The Year in Review

As the year winds down, it’s only natural for us to reflect back. And I’d like to think my early thoughts from CES 2010, captured on video (above), mostly panned out.

Despite industry hopes, it seems that the majority of my peers aren’t that fired up over 3D TV. While many have acquired 3D capabilities through HDTV or Blu-ray player upgrades, I’m not aware of anyone buying in specifically for that reason. Nor am I aware of any catching 3D content on any sort of frequent or even regular basis. As for me, my interest level remains close to zero. We’ll be picking  up a new HDTV (50″ – 55″ range) in the next month or so and I’ll actively seek out non-3D models as a way to save a few bucks.

Tablet-esque products gained considerable momentum in 2010, led by the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad. Of course, these sorts of devices aren’t new. But the lightweight OS-es and custom UIs combined with favorable pricing, are — and what pushed this product category into the mainstream.

In the connected box territory, there were a number of promising announcements… that ultimately underwhelmed (Popbox, Google TV, Vulkano, TiVo Premiere). However, future software updates could easily propel those platforms along. Meanwhile Roku, the little box that could, continues to improve and introduce new content partners. Additionally, while the new Apple TV is still limited, the price point and industrial design are hard to beat for those deep into Apple’s ecosystem.

Related, complex content licensing issues persisted throughout 2010. Perhaps most vividly illustrated by the Hulu story arc that began with an active blockade against mobile and television-based web browsers leading up to the launch of their own paid service… featuring only a subset of approved programming.

As far as gadget of the year goes, I’ve seen some MacBook Air endorsements. But, while Apple’s done some truly impressive engineering here, at the end of the day what we have is just another laptop computer (accompanied by a disproportionately hefty price tag if configured appropriately). And I say this in the most loving way… as a satisfied owner. Whereas Apple’s iPad brings something truly new to the table and is priced relatively aggressively. Given its current weight and crop of apps, I still have somewhat limited interest. But the iPad clearly obviates the need for a smartphone and/or laptop for many. And I do fully expect a future iteration to replace my Kindle, kitchen television, magazines, and who knows what else.

On the blog front, traffic and revenue were both up in 2010 while we continue to focus on personal experiences in tech over press release regurgitation. After fighting hard for what I thought was legitimacy, we’ve since somewhat distanced ourselves from the marketing and PR industry – whose objectives don’t always line up with ours. We’re technological emcees, here to stimulate discussion, not product spokespeople. And it’s kinda crazy when you stop to think that ZNF will enter its 7th year in 2011. We thank you for your continued support and wish you a happy new year!