2012 in Review: Top articles and galleries of the Mobile Gadgeteer
I spend the majority of my time here on ZDNet posting articles on my Smartphones & Cell Phone blog, but three of my top 10 articles and galleries this year were from the Mobile Gadgeteer blog and I wanted to share and discuss those with you.
Top 3 blog posts of 2012
The top 3 posts here on ZDNet Mobile Gadgeteer for 2012 were:
- 2011 iPad Office apps showdown: Who says you can't work on the go?
- iPad Office app showdown: Four apps to help you get work done
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet? (Android Office app showdown)
I actually found it interesting that these three blog posts all had to do with Office on tablets and I am actually encouraged by these results. We often see dramatic headline grabbing posts designed for shock value to gain instant page views, but I try hard not to make those kind of posts. I believe that those kind of posts might be good for a day or so, but end up losing overall since readers don't want to come back again and again to read the hype. I put serious time into reviews, comparison articles, and galleries and they don't necessarily grab the main column of Techmeme. However, I believe people find them valuable over a longer period of time and this is shown yet again by my 2011 iPad Office article being my top post for 2012 here on the Mobile Gadgeteer blog. Wow, an article I wrote way back in June 2011 continues to attract a large number of readers.
Thank you dear readers for confirming my belief that my time was well spent on educating you rather than jumping on the wildest headlines and posting inflammatory statements.
Top 3 image galleries of 2012
While our image gallery system continues to evolve and improve, I understand the format is not the most popular aspect of the ZDNet site. That said, I think images can be quite helpful at showing important functions and features that words alone cannot do justice for. Here are my top 3 galleries from 2012:
- Apple iPad 2 rugged case showdown
- The Samsung Galaxy Note is perfect for data centric consumers
- 2011 iPad Office Apps Showdown
The iPad took 2 out of the top 3 spots, but I found it interesting that my rugged iPad case comparison gained the most views this past year. I find these rugged cases useful for coaching and ship checks, but did not think readers would view that gallery more than others I created over the year. The Galaxy Note gallery also did very well and now that I have been living with the Note 2 for over a month I am sold that it is the best smartphone/small tablet for me.
Best gear of the year
I did not cover nearly as much gear here as I did on my Smartphones blog, but I do have some easy picks and recommendations for the mobile space.
- Best large tablet: Apple iPad with Retina
- Best Android tablet: Google Nexus 7
- Best eInk device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
- Best earphones: Logitech UE 900
- Best portable Bluetooth speaker: Braven 650
- Best workout/fitness device: Motorola MOTACTV
- Best daily life activity tracker: Nike Fuelband
Do you have a favorite blog post or piece of gear from 2012? If so, feel free to leave a comment and discuss with other readers.
Again, thank you for reading this blog. I hope you come back daily and bring a friend in 2013. I couldn't do it without your support and for that I am very grateful. Have a wonderful holiday season and stay tuned for more reviews coming soon that I think will make some of the picks above obsolete.