By Grace Chng

LOADS of exciting gadgets came into the market this year, like this super-thin Asus Eee PC Seashell netbook held by Taiwanese actress Cheryl Yang (above). Many bit the dust but some rocketed to best-seller status.

Among them were the iPhone 3GS, attractive for its cool design; Amazon's Kindle 2 and DX which ignited the eBook/eReader market; and sub-US$500 (S$703) netbooks that let users surf the Web on the go.

These three gizmos had a big impact on the market. The second generation iPhone which hit the market in June this year continued the mobile data revolution started by its predecessor. According to AdMob, the mobile advertising marketplace, the iPhone is responsible for half of the world's mobile data traffic.

Launched in 2007, Kindle sales shot through the roof this year because Amazon enabled a good user experience.

Users had a 300,000 eBook catalogue to choose from. Online purchases were easy with the digital content sent instantly to users' Kindles wirelessly. Within a minute of purchase, users could start reading their eBooks.

Computer makers said a sub-US$500 netbook was impossible until the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project came along with its US$199 6-inch mini ultra-portable Internet capable device.

While the OLPC project is struggling, it started the netbook craze which is the fastest growing computer hardware segment this year. Research company DisplaySearch said netbooks sales grew 103per cent this year.

So what other new gadgets can gizmoholics expect in 2010? As certain as the sun rises in the east, thousands of new sexy and cool gadgets will hit the market next year.

But I am only seriously considering buying these four gadgets.

Mini videocam: This is one gadget to flaunt next year. Today, the Creative Vado HD is already on store shelves. Next year, the Flip UltraHD which is available in the United States, will hit Singapore shores. These palm-sized videocams slip into shirt or jeans pockets easily. Plus they are easy to use.

Embedded into e-mail, blogs, websites or even powerpoint presentations, video clips, will liven up communications.

HDMI hub: Sports fans pay attention. You may have the StarHub set-top box to watch English Premier League (EPL) matches and other sports. But with SingTel winning the rights to screen EPL next year, make room on your audio-visual bench for another set-top box.

If you, like me, have a TV with only three HDMI ports into which are plugged the existing set-top box, DVD player and a game console, then start looking for a HDMI hub.

This device lets you hook up at least two to four more HDMI-based devices to your TV. I will be looking for these devices in Funan DigitaLife Mall or Sim Lim Square.

Netbook: Next year's crop of netbooks will include those with touchscreens or which can be used as a tablet computer. Prices are expected to be below US$400. Many will come with Linux or Google's new operating system Chrome and Google Docs instead of Windows and Microsoft Office.

They are really useful when I am on holiday. As slim devices, they slip into a shoulder bag letting me quickly check my e-mail, read news websites or checkin online for flights.

eReaders: Although I have a Kindle, I am eyeing a bigger eReader next year, one that has a 10-inch screen that will let me read magazines and newspapers in PDF format.

For those waiting to buy your first eReader, next year will see many new devices unveiled sporting 5- to 10-inch screens.

My big wish is that all these devices will be available in Singapore together with their digital content. So far, the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook eReader and their digital contents have eluded book fans here.

However, I will be eyeing those dual-screen netbooks, where one side is a touchscreen for computing and the other a special LCD screen for reading. These devices will have content in PDF or ePub standard which is more widely used for eBooks.

Anyone wants to buy a second-hand Kindle?

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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