Awesome tech for 2010

TokyoBIT is here to tell you about the best new tech that’s heading into homes very soon in 2010.

3D TV and Gaming:

3D has been around for a while, and dates back to well before you and I were terrorizing the internets – first appearing in comic books that required the use of red/blue glasses. Last year Hollywood embraced real 3D for the first time with the mainstream film Avatar – whereas previous attempts left us with uninteresting documentaries at IMAX 3D and ridiculously bad kids movies (Spykids 3D), Avatar was the first successful attempt at a real feature-length movie optimized and designed from the start for 3D viewing. If you haven’t been to see it yet, then you really should because it’s amazing experience.

This year 3D is set to hit mainstream TV, gaming, and the home movie experience. DirectTV has announced 10 dedicated 3D HD channels, BluRay discs are set to support 3D feature movies, and Sony has promised 3D capabilities on their Playstation 3 very soon with a free firmware update. You’re still going to need a new TV and special glasses to view it, though. Even more exciting is the Intel annoucement of glasses-free 3D viewing, though you can only view it from a certain number of set positions and I doubt it’ll be affordable for a while yet.

If you want to get your 3D gaming fix now and a price you and I can afford, NVidia has your back covered already if you’re a PC gamer with an NVidia GeForce based system. You’ll need a set of active shutter glasses available for $200 from Amazon US (or Amazon Japan), plus a monitor capable of 120Hz refresh – sadly, most flatscreen monitors on the market today can only go up to about 85Hz, so if you want smooth non-headache inducing 3D you’ll need to use a good quality old CRT style monitor or one of the newer 120Hz capable flatscreens. You can get a complete set from Nvidia for about $600, but you could just as easily get a decent old CRT for about $50 if you have the desk space.

E-Readers, and The Ubiquitous Apple Tablet:

You may have seen the Amazon kindle already, but you should hold out as 2010 is truly the year of the e-reader. There are literally hundreds of new e-readers coming out this year so it’s difficult to tell who’s going to be a winner yet, but my money is on something Kindle-like with a bigger and more responsive E-ink screen. Even bigger news though, is the possible announcement of an Apple Tablet computer later this month. Nothing solid yet, but best guesses are that’s a going to be a big 7″-10″ iPhone like device, and probably around $600-800. Expect a lot of fuss over this one. Tablet computers are also not really new tech, but previous attempts just haven’t cut it – hopefully Apple will change all that.

The Rest:

Wireless Electricity sound like sci-fi to you? No more. As of this year, expect more and more gadgets to charge themselves wirelessly, initially in the form of flat pads you place the device on top of, and later in the form of electricity beamed all over your house like wireless internet. Too many wires!

Controlling video games with your body? Yes, the Nintendo Wii introduced the idea to the world, but Microsofts “Natal” project is set to do the same for Xbox360, but a whole better. The problem with the WiiMote is that (a) it’s rather imprecise (at least without the ¥2000 clunky add-on) and (b) you have to actually hold the thing. Microsoft’s Natal is essentially a 3D camera, reading precise body movements without the need for additional sensors. Debate rages over whether gamers actually want to be moving their body around though.

Project Natal from lokyin on Vimeo.

Think we missed something? Think I’m way off target? Comments, please.