Year in Review: Top 10 most popular posts on The Toybox in 2010
2010 has brought us a ton of new toys to play with, including cheaper e-book readers, gaming consoles going more motion-based and every company looking to add "3D" to the product name.
While we've covered a wide variety of gadgets in the past year, it seems that readers are most interested in a select few - namely the iPhone 4. Based on traffic, here's a look back at our 10 most read posts of 2010, ending with the most popular of them all.
10.Some iPhone 4 orders being canceled by Apple, AT&T
When the iPhone 4 was first announced in June, it was met with a lot of excitement. That quickly soured, however, even when the handheld was up for pre-order and not even in stores yet. Because the online stores were inundated with a record (but hardly unexpected) amount of traffic, AT&T and Apple's online stores were crashing all over the place. Reports flooded in that the companies were canceling orders, which was only the beginning of the PR nightmare Apple suffered with the latest iPhone release this past summer.
9. Apple iPhone 4: Everything you need to know
Apple's big iPhone 4 announcement wasn't exactly unexpected news given that the hoopla surrounding a prototype being left in a bar only to be picked up and sold to Gizmodo. But the official news was still exciting with that crisp retina display, dual cameras and the biggest design departure since the original silver-back iPhone. If only the developers had thought more about the placement of the antenna back then...
8. Apple: Don't hold your iPhone 4 that way
The iPhone has never been exactly known for good reception, and the blame can be put to both Apple and AT&T there. But this case fell on Apple's shoulders given that the placement of the antenna was a serious design flaw. Soon after the iPhone 4 was released, consumers were reporting more dropped calls and extremely poor reception...whenever the device was held in the left hand. The problem could be corrected with a bumper or case, leading Apple to start offering free cases through September 30. And we also got a new phrase to play around with: "Antennagate."
7. Dell Streak: Mini 5 tablet docs leaked; reveal specs, colors
Offering a breather from all of the iPhone 4 stories, we have the scoop of the Dell Streak (also known as the Dell Mini 5). Now that we're at the end of the year, we've seen a ton of tablet news and announcements, but this one was definitely the biggest following the introduction of the iPad - leading consumers and industry insiders to question whether or not this would be Apple's biggest competition. Now, not so much.
6. CES 2010 preview: Six trends to watch for at this year's show
CES is tech's biggest event of the year, so its only natural to start speculating about the big announcements and trends to be seen at the trade show ahead of the actual event. Some of expected trends included improved car technology, better smartphones, and a bigger focus on eco-friendly products. Smartbooks haven't exactly exploded this year, but 3D proved it was more than just a passing fad. CES 2011 is only a few weeks away, so start guessing now about what we'll see then.
5. Holiday Gift Guide 2010: 7 wacky gadget presents
The holiday season is a busy and stressful time, and we can all use a laugh once in a while. Readers could possibly get two things done at once with this holiday gift guide to offbeat and wacky gadgets. Who wouldn't want to get a coffee mug shaped like a Canon telephoto lens for a present?
4. Apple delays white iPhone 4 until late 2010
This is the last iPhone 4-related post on this list, I promise. When Apple first unveiled the iPhone 4, it was announced that the handheld would debut initially in black with a sleek white version to follow later in the summer. That promise has been pushed back repeatedly since that date. Being that we're in the last month of 2010 with still no iPhone 4 in white to be seen, that promise is all but broken.
3. First look: HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 Professional
When the HP Slate first debuted at CES 2010 in January, it wasn't met with much excitement. Throughout the year, there was a number of reports about this device swirling the Interwebs. But instead of trying to go after the iPad customer base, Microsoft and HP (smartly) went the business-minded route with a Windows 7-professional based model. This was the hands-on review, which generated much more interest than the actual announcement.
2.Motorola Droid X review: bigger, badder, better
Verizon Wireless went head-to-head with AT&T and its iPhone 4 this summer with the release of the Motorola Droid X. As noted in my colleague Andrew Nusca's extensive review, the Droid X was "another leap for the Android platform." Notable features on this handheld include the vivid 4.3-inch display, 720p HD video playback, DLNA support and a 1GHz processor. The Motorola Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, and Droid Pro have all since been released, but the Droid X still stands as an solid all-around device.
1. ZDNet's Ultimate Black Friday 2010 guide to deals and steals
No one can compete with the biggest shopping day of the year. We brought you over a dozen pages filled with deals and steals being offered by retailers nationwide. Some of this year's most notable and competitive promotions were offered on Sony PlayStation 3 bundles with Move controllers and titles, HDTVs and even a Barnes & Noble Nook Wi-Fi edition for $99. We can hardly wait to see what will be in store for us next year!