Top 10 gadgets to look out for in 2014

Bold, efficient and useful are the qualities one would look for in a gadget. Every year we come across new innovations, but not all of them are actually worth the money. We take a look at the top 10 gadgets available this year and give you list that surpass the line of extravagance and will be an assets in a variety of aspects in your life.

Canon PowerShot G16

Canon India has launched PowerShot G16, the company’s latest compact camera. The compact camera features a DIGIC 6 processor for relatively lower shutter lag, and a new 12.1MP High Sensitivity CMOS sensor.

It can shoot Full-HD (1080p) video at 60p. Canon claims that the high speed AF improves focus speed by shooting 12.2fps continuous shooting in full resolution and 5.7fps with AF.
The PowerShot G16 features a zoom range of 5x, with a focal range of 28mm-140mm and this is expandable to 10x using Canon’s new ZoomPlus feature. The company claims that the camera’s f/1.8 (W) – f/2.8/ (T) lens performs well in low light, for creating soft backgrounds with shallow depth-of-field.

Metis Eddy

An Indian education start-up has launched a tablet for kids. The new tablet, named Eddy, runs on Android 4.2 and is aimed at educational content for 2-8 year olds.

The 7-inch screen tablet sports a 1.6GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and internal memory of 8 GB, which can be expanded to 32GB with a micro SD card. A 3200mAh battery ensures more than 4 hours of continuous usage time on full charge.

Children can read books, learn to play the piano, explore the world and the universe as well as practice math through games on Eddy. All the games preloaded on the tablet are violence-free.

Eddy also comes with an exclusive recommendation engine for parents, the Kids Radar, which recommends the most suitable learning apps for their kids on the Play store.

Sony Vaio flip

Sony has launched the Vaio Flip 13 hybrid laptop. The convertible laptop has a hinge mechanism that allows the touch screen to be flipped over such that the model can be used as a tablet.

This mechanism also enables the device to be used as a kickstand (which Sony calls Viewer mode). Sony Vaio Flip 13 has a 13-inch Triluminous Display with 1080p resolution and runs on Windows 8.1 operating system.

The model has a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB flash drive and Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU under the hood. The model weighs 1.31kg, has an 8MP camera and offers battery life of 7.5hours. The company also launched a 14-inch and two 15-inch laptop-cum-tablets in the same series.

Nokia Lumia 525

Nokia updated the Lumia 520, the highest selling Windows Phone handset in the world, with the launch of Lumia 525. The new smart phone was launched in India and has twice the amount of RAM and glossier back compared to its predecessor.

Lumia 525 features a 4-inch screen with 800x480p resolution and 235ppi pixel density, same as that of the Lumia 520. Powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB RAM, the phone runs Windows Phone 8.

The Lumia 525 sports a 5MP autofocus rear camera; however, there is no flash at the back or a front camera. The phone can access the internet via 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi networks and transfer data via Bluetooth 4.0 and micro USB 2.0. The phone packs a 1,430mAh battery and has been launched in four colour options — white, black, yellow and orange.

Samsung Galaxy Flex

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Grand 2 tablet. This   handset is the successor of Galaxy Grand that was launched early last year; the new model has a larger screen, more RAM and bigger battery than its predecessor.

Samsung’s latest phablet Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25-inch HD screen and 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It comes with 8GB internal storage, up to 64GB micro SD card support and 1.5GB RAM. On the back, it has an 8MP camera with LED flash and sports a 1.9MP camera in front.

Connectivity suite of Galaxy Grand 2 includes 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and micro USB 2.0. It is powered by a 2,600mAh battery and the company claims that it can provide talk time of 17 hours. The phone will be available in white, black and pink colours in the market.

LG G Flex

LG has launched its first curved screen smartphone, G Flex, in India.  It is the most expensive Android smartphone in the Indian market.

When sufficient force is applied, the smartphone’s screen bends a little as well. The G Flex is also the first handset in the world to feature a self-healing back panel, which repairs minor scratches and cuts on the back automatically.

The new LG G Flex has a 6-inch 720p display that curves across the vertical line and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Other key specifications of LG G Flex include 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 13MP rear camera and 3,500mAh battery.

Moto G

Motorola re-entered the market after a gap of two years with the launch of Moto G smartphone. The dual-sim phone comes in two variants – 8GB at Rs 12,499 and 16GB at Rs 13,999. It has a 4.5-inch 720p screen and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat), the latest version of the software.

On the back, Moto G sports a 5MP camera, while a 1.3MP camera is in front. The device runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, backed by 1GB RAM. Powered by a 2,070mAh battery, this smartphone has connectivity options like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB

LG Lifeband touch and heart rate headphones

 Activated by turning your wrist, it has a full-touch OLED display, 90mAh battery and a triple-axis accelerometer and altimeter. Those will let you track your exploits via Android or iOS apps like MyFitnessPal or Runkeeper, along with LG’s own fitness app. You’ll also see (and feel) incoming calls and messages, and can control music using the touch display.

These headphones can monitor your heart rate by measuring the blood flow in your ear.

LG’s Home Chat

LG has announced that it will showcase smart home appliances that will be featuring the HomeChat service at CES, scheduled in January 2014. LG reveals that the HomeChat service will allow customers to communicate, control, and monitor LG’s home appliances, and that it can even can be used for sharing content. Notably, the upcoming LG smart home appliances will be able to communicate via instant messaging app, Line

Pebble Steel smartwatch

After its debut as the original plastic-wrapped Pebble last year, Pebble Technology upped its game in February with the launch of the second-generation Pebble Steel.

Weather, sports scores, and other “glance-able” information is available right on the watch face, without a whole lot of trouble.