In the newest update to the Wall Street Journal’s “Digits” video column, Walt Mossberg, their Personal Technology Consultant, sums up his Best 3 and Worst 3 products that he reviewed in 2010. It’s no huge surprised, with the slew of Android products that launched this year, that we saw some land on his list. But which devices, and which side did they end up on? Let’s take a look at his entire list.
I can’t say I’m surprised that the iPad took the top spot. It’s hard to deny the impact that this device has had on the market. I didn’t expect it to succeed, but it definitely proved me wrong. While it’s obviously not my personal favorite device, I can’t deny that it’s been a big hit. Number 2 on his “best of” list goes to Wireless 4G technology, in general. He feels like this trend, which is shaping us nicely overall, is crucial in supporting the devices that we want to have in the upcoming years. Our smartphones and tablets are only as good as the networks that support them, so I agree that 4G technology is very important. And given that the only 4G phones on the market right now are Sprint’s Epic and Evo, this does directly affect Android.
The third spot in his “Best of” list he named as a tie between the Galaxy S phone and the iPhone 4. He acknowledges some of the issues that iPhone 4 has, but still claims that overall it’s the best smartphone on the market. But, he also lauds praise on the Samsung Galaxy S line — a device near and dear to my heart, as an Epic owner. Specifically, he applauds them for the way they launched the entire family across a variety of carriers and how Samsung has really become a player in the Android game, and helped Android really gain a ton of marketshare in the process.
Sadly, we had some Android that landed on the “Worst of” list as well. He acknowledges that all of these devices could LEAD to something great, but as they premiered in 2010, they have so far not succeeded. First mention: The Dell Streak. He claims its biggest failure is being stuck in-between the “tablet” market and the “phone” market, and not really filling either role very well. On top of that, premiering at Android 1.6 was a blow against it, as well. Google TV took his number 2 spot, and he cites such obstacles as a clunky interface and awkward control methods, calling it a “geek” product. He did NOT acknowledge that it could be controlled with an Android phone, but also didn’t mention what I think Google TV’s biggest problem is right now — the fact that nearly every major network is blocking their content from being streamed to the device. He rounded out the “Worst of” list with the TiVo Premier. According to Mossberg, the TiVo Premier is just too expensive with too cluttered of an interface, and doesn’t have the content to justify the price.
Hit the source link for the full story, and let us know what you think in the comments. Do you disagree with his judgments of any of these products? Do you think he overlooked something great or something terrible? Weigh in!
[via AllThingsDigital]