Lytro “Light Field” Camera

What is it? Looking more like a jumbo-sized tube of lipstick than a camera, the Lytro is a new-fangled camera with a so-called “light-field” sensor that’s capable of gathering up to 11 million rays of light in a given scene, including the rays that aren’t pointing directly at the camera lens.
Expected to arrive: Early 2012
Cool new feature: The beauty of the Lytro’s “light-field” sensor is that you can (as the company claims) essentially “shoot first” and “focus later”—meaning, theoretically, that you’d never have to worry about taking an out-of-focus snapshot again.
Biggest hurdle: While the concept behind the Lytro sounds enticing, the proof is in the pudding. And then there’s the price tag, which is…
Price tag: $399 and up. Ouch.

Family data plans

What is it: Not really a product, per se, but rather a new and potentially cost-saving data pricing structure similar to family plans for voice minutes and text messages.
Expected to arrive: Sometime in 2012
Cool new feature: With more and more parents passing out iPhones and Android phones to their kids, a shared pool of monthly data for the entire family makes a lot more sense than each family member coughing up $30 a month.
Biggest hurdle: Whether the big carriers decide to play along. Verizon Wireless execs have already said they’re looking to roll out family data plans in 2012, but whether Verizon’s competitors follow suit remains to be seen.
Price tag: No details yet.

PlayStation Vita

What is it? Sony’s long-awaited successor to the PSP gaming handheld. While the popular mobile games like “Angry Birds” are designed with “casual” gamers in mind, Sony is taking square aim at “hard-core” gamers (like, say, your teenage kids, or game-addicted grownups like yours truly) with the Vita.
Expected to arrive: Out now in Japan, slated to land February 22 in the U.S.
Cool new features: Armed with a gorgeous five-inch touchscreen, dual analog “sticks” for precise movement and aim, a roomy touchpad in back, and 3G wireless, the Vita promises to bring full-on “console”-style gaming to a light, compact handheld.
Biggest hurdle: Reviewers are already calling out the Vita for its mere three hours of battery life.
Price tag: $299 for the 3G version, or $249 for Wi-Fi-only.

iPad 3

Expected to arrive: In April or May, although Apple hasn’t said anything publicly yet.
Cool new features: The new iPad will probably come with a souped-up processor, a sharper camera, and maybe even a thinner shell. But the most anticipated feature on the iPad 3 is doubtless a “retina display” similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S—that is, an ultra high-resolution screen that’s so sharp, you can’t make out the individual pixels.
Probable price tag: $499 and up seems like a safe guess, although again, Apple hasn’t breathed a work about the next-generation iPad yet.

Windows 8 tablet

What is it: Microsoft’s latest stab at the tablet market, coming about two years after the vaunted, Windows 7-powered HP Slate landed with a thud.
Expected to arrive: Sometime in 2012, maybe
Cool new feature: The elegant “Metro” interface, which is already featured on Windows Phone handhelds and even on the Xbox 360 gaming console. With its touch-friendly, eye-catching design and “live” tiles for email, weather, social networking, events, and other essentials, Metro (which is also slated to land in the desktop version of the new Windows OS) is a far cry from the stodgy Windows desktop of old, not to mention a relatively daring departure from the icon-heavy look of Android tablets and the iPad.
Biggest hurdle: Overcoming the perception that a Windows tablet is totally uncool.
Price tag: Good question.

iPhone 5

Expected to arrive by: Anywhere from June-July to September or October, given that the iPhone 4S landed in stores only two months ago.
Cool new features: A faster processor, a better camera, a sleeker profile and perhaps even a larger screen, similar to the latest Android phones. Even better, though, would be support for speedy 4G LTE networks, such as those operated by AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
Probable price tag: Apple hasn’t budged from pricing its cheapest new iPhones at $199 with a two-year contract, and there’s no reason to believe they’ll change course next year.

Nintendo Wii U

What is it? A new version of the Wii gaming console that connects to your HDTV but also comes with a portable, tablet-sized controller, complete with its own 6.2-inch touchscreen.
Expected to arrive: By the end of 2012
Cool new feature: Besides finally making the leap to true HD-quality video, the Wii U’s wireless controller will let your kids play games remotely on its six-inch touchscreen while you’re watching CNN. The controller can also act as a second gaming screen, working in tandem with a big-screen HDTV.
Price tag: Probably in the $200 to $300 range

What new gadgets and tech products are you looking forward to next year? Let us know!

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Enticing stuff, but is the Lytro camera for real, and will it live up to the hype? Read on for 6 questions—and answers—about the buzzy new contraption, starting with…

1. What’s so special about the Lytro?
So, here’s what you do with most camera: you point, you focus (or you let the camera’s auto-focus do the work for you), and you shoot. And while you can always import your snapshots into a photo editor for cropping and tweaking, you can’t change the focus—bad news if your picture happens to be out of focus.

First announced back in June, the Lytro doesn’t bother with a focus knob. Instead, it uses what’s called a “light field” sensor (here’s a lengthy technical explanation, if you’re really interested) to gather up to 11 million rays of light in a given scene, including the rays that aren’t pointing directly at the camera lens.

The result? A photo that you can you focus after you’ve taken it—and thus, no more out-of-focus snapshots.

Here’s an example from the Lytro website; just click anywhere in the photo to re-focus it:

2. Sounds amazing, but does it actually work?
Members of the press finally got the chance Wednesday to check out the Lytro first-hand at a demo in San Francisco (I wasn’t there, unfortunately), and yes—it appears to work as advertised.

But whether the Lytro—a rectangular, four-inch-long gizmo that resembles a “miniature telescope” (as PC World put it) more than a typical digital camera—could actually replace a standard point-and-shoot remains to be seen, and it’s worth noting that no in-depth reviews have published yet.

3. How do you actually view these pictures?
Because the Lytro viewing software comes embedded in the actual photos, you can share the interactive snapshots online with anyone, even on Facebook. Pictures taken on the Lytro can also be converted to 3-D, although you’ll need 3-D glasses to view them properly.

Pretty neat, but there’s a catch: the Lytro’s photo management software, which you’ll need to export your pictures, will (initially at least) only work on Macs.

4. OK, where can I buy one?
The Lytro camera isn’t shipping quite yet, but the company is already taking pre-orders, and it’s promising to fill them starting early next year.

5. And the price tag is…?
Not cheap. The 8GB versions of the Lytro (available in graphite and electric blue) will sell for a cool $399, a couple hundred more than an entry-level point-and-shoot camera. The 16GB Lytro, meanwhile, will go for $499.

6. So, here’s the big question: should I get one?
Well, that depends on how adventurous you’re feeling—and how much money you’ve got to burn.

As I said, there haven’t been any in-depth reviews of the Lytro yet, but those who have seen the camera in action seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach. “The concept of shoot now, ask focus questions later is revolutionary,” writes Engadget, but adds that for now, the Lytro is merely a “novel toy”—a sentiment echoed by PC Magazine, which calls the Lytro “a great stepping stone but not much of a product by itself.”

Also, don’t forget that the Lytro is a first-generation product—which means that cheaper and more polished versions are sure to follow.

Think back to the first Kindle, an exciting, game-changing product that landed in 2007 with a $400 price. Today—a mere four years later—you can buy one with more memory and a better screen for seventy-nine bucks.

Now, the makers of the Lytro may truly be on to something as revolutionary as the Kindle was (and is). Unless you must have the latest and greatest gadgets the moment they go on sale, though, you may want to wait a few years before jumping on the bandwagon.

So, what do you think of the Lytro: impressed? Skeptical? Will you buy one? Cast your vote in the comments below.

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