Coolest gadgets in 2012, so far

Smartphones dominate the coolest gadgets of 2012 list, but you can also look forward to new TV, gaming and computing technology hitting the market

This year’s Consumer Electric Show, CES 2012, showed off some of the coolest gadgets on the horizon. The top products at the show included theLenovo X1 Hybrid laptop, LG 55EM9600 OLED TV,Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook, and Samsung’s transparent smart window.
Following the hype of CES, Apple unveiled their new iPad 3, sporting a high-resolution screen and dual-core 1GHz processor.
However, 2012 seems to be the year of the smartphone. Gadget news is dominated by high profile smartphone launches from Apple, Samsung,HTC and Nokia.
2012 will also see the launch of Windows 8, and possibly Nintendo’s next generation gaming console, the Wii U.
Here are some of the biggest gadgets which are likely to hit South African shores this year.

LG 55-inch OLED TV

LG’s 55-inch OLED TV, which was unveiled in January at CES 2012, will be launched in South Africa during 2012. The TV is virtually bezel-less and sports smart TV capabilities, a new Magic Motion remote control for gesture-based menu navigation, and passive 3D. Pricing has not been confirmed yet, but you can expect to pay somewhere between R50,000 and R100,000 for this TV.

Samsung Galaxy S3

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S3 was launched in South Africa recently. The Galaxy S3, running on Google’s Android operating system, boasts a 4.8-inch screen, an 8MP camera, 1.4GHz Exynos 4212 quad-core processor, and 21Mbps HSPA+ support. It will set you back anywhere between R7,500 and R9,000, but you will be able to get it for a fair price on a cellular contract.

Apple iPhone 5 (rumoured)

The new Apple iPhone is one of the highly anticipated gadgets of 2012. After the relatively disappointing iPhone 4S launch last year, Apple will have to do something special with its latest iPhone to take on the likes of the Galaxy Nexus, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X. The new iPhone is rumoured to feature a bigger screen, taller body, an updated CPU, a better camera, more RAM and the latest version of iOS.

Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo is expected to launch its latest gaming console, the Wii U, towards the end of 2012 or early 2013. The Wii U will be capable of full-HD 1080p graphics and is rumoured to be at least as powerful as the Xbox 360 and the PS3. The new touchscreen controller, the Wii U Gamepad, sports a 6-inch screen, a built-in microphone, speakers, gyroscope, accelerometer and a camera.

Windows 8

Windows is not a gadget, but it is such big news that it should be included in any 2012 tech list. This next version of Windows features the Metro interface and has a slew of new and improved features over Windows 7.

New Apple Macbooks (rumoured)

Apple is expected to announce their new MacBook Pro range this month. Rumours suggest that the new MacBooks will get higher resolution retina displays, better graphics, Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs, and USB 3.0 support.

Sony Personal 3D Viewer

Sony’s Personal 3D Viewer offers home entertainment in an immersive portable environment. The device supports 720p HD, 3D viewing, and 5.1 surround sound. With this head-mounted display you will get the same experience as sitting in a theatre with a 750-inch screen at 65 feet away. It is priced at $799 (around R7,000) internationally.