Image via Wikipedia
The tech world’s buzzwords, jargon and lingo could fill a dictionary.
Sometimes, as with terms like “tablet” or “smartphone,” techie buzzwords become so integrated into the vernacular you can’t imagine what words you used to use in their place.
Other times, even when heavily advertised, these terms just don’t catch on. This can be due to the failure of the gadget they describe — remember the Squircle – or because the device became obsolete, as with the PDA. It could also be a word like “clicktivism” that no one is ever going to say it with a straight face.
With the Consumer Electronics Show, the Super Bowl of tech, right around the corner, we’re about to be bombarded by a plethora of the “next big things” in the gadget world.
Check out below to prep for your CES-related cocktail chatter, then follow our full coverage of CES 2012 here.
-
‘Ultrabooks’ - Wired called it the “year’s hottest gadget,” but what exactly is an ultrabook?
No, it’s not the best novel you’ve ever read. Yes, it is a super-slim, super-light, super-fast, super-reasonably priced, super-long battery-lifed laptop that is, according to eWeek (and everyone else), expected to “storm CES” and “explode” in 2012.
-
‘Phablets’ - It’s not a phone, not yet a tablet.
A “phablet” is a tablet/smartphone hybrid, which melds the tablet’s larger size with the smartphone’s ability to make calls. Sure, it’s a marketing term invented by Samsung, which according to All Things D, has called its Galaxy Note phablet a “market creator,”but the robust overseas sales suggest that this is a portmanteau people are ready for.
- ‘Superphones’ - During last year’s run-up to CES, people were talking about superphones that boasteddual-core ARM chips, Adobe Flash, high-definition video and 4G connectivity. While there are still no hard and fast rules as far as what puts the “super” in superphone, this year’s offerings are expected to have quad-core CPUs, HD displays and awesome cameras(think 12+ megapixels).
- ‘OLED’ - Although organic light-emitting diodes have been used in small TVs since 2007, manufacturers have had difficulty translating the technology to larger screens without causing costs to skyrocket.
-
‘NFC’ - NFC, short for “near field communication,” is expected to be all over everything come CES, so even though you’ve certainly seen this acronym around, it’s time to get comfortable with the term.
NFC, which made its debut in 2003, is sort of like ESP for phones: It allows devices that are embedded with NFC chips to share information with one another just by being in close proximity. No wires, no buttons — only a touch of gadget-waving is required.
Related articles
- CES 2012 Overview: It’s Thin, Mobile, and Cloudy (toast.net)
