The 5 Most Anticipated Gadgets of 2012

2011 witnessed growing innovation in gadgetry, especially in tablets and mobile phones. Apple's iPad 2, Samsung's Galaxy S II and the 4th incarnation of the hugely popular Amazon Kindle - along with it's Kindle Fire cousin - represent a tiny proportion of the significant progression and adoption of modern technologies. 2012 looks to be as, if not more exciting than 2011, with the introduction of Intel's Ivy Bridge processor range, the Samsung Galaxy S III and Windows 8.

1.) Intel Ivy Bridge. The successor of the Sandy Bridge platform, Ivy Bridge looks to reduce power consumption by up to 37% at the same level of performance. This comes as mobile technology continues to gain in popularity, with battery life still being at the top of most people's list of complaints.

Ivy Bridge introduces Intel's overly hyped technology "Tri-Gate" transistor technology, which, simply put, makes the transistor "3D". 3D TVs, 3D phones, 3D game consoles and now 3D transistors! According to Intel, the "Tri-Gate" design reduces leakage and consumes less power, whilst maintaining similar performance. Planar or "2D" transistors have just one face in contact with the gate; now it has three, which means the electrons come into contact with the gate better. Intel hopes to release the Ivy Bridge line-up, along with the Panther Point chipset in April, following a number of delays. We can all expect to see improved battery life in mobile devices powered by these processors, and reduced power consumption in computers, with the i5 3470T boasting a TDP of just 35 watts.

2.) iPad 3. Apple achieved global success with their first iPad back in 2010, setting the standard for future tablet computers. The iPad 2 faced growing competition from the likes of Samsung, Asus and Amazon, as the market for tablets boomed in the latter half of a 2011. This growing trend for the tablet market is set to continue this year, and Apple's 3rd generation tablet should arrive this year.

What can you expect from the iPad 3? How about an 8 megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording, a dual core processor in the region of 1.5 GHz, 1.5GB of RAM. Software-wise, the upcoming iPad will sport iOS 5, and Siri is also likely to make an appearance.

3.) Nintendo Wii U. The unimaginatively-named yet innovative Wii U is the successor to the incredibly popular Nintendo Wii, selling more globally than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the Wii U is it's controller. The device itself houses a touchscreen that serves as a separate console for smaller games (e.g. Chess), an input for games of the television and also as a supplement for various Wii U games. It includes the usual accelerometer and gyroscope, plus a camera and built-in microphone, and an array of buttons, triggers and dual analog sticks.

Other aspects of the new console include backward-compatibility with Wii peripherals, such as the Balance Board, 1080p resolution and 3D capability. Detailed specifications and release date are set to be announced at the E3 event this year.

4.) Windows 8. Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 8, could be the riskiest move ever from the Redmond-based company, as it plans to include it's Metro interface on both PCs and mobile devices - a decision that has been widely criticised and welcomed. The interface consists of coloured tiles, full-screen Metro apps and Charms. The typical desktop that millions of PC users know and love will be replaced by the pretty yet unintuitive start screen, although the desktop will still be there as an "app".

Away from the widely debated Metro interface, Windows 8 will allow touchscreen users to gesture three shapes over an image to unlock their PC or device, instead of entering a password. Windows Explorer will adopt the Ribbon interface from newer Microsoft Office applications. The OS will have native support for USB 3.0, which, coincidentally, is a feature of Intel's Ivy Bridge line-up. Much like the Apple's App Store, Microsoft will open the Windows Store, stocking a vast selection of Metro apps.The Metro-based Internet Explorer 10 "Immersive" browser will be HTML-5 only, dropping support for ActiveX and other plug-ins. An eagerly anticipated feature is the "Hybrid Boot" that allows computers to virtually turn-off, but start-up and extremely fast speeds. In December, Microsoft announced a Beta version for February. A release date for the OS has not yet been revealed, but I can't wait to get my hands on it!

5.) Samsung Galaxy S III. Samsung's upcoming flagship mobile, the Galaxy S III is sure to blow every other smartphone out of the water. A combination of rumours, leaks and announcements suggests the grandchild of the Galaxy S will sport an HD Super AMOLED+ display, measuring at least 4.5 inches; a 12 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second; the Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) operating system, and TouchWiz 5.0; slimmer design with a tiny bezel to cope with that massive display; a 1.5 GHz Exynos 4412 quad-core processor, or the newer up to 2.0GHz Exynos 4212 dual core processor; 32GB+ internal memory; oh, and 1.5GB of RAM.

Mouthwatering, isn't it. Even those specs are fairly conservative compared to other sources, which can only mean the S III will be a truly spectacular device. The Galaxy S II was named as the best-selling mobile phone of 2011, and this year, Samsung could certainly do it again with the S III. Very little is known about it's biggest competitor, the iPhone 5, but Apple will keep a close eye on things when it comes to release day.