Antoine Engels
My tech spotlight of 2024
Using Auracast expertise. It is a Bluetooth expertise that permits many various headphones, headsets and listening to aids to connect with a single audio stream, a bit like a radio 2.0. And the potential purposes are fascinating. Silent events the place everybody listens to music or watches a film/collection collectively with out making any noise. An audio tour of a museum with out having to lug round an additional machine. To not point out the influence on alternatives for the deaf and listening to impaired.
My tech disappointment of 2024
The depressing extension of Black Friday. At some point grew to become every week with Black Week and even a complete month with Black Month. I discovered that insufferable. Particularly because the tech media (and everybody else) nearly really feel compelled to play the sport and spam their audiences with “bargains”. As a journalist, I feel this makes you lose credibility.
My gadget of the yr 2024
Positively Tecno Pocket Go (hands-on). I used to be capable of check the gadget at IFA 2024. It is a transportable console PC within the form of an Xbox controller—no built-in display, only a controller. However you’ll be able to join it to any TV and even AR glasses to play wherever on an enormous display—bodily or nearly. That is THE product I am most wanting ahead to seeing launched.
With the Tecno Pocket Go and matching video glasses, you’ll be able to sport wherever. / © nextpit
Carsten Drees — Casi
My tech spotlight of 2024
My spotlight of the yr? In all probability the AI race, which has introduced us so many sensational instruments, AI-supported features and competing chatbots. I worry that this improvement will quickly fill the web with content material. However I attempt to see the constructive aspect and the unbelievable potentialities.
My tech disappointment in 2024
The Rabbit R1 was speculated to be a tool that heralded the tip of the smartphone period. A brand new stage of human-machine interplay was to be achieved, but it surely did not work out. Neither the AI nor the {hardware} itself lived as much as the hype and the destructive headlines piled up. For me, the loser of the yr.
My gadget of the yr 2024
For me, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely (evaluation) is the gadget of the yr. It is my private each day driver and combines the whole lot I worth in a contemporary mobile phone: It seems horny, takes superb photographs, is highly effective and in addition has the most effective Android overlay and AI combo at present accessible with Galaxy AI and One UI. The S24 Extremely is my fixed companion and my {hardware} gadget of the yr!
Casi’s spotlight gadget of the yr: The Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely / © nextpit
Dustin Porth
My tech spotlight of 2024
I can solely select Gamescom 2024 as this yr’s spotlight. Like yearly, it attracted 1000’s of holiday makers to Cologne and this yr it was as soon as once more an enormous nerd spectacle the place I felt completely at house. Along with quite a few new video games, absolutely the spotlight of the yr is the annual assembly of pals you often solely hear by your headset.
My tech disappointment of 2024
The yr 2024 held many surprises in retailer—each destructive and constructive. The largest flop, nonetheless, was the rollout of AI features in Europe. Many features of flagship units, such because the Apple iPhone 16 Professional (learn evaluation) or the Google Pixel 9 Professional (learn evaluation), may solely be used to a restricted extent for some time. They needed to undergo numerous cases earlier than we may even use them in Europe. Hopefully 2025 will pave a brand new method right here.
My gadget of the yr 2024
The machine of the yr 2024 is for the Pixel 9 collection from Google. I have been a fan of the Google cult for years, and Gemini satisfied me to go straight for the compact Google Pixel 9 Professional. The AI features, the digital camera, and even the efficiency do not have to cover behind the competitors—though the costs have risen significantly this yr.
Dustin has dressed up for Gamescom. / © nextpit
Jade Bryan
My tech spotlight of 2024
I consider that the Snapdragon X collection, together with the Snapdragon 8 Elite cellular processor, is likely one of the standout highlights of 2024. The brand new Snapdragon X chips problem Intel’s dominance in client computer systems with its x86 processors. In the meantime, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for cell telephones has delivered important leaps in efficiency to rival Apple’s highly effective customized chips.
My tech disappointment 2024
After appreciable delay, Apple’s Apple Intelligence didn’t stay as much as the hype with its new suite of AI options. The iPhone 16 was delivered with none AI instruments. Even worse, the primary wave of Apple Intelligence options solely included a number of additions, whereas the actually thrilling options proceed to be delayed.
My gadget of the yr 2024
The Meta Orion sensible AR glasses are nonetheless a prototype, however might be the most effective gadget of this yr attributable to its superior options resembling holographic micro-LED projectors and help for an EMG wristband for management. As well as, they supply eye and hand monitoring. That is additionally a sign of how the favored Meta Ray-Ban sensible glasses may develop sooner or later.
Sensible AR glasses with built-in shows are slowly however certainly transferring in the direction of “normal glasses” by way of design. / © Meta
Rubens Eishima
My tech spotlight 2024
Chip applied sciences! After a gradual begin to the “3 nm” period with the Apple A17 Professional (which solely the iPhone 15 Professional duo is supplied with), each Qualcomm in Hawaii and MediaTek introduced chips with the brand new expertise considerably much less glamorously in London in 2024. And that is not all: each corporations took benefit of the improved areal density and higher power effectivity to make use of solely energy cores.
The outcome must be sooner and extra environment friendly chips within the flagships of 2025. Even should you’re not into flagship telephones, these chips switching to TSMC’s N3 course of ought to unencumber capability within the earlier technology N4 and N5 (4 and 5 nanometer) factories for higher mid-range chips. So all of us win.
My tech disappointment 2024
Qi2 wi-fi charging is my massive disappointment of 2024. After its introduction in 2023, there was just one Android cellphone appropriate with the usual in 2024: the HMD Skyline (learn evaluation). Certain, Qi2 makes smartphones pricier, and it takes time to develop, however I used to be actually satisfied that at the least a number of flagship fashions with this expertise would come onto the market in mid-2024…
My gadget of the yr 2024
Flagship motion cameras, anybody? After years of monopolizing the high-end motion digital camera market, 2024 noticed many fashions from Insta360 and DJI difficult the stagnant GoPros. The pioneers should still reign supreme, and the low-end market remains to be dominated by generic throwaway crap, however each challengers are quickly constructing their {hardware}, software program and accent ecosystems to topple the market chief and its principally boring upgrades.
The HMD Skyline invitations you to dream. Sadly, it’s the solely smartphone with Qi2 thus far / © nextpit
Stefan Möllenhoff
My tech spotlight of 2024
The rise of generative AI has despatched just about each trade right into a frenzy—particularly tech corporations. Google, Amazon and Microsoft are shopping for nuclear energy crops for AI’s gigantic power necessities. On the similar time, the expertise is accessible to (nearly) everybody, and so start-ups are bobbing up whose merchandise typically really feel like magic. The advantages? Typically nonetheless as unclear as the place the entire AI journey goes within the first place. However there has hardly been a extra thrilling time in human historical past than now. And that, sadly, brings us to the following level.
My tech disappointment in 2024
Over the course of 2024, it grew to become extensively obvious how generative AI is altering the web. Psychedelic AI remixes of “America’s Got Talent” scenes unfold virally and pandemically on quick video platforms. Total subreddits are full of AI-generated texts—or had been they human in spite of everything? And Character.ai, a service for creating AI-powered chatbots modeled on actual or fictional characters, has a complete technology hooked and delivers a mind-boggling 20,000 messages per second. To place this into perspective: Google additionally “only” has 100,000 search queries per second. The place will 2025 take us?
My gadget of the yr 2024
I had my gadget expertise of the yr with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. Though I’ve already tried many VR/MR/XR glasses from Pico, Meta and the like, this was the primary time I had the sensation {that a} coherent system was actually being created. Even when the highway to a mass product is definitely nonetheless an extended one. However: Apple has the market energy to resolve the chicken-and-egg drawback of the brand new ecosystem across the glasses and VisionOS.
The Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional has a killer characteristic—however endurance remains to be required / © nextpit
Thomas Kern
My tech spotlight of 2024
My spotlight of 2024 is the event of robotic vacuum cleaners. In my eyes, family helpers have developed extremely in only one yr. Whether or not it is extendable brushes and mops or the mixing of cleansing agent containers—the units are getting higher and higher. And at IFA, Dreame confirmed off a robotic that may climb stairs. Loads is going on within the trade, and we are able to get lazier and lazier.
My tech disappointment of 2024
After Google confirmed Gemini, as an iPhone person I used to be actually wanting ahead to Apple Intelligence. The truth that AI will not be accessible in Germany till April 2025 is the destructive level for me personally in 2024.
My gadget of the yr 2024
My gadget of the yr 2024 is the “Anker Prime 100 W” charger with a foldable design. By no means having to consider completely different plugs once more is known as a blessing for me. The truth that the charger can be extremely compact is the cherry on the cake.
Present flagship vacuum-mopping robots can prolong the mops sideways to mop proper into the corners. / © nextpit
And now you!
What had been your tech spotlight and tech disappointment of the yr? And which gadget impressed you essentially the most in 2024? I look ahead to your opinions within the feedback!
