2010 a Fond Farewell

Well, 2010 is pretty much at an end and I can see 2011 just over the horizon.  I didn’t get nearly enough time to play with new tech this year, but here is a short list of the things I got to play with.

Wasting Time

Until the Wii came out, I had taken a bit of a break from gaming.  I really enjoyed the ability to get physical during game play.  Both Sony and Microsoft seemed to be playing catch-up this year with Sony releasing the Move for PS3 and Microsoft releasing the Kinect for xBox360.  I have to say, the Kinect not only completely changes gaming, but, I can easily see how it will completely change computing in general!.I cannot wait to actually be able to physically throw spam in the trash can, rather than only being able to do so metaphorically.

Geek To Go

I got an iPad just before they were released and I must say, as much as I didn’t want to, I really like it.  It is easy to use, and responsive, but for a power-user like me, I find it a little too restrictive.  I tried to write an app in Objective C, but lost interest quickly.  There are a few things that I still do, exclusively on the iPad, but I can see it being quickly replaced by a better device in 2011. 

I also got a Windows Phone 7 a little while before they were released, and I was completely impressed.  I am a long time Windows Mobile user and developer, and this was the first truly new concept I had seen from Microsoft in this arena since the iPaq.  Everything is different, and I mean different good.  I had a first gen iPhone (which I loathed) and I can say that there is no comparison.  The Windows Phone 7 is versatile, intuitive, and responsive.  Hell it can even make good calls, which is more than I can say for the iPhones I’ve had.  The Windows Phone 7 is the phone that us Windows Mobile users and developers have been waiting for Microsoft to build.

Along with the phone came the new developer tools for building phone apps.  The tools are fantastic and I am so happy that I didn’t really have a steep learning curve to build for the phone.  I have already built two apps for it with several more in various stages of development.

Boring Office Work

Since I have been working in more of a managerial position this past year, Office 2010 really caught my attention.  Its improve usability features and Windows 7 integration had me completing lots of tasks much faster with far fewer clicks.

The Future???

I know that Azure is not new in 2010, but I took some time to play with Azure and the new Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2010 and I must say, it is far better than when I had originally tried it when it first came out.  It drove me a little nuts the first time around and I kind of dismissed it, but Microsoft took another kick at the can and came out with a winner this time.

Goodbye 2010

This is just a tiny list of the exciting technologies that were released during this past year, but these were the ones I got a chance to touch on.  I can say, with all honesty, that I saw a new resurgence in actual technological innovation this year that leaves me excited for the year to come.