Top 5 personal tech developments of 2010
<![APPLE IPAD](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206092021im_/http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/files/2010/12/ipad-300x200.jpg)
The iPad tops my list of personal technology developments in 2010.
Next year promises to bring more exciting gadgets and tech-related services, including new tablets and souped-up TVs, which I’ll cover soon. But before we look ahead, here’s my list of the top personal technology stories and developments of 2010.
1. iPad - When Steve Jobs declared that this new tablet was a “truly magical and revolutionary product,” there were plenty of skeptics, myself included. After all, many had tried and failed at generating mass commercial adoption for such touchscreen computers. But Apple succeeded, selling 3 million iPads within the first three months. Sales may reach 65 million units in 2011, according to one report. I’ve played with an iPad and chief competitor, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, for a couple of weeks now, and have found that the Tab really can’t compete on many fronts, including web browsing, which was supposed to be one of iPad’s weaknesses given its inability to display Flash videos. I’ll have more on the comparison, along with a look at a 10-inch tablet from Greenwood Village-based Archos, in the coming weeks. The iPad’s success will lead to the introduction of numerous tablets in 2011, with Motorola expected to unveil one with a 10-inch touchscreen at the Consumer Electronics Show next week.
2. Android-based smartphones – The first real competition for Apple’s vaunted iPhone, which has dominated the smartphone market since hitting stores in June 2007, surfaced in 2010, thanks in large part to Google’s Android operating system. In my view, the top non-iPhone smartphones are Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G and Verizon’s Droid X. The key for these phones in the battle with the iPhone was the ability to offer a vivid display with full web-browsing capabilities. I personally traded an iPhone for the X last summer. Hopefully, 2011 will bring more comparable options for consumers.
3. Facebook and Twitter – Read more…