The last couple of years (2011 & 2012), I have put together my top ten tech lists....actually, I have been doing it longer than that, but when I moved from Wordpress, I let those old posts go. Anyway, for me, this has been a strange year. I was in position to update my iPhone and my iPad this year, but I am just going to wait until next year. I want a larger iPhone and I was disappointed that the iPad 5 was missing a fingerprint sensor. As in the past, some of the items on my list have been around for a while, but I have just purchased them in the last year. Anyway, here are my top choices:
DIRECTV Genie - I am a huge NFL fan, so I have been with Directv for several years mainly because of the NFL Sunday Ticket package. The Genie (HR44-500) has changed the way we watch TV. In the past, we would have to record some programs in the bedroom to get around the fact that we could only record two programs at once on our old DVR. Now we can record 5 shows in the living room at the same time. I also kept one of the old HR21 DVRs in the bedroom rather than changing it out for a Genie client. The main reason was because I have a Slingbox hooked up to it, but the side benefit is getting two more tuners. Since Directv lets you watch any recording on either DVR in either room, I don't have to go to the bedroom to watch programs if I want to watch them in the living room (and visa versa). There are other features like Pandora and YouTube that add even more options. It is rare to see tech that changes the way you interact and use a service, so the new Genie would be my tech of the year.
Olympus E-PL5 Micro 4/3 camera - I wrote quite a bit about this camera over the last year and mentioned some of its downfalls when compared with full frame cameras. However, this camera has the same sensor that is used in cameras costing twice as much and is a comparatively inexpensive way to get into the format with little difference in picture quality. The other benefit is that it is much smaller than the other cameras that use the same sensor, which is the main reason I bought into micro 4/3 to begin with. The lenses are also a lot smaller than the APS-C and FF counterparts, so for me this is the way to go when you need to pack light. Yeah, you could get a Point and Shoot, but there are still trade offs in low light, frames per seconds, and zoom length possibilities. The ability to use the camera with adapters and use my Canon lenses is also a bonus.
Sony a7R Full Frame mirrorless camera - I should mention that I have no plans to buy this camera, but the small size body on a full frame sensor could lead us to a better competitor to micro 4/3s when you want to travel light. It has ~36 megapixel files, so landscape shooters using Canon gear are extremely interested in it since it works with adapters and maintains autofocus. I am going to wait and see if they develop smaller lenses to use with it, but I can see this as a game changer down the road. While, I do believe it still has some flaws, like a really loud shutter, I had to put it on my list because of it revolutionary design that could add an entire segment to the camera industry.
Ninja Mega System Blender - This one device can make shakes, kneed dough, cut veggies, etc. I was skeptical since I bought this based on an infomercial, but I have been impressed with its performance.
The pic to the left shows it mixing dough without any issues. However, it also makes a great shake quickly!
The pic to the left shows it mixing dough without any issues. However, it also makes a great shake quickly!
Synology DS413j NAS - This year, I decided to get my act together related to backing up data. I am using this NAS with four 3 terabyte drives and Carbon Copy Cloner to backup my files on a weekly basis. The upside is that it also has apps for the iPad/iPhone that make it possible to stream media.
Cuisinart ICE -21 Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream Maker - I went on a low calorie diet earlier this year and needed something sweet. I was planning on buying an ice cream attachment for my Kitchenaide Mixer, but I saw this for $39 and decided to buy it instead.
"Low Carb Ice Cream, Drinks and Desserts [Kindle Edition]" by Diana Lee helped me find some great low carb recipes and they were easy to make. However, if you want to really exploit the capabilities of the ICE-21, make sure you grab a copy of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.
"Low Carb Ice Cream, Drinks and Desserts [Kindle Edition]" by Diana Lee helped me find some great low carb recipes and they were easy to make. However, if you want to really exploit the capabilities of the ICE-21, make sure you grab a copy of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.
Crashplan+ Family Plan - In addition to backing up my data with the NAS (above), I decided to subscribe to an offsite backup service. I had Carbonite for a while, but it did not have nearly the same features as Crashplan. Crashplan+ Family Plan will backup several computers and drives that are connected to my Airport Extreme. Instead of waiting a year or more for terabytes of data to transfer via the internet, they have a Seedkit they will send you for an extra fee to make it easy to backup 1.5 terabytes or so. They also have an emergency kit they can send you if your have a catastrophe rather than trying to download everything from the web. (see their site for details).
Vudu Disc to Digital - I didn't want to backup my movies using Crashplan because they would take up too much space. The Vudu service helped me out with this process by backing them up in the cloud and even upscaling my DVDs to 1080p (in some cases, for an extra fee). This is really convenient using my Roku, PS3, or iPad for accessing the movies. Also, they will let you download them to a computer or iPad for future use when you won't have an internet connection. The service doesn't have every movie you might have in your collection and there is a per disc fee, but for me, it was worth it.
Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom CC - There is a lot of controversy surrounding the pay per month model that Adobe has moved to for their new version of Photoshop. However, through the end of the year, they have a Photoshop Photography $9.99 month special (includes access to Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5, plus feature updates and upgrades as they are available; 20GB of cloud storage for file sharing and collaboration for those that have a version of CS3 or higher). I have Photoshop CS6, but I went ahead and joined the cloud service. It is the only way to get their camera shake sharpening feature and if they jack up the price after a year, I will just drop them and go back to CS6.
Lynda.com - It seems like I have a lot of subscription services on my list this year, but with incremental updates to iPhones and iPads this year, I would rather put my money into things that will benefit me in a different way than just getting a slight speed increase on a device that really doesn't need it that much. Lynda.com is an example of where I have put my money this year. It is a service that provides videos that teaches fundamentals of photography, advanced photography, different levels of Photoshop/Lightroom and many other areas of photography. They also have business courses for Excel, different versions of Windows or OSX, and so much more. It costs $25 - 37.50 per month, so it is not exactly cheap (although it is a lot cheaper and more convenient than taking similar classes locally). I am subscribed to the 37.50 a month program, but I plan on scaling it back to $25 by the end of the year. There is not a big difference in two price points, other than the fact that you can work on the same files that they are using. I personally like learning and I also enjoy videos discussing different areas of photography or business. I know Adorama and Youtube also have great videos, but the format that is used by Lynda makes it easy to go back to review a subject and in many ways they go into more detail.
Well, that wraps up my top ten. In my opinion, it was a somewhat disappointing year for gadgets, but I feel that next year will be a better year for a tech geek like me. I have seen phones like the Nokia 1020 with its 41 megapixel camera and 4.5 inch screen that caught my eye, but I am giving Apple one more year to produce a larger iPhone before I change ecosystems. My main issue with the 1020 is the OS.
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