Social networking and smartphones provided surprises this year but the big news was the rise of tablet computers, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

TABLET COMPUTERS

THE SECOND coming of the tablet computer was big news in 2010. While the device had gained a niche following a few years ago, it hadn’t really captured the imagination of consumers.

All this changed in 2010, when the first of the new generation of tablet devices made it on to the market. With an emphasis on multimedia uses and web browsing, the tablets were welcomed by consumers seeking the next big thing.

While plenty of tablets were shown off, Apple was the first to get people to open their wallets with the launch of the iPad in March, when Apple began taking preorders.

In less than three months, the iPad sold three million units and has since more than doubled that. Initially available only in the US, it did not arrive in Ireland until July. However it may already be old technology: rumours of an iPad 2 for 2011 are already doing the rounds, fuelled by unnamed suppliers of components.

Samsung followed later in the year with the Galaxy Tab, an Android-based tablet.

Then there is the HP Slate, which has yet to appear in Ireland but is on sale in the US. Unlike its Android and Apple rivals, it uses Windows 7. It is considered more of a work tool than an entertainment device, however, and HP’s sales targets are far less ambitious than Apple’s.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Facebook is nothing new and Twitter is in danger of becoming mainstream, but social networking remained a trend in 2010. However, it was Apple that provided the biggest surprise, when it announced it was building in social networking elements to its iTunes software. Ping allows you to share music with friends, follow people who also use the service and share playlists.

Although Apple said about one million users signed up to the service within 48 hours of Ping going live, its limited nature has held it back. It is accessible only through iTunes or as an application for Apple devices, making it less accessible than other social networks.

Also experiencing some issues this year was Facebook. Aside from the portrayal of founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, the company had to deal with various issues around the privacy of its users’ data. When Facebook made some changes to how profiles and information were displayed there was uproar, with people realising that previously private information had become visible to other Facebook users. It even prompted some US politicians to raise questions about Facebook’s responsibilities to its users.

Google also fell foul of privacy groups this year when it tried to break into the social networking scene with Buzz. The concept was reasonably sound: share links, photos, videos and status messages, all within a social network that can be launched from Gmail.

It caused headaches for the tech firm, however. The decision to link Buzz users automatically with Gmail contacts they e-mailed most frequently caused an outcry because of concerns about privacy and ended in a class action lawsuit. Google settled the case for $8.5 million, which was put into a fund to back groups that support privacy education on the web.

More successful was Twitter, which announced this month it had managed to raise financing of $200 million, valuing the firm at about $3.7 billion. The company is planning to set up outside the US next year, with both Ireland and Britain mooted as possible locations for the operation.

SMARTPHONES

While Apple has enjoyed some time at the top of the most-wanted pile, the battle of the smartphones was only warming up this year.

While Apple continued to make its mark on the market, Google snapped at its heels with its Android operating system. The Android market grew in size – even opening its doors for paid apps in Ireland – and now has more than 100,000 apps.

Gartner, a research company, said Android shipped more phones worldwide than Apple in the third quarter of 2010, but noted that there were supply issues with the iPhone 4 that could have held back its figures.

Apple retained its grip on the headlines with the launch of the iPhone 4 (right), but not always for positive reasons. After the usual launch euphoria came the revelation that the phone was a little temperamental when it came to retaining a network connection during calls; specifically, holding the phone a certain way caused it to lose signal.

While Apple chief executive Steve Jobs claimed the same problem affected smartphones by other manufacturers, it was a public relations disaster for the company, which sought to regain goodwill by giving away cases to customers affected by the problem.

At Nokia World in October, the mobile maker claimed it was still king of the smartphones and said it was confident that its new handsets, including the N8, would win over customers.

Microsoft also got in on the act with a new version of its mobile software, dubbed Windows Phone 7, making the smartphone market a crowded one this year.

APPS

As important as the handsets is their software and so apps for phones were big news again this year, with Apple’s App Store, the Android Market and Ovi Store for Nokia among the leading offerings.

In February, at Mobile World Congress, the emphasis was on co-operation. Twenty-four telecoms operators came together in an attempt to bring applications to all mobile users and tap into a global market of more than three billion customers.

Dubbed the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), the aim was to create an open platform that will allow the creation and distribution of software to phones. The WAC since has added more members and merged with the Joint Innovation Lab. It isn’t just phones that are getting the app treatment, though. Apple announced this month that it plans to open an app store for the Mac in January.

3D

Touted as a saviour for the entertainment industry, suddenly 3D was everywhere. Not content with making us pay extra for 3D films in the cinema, the tech firms decided that 3D should be brought into the home, by means of 3D-enabled televisions and DVD players.

In April, pubs in Ireland began showing sports events in 3D. Later in the year, Sky unveiled its 3D channel; the service went live on October 1st, showing sporting events, films, documentaries and concerts. It didn’t stop there: games and camcorders got the 3D content and, at the E3 exhibition Sony showed off a number of 3D-enabled video games, including Crysis 2 and Killzone 3. Nintendo exhibited its planned 3D hand-held console, the 3DS. Panasonic, meanwhile, has been offering a 3D camcorder to its customers, the SDT-750. Nintendo’s 3D version of the DS got delayed, missing a crucial pre-Christmas release. However, 3D technology can be a pricey investment for something that may prove to be a passing fad, if domestic consumers do not widely adopt the format.

GAMES CONSOLES

With the Nintendo Wii having proved such a success with casual gamers, it was inevitable that the other console makers would see the potential. While Sony’s Move brought a highly accurate motion sensitive controller to the console, Microsoft’s Kinect (below left) for Xbox made the player the controller instead. The device uses an array of cameras and microphones to track players’ movements and translate them into action on screen.

The result is that both consoles are more approachable for casual gamers, leaving Nintendo with the question of in what direction it should move the Wii.

DIGITAL MUSIC

While Eircom hit the headlines earlier this year with its implementation of a “three strikes and you’re out” model for those found infringing copyright, it ended the year with the launch of a new music service, MusicHub, which offers free unlimited music streaming to Eircom broadband customers, in addition to a music download service. However, Eircom also said that despite a legal victory by broadband provider UPC over attempts to force it to implement a similar three strikes rule, it would continue with its policy of issuing warnings, and ultimately disconnecting, illegal downloaders using its service.

MOBILE NETWORKS

You might think that was very little room left in the mobile market for more service providers, but it seems the industry may have had other ideas. Mobile operators multiplied in 2010. Competition in Ireland’s mobile phone market is not quite as aggressive as it could be but that could change in the coming months.

Eircom unveiled a second mobile network this year, eMobile, and An Post’s virtual operator Postfone and Just Mobile entered the fray, the latter two seeking to attract customers by offering cheaper service than existing networks. Just Mobile even lowered its top-up amounts to make them more appealing to customers, while it also it plans to add data services.