By Guel Karaan

As the world advances to 2012, so does technology. From pebbles and abacuses of the ancient times, technology has advanced over the centuries to computers and mobile phones. Technology never rests; creations keep on emerging from the innovative minds of scientists and inventors. Personal computers, phones and even televisions get smaller and more easy to carry; images become clearer and more vivid; communication becomes faster and easier.

Here are some of the gadgets which will be released this year:

High-res MacBook Pro. Not only will processors be faster and will memories be bigger, Apple also plans to launch a new MacBook Pro with 2880 by 1800 display resolution. This would be a huge leap over the current trends in display resolutions of MacBook Pros, which range from 1280 by 800 to 1680 by 1050. Aside from this innovation, a 15-inch MacBook Air is also rumored to be launched this year.

3D Maps on iPhone. Back in the year 2011, Apple acquired C3 Technologies, a 3D mapping company. With this acquisition, Apple will be able to stop relying on Google, one of its rivals. C3 is able to create realistic 3D maps of cities and geographic features. It uses the same technology the military uses in missile targeting. Aside from these 3D maps, C3 can also include other information such as traffic. This iPhone feature is thought to be released with the iOS 6 this year.

PlayStation 4. Sony, after confirming that it is already working on PlayStation 4, is expected to release the product this year. Critics also expect PlayStation 4 to last six years, just like its predecessor PlayStation 3 which was released in 2006.

PlayStation Vita. Sony’s newest portable gaming system will be released in February of this year. This product features a 5-inch touchscreen and two analog control sticks. It also supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G.

Nintendo’s Wii U. Nintendo announced last year in the E3 video game conference about its new product, the Wii U. This product is expected to be launched during the second half of 2012. What makes this product different from its predecessor, Wii, is its controller with a built-in touchscreen which can either supplement or replicate the game displayed on the television screen. Other features of the controller such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, camera and microphone are same with the Nintendo 3DS.

Padfone. This product by Asus, which is often termed as a tablet-smartphone hybrid, is set to be launched early this year. This product features a 10.1-inch tablet with a slot for a 4.3-inch phone which will allow transfer of activities between the two devices.

Thunderbolt Ports. Intel is set to fully launch its Thunderbolt technology in April of this year. Currently, only Macs and Apple products have this kind of technology, but other companies are preparing to launch Thunderbolt-supported motherboards and PCs to be ready for the time when Intel releases the technology for public use. This kind of ports will pave the way for faster transfer of files to and from computers, faster than with today’s USB ports.

Personal 3D Viewer.  Aside from its PlayStation products, Sony also plans to release the Personal 3D Viewer, a headset device which lets you experience a full HD experience as if you were watching on a big screen television.

iPad 3. Apple plans to launch this new tablet either February or March of this year. Aside from having a new better screen, rumors has it that iPad 3 will be LTE-compatible. iPads and iPhones running on LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks will mean faster wireless communication of high-speed data.

Ultrabooks. Apple’s MacBook Air will have its competition this year, as Ultrabooks are set to be released this year. These thin, fast and cheap laptops actually designed to compete with MacBook Air are expected to be released this year by various manufacturers. Supposedly, these products will use Intel processors but rumor has it that AMD might also be used.

Apple Television. Gene Munster, an Apple analyst, believes that the company will release a television product by the end of this year. Munster thinks that this product will be a full-fledged television set, unlike today’s Apple TV which still has to be plugged into a TV set. He also thinks that this product, unlike other Apple products, will come in various sizes.