Gadgets that Made Us Go Gaga in 2023

In 2023, the personal technology landscape experienced a significant shift. While smartphones have dominated the tech world for over a decade, this year saw their spotlight slightly dimmed, making way for groundbreaking advancements in other areas. Notably, generative AI, augmented reality, and innovative wearables took centre stage, alongside some novel gadgetry that might define future trends.

OnePlus Open

Amidst this tech evolution, foldable phones emerged as a mainstream sensation. Leading this charge is the OnePlus Open, a device that outshone expectations and overshadowed even Samsung's steady innovations when it launched. Notably, it’s the first to nearly eradicate the foldable screen crease, setting a new standard in design. It’s relatively compact, and lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The user-friendly outer screen makes this device work like a standard smartphone when folded, marking a significant stride in usability. The Open also boasts of flagship-worthy cameras and intuitive software, including a refined multitasking system, setting a high bar for its competitors.

Nothing Phone (2)

Carl Pei’s Nothing kept its hype train running with the Nothing Phone (2) — one wouldn’t call it a groundbreaking device or even very fresh, but it does improve upon the original “Glyph” lighting concept from the Phone (1). It’s a phone that stands out because it feel like a lifestyle idea. While a solid product in its own right, it made more noise than sales, and the startup that tries to swim in the piranha club that is the smartphone landscape in India has been a bit quiet since the Phone (2)’s launch. Will 2024 bring some fresh Nothing energy?

Apple Vision Pro

As far as hardware announcements go, Apple's reveal of the Vision Pro headset at WWDC stood out as the year's most hyped. Yet, this was not much more than a tantalizing glimpse into the future, as the product is slated for a very limited U.S.-only launch in early 2024. This ski-mask-style “spatial computer”, a hybrid VR and AR headset, features twin 4K mini-LED screens plus a suite of cameras, sensors, and LiDAR, all working in sync thanks to Apple's own R1 chip. Coupled with the M2 SoC — the same one powering several MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro models — this device is poised to redefine personal computing. However, its high price tag of $3,499 (approximately Rs. 2,90,000) signals its premium positioning and it will not have many takers initially.

Threads

The social media landscape also saw dramatic shifts, particularly with Meta's introduction of Threads. Following Elon Musk's transformation of Twitter into 'X' beginning in 2022, Zuckerberg's Threads initially captivated a massive audience, quickly surpassing 100 million users. Although it faced some user attrition soon after launch, recent feature enhancements have fostered a growing sense of community, further amplified by users migrating from X.

ChatGPT

2023 marked a milestone year for generative AI, spearheaded by OpenAI's ChatGPT. Beyond achieving rapid user growth, it has revitalized Bing search and has been integrated across Microsoft's product range. OpenAI's recent launch of GPT 4 Turbo and personally customised GPTs has opened new avenues for developers, allowing for more tailored AI experiences.

Anthropic & Inflexion AI

Along with OpenAI, Anthropic's Claude, which has received significant investments from Google and Amazon, made strides in reducing AI hallucinations in 2023, while Inflexion AI's Pi assistant challenged existing norms in realism and conversational AI, outpacing traditional assistants like Siri and Alexa.

Google Bard / Gemini

Google's response to this AI surge came with Bard, initially based on the Palm 2 LLM model, and its subsequent update to Gemini Pro. This multimodal system sets the stage for the upcoming Gemini Ultra, which Google touts as slightly superior to GPT 4.

Meta RayBan AR glasses

In wearable tech, Meta's RayBan augmented reality glasses are quietly gaining traction, embodying what Google Glass aspired to be over a decade ago. With the incorporation of Meta's generative AI technology, Llama 2, these glasses now offer multimodal capabilities, enhancing how users can interact with their surroundings.

Wearable Smart Rings

The wearable tech scene in India expanded with the launch of several smart rings from local brands Boat, Noise, and 7 Ring. Most wearables are focused on health parameter tracking and screenless experiences, but functionality can extend to contactless UPI payments, signifying a growing trend towards unobtrusive tech.

In sports, the Whoop fitness tracker made headlines, notably worn by Virat Kohli during his record-breaking performance at the Cricket World Cup. This device's upcoming launch in India marks an increasing prominence for wearables in the mainstream. Its popularity is also indicative of how fitness-conscious people are becoming and how willing they might be to go screenless.

Humane AI Pin

This trend towards going screenless also led former Apple stalwarts Imran Chaudhari and Bethany Bongorno to create the Humane AI Pin, a small square gadget that latches on to your clothes magnetically and can use voice commands to basically do everything that your smartphone would do. It even has a very cool laser projector built-in, which can project an interface for your hands so you can work with speech as well as gestures. The device claims to harness the power of LLMs and foundational models developed internally and by OpenAI. The idea is to not have apps but “AI services”. Of course, the Humane AI Pin can also make phone calls and send messages. It will be US-only for a while, but it gives us an idea about the possible future of human-machine interaction.

Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go

Portable gaming received a significant boost with the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo's Legion Go. These are literally entire Windows PCs that can fit in your hands, and can actually run heavy-duty games. With the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU, a 7-inch full-HD screen and 500 nit brightness, coupled with 512GB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage, the ROG Ally puts some serious horsepower in your hands. Other than a few niggles with scaling Windows down to this form factor, and challenges with battery life, it has delivered. Lenovo’s Legion Go promises a similar experience but is bigger and heavier, with a much larger screen and detachable controllers. For PS5 gamers, there was the new PS5 Portal which combines an 8-inch full-HD display with a DualSense controller, but it needs to be linked to your PS5 so it is more of a companion device than a true portable console.

GTA 6, Spiderman 2 and Starfield

The game that benefited the most from pre-launch hype in 2023 was the long-awaited epic RPG Starfield, which is an exclusive for Microsoft’s platforms, the PC and Xbox. However, gamers quickly found bugs and incomplete features that make it frustrating, resulting in mixed reviews and a snub from most Game of the Year shortlists.

On the other hand, we also got Spiderman 2, which is the sequel to one of the best open-world games of all time and is arguably the best showcase of the PS5’s graphical prowess. Universally, the game has been praised not just for its graphics, but also its world-building, fun gameplay, and storyline.

But in terms of excitement, nothing comes close to the reaction we saw to the announcement of Grand Theft Auto 6 in December. It is the most anticipated game in recent memory — the first new GTA game in more than a decade and the first game that Rockstar has developed since Red Dead Redemption 2. It will take gamers back to Vice City, which we first got to see in GTA Vice City in the early 2000s. There will be two protagonists including a female character, and the graphics are looking mind-blowing. This game will come to the PS5 and the Xbox Series X in 2025, so it is still some time away.