11 January 2013

Gadgets I am looking forward to buy in 2013

Here are a few gadgets I am looking forward to buy in near future:

Leap Motion Controller (https://leapmotion.com/): The reason why I want this device is because I am lazy, I don't want to get up from my bed to skip the current song or to play the next episode of a TV series. Plus it doesn't cost much. Right now its open for pre-orders just for $70. I wish Leap Motion will come up with a wireless version soon, may be a Bluetooth based. Check out this really cool video:


Raspberry Pi (http://www.raspberrypi.org/): Raspberry Pi created a lot of buzz last year. People are doing lots of experiments with it e.g. creating a media server, for tiny http server, home automation, NAS and lots more. You can check out the site to watch some crazy stuff people have managed to do with this thing. It interests me because of its low power consumption and it can run Linux. My primary use of it is going to be as a bluetooth audio receiver. I am just waiting my order to arrive.


Pebble Watch (http://getpebble.com/): I liked Casio watches and always wanted a Protrek model which comes with a thermometer, a barometer, an altimeter and a compass. But then realized none of these features were any use to me so never bought one. Since last couple of years a few companies have showed a lot of interest in making a smart watch. The main problem with these watches was their battery life, you need to recharge these watches as frequently as your phone, probably once in a day. Pebble is simple and has a black-white screen (E-Paper Screen) and that's probably the reason behind its 7 day battery life. Pebble also has an SDK for building new apps. The whole idea looks great, now lets see how things go from here. I pre-ordered mine today, now waiting for the shipment date. Check out the video from CES 2013:



Belkin AirCast Connect (http://www.belkin.com/in/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=546314): This is not a new gadget, but its a must have one for the people who don't have a built in Bluetooth functionality in their cars. That's all I have to say, check out the video of this thing in action:


A Graphics Card: My last graphics card died just after the warranty period expiration. It was an ATI 4870. This is going to be a big investment because I'll also have to buy a new power supply. Nowadays higher end cards need around 600+ watts. I have yet to decide the manufacturer, but I am leaning towards nVidia because I can get a 5 Year warranty from Zotac. I am still not over with Skyrim and other games are queued up already e.g. far cry 3, COD, Walking Dead, Amnesia, NFS and many more. A still from Far Cry 3:


A Smartphone: I was desperately waiting for Nexus 4, but it kinda disappointed me. I have a Nexus One which runs the ages old version of Android (Cyanogenmod 7.2), I like its uni-body design which feels good. Galaxy Nexus it way too plasticy and its camera sucks!! Nexus 4 looks somewhat similar to Galaxy Nexus and also its always out of stock. I was hoping for a full HD screen from the next Nexus device plus some great design like the HTC phones have and the battery life of Motorola Droid HD Max. I already have a Nexus 7 tab for the latest Android experience, now I am just waiting for an amazing phone from Google + Motorola. If next Nexus phone takes a lot of time I may drift towards a Windows 8 Phone, Lumia 920 is so tempting right now, except a full HD screen it has got almost everything I need in a smartphone.