(Editors note: This ongoing series highlights our writers picks for their favorite gadgets and apps of 2012 leading up to the final 12 days until Christmas. Some of them make great gifts too!)
This past year was one of my favorites as far as tech goes. After spending most of my mobile life on Palm and webOS devices, I paid an Early Termination Fee on Verizon to put my Pre 2 to rest and picked up my first non-webOS device: An HTC Radar with Windows Phone 7 on T-Mobile. I followed that with an unlocked Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play store and never went back.
I currently own a Nexus 4 and can't imagine owning anything else. Other gadgets that entered my life in 2012 were a Nexus 7 table and an iPad mini - two of my favorites. I'm hoping 2013 is just as exciting.
Below are a few of my choices for the top 5 gadgets and accessories I owned this year.
- LG Nexus 4
I haven't owned many phones being a die-hard webOS user since the early days of Palm. If anyone was to ask me what my ultimate mobile phone would be it would be the Nexus 4. Gorgeous, fast, sleek, light, Android Jelly Bean... what more is there to say? It is one of my favorite purchases this year. Yes, I had one heck of a hard time getting one in the first round like everyone else, but it was well worth the wait. The price tag just cannot be beat for a phone I can use on a carrier of my choosing: $349.00. You won't have much luck getting one in time for the holidays since shipping is still 6 to 7 weeks out, but grabbing one is a no brainer if you're on a carrier that supports moving to unlocked phones.
- iPad mini with Verizon LTE
I've always been a big fan of 7" tablets for their portability since owning an original 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab. Since then, I've moved on to larger tablets like the HP TouchPad and iPad. I really enjoyed iOS for its apps when I had the larger iPad, but I found the size to be unwieldy. The iPad mini fits nicely in between the 7" and 10" form factor and I find myself carrying it everywhere. The addition of LTE makes it all that much more useful when I'm out and about. It makes a great companion for my laptop.
- Invellop black leatherette case for iPad mini
I must have tried a dozen cases and covers for my iPad mini before settling on this thin profile leather hard shell case by Invellop. The mini securely snaps into the back cover protecting the back side. The front cover is similar to the Smart Cover made by Apple in that it shuts the mini off when closed and wakes it when opened using the embedded magnets. The front cover protects the screen with a micro-fiber interior and then folds over to provide a stand in portrait made. Folding the cover all the way around the back while open provides a better grip when holding the mini. It's a good quality design and I'd recommend it for the ever-so-slippery iPad mini.
Deal: Save 70% on a black leatherette case via Invellop's store on Amazon.com
- Sky Gamblers Storm Raiders for iOS
If there's one thing the mini excels at is gaming. Sure, it doesn't have the Retina display that its larger brethren have, but the size makes it one heck of a gaming machine, and the games themselves don't look half bad either. I'm a big fan of dog-fighting flying games, and Storm Raiders doesn't disappoint. As a pilot for a WWII-era fighter plane you are tasked with several challenges that involve shooting down your enemy from the skies. Besides a single player feature, you can also play with other players online. The controls are highly customizable and can either be manual, or handled by the tablets on-board gyro system. The graphics are top-notch and the action is fast and fun. Storm Raiders is currently $4.99 in the iOS App Store.
- Spotify (iOS, Android)
Spotify made its debut in the U.S. in 2011, but I didn't pick up on it until earlier this year. I was a long time Pandora user but found the music selection to be slim and very repetitive. I also enjoyed Slacker Radio but I was unable to download any of the music to my phones so that I can listen to it offline- enter Spotify. Spotify has the "Radio" feature that I enjoyed with Pandora and Slacker, but with the ability to download songs for offline listening using the Premium service. I can also search for complete albums to download and share what I'm listening to others and vice versa. It also works on both my iPad mini and Nexus 4 devices without skipping a beat. It was one of my favorite discoveries of 2012.
Deal: Send a Spotify gift subscription to friends and family if you're a subscriber. Denominations include $9.99 for 1 month, or go for 3, 6, or 12 month plans. You pay for it ahead of time and the receiver gets to enjoy the service for whatever time you've given.
Other articles in the 12 Days of TFX-Mas Series:
TechFan Roundup Presents: 12 Days of TFX-Mas
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