to know about the next iPhone, but what do we really know of Apple’s next smartphone? The answer lies somewhere here, in our roundup of the hottest Apple iPhone 5 rumours.

From what colours will be available at launch, to the size of the memory cards rumored to be injecting the iPhone 5 with more memory than an elephant, here’s a bitesize chunk of the hottest iPhone 5 rumours.

The iPhone 5 will have a larger screen

That the iPhone 5 will have a larger screen than the current iPhone looks dead cert, but how big will it be? The most consistent rumours indicate a 4-inch Retina Display. That’s half an inch larger than the current models, but still nearly smaller than say, the Samsung Galaxy S3’s 4.8-inch display. Will that be big enough? 

iPhone 5 blueprint reveals larger display

A white iPhone 5 could be ready at launch

Earlier this week a photo appeared online of what could be the final case design for a white iPhone 5. From the looks of things, the iPhone 5 will have a 16:9, 4-inch display, and a slightly tweaked camera position, centred, rather than to the left of the earpiece. But the big news is that a white iPhone 5 may exist, suggesting that one might actually be available at launch. Apple customers have in the past had to wait for months for a white iPhone 4. A white iPhone 5 would race off the shelves quicker than you can say FaceTime. 


Apple’s thinnest ever screen

The iPhone 5 is reported to feature a new type of LCD screen with built-in touch sensors, saving on space for better components inside, and bringing the weight of the iPhone 5 down. The payoff is a larger, but thinner iPhone. 

It will have a two-tone design

A two-tone look will be the biggest design overhaul to the iPhone range since the iPhone 4. Alleged photos of the device have shown the back panel of the phone in black and white, and silver aluminium and white using a combination of metal and glass. The iPhone 5 could be the most striking looking iPhone yet.

Groundbreaking camera focus technology

A rumour back in January suggested that one of the biggest upgrades to the iPhone 5 will be in its camera. Apple has been rumoured to be working with camera technology specialist Lytro to develop cameras that that lets users focus after a shot is taken. The payoff would be great pictures, no matter how fast moving the subject. 


iPhone 5 camera to pack groundbreaking camera tech

The iPhone 5 will use nano-Sims 
 With nano-sims, Sim cards are about to get smaller, and the iPhone will be among the first devices to feature the smallest sim ever sim cards, freeing up more room in its innards, presumably for all the amazing tech rumoured to feature inside the iPhone 5. 
 It’s coming this year

As the rumour mill goes into overdrive and pictures begin leaking online, a 2012 iPhone 5 release looks increasingly likely. Reports from China suggest that the iPhone 5 is already being put into production to make way for a release in the coming months. Will you be waiting in line for an iPhone 5?

iPhone 5

Heard any more iPhone 5 rumours? Then share the gossip with us

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iPhone 5 and iPad mini prototypes leaked

 

What could be the first sighting of both the iPhone 5 and iPad mini have appeared online, providing a first look at what appears to be a larger 4-inch iPhone, and a smaller, thinner iPad with a few design tweaks around the edges and an extra speaker for a better-sounding iPad.

While this isn’t the first time such a rumour has appeared online, it is reported (via gottabebemobile) that the photos of the new iPhone and iPad mini come from a trusted source from within the Apple supply chain.

Starting with the supposed iPhone 5, it appears that, true to rumours, the new iPhone will measure 4-inches, adding an extra half an inch to the current iPhone 4S model. The larger screen will be seen as an essential addition, in a market where smartphone screens are getting bigger.

Its main competitor the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4.8-inch screen by comparison.The engineering sample seen in photos reveals little else, but it does confirm that the camera will remain in the same place, in the top left hand corner of the device.

The iPad Mini sample reveals an orange model, that when placed on top of an existing iPad model, is clearly smaller. It also looks like Apple will as reported be using a smaller dock connector to charge the device.

A 7-inch model has been rumoured. The latest spied photos seem to indicate these rumours are true. The iPad mini will also be thinner, and have two speakers, instead of one.

The iPad mini is especially intriguing since it will be going up against the Google Nexus 7 – another 7-inch tablet with some decent specs, and pricing starting from just £160, rising to £199.

With tablets such as the nexus 7 around, pricing of the iPad mini will be more important than ever in a market where competitors are constantly trying to bite away at Apple. How much would you pay for an iPad mini?

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