Summer is actually here, and blockbuster action movies aren't the only big releases you should be excited about. Several big gadgets are hitting this year, and we've picked some of the most exciting new products to look forward to in June, July, and August.
Want more than one groundbreaking new smartphone? Howabout a PC built into the shape of a keyboard that you can connect to your patio projector to watch movies while grilling some good food? It's on the list. Read on!
5. Asus Eee Keyboard PC
Asus plans to release a desktop computer contained completely within a keyboard. We could just leave it at that, but here are some more details: it has netbook-like system specifications, a built-in 5-inch touchscreen, and an HDMI port for connecting to a TV or display.
Unfortunately, its 64 GB solid state drive isn't big enough to store movies and the like, but since the Eee Keyboard PC supports 802.11/n Wi-Fi, you should be able to use it to stream high definition videos and the like from a media server or storage drive on your home network. Looks like it will cost $400 for a wired version and $600 for a wireless one, and rumor has it it could launch as early as June in some markets.
Read more about the Asus Eee Keyboard PC.
4. Panasonic Lumix GH1
Like the popular and arguably revolutionary Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the Lumix GH1 shoots 1080p video. And though it only shoots 12.1-megapixel still images (as compared to the 5D Mark II's 21.1), it's a Micro Four Thirds camera, so it's as light and agile as you could hope for.
Panasonic says this camera will sell for around $1,500 come early June. The balance between portability, ease of use, and high technology make it likely that the GH1 will quickly become one of the standards for semipro and even some pro photographers. Your beach photos and videos should be gorgeous with this thing.
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix GH1.
3. T-Mobile G2 (aka HTC Magic)
HTC's Android-based T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) hasn't outsold the BlackBerry brand or the iPhone, but it's a great smartphone, and a darling of the tech geek crowd. The successor, which may be called the T-Mobile G2 or the My Touch 3G in the United States but which is definitely called the HTC Magic in Canada and Europe, will become available this summer in Canada and (probably, maybe, hopefully) the United States. It's already out in Europe.
The changes over the previous model are somewhat modest, but while the G1 was not the sexiest phone on the block, the G2 looks fantastic. It also features a touchscreen keyboard instead of a physical one, which should divide tech aficionados who like to argue about which option is preferable.
Read more about the T-Mobile G2 (aka HTC Magic).
2. Amazon Kindle DX
Sure, the e-reader thing hasn't quite taken off with the masses just yet. You see one every now and then on the New York subway or the Chicago El, or in an upscale Barnes & Noble bookstore, but they haven't quite supplanted paper books and newspapers at large just yet.
If squinting to read on a small screen is what's stopping you from joining the elite club, though, Amazon's new Kindle DX has you covered. It's basically a Kindle 2 with a 9.7-inch screen with more storage and a couple extra features.
It will hit sometime this summer, and it will be used in trial programs by select universities looking to leave paper textbooks in the 00s to prepare its students for an even more digital decade.
Read more about the Amazon Kindle DX.
1. Tie: Palm Pre and third generation Apple iPhone
It's tough to pick between these two, isn't it? Because we know so little about the new iPhone's hardware features, we're not in any position to say which of these two phones is more exciting. The Pre uses Palm's new webOS, whose elegant interface and multitasking capabilities pose a threat to the iPhone 3G for sure.
These are likely to be the market-defining smartphones of the next year or so, and they're probably going to become available in a similar time frame. The Pre's already been confirmed for the first week of June. Both will take the smartphone experience to a next level — mostly with incremental, not revolutionary, changes.
Read more about the Palm Pre. Read more about the Apple iPhone 2009.
Honorable Mentions
Some great stuff didn't make our top five because they're either still just rumors, or we're not sure they'll quite make a summer release date. We didn't want to leave them out completely, so they are: motion controls for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the Microsoft ZuneHD, the Windows Mobile Marketplace, and the oft-rumored Apple iTablet.
[Header image courtesy of Flickr user Giorgio Montersino; used via Creative Commons. HTC Magic image courtesy of Engadget.]
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- 3G, Android OS, Megapixel, 1080p, Touchscreen, Smartphone, Windows Mobile, Gigabyte, Solid State Drive, HDMI, Netbook, Streaming video, Micro 4/3rds, eReader
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- Apple iPhone, Panasonic Lumix, Google Android, Asus Eee PC, Asus Eee Top, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Amazon Kindle
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- Apple iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), Google Android, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro, Sony PlayStation 3, Amazon Kindle 2, Palm Pre, T-Mobile myTouch 3G (HTC Magic, G2, Ion), Asus Eee Keyboard PC, Palm webOS, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1, Microsoft Zune HD, Amazon Kindle DX, Apple iPhone 3GS
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Comments (2)
Add a comment Inappropriate or promotional comments may be removed.
James Brown
(4:26 AM on Wed Aug 26, 2009)
This is really a great post.
Shane (11:51 PM on Sun Oct 11, 2009)
We've already gotten a pretty good look at Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-GH1, and even seen a few sample shots, but filmmaker and blogger Philip Bloom has now come through with yet another hands-on with the camera, and he's thankfully also gone the extra mile and included some sample video footage. panerai watches As with some other lucky folks that have gotten their hands on the not-quite-a-DSLR, Bloom seems to be mightily impressed with it, saying that the image out of the camera is "utterly terrific," and that it's "a dream to use operational wise." He also found that the built-in mic was "way better" than the ones found on comparable, or even higher-end, Nikons or Canons (like the 5D Mark II pictured alongside the GH1 above), franck muller although it's obviously made even better by the optional top mic. Of course, it's the sample footage really tells the story, and you can find somewhat compressed version after the break. suunto watches The GH1 is offering a bit more for features than the other HD enabled DSLR cameras currently available. But does that mean the image quality is as good or better than the others? Yes and no.
When compared to the Nikon D90/D5000, yes the GH1 produces a better HD image. On top of that it's got full manual controls, and reportedly very well implemented auto functionality. Thus, it beats the Nikons without a doubt. However, when compared to the 5DMkII, the GH1 doesn't quite achieve the same image quality.