The end of the year provides us with the perfect excuse to
look back at some of the coolest gadgets that have come out of the consumer electronics
giants of east Asia in the last year. As you might expect, the continuing convergence
of all sorts of products into smaller and more functional devices was a big theme
in 2007. Some of the gadgets also reminded us of the importance of services that
often go hand-in-hand with hardware and are a big but often forgotten part of
the "cool factor" we attach to such products.

Take for example Casio's Exilim EX-S880. Like many other digital still cameras
on the market it does a good job of shooting video but Casio innovated by adding
in a capture mode that records videos in the format preferred by YouTube. Combined
with a desktop application to upload the videos, this means that movies can
be online minutes after you've shot them and with nothing more than a couple
of mouse clicks.

On the hardware side, there's been plenty of impressive gadgets and we've also
witnessed the birth of a completely new product category: OLED (organic light
emitting diode) televisions. Several companies have been promising these for
years and in the end it was Sony that made it first to market. You've got to
see this TV to fully appreciate its coolness! At just 3 millimeters thick, the
TV was the star of October's Ceatec show in Japan and leads off our look back
at the coolest gadgets of 2007.

Without a doubt the coolest product of the year was Sony's OLED TV. First shown
as a prototype at CES in January, the commercial version came along in October
and didn't disappoint -- except perhaps on price. The set has an 11-inch OLED
panel and is 3mm thick. OLEDs offer several advantages over LCD and PDP technology,
including wider viewing angles, faster response time, and better contrast and
colors. However, the technology is difficult to manufacture and the OLED material
degrades over time. Sony said the XEL-1 has a viewing life of 30,000 hours,
which allows a user to watch eight hours of television every day for 10 years.
The television went on sale in Japan on Dec. 1 for ¥200,000 (US$1,750) and
promptly sold out. It's not only a cool TV set but perhaps the first product
for a few years from Sony that really makes you say "wow." After the
turmoil of recent years could Sony finally have its mojo back?

Toshiba Dynabook SS RX1

It may not look very special at first glance, but pick up the Dynabook SS RX1
(called the Portege R500 in some markets) and you'll immediately realize why
it was one

• Email
• Print
• Share
  • Slashdot
  • Digg
  • Stumble
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine