• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 1 of 8

Gallery

Top 10 techs of 2010

Posted on 8 Jan 2010 at 13:53

Our prediction: by this time next year, projectors could well be a regular tick-list feature in both digital cameras and mobile phones.

9. SOLID-STATE SYSTEM DRIVES

Last year, we confidently predicted solid-state drives (SSDs) would be everywhere by now, which goes to prove two things: first, that hard disks are, well, hardier than we thought; and second, our local baker will once again have to stock up on humble pie.

Why have SSDs failed to take off? One word: price. Crucial’s 256GB 2.5in Solid-State Drive costs £575 including VAT from the company’s website at the time of going to press. A 1TB Western Digital Scorpio 2.5in drive, on the other hand, cost a shade over £150. Four times the storage for a third of the price? The decision (like the idiot who predicted SSD domination) is a no-brainer.

However, one area where SSDs are making progress is as system drives. Many of the high-end PCs that roll into our Labs these days (such as the A-Listed Mesh Elite Ice 5 Pro) have Windows stored on a fast-booting, low-capacity SSD, while regular storage is catered for with a sizeable HDD. This is a trend we expect to see become commonplace over the coming year, as manufacturers attempt to shave seconds off boot times and take advantage of Windows 7’s improved support for SSDs.

10. 3D GAMES AND TV

Nvidia has already launched its 3D Vision home entertainment kit, introducing many PC users to the active shutter technology that works more comfortably than existing polarised display kits from firms such as Zalman.

But in 2010, the leap in take-up could be even greater. Whether it’s driven by Hollywood – see James Cameron’s Christmas blockbuster movie Avatar, for example – or, as many believe more likely, by live sporting events, 3D is soon to make the move from the cinema into our living rooms.

Sky has demonstrated a working Sky+HD box that can deliver 3D content over the existing satellite infrastructure, while Panasonic has produced a modified Blu-ray player that can play full 1080p footage in 3D, using the same active shutter glasses that Nvidia uses.

All the major TV manufacturers are producing big-screen 3D TV sets in anticipation, and the public is increasingly exposed to 3D by a steady stream of (mostly family) movies. It didn’t take long for the early adopting minority to grow into the mainstream when HD technology first arrived; the only question remains, is it too soon after that overhaul for 3D TV to snowball at the same rate?

Author: PC Pro staff