Coolest Products of the Year 2012

With the ever-evolving consumer behaviour, rapid network and technology developments, new business models and increasing competitive intensity are transforming the industry’s landscape. In the face of these changes, companies into ICT must find innovative new sources of revenue growth whilst also increasing operational efficiency to enhance margins. In the January special issue, we are trying to feature some of the corporate insights. Exclusive inputs on the Most Innovative Products of the Year 2012 would deal with the coolest products which gave the vendors a competitive edge throughout the year and helped in their growth. Product innovation describes the complete process of bringing a new product or service to the market. We are talking about products that demonstrate innovation in their function, design or packaging. This could be a completely new type of product or a useful innovation to an older product or brand, such as a new ingredient, redesigned shape, or size. 2012 has been marked as another amazing year on the technological front as it witnessed the launch of numerous innovative gadgets which hit the headlines in the technology realm. It seems the Indian IT companies just do not seem to cease extending boundaries in terms of innovation as almost every other company has launched different innovative products in 2012.

The Indian ICT industry’s approach is based on the theme of digital renewal. It has been divided into five domains – our observation of business enhancement, customer experience, development on robust product lifecycle management strategy, standardize IT systems, and last but not the least, increasing operational efficiency. The industry has witnessed the VARINDIA Test Centre's presentation at the Star Nite Awards, which recognizes outstanding innovations in enterprise products developed and marketed by computer-product manufacturers and software developers. For many years, the VARINDIA Test Centre has been honouring the industry's top manufacturers for enterprise products that increase productivity and reduce cost and complexity through innovation and advancement of technology. 

In the beginning of 2013, let us take a look at the gadgets that were unleashed in 2012 and dubbed as "The Most Innovative Gadgets of 2012". Thus, here is an endeavour to bring to the forefront gems of products launched by various IT companies during the year 2012.  

AMD FirePro W9000 GPU

The AMD FirePro W9000 GPU is the most powerful workstation graphics card ever created, features incredible compute, increased memory bandwidth and greater multi-display support performance than the competing solution. It is built on the AMD Graphics Core Next Architecture, and designed to balance  3D workloads efficiently for computer-aided design & engineering, and for media & entertainment (M&E) professionals.

BlackBerry Curve 9220

In April 2012, Research In Motion launched its most innovative smartphone globally from India, which is the BlackBerry Curve 9220. The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone offers all the market-leading BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that people love in India. It offers the long  lasting battery life, allowing users to make the most of their day. Powered with BlackBerry 7.1 OS, it supports the full complement of BlackBerry services and the smartphone's built in Wi-Fi can provide smooth and fast Internet browsing without incurring mobile data usage costs.

Canon PowerShot S110

The successor to the PowerShot S100 is designed to be the perfect camera for photographers who are fascinated by the beautiful and mysterious night. The PowerShot S110 uses several features like the powerful DIGIC 5 image processor, an enhanced HS SYSTEM and a large f/2.0 aperture to conquer even the most challenging lighting conditions at 12.1 megapixels to bring out the best in night or low-light photography.

The PowerShot S110’s new Handheld Night Scene mode allows users to shoot beautiful night shots without the aid of a tripod, suppressing camera-shake and excessive image noise.

Dell XPS 12 Convertible

XPS 12 is one of the newest and most exciting additions to the XPS family of products. It complements the portfolio by delivering convertible tablet functionality that combines the Ultrabook and tablet form factors into a single product.

XPS 12 Convertible features a novel and elegant flip hinge touchscreen display and is crafted from premium materials such as machined aluminum and carbon fiber, as well as Corning Gorilla Glass for durability. The XPS 12 is the perfect combination of high performance, flexibility and craftsmanship.

 EMC's VNXe3150 unified storage system

EMC’s one of the stand-out products for 2012 is VNXe3150 unified storage system, combining 50% more performance and capacity per rack unit with the simplicity for which the award-winning VNXe line is known. Fully optimized for virtualization, VNXe3150 retains its industry-leading simplicity for IT generalists in small to medium-sized businesses, as well as departments in enterprises and government.

With VNXe3150, entry-level storage customers can maximize their virtual environments with added performance and capacity. VNXe3150 supports the move to a virtualized environment through integrations with Microsoft Hyper V and VMware vSphere, providing support in any hypervisor environment.

Belkin Screencast AV4

The product that Belkin like to showcase as the most innovative product of 2012 would be the Belkin Screencast AV4.  The solution that wirelessly connects home theater devices to HDTV, keeping the entertainment space free of clutter and unsightly wires, a great way to create a clean, elegant entertainment environment, with no need for a pro fessional installer, no need to run cables through walls. It’s ideal for Wall-Mounted HDTVs, and allows to store devices up to 100ft away, even in another room.

Brocade VDX 8770 Switch

The most innovative product in the year would be the Brocade VDX switches, which delivers Brocade VCS Fabric technology, an innovative approach to networking that enables organizations to build high-performance, cloud-optimized data centers while preserving existing network designs and cabling, and gaining active server connections.

Designed to easily scale out Brocade VCS fabrics, the Brocade VDX 8770 Switch brings new levels of performance to VCS fabric deployments.

Cisco ASR 901: Advanced services mobile wireless router for 2G/3G/4G

ASR 901 was conceived and designed aggressively to keep the customer CPAEX and OPEX very low to be competitive in emerging countries while allowing sufficient margins. The ASR 901 won the 2012 NASSCOM Innovation Award for New Technology Advancement, which is a testament to the fact that frugal engineering does not mean compromising on technology advancement. It is also the first Cisco product to be completely developed from the India site – from conception, architecture, hardware/software implementation, testing and qualification to marketing.

D-Link DIR-505

 DIR-505 All-in-one Mobile companion device can also be termed as ultimate companion. It is a compact and versatile device, packed with multiple features. It can extend Wi-Fi signals, transforms any Internet connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot and facilitate users to access, view & share content  effortlessly. It can even charge mobile phones through the USB port present in the device. It is perfect for business travelers and anyone on the go.

 It has various operating modes - Router, Access Point and Repeater mode.

Fujitsu Stylistic Q702

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q701 is a touchscreen slate, which when attached with keyboard dock, gives convenience of full-fledged PC. It is a hybrid machine with iron-clad security including a biometric fingerprint sensor, HDD and BIOS password protection. To cope with the knocks and scratches of daily use, its innards are enclosed in a lightweight but durable magnesium shell. It runs on the latest generation Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, packs in 4GB of RAM, up to 256GB of SSD storage, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and HDMI connectivity. It even has front and rear cameras.

HP Hotspot LaserJet Pro M1218nfs MFP

 The HP Hotspot is the first All-in-One printer with an in-built wireless Internet hotspot. It lets users connect up to eight devices (PCs and mobile devices) to the Internet with the built-in wireless hotspot. This All-in-One+1 completely redefines the role an MFP can play in a SOHO or small business environment. HP Hotspot is also designed to be easy to set up and use for small businesses. The printer also comes equipped with technologies including HP wireless direct, HP ePrint and Apple AirPrint.

In April of 2012, HP announced the industry’s most self-sufficient line of servers – the HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8), the result of a $300 million, two-year program called Project Voyager. To date, Project Voyager has resulted in over 900 patents filed and a new systems architecture called HP ProActive Insight architecture, which will span the entire HP Converged Infrastructure.

Project Voyager is the third phase of HP’s multiyear transformation plan for the server market. 

 IBM PureSystems

Launched on April 12, 2012, IBM’s PureSystems, the first in the Family of Expert Integrated Systems, combining advanced IBM hardware and software along with patterns of expertise (applications) and integrates them in an optimized configuration that is simple to acquire and deploy.  It is not only able to address all of the issues by reducing deployment time from months to days, but also cut the management time by nearly 50%.

Kington DataTraveler Workspace USB Flash Drives

Kingston’s DataTraveler Workspace is certified by Microsoft for use with Windows To Go, a key feature of Windows 8 Enterprise. It allows IT administrators to easily support such work styles as “bring your own PC,” mobile workforce and the needs of contingency staff, who need access to the corporate environment without security compromise. This USB 3.0 drive incorporates SSD controller technology to produce a high-performance, low-latency drive. It is factory configured as a fixed drive so it boots through USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 ports on any hardware that has been certified for use with either Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems.

 MSI Z77 MPOWER motherboard

The USP of MSI Z77 MPOWER motherboard is its OCI certification, which is an all-new standard for overclocking stabil ity and a major extension of MSI's Military Class certification. The Military Class burn-in test for OC Certified is the 24-hour Prime95 burn-in test with a liquid-cooled overclocked CPU.

It offers benefits like high performance, enhanced PWM cooling and better Power stability. Other key features include top quality & stability, Auto OC to boost performance in 1 sec, easy-to-use UEFI BIOS interface and delivering the fullest audio experience. It also supports Bluetooth & Wi-Fi.

HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook

 HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook delivers powerful performance with the latest Intel processors and solid-state drive options with Intel Rapid Start, Intel Identity Protection Technology, Intel Anti-Theft Technology,  Intel Smart Response and Intel Smart Connect technologies. HP innovations such as HP CoolSense, HP Imagepad, HP ProtectSmart, HP TrueVision HD Webcam and HP Connected Photo are also included. 

HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage

HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage extends the HP 3PAR StoreServ product line to the midrange with industry leading performance and features without sacrificing performance or future scalability. HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage provides high performance and guarantees to double virtual machine density. With hardware assisted thin storage it is the only platform that offers a 50% reduction in capacity requirements. It offers scalability while minimizing initial investments incurred.

Juniper router MX2020

 In October 2012, Juniper Networks launched the world's most powerful single-chassis routers MX2020 & MX2010 3D Universal Edge Routers. The routers leverage the Juniper Networks Junos Trio Chipset with massive 3D scaling across bandwidth, subscribers and services to help service providers deliver mobile internet, cloud and video services with reduced infrastructure and operational complexity. 

MX2020 is the highest performing Edge Routing platform in the industry thatallows service providers to scale up to 67 percent more capacity than any other competitor.
 

 Moser Baer Zap : India’s first credit card-shaped USB flash drive

The pocket flash drive is akin to a credit card and fits easily in wallets, card holders, files and folders owing to its ultra-slim size and shape. The credit card shape lends credence and significance to the flash drive making people little more cautious and careful in using and keeping it safely. After all, data is as important as any other valuable matter.

Besides scoring high on the convenience factor, it is a perfect offering in the 2 GB- above pen drive segment. It is compatible with Win2000/XP/ME/Vista/7, Mac OS 9.0 or later versions and Linux Kernel 2.4.0 and higher versions.

Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud X3-2

The Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud X3-2 is a datacenter building block designed to allow enterprises to rapidly deploy and provision mission-critical, high performance private and public clouds. It integrates compute, networking and storage hardware with virtualization, operating system and management software.

Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud X3-2 is the second hardware generation of the company's flagship engineered system for running business applications. Oracle Exalogic is the logical choice for customers and has proven itself in deployments around the world, helping companies close business faster, improve their customers’ online buying experience, and respond more quickly to market opportunities.

 SanDisk Cruzer Glide USB Flash Drive

The Cruzer Glide USB Flash Drive offers an easy and secure way to share, move, and back up your most important files. Featuring a compact design with a retractable USB connector, this flash drive is ideal for data users who need easy, portable access to their media and personal files. It is lightweight, compact and has a portable design. 

Available in capacities up to 128GB, the SanDisk Cruzer Glide USB Flash drive protect files with SanDisk SecureAccess software. 

Toshiba Portege Z series Ultrabook

Toshiba’s most Innovative Product for the year 2012 has been Portege Z series Ultrabook. The Z series Ultrabook from Toshiba has various firsts to its credit. From being the world’s thinnest and lightest at the time of launch, to being one of the most secure Business Class Ultrabook. It has a long list of USPs to its credit. It is feather Light Mobility with just 1.12Kg weight and offers Extreme Security with Honeycomb Rib Structure, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), Spill Resistant Keyboard and Kensington Lock Slot along with Toshiba’s Face Recognition software.

 Seagate Backup Plus hard drives

Seagate recently introduced its latest innovation, the Seagate Backup Plus hard drives that provide the easiest setup, one-click backup and the ability to save and share your content on Facebook and Flickr. Seagate Backup Plus products are the world’s first external hard drives to provide backup for content on social networks. Seagate Backup Plus provides the peace of mind that every aspect of one’s digital life is safe from loss.

WatchGuard  XTM 5 Series network security appliances

WatchGuard made a ground-breaking change for the unified threat management (UTM) market with the release of its New XTM 5 Series network security appliances. Packed with key security features as well as next-generation Application Control capabilities, the New XTM 5 Series gives businesses an unparalleled solution to block the latest web threats, as well as the ability to improve employee productivity by providing businesses in-depth, granular control over Web 2.0 applications.

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In Software... With technology moving at ever faster speed, the software industry has also witnessed the introduction of numerous innovative products in 2012. Here,  we present a small list of the most innovative software products of 2012.

 Adobe Creative Suite 6

Adobe Creative Suite 6 is the most innovative product in the year 2012 for the company. Adobe Creative Suite 6 is the ultimate toolkit designed for  video professionals.  It comprises of 14 CS6 applications and four Creative Suites – Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium, Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design Standard, Adobe Creative Suite 6 Production Premium and Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection. In Photoshop CS6, designers will experience incredible performance, powered by the Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine, enabling near instant results from essential editing tools like Liquify, Puppet Warp, Transform and Lighting Effects. It has various operating modes - Router, Access Point and Repeater mode.

Kaspersky Endpoint Security 8 (KES 8)

With the on-going rise in BYOD, the potential for ‘security compromised’ laptops and devices to introduce malware onto a corporate network or users downloading sensitive information from corporate applications, increased even further. 

 Kaspersky Endpoint Security 8 (KES 8) for Windows provides customers with flexible and powerful controls with complete ease of management. 
 

 Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security v6.0

The most advanced Titanium 6.0 version brings with it the latest Digital Life protection in an integrated approach for consumers. Trend Micro combine multi device protection for a single user or home users (with multiple devices such as Home PC, Tablets, and Smart Phones etc). Titanium is one of the first products globally to provide multiplatform/ multi device protection on a real time basis.

 

C-Zentrix Trouble Ticketing Solution

The most innovative product to be launched by TVT in the year 2012 was a complete help desk solution for the enterprises called C-Zentrix Trouble Ticketing Solution and complete lead management system for the enterprises called C-Zentrix Lead Management System.

This solution comprises of a calling unit and a non-calling unit coupled tightly. The calling unit supports Phone calls, Email and SMS as a mode of contact for the customers to the help desk in raising issue, queries , concerns and status of their pending complaints.  

 Microsoft Windows 8

The biggest and the most innovative launch for 2012 by Microsoft has been Windows 8 Operating System. Launched on October 25th, 2012, the OS comes with a new smooth and intuitive start screen and tiles that are brimming with content, and update in real time. Windows 8 is natively cloud-connected and users only need to sign in once with their Microsoft account, to ensure that all the things they care about most including mails, calendars, contact, pictures etc. are seamlessly synced across multiple devices.

VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 

In 2012, VMware unveiled a comprehensive solution of cloud infrastructure and management products, expertise and ecosystem support to help customers drive greater efficiency and improve operational agility.  VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 – the first solution to deliver the software-defined datacenter.

VMware vCloud Suite is an integrated solution for building and managing a complete cloud infrastructure that meets IT’s most critical needs. vCloud Suite fulfills the promise of the software-defined datacenter by pooling industry-standard hardware and running each layer of the datacenter as software-defined services.This solution comprises of a calling unit and a non-calling unit coupled tightly. The calling unit supports Phone calls, Email and SMS as a mode of contact for the customers to the help desk in raising issue, queries , concerns and status of their pending complaints.  

 

 For more contact
Satinder Kaur
satinder@varindia.com