Everything important that happened in 2014
PUBLISHED ONJanuary 20, 2015 6:55 AMByTeam HWM
From cameras in the sky to cameras you can wear on your face, from 3.69 million pixels on your smartphone to 14.7 million pixels on your desktop monitor, 2014 wasn't a year for subtlety and understatement. Apple introduced larger display iPhones, Sony introduced full-frame mirrorless cameras, and everybody from Razer to Microsoft released a wearable device. Plus, a bunch of celebrities shared way more than they ever wanted to on the internet.
If you've been living under a rock for the past year, here's everything you missed in 2014.
MOBILE
From your pocket to your wrist
2014 saw Apple enter the wearables market when it finally unveiled its long awaited Apple Watch. The square-face smartwatch won't be available until 2015, but will connect with your iOS device and track your health and fitness stats, as well as display notifications, messages and maps.
The Apple Watch's unique feature is its digital crown, which turns like a normal watch crown, but is actually used to zoom and scroll through content on the watch's digital face.
Microsoft also launched its first wearable this year, the Microsoft Band, a fitness tracking band with a 1.4-inch display and no less than ten sensors tracking your calorie intake, heart rate, stress levels and sun exposure among others. The Microsoft Band is also one of the few wearables to be compatible with both Android OS and iOS, as well as its own Windows Phone 8 platform.
LG and Motorola launched the first roundfaced smartwatches in the G Watch R and Motorola Moto 360, while Samsung added to its growing wearables range with the fitness focused Gear Fit and the affordable Gear 2 Neo.
Not everything was found on your wrist though, Sony's new SmartEyeGlass looks to challenge Google Glass with its CMOS image sensor, 3MP camera lens, and a suite of sensors coupled with Sony's unique hologram optics technology for the device's lenses, which offer a transparency of 85 per cent and are just 3 mm thick. Meanwhile, Epson's Moverio BT-200 glasses mix augmented reality with simulated big screen viewing by projecting images and video onto the world around you.
With every major device manufacturer, as well as a number of smaller boutique brands, now all invested in the wearable device market, the battle for space on your body is firmly underway.
Displays better than your eyes can see
In just three years, we've gone from displays with 800 x 480 pixel resolutions as the norm, up to 960 x 540, 1,280 x 720, 1,980 x 1,080 and this year, we saw our first 2,560 x 1,440 Quad HD smartphones. Devices like LG's 5.5-inch G3 boasted a massive 534 pixels per inch count and we may not be stopping there, with Samsung claiming Ultra HD 4K smartphone displays in development that could be available as early as 2015.
But are higher resolution displays worth it? In justifying the 960 x 640 (330ppi) Retina display on the iPhone 4's 3.5-inch display, Apple famously said that the human eye could only resolve about 300 ppi when viewed from 10 inches, the average distance that most users view their phone at. Even when scrutinized up close, it's almost impossible to distinguish pixels once you get to around 480 ppi.
The Rise of Xiaomi
Xiaomi is now the world's third biggest smartphone maker, a remarkable achievement for a company that only began selling smartphones three years ago. Xiaomi's inspiration is plain to see. Its first smartphone and tablet designs looked remarkably similar to Apple's iPhone and iPad, Xiaomi's website closely resembles Apple's website, and Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, even dresses like Steve Jobs and finishes his presentations with the words "One more thing…" But Xiaomi's success isn't just from copying Apple. Yes, its products are beautifully designed and well built (if not particularly original in design), but they also cost a fraction of the price of an iPhone.
This year Xiaomi expanded beyond smartphones and tablets, and also launched its own network router, smart TV set top box, cloud storage service, messaging service, power bank and smart fitness band, all of which were well received.
True Octa-core processing power
Not too long ago, dual-core processors were considered advanced. Now, consumers demand at least quad-core performance at the very least, and some devices even have octa-core processors. But nearly all octacore processors actually utilize two quadcore clusters, with one cluster prioritizing performance, and another set of low powered cores prioritizing energy efficiency, an arrangement that ARM calls big.LITTLE. The high-powered and low-powered cores do not generally operate at the same time, so you'll only ever have four cores running simultaneously.
This year however, Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer Mediatek, launched the MT6595, the world's first SoC capable of true octa-core processing. While it is also based on ARM's big.LITTLE architecture, it is the first chip to utilize Cortex A17 and A7 cores concurrently, which are 100 per cent architecturally compatible, and thus capable of running all eight cores simultaneously. Early benchmark tests showed a massive 30 per cent performance gain on existing high end quad and octa-core SoCs, however it might still be a while until we see the first MT6595 chips appearing in consumer devices.CAMERAS
Mirrorless gets serious
Before this year, mirrorless cameras were largely considered as "competent" offerings that could be a good secondary camera for professional photographers. Sure, we've had standouts like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the Panasonic Lumix DMCGH3 with their fully weather-sealed bodies, and Fujifilm's X-series cameras with their classic rangefinder designs, but by and large, mirrorless cameras have been used for personal shoots or while on holiday.
For a paying job? The logic has always been to reach for a traditional DSLR with its larger sensor and better overall responsiveness. With the introduction of Sony's A7 series this year though, mirrorless camera users now have three cameras in the A7, A7R and A7S that feature full-frame sensors. A trend that's sure to continue, as camera makers seek a perfect marriage between the image quality and portability.
Meanwhile, cameras like Fujifilm's X-T1, Sony's SLT-A77 II and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 have shown that mirrorless cameras can easily handle action photography, thanks to improved autofocus drives and fast continuous shooting rates that easily best the bulk of the traditional DSLRs out there.
Improvements were also seen in video, with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 bringing 4K video to mirrorless cameras. Sony's A7S does the same when connected to an external recorder, but boasts the ability to go up to ISO 409,600, and the Samsung NX1 not only records in 4K at 24fps, but also UHD at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps, all using the new h.265 codec.
Smaller, faster, and extremely capable. This is the year mirrorless cameras were built for professionals.
Aerial photography for the masses - unmanned drones take flight
From an incredibly well-choreographed music video by OK Go that went viral to otherwise-impossible video footage of a volcano erupting, 2014 has seen its share of spectacular camera work from unmanned drones. Thanks to quadcopter makers like DJI, Heli-Max, and Parrot releasing lower cost models of battery-powered drones, many people have started getting into aerial videography, with spectacular results.
Where once you had to spend thousands for a half-hour helicopter charter, you can now have a personal craft to send up to the skies as and when you wish for under a thousand dollars. Some models have attached cameras that you can control via an app on your smartphone, while others have space for you to mount a small camera like the GoPro Hero 3 to control wirelessly via your smart device. Either way, you get at least 720p video, and the ability to adjust exposure settings remotely in mid-flight.
Prices are still continuing to fall, and as technology improves further and drones become smaller, don't be surprised if "dronies" become the new "selfies".
Photographers get a new high
409,600. That's the new high that the Sony A7S and Nikon D4S can go to, and 2014's new benchmark for high ISO sensitivity - a full three stops over what the cameras of previous years could do. In real world terms, this means the A7S and the D4S almost literally gives photographers and videographers the ability to see in pitch darkness, and that translates to some very real changes to the way imaging professionals can approach shoots.
After all, why bring heavy, bulky lighting equipment when you can simply raise the sensitivity of your sensor with little degradation to image quality? Vincent Laforet wowed the creative community with his available-light video work with the Canon 5D Mark II, and when these advances in sensor technology start trickling down to other cameras, you can be sure these new technical advantages will show in terms of the quality of work.
Granted, at this level of implementation the picture quality is still extremely grainy, but it still represents a quantum leap forward in terms of what is possible from Interchangable Lens Cameras, and certainly the start of things to come. For now though, ISO 25,600 is the new ISO 6,400, and that in itself is plenty impressive.
Rise of the selfie camera
From Canon's PowerShot N to Casio's Exlim EX-FR10, there's no doubting that 2014 saw a surge of selfie cameras with every other camera company seemingly rushing to get in on the act. Nikon's Coolpix S6900 includes a flip down stand so you can place your phone on the table and a wide-angle lens so you can fit the entire group in, while Samsung's NX Mini offers three ways to activate a selfie: a 3-second auto-timer, Smile detection, and- perhaps more creatively - wink detection, where winking at the camera sets off a three second timer for the camera to go off.
Taking things to another extreme is the aforementioned Casio ExilimEX-FR10, which has a detachable camera unit that you can affix to a branch, place on a table, or just clip to the strap of your bag. It's a phenomenon that has picked up traction over the last two years and, while it may seem frivolous, has certainly sparked some innovation in terms of the way people are using their cameras.
GAMING
Slowly but surely going mainstream
VR's nothing new to gaming. Way back in the 90s, Nintendo tried its hand at VR with the release of the Virtual Boy. It was a console/visor hybrid which you look into to play 3D wireframe games. Innovative but the lack of games and the fact that it hurt players' eyes after a while meant that the Virtual Boy crashed and burned.
Fast forward to 2014 and VR tech is making a comeback. There are already two mainstream visors in the works, the Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus. From all indications, both visors are awesome and more importantly, don't hurt the eyes.
Also in the works is the Omni, a companion device to the Rift. Unlike the Rift or Morpheus, the Omni isn't a visor, it's a treadmill that translates your movement to in-game ones. It's debatable how successful the Omni would be considering its size and nature, but those who've tried it when paired with the Oculus Rift have stated that it introduces a new degree of immersion. Whether that immersion is a novelty, we just have to wait and see.
We're already seeing the first tentative steps of industry acceptance for VR. The Oculus Rift (currently at its second developer's kit model) is already supported in some AAA titles (Alien Isolation being the latest), despite it not even been released yet. If that's not a sign that VR's coming (and this time it's here to stay), we don't know what is.
Microsoft backtracks
Last year, when the Xbox One launched, gamers openly questioned Microsoft whether the Xbox One really needed a Kinect bundled in. Microsoft was adamant that a Kinect was part of the whole Xbox One experience. Consequently, the Xbox One floundered due to its high price and underwhelming games. Despite that, Microsoft still stuck to its guns.
At least until E3 this year when the company announced that they're not making Kinect integration mandatory any longer. Also released was a firmware update that allowed developers to free up resources previously used by the Kinect for their individual games. This is a big deal because it's not only a significant policy shift, but also a sign that Microsoft realises that its system is underpowered when compared to the PS4. We've heard of a company boosting its console via RAM upgrades (the N64) but removing a piece of previously essential tech?
Second screen gaming
While multiple screens have been a staple in the PC and arcade scene, it's only recently evolved to make use of smart devices. Sony's PS4 allows it to connect to the PS Vita or Xperia phones/tablets in multiple ways, either as a second screen device, a controller (only for the Vita) or for Remote Play. Remote Play allows users to access their PS4 via the internet and stream it to the PS Vita/ Xperia product. It essentially turns the PS4 into a portable system. Microsoft too has its proprietary second screen tech called SmartGlass.
Even mobile devices are getting in the act. Numerous companion apps are only available for them. Apps like Battlefield 4's Tablet Commander, which lets the player support their team with aids like radar or air strikes. Expect more innovative apps as gaming gets used to second screens.
Professional gaming's rise
Competitive gaming has steadily been gaining popularity over the years. Tournaments like the LoL World Championships and EVO have brought pro gamers to the forefront of many a gamer's mind. With the rise in recognition, comes a rise in earnings.
It's not surprising nowadays to find tournaments with prizes in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. A prime example was this year's Dota 2 tournament 'The International 2014'. It went from a 'paltry' sum of US$2,874,407 to $10,310,103 in just one year. Players can be millionaires just by winning a couple of top competitions, similar to what other pro athletes in mainstream professional sports make. While not all tournaments are seeing as massive a purse like the International, they are steadily rising across the board. It may take a few years, but one day, pro gaming might be as big as professional football.
INTERNET
Making and breaking celebrities in a day
The "Fappening", the largest ever breach of cloud security occurred in September this year when a huge number of private and personal photographs of numerous famous female celebrities were stolen and shared online. Posted on imageboard 4chan, the photographs were soon swiftly disseminated on other websites and social networks like Reddit, collectively becoming known as "The Fappening".
Celebrities involved included Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney (who claimed to be under 18 when the photos were taken, making her a minor). It was soon revealed that the photos were obtained by hackers who targeted the victims' Cloud-based storage accounts, where the photos were stored.
While young male adolescents around the world may have rejoiced, many felt that the distribution of the photos was an invasion of privacy. The incident also served to highlight the reliability of cloud storage, especially when it is used to store sensitive data, with Apple's iCloud service coming under the most scrutiny, forcing Apple CEO Tim Cook to state that Apple will improve the security of iCloud in order to better protect users.
#Gates
A number of #gate scandals caught the attention of the internet in 2014. #bendgate became a worldwide trend on twitter following reports of new Apple iPhone 6 Plus owners posting pictures and videos of their devices bending in their pockets after sitting down for an extended period of time.
The #Gamergate scandal ended up starting its own online movement after allegations of paid reviews and unethical relationships between game developers and journalists came to light in August this year. Further fuel was added to the fi re when it was discovered that a select group of US gaming journalists were members of a mailing group that appeared to discuss and collude on a number of topics including what games and developers deserve coverage.
Group selfies
Selfies are pretty common, but when you add a whole lot of star power to the picture, it might just become the most-retweeted tweet of all time. Just ask Ellen DeGeneres. During the 86th Academy Awards, the TV star snapped a selfie with a group of stars that included Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper and Meryl Streep.
Seen by 37 million people around the world, the photo broke the previous retweet record within forty minutes and also launched the group selfie trend. There aren't any official terms for group selfies, but unfortunate candidates include wefie and usie.
Ice the challenge
From July to August this year, you couldn't escape the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which involved dumping a bucket of ice water on your head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to also encourage donations to research. You would then nominate someone to do the same, and nominated participants would have to undergo the challenge within 24 hours or make a donation.
The internet was soon flooded with videos of people dumping water on their heads, although the movement has also met with criticism, with some saying that the challenge was a waste of water and others claiming that the participants were more focused on the stunt than the donation.
Flappy Bird
Who would have thought that an incredibly simple game with 8-bit graphics and frustrating controls could be responsible for millions of downloads a day for both iOS and Android? And yet, at one point, Flappy Bird was so successful, its creator, Dong Nguyen, was earning US$50,000 a day from in-app ads.
What's crazier is that Nguyen actually removed the game from app stores at the peak of its popularity, stating that he could no longer deal with the media coverage and unwanted attention. Its removal immediately spawned a flurry of similarly named clones to pop up on app stores, including flappy fish, flappy octopus, flappy penguin, clumsy bird, and the shamelessly named flappy angry bird.AV
There's no running away from 4K TVs
Versus last year, buying a 4K TV today makes more sense. For one, most of the newer models sport HDMI 2.0 inputs, which means they can run 4K at up to 60 or 50 frames per second. They also support HEVC (a.k.a. High Efficiency Video Coding or H.265), a compression codec necessary for 4K streaming.
There are now more screen sizes (especially smaller ones) to choose from as well, and prices are dropping. Some may argue that it's still not quite at a level suitable for mainstream consumption, but that mostly applies to the Samsungs and LGs of the TV market. The US$1,000 50-inch 4K TV from Vizio has been making waves in the US; so too is Xiaomi's $700 49-inch 4K MIUI TV in this part of the world. Surely, these are signs of things to come.
So, where do we stand now? According to research firm DisplaySearch, in the month of August, 4K TV panels shipped were 10 per cent of global TV panel shipments. It's not a big number yet, but we're definitely on the upward slope of that hockey stick graph.
What about OLED? The long-touted heir apparent to LCD and plasma, OLED seems to be struggling at the moment, plagued by production issues, exorbitant prices, and doubts on its reliability. Samsung has recently cut down investments in large-format OLED, leaving cross-town rival LG the sole proponent of large OLED displays. Like it or not, 4K TVs (especially LED LCD-based ones) are here to stay. That curved screen trend? We hope not.
Plasma on life support
It's been predicted for years, but the plasma TV chapter looks to be coming to a close finally with LG Electronics exiting the business at the end of November. Korean rival Samsung has also stopped producing plasma panels at around the same time; and previous plasma TV leader Panasonic has long been out of the equation, having abandoned the tech since end 2013.
Now that LG is out, the plasma TV market is propped up only by China-based Changhong Electric. But with plasma TV shipments expected to fall from 5.2 million this year to just 500,000 next year, it's only a matter of time before Changhong throws in the towel too.
The demise of plasma can be attributed to the constant improvements of the LCD technology and the persistent LCD TV price drops. Yes, plasma offers great image quality, but the industry is betting on OLED to go one step further.
14.7 million pixels on the desktop
Like TVs, desktop monitor resolution is also marching towards 4K. And like most new technologies, it started off at the high end, which means giant monitors with exotic panels, and crazy-high prices that only the rich can afford.
But as manufacturers got better with making these 4K monitors and wised up to the actual needs of consumers, 2014 also saw more affordable options. We've the ASUS PB287Q, Dell P2815Q, and Samsung U28D590DS - all 28-inch, TN panel-based 4K monitors priced under $1,000. While not exactly what we'd call cheap, they're definitely more palatable to the average person than their multi-thousand dollars 32-inch cousins. And it can only get cheaper: Intel and Samsung are partnering to deliver high-quality, 24-inch 4K monitors for as low as US$400.
For Mac users, while Apple hasn't yet wheeled out a 4K Thunderbolt display, the latest 27-inch iMac has literally stole the industry's thunder by packing a 5K (5,120 x 2880 pixels) display.
High-res audio goes mainstream
High-resolution audio (loosely defined as audio with higher sampling frequency and bit depth than CD's 16-bit/44.1kHz) isn't a new concept for audiophiles, but it's now garnering mainstream attention thanks to the constant stream of new products and services this year.
Creative, LG, Samsung, Sony, and Fiio are just a handful of a long list of companies to have new HRA devices in 2014. Their push is important for HRA since they're consumer brands that people are more familiar with, as opposed to audio specialty brands like Astell & Kern, Hifi man, and Woo Audio.
With HRA equipment now readily available, the final hurdle for the layman is where to get HRA content. The HDTracks online store has long been a popular choice among serious music fans; and Qobuz, which has a streaming service, is the new darling. Just don't use trashy headphones.
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