PointMaza Awards 2012: All posts in one place

We can't deny that 2012 was a year full of excitement. And what is it that gets a geek excited? Gadgets, of course! We got to play with a whole bunch of smartphones and tablets, some of which we weren't that impressed by, while others we simply fell in love with.

And now that 2012 is coming to an end, we decided that doing a thorough wrap-up would be a great idea. Over the past couple of weeks, we took a look back at the products and events that shaped up the mobile industry and highlighted the devices that had the most impact. The ones that didn't quite succeed got a mention too in our PointMaza Awards of 2012 series. 

Our loyal readers have probably been keeping track of the categories in our series, as well as to the winners in each one of them. But for the folks who might have missed a post or two, we've put together all articles in one place. Feel free to check them all out, share them with your buddies, and don't miss the chance to join in the discussion down in the comments!

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PointMaza Awards 2012: Best Tablet

Tablets - they're getting pretty popular, aren't they? Just a couple of years ago, they were regarded mostly as pricey toys rather than gadgets that one actually needed. But as they are getting cheaper by the day and as the number of apps optimized for tablet use rises, more and more people now own one. 

But not all tablets are made equal, and it is our duty to inform you which ones are actually worth getting. In fact, today we'll tell you which are the best tablets that launched in 2012. 

Last year, Apple took our first prize with the iPad 2, but this time the top spot is occupied by the competition. And rightfully so as the best tablet of 2012 is a great device released at a nearly unbeatable price. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the...

Google Nexus 7

No matter how you slice or dice it, the Google Nexus 7 is the best tablet released in 2012. Yeah, it might not have the most outstanding design, or the most impressive specs sheet, but at only $200 for the base model, it offers the highest value-for-money ratio you'll get from any other slate. And it isn't underpowered either! Inside it runs a capable quad-core processor so you get the performance you'd expect from a contemporary tablet. That 7-inch, 1280 by 800 pixel display is also worth mentioning as it is great for watching video or surfing the web. Best of all, don't forget that we're dealing with a Nexus device here. In other words, you'll be enjoying the pure, unaltered Google tablet experience, all the while receiving timely software updates.

iPad 4

Just like many of you, we were kind of disappointed to see that the iPad 4 was nothing but a marginal upgrade to the thrid-gen iPad, with only a somewhat faster processor and a better front-facing camera. Nevertheless, the iPad 4 is still one great device built tightly around Apple's higly acclaimed ecosystem. Not only that on iOS you get the widest app availability, but also the best selection of quality applications. And let's not forget that the iPad 4 exhibits the same features that made its predecessor so awesome, such as the immaculate build quality and the gorgeous, high definition display. Yeah, at $500 for the base model, the iPad 4 isn't cheap, but it is still worth every penny.

Google Nexus 10

And in third place we have the Google Nexus 10, standing out with its impressive internals, eye-pleasing display, and most of all, killer price tag of only $400 for the most affordable variant. That's actually quite a lot of bang for the buck you'll be getting, should you manage to find it in stock and buy it, that is. For starters, you'll be impressed by its PLS display packing 2560 by 1600 pixels of resolution. That dual-core Cortex-A15 Exynos chip should be running things pretty smoothly as well. And since we have a Nexus device here, quick software updates are guaranteed.

PointMaza Awards 2012: Worst Tablet

Slowly but surely, we're on our way to announcing the best smartphone and tablet of 2012. But before we get to them, we'd like to take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Today, we'll talk about tablets - bad tablets, to be more specific, namely the tablets that we were most disappointed by this year. Yeah, we know that nearly all of the tablets we reviewed over the past 12 months were given decent scores, but a couple of them were just meh. Care to know what they are? Okay, enough talking then.

The worst tablet of 2012 comes from a maker that is still struggling to make a name for itself on the U.S. market. Some of its products we like, some we aren't big fans of, and naturally, the winner in today's category belongs to the latter group. Ladies and gents, the year's worst tablet is the...

Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite 

To tell you the truth, the Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite isn't that terrible of a tablet. It even has some neat tricks up its sleeve, such as the presence of cellular connectivity for web access and phone calls. But when you add its weak single-core processor and underwhelming build quality to the equation, it becomes evident that going with a MediaPad 7 Lite is probably not a very bright idea. Especially considering that for the same amount of money one can grab a superior non-3G tablet from a brand-name manufacturer. Unless you absolutely require 3G connectivity on your tablet, our advice is to pass on the Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is also on the list, and we bet that some of you are wondering why. Well, the thing is that when we got our hands on it, we were expecting a worthy successor to the original Galaxy Tab 10.1, but what we got instead was a marginally better tablet that offered little to justify its title with. In fact, when the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 was released, folks holding on to the original had no reasons to upgrade, especially since the newer model carried a $450 launch price tag. Sure, Samsung is well capable of making good Android tablets, but the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 was a dud.

PointMaza Awards 2012: Best Cameraphone

Phones aren't just for calling anymore, and we bet that even your grandparents are well aware of that. Instead, taking photos is what smartphones are used for the most, as recent surveys have shown. And that should come as no surprise: most high-end smartphones can capture images so good that they are well capable of replacing an entry-level point and shoot camera. Therefore, including a 'Best Cameraphone' category in our PointMaza Awards of 2012 seems quite logical to us. 

The best cameraphone of the year may be nothing impressive as a phone, but its photographic abilities are yet-to-be-matched by another handset. It is a product that required years of research, and the results are very impressive indeed, we have to admit. Perhaps our frequent readers already know what smartphone we have in mind. 

Okay, time to cut straight to the chase! Go check out the cameraphones that impressed us the most this year, and don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us down in the comments! And so, the first place goes to...

Nokia 808 PureView

This wasn't too hard to guess, was it? Without a doubt, the Nokia 808 PureView is the year's best cameraphone - so good that it is commonly regarded as a point-and-shoot camera replacement with some phone functionality built in. And it isn't only about megapixels, altough with 41 of them, one can capture incredibly detailed images. (For a phone, that is.) You get features like lossless zooming - none of that digital stretching non-sense, both when shooting still photographs and while capturing video, even at 1080p. Moreover, the camera is smart enough to manipulate those millions of pixels and combine them producing a 5 or 8MP image that no other cameraphone can recreate. 

Apple iPhone 5

Yes, the iPhone is on our podium for a second consecutive year, this time occupying place number two. And rightfully so as it is still one great cameraphone. Not only that photos taken with it look great under most conditions, but the camera interface is extremely easy to get around, while the camera app launches in a split second. What's more is that with the iPhone 5, Apple added panorama mode to the list of camera features capable of producing seemlessly stitched photographs at up to 28 megapixels. 

Samsung Galaxy S III

There was fierce competition for the third place in today's cameraphone category, yet ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy S III took over the spot. And it well deserves to be honored for a number of reasons: first of all, it takes detailed, true-to-life photos under most conditions, with virtually non-existent shutter lag. Moreover, you get a ton of handy features, such as the ability to take 20 shots in burst mode and then pick the best one among them and to snap full-res stills while shooting 1080p video. 

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen: the Nokia808 PureView is the cameraphone of the year, followed by the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III. But keep in mind that we aren't quite done yet with the PointMaza Awards of 2012. The next category will be annonced in 24 hours so stay tuned!

PointMaza Awards 2012: App of the year

It isn't what your smartphone can do, it's what you can do with your smartphone. And for the most part, what you can do with your smartphone depends on what app you have installed on it. Speaking of apps, we got to try a lot of them over the past 12 months – some useful and easy to use, others not so much. A handful of these apps, however, stood above the rest, so we decided to dedicate an entire post to them.

Ladies and gents, today's category in the PointMazaAwards of 2012 is for the app of the year! And actually, we won't be honoring a single application. Instead, we've decided to share with you our 5 favorite apps of 2012, just because the nominees for the top spot were so many. 

Now go check them out below and tell us what you think about the apps we've picked. Would you agree with our selection, or you'd rather recommend some other app as the best one introduced this year? Sound it off in the comments!

PointMaza Awards 2012: App of the year

1. Google Now

Imagine a world, in which information is readily available at your fingertips, exactly at the time when you need it. Sounds like tech of the future? Well, not really because that's exactly what Google Now is all about. By analyzing a user's behavior, it is able to provide relevant information at just the right moment: it displays weather information right when you're about to leave for work, for example, or it can recommend alternate driving routes in case it detects you might be late for that important meeting.

2. Chrome

Chances are that if you have a smartphone or a tablet, you often use it to surf the internet. And if you do a lot of web surfing from your mobile device, you better have a decent mobile browser. Google Chrome is probably the best alternative web browser you can get for either iOS or Android - it is reliable, functional, and most importantly, pretty darn fast. What's more is that once you log in, the bookmarks and browsing history stored in Chrome on your desktop computer will magically synchronize with the mobile app, and vice versa.

3. Pocket

And speaking of browsing the web, Pocket is a browser extension you should definitely have installed. Simply put, it is one of those "read it later" apps. With its help, you can pin articles, videos and other stuff so that you can check them out whenever you have time. Once you're ready to enjoy an article you've saved, the app optimizes the page's layout and removes all unnecessary content for a more pleasant experience. Pocket works on both desktop computers and mobile devices.

4. Clear

Sometimes less is more, don't you agree? A minimalist, easy to use app is often more practical to have than something unneededly complicated. So if you need an application that can act as your digital task organizer, check out Clear. It is a simple piece of software used for managing to-do lists and taking quick notes. That's pretty much it! The app is liked for its elegant, uncluttered interface and for its ability to sync with iCloud.

5. SwiftKey 3

Swiftkey is most likely the last Android on-screen keyboard you're ever going to use. It is comfortable, accurate, and pretty smart too. Not only that it does a great job at predicting your each word by adapting to the vocabulary you use, but with version 3, which got released earlier this year, a new feature 
got introduced that could insert missing spaces between words, thus speeding up your typing even further.

PointMaza Awards 2012: Game of the year

Have you played any cool games on your smartphone or tablet lately? We know we have. In fact, we got to try out a plethora of great games over the past 12 months - so many that we had a really hard time selecting the best ones among them. 

Still, we had to pick a game of the year for our PointMaza Awards of 2012 series.

The winner in today's category belongs to the third-person shooter genre. We recently gave it a thorough review and we were surprised by how engaging the game was. It combines many of the elements that make a great title when put together, such as amazing graphics, polished gameplay, and tons of in-game variety to keep a player satisfied for a maximum period of time.

Can you guess which game we've selected? If you can't, then we'll tease you no more. Ladies and gents, to us, the game of 2012 is...

SHADOWGUN: DeadZone

Here's a game that you shouldn't install in case you have an important deadline coming up. That's because once you start playing SHADOWGUN: DeadZone, you'll have difficulties putting your smartphone or tablet down. It is a multiplayer action game inspired by the likes of HALO and Call of Duty.

You get to play with gamers from all over the world, in either Deathmatch mode, which is a classic, free-for-all fight, or in Zone Control mode, which requires tactics and teamwork to be applied. There are plenty of different weapons to unlock and purchase with the money you make while playing. Actually, there is so much variety when it comes to unlockables that you'll keep on playing just so that you can try them all out. But it wasn't only the gameplay that made us go with SHADOWGUN: DeadZone as our winner today. We also took into account the console-quality graphics that the game is so highly acclaimed for. All the eye-candy that has been thrown in enhances the experience even further, especially if you have a Tegra 3 powered device.

Second place: Draw Something

Draw Something does not offer cutting-edge graphics or anything like that. Some might even find it too childish to be actually worth playing. However, this game definitely deserves to be on our list because of its original concept. Its gameplay is unique, simple, and elegant: all you need to do is to draw a picture, or guess what the other person is trying to draw, depending on who's turn it is. But don't be fooled as Draw Something is a game very easy to get hooked on. Don't believe us? Then just ask some of the 10,000,000+ people that have tried it.

Third place: Angry Birds Star Wars

Right when we thought that the Angry Birds franchise was loosing its cool, a new game stepped in and added a fresh new dose of awesomeness to the title's gameplay. We even dared to say that it was the best title in the series to date when doing our Angry Birds Star Wars review. It arrived with new birds, new skills, new levels, and a new theme, which made us fall in love with Rovio's masterpiece once again.

And these were the three games that impressed us the most this year. Do you agree with our choice, or would you rather say some other game deserved the top spot? Let us know down in the comments!

PointMaza Awards 2012: Best Product Design

When checking out a new gadget, one of the first things that creates an impression in a consumer's mind is the way the device looks and the way it feels when it is being used. In other words, a product's design is a pretty big deal, and companies that make phones and tablets are well aware of that fact.

That is why the next category in the PointMaza Awards of 2012 is for the best product design. 

We had more than a few devices in mind when picking the best of the best, so we decided to split them into two categories - one for smartphones and one for tablets. And here they are, check them out below and let us know if you agree with the devices we've picked!

Smartphones:

HTC One S

Slim, solid, and stylish - that's how we'd describe the HTC One S in a few words. At the time of its release it was among the thinnest Android smartphones one could find. And one of the lightest too, tipping the scales at only 120 grams, despite being mostly made out of anodized metal. But what's more important than raw figures is that the handset is, without a doubt, extremely attractive - both pleasant to hold and a pleasure to admire.

Apple iPhone 5

At first we were somewhat disappointed to know that the iPhone 5 looks exactly like rumors claimed it will. But after getting the chance to check it out first hand, all negative feelings suddenly vanished. Apple's newest iPhone is a great-looking device that is easy to operate and comfortable to hold. At the same time, it is crafted with utmost attention to detail, just like its predecessor and every other product that Apple has released lately. 

Nokia Lumia 920

Yeah, it's a Lumia: one can easily tell that the very instant they pick up a Nokia Lumia 920. But is there anything wrong with sticking to the lineup's distinctive design language? Of course not! Nokia's current Windows Phone 8 flagship is a solid, sturdy handset, and unlike many other high-end devices, it is actually available in a multitude of bright, punchy colors.

Tablets:

Micorosoft Surface

At first, one might think that the Microsoft Surface is just an ordinary slab with a screen on its front. However, a closer look reveals just how much attention has been paid when Microsoft's team of engineers designed this slate. It is a highly durable gadget that will surely withstand the tests of time thanks to its rigid chassis made out of magnesium composite. Last but not least, the Microsoft surface has a kickstand! Does your tablet have one? We bet it doesn't.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity

The aluminum patterned body and the solid build construction position the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity right into the premium category. It is a beautiful tablet that grabs your attention the very instant it appears before your eyes. Take this out your back pack on your next visit to Starbucks and just watch how you'll be noticed even by those wielding an iPad. 

Apple iPad mini

And speaking of iPads, here's one that we believe deserves to be on this list. The iPad mini is just as well made as its full-sized brother, but it comes in a smaller package, which makes it more compact and easier to carry around. 

And these, dear readers, are the 2012 smartphones and tablets, the design of which we like the most! Stay tuned for the next category in the PointMaza Awards of 2012 will be announced in 24 hours!

PointMaza Awards 2012: Most Overpriced Product

Ladies and gents, welcome back to the PointMaza Awards of 2012! Today, we'll be talking about pricing - unjustified pricing, to be more specific, as the next category in our series is for the year's most overpriced product. 

What would make a smartphone or a tablet a "winner", you ask? Well, the device does not necessarily have to carry a four-digit price tag. What matters is how much value a user is getting in exchange for their money. Also, we have to point out that the product's launch price is what we are taking into account, not how much it can be bought for today. Third party retailers don't count - only what carriers or manufacturers were asking for a given device at the time of its release.

With that out of the way, let's move on to announcing the year's most overpriced products! In our opinion, these are the...

First place: Samsung Brightside

Yeah, we know that the Samsung Brightside is a feature phone that does not require a costly data plan, but seriously: $100 on a 2-year contract? No, not this lifetime.

 That's an unjust price for a phone that one will mostly use for sending text messages and making calls. Also, there's no Wi-Fi radio on board, so "advanced" features like checking what's on your Facebook wall will still require you to consume a few megabytes of Verizon's cellular data. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung Brightside went on sale for much less through a number of retailers soon after its release.

Second place: Microsoft Surface RT and the Touch Cover

Don't get us wrong - despite the current lack of apps made for it, the Microsoft Surface RT is a very nice tablet, as we said in our review. However, $500 just seems like too much considering that similar, if not better 10-inch Android slates can be had for less. That same amount of money is also enough to get you a 16GB iPad. Yeah, you may be theoretically getting 32GB of storage with the surface, but in reality, less than 20 gigs are accessible by the user.

And then there's the Touch Cover - if you want to have a keyboard-like accessory for the Microsoft Surface, get ready to drop at least an extra $100 on the table. A cover that feels a bit more like a proper keyboard costs even more. How much does it cost to manufacture these? You probably don't want to know.

Third place: Every 32 or 64 gigabyte iOS device from Apple

With most non-Apple smartphones and tablets, you have the convenience of expanding your storage with the use of a microSD card. And doing so won't cost you that much - a Class 10 microSD card can be bought on Amazon for under $40. 

However, iPhones and iPads don't have a microSD slot, meaning that users are stuck with whatever internal storage the device has. Unless they choose to spend an extra $100 on a model with additional storage, that is. Of course, that disadvantage has not affected consumers much, given the fact that iPhones and iPads are still selling by the truckloads.

And these, folks, we think are the most overpriced products released this year! The next category in the PointMaza Awards of 2012 will be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned!

PointMaza Awards 2012: Game-changing Product

Don't you feel like a new phone or tablet gets announced almost on a weekly basis? Guess what, so do we! A great fraction of these new devices aren't anything special, though – they are often just a model somewhat better than the previous one, meant to occupy the price point of its predecessor. The older version just goes further down the hierarchy until it gets discontinued. Yeah, the whole circle-of-life principle is also valid when it comes to mobile gadgets. 

Every once in a while, however, a new product steps in and changes everything. Its impact on the mobile industry is so significant that it causes competing companies to rethink their strategies if they are to survive on the market. And that's when things get really interesting!

The second category in the PointMaza Awards of 2012 is for the year's game-changing product. In fact, we have not one, not two, but three products to honor today, and they all were made possible by a single company, although three different makers were given the task to produce them. Can you already guess what are the three gadgets we are talking about? 

The 2012 Google Nexus family

Powerful hardware and amazing software delivered at an unbelievable price – these are the primary factors that made us pick the Google Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 as the game-changing products of 2012. 

The Google Nexus 7 is the device that launched first. Announced back in June, it was a great, budget-friendly tablet that could be bought for as low as $200. Yeah, we had the identically priced Kindle Fire before it, but unlike Amazon's offering, the Nexus 7 delivered the full-blown Google experience. And its hardware was nothing to complain about either. NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 is still a pretty decent piece of silicon, and the 1280 by 800 pixel IPS LCD screen is more than suitable for a tablet of this class.

Fast forward several months into the future and the Google Nexus 4 gets announced – an outstanding high-end smartphone based on the LG Optimus G. However, it wasn't its powerful quad-core processor that impressed us the most, neither the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean that ran on the device. What was most astonishing about the Google Nexus 4 was its price – only $350 for the 16GB model. No wonder that the Google Play store ran out of stock shortly after the smartphone was made available for purchase.

And how can we not mention the Google Nexus 10 tablet? It is another beast of a device, blessed with a powerful processor and a gorgeous 2560 by 1600 pixel display. Its $400 price tag is just as impressive as its hardware specifications.

And these, folks, were the three game-changing products of 2012! Would you agree with us, or would you rather say that a different device should have been awarded? Let us know down in the comments! Also, the next category in PointMaza's Awards of 2012 will be announced in 24 hours, so stay tuned!

PointMaza Awards 2012: Best Innovation

We have to admit it, folks, we aren't that easy to impress. We are a well-trained team of geeks that has laid hands on much more phones than an average Joe can even name. Simply put, we've all been there and we've all done that, as far as phones are concerned. 

Every once in a while, however, a new product or technology gets announced - something that really make us go "wow". And today, we'll talk about several such solutions: this year's PointMaza awards begin with the Best Innovation category. 

But what exactly is innovation? Well, we can go about defining the term by stating what it isn't. Innovation is not just launching a new handset with a slightly larger screen, or a marginally faster processor. That's just a particular technology evolving, and it happens all the time. Instead, innovation is a new way of doing things - it is when someone dares to bring an alternative concept to the market. It is when a company or an individual has managed to distance itself from the box we all should be thinking out of. 

So without further ado, we present you with our winner in the Best Innovation category. And that is...

Nokia PureView camera technology

It didn't take us long to conclude that Nokia should be at the top spot in today's category with its PureView imaging technology. First introduced in the Nokia 808 PureView, it allowed taking photos with outstanding quality and resolution never before seen on a phone. Users can capture massive, 38-megapixel photos, or shrink those pixels down to a marvelous 5- or 8-megapixel image. In addition, the size of the sensor allows zooming in and out while shooting without sacrificing quality. No moving optics needed! Try doing that with any other smartphone! But Nokia didn't stop there because the Nokia Lumia 920 is worthy of carrying the PureView tag as well. Its sensor may not have an outrageous pixel count, but its wide aperture combined with optical image stabilization allow one to take impressive low-light shots.

Second place: Android in cameras, TVs, and other gadgets

Android is not only for smartphones and tablets anymore. In 2012, we saw it powering TV sets, video game consoles, even several point and shoot cameras. One of the first Android TV sets was announced by Lenovo during CES - the Lenovo K91, which had Android Market (now known as Google Play) access and could run apps. Then later in July, a video game console also running Google's platform hit Kickstarter and raised millions of dollars in a month's time. And in August we got to check out the first digital cameras powered by Android, namely the Nikon Coolpix S800c and the Samsung Galaxy Camera. All this makes us wonder which is the next common household appliance that will get supercharged with the power of Android!

Third place: Samsung Galaxy Beam - pico projector phone done right

Previous attempts at making a phone with a built-in projector failed miserably. The Samsung Galaxy Beam, on the other hand, is good at both being a smartphone and at projecting your favorite YouTube videos on the wall. It has a dual-core processor, 4-inch screen, and a large battery, so it is a perfectly usable every-day handset, while the 15-lumen built-in projector can display an image as big as 50 inches in diagonal right on your living room wall.

And these are the innovations that impressed the most this year! We'll be back tomorrow with the next category in the PointMaza Awards of 2012, so stay tuned!