Every yr I look again at my Product of the Week selections and choose what I believe made probably the most vital influence on my life because the Product of the Year. There have been plenty of contenders this yr, which I’ll cowl, however I need to lead with why I’m calling out BlackBerry.
If you’ve been studying me for some time, you already know I’m an enormous fan of firms doing the correct factor. For occasion:
Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program shined originally of the pandemic as extremely helpful for getting governments and colleges to perform whereas all of us have been locked in our houses;
IBM’s concentrate on AI ethics might find yourself saving us from the creation of hostile AIs;
Nvidia’s work to create world-scale simulations to deal with international warming;
HP’s management in capturing and reusing ocean-borne plastics; and
Dell’s aggressive examples in eliminating misogyny have all caught my curiosity prior to now.
But this yr I actually struggled with what was occurring in Ukraine and felt we weren’t doing sufficient to deal with the horrid circumstances in that nation. BlackBerry confirmed as much as commit huge assets to Ukraine’s warfare effort and was capable of, in impact, battle-train its safety (Cylance) and worker security purposes (AtHoc) that are actually way more able to protecting us safer.
Since a lot of 2022 has been about worry and vulnerability, selecting a product or firm that did probably the most to alleviate that worry at a country-wide scale appeared to be the perfect plan of action to persuade others to step up and assist.
While I sometimes level to Cisco because the gold normal in serving to at that state safety degree, for 2022, BlackBerry’s excessive effort to assist Ukraine stood out to me, so it’s my alternative for Product of the Year.
More on BlackBerry later. First, let’s have a look at the opposite contenders.
Laptops
Three laptops excelled for me this yr:
Alienware m17 R5 Gaming Laptop
If I have been extra of a gamer than I’m, then the Alienware m17 R5 would have been the straightforward alternative to steer the class, notably as soon as I received the correct drivers loaded and the battery life as much as one thing affordable. When I first fired it up, I received two hours, however after the driving force repair, it jumped to 6. The pocket book is handsome, and if I have been into first-person shooters, the place the efficiency actually shines, this could have ranked increased.
Alienware m17 R5 Gaming Laptop | Image Credit: Dell
ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 Laptop
The second was the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3. Again, battery life wasn’t nice, however utilizing the twin screens and simply the wow issue of this pocket book makes it greater than superb for these of us primarily working at house however not desirous to be locked up in the identical room with a desktop pc all day.
ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 17-inch laptop computer | Image Credit: Lenovo
The twin screens on this ThinkBook additionally enable customers to do two very various things on the similar time, like attend a Zoom assembly whereas being power-leveled or watching a video — not that I’d ever try this myself.
HP Elite Folio 2-in-1 Notebook PC
The HP EliteE-book Folio got here out in 2021, but it surely’s nonetheless my favourite laptop computer. HP got here out with a Dragonfly model this yr that was Intel- and never Qualcomm-based, however that dropped the battery life by about half. HP took the leather-based off the underside, making the product much less comfy to hold. So, whereas I’d nonetheless rank the Folio first for 2022, the actual fact I believe the 2021 model continues to be higher for the way I work ought to be famous as a result of, generally, firms make adjustments that aren’t superb for the product.
HP EliteE-book Folio | Image Credit: HP
The Snapdragon model of the product doesn’t carry out in addition to the Intel model, however for the way I work — principally writing, looking the net, and watching movies whereas touring — battery life, weight, and luxury are king. I’ve gone as much as three days on a visit without having the ability provide for this pocket book, which is uncommon in a great way. So, final yr’s HP EliteE-book Folio was the perfect laptop computer I utilized in 2022.
Home Tech
I’ve used ChiliSleep merchandise since they got here out with the primary ChiliPad. If there’s one resolution that continues to make sure I get a great night time’s sleep, it’s the ChiliSleep Dock Pro by Sleepme. This product makes use of water to warmth and funky your mattress, very similar to race automobile drivers and astronauts use it to chill their fits. Whether it’s a scorching or chilly night time, I’m like Goldilocks within the final mattress: good.
ChiliSleep Dock Pro Control Unit | Image Credit: Sleepme
This yr Sleepme launched a sleep tracker that I haven’t checked out but that comes with a subscription in order that the warmth of the mattress will regulate appropriately to optimize issues like REM sleep. The solely recurring situation is that I can’t take the factor with me after I journey. Hotels critically want one thing like this as a result of I’m ceaselessly too scorching or chilly when sleeping in a resort. Put this product within the “can’t live without it” class.
Electric Cars
I haven’t included these within the competitors earlier than, however I drive a 2019 electrical Jaguar I-Pace myself. Right earlier than I began penning this column, I turned conscious of probably the most superior electrical automobile drag race. It was between a Lucid Air Sapphire, Tesla Plaid, and a Bugatti Chiron, which price round $4 million. Oh, in addition they ran the Lucid in opposition to a hot-rodded Ducati (as a consequence of their sometimes far increased power-to-weight ratio, bikes typically mud automobiles in races like this).
Until now, in terms of straight-line drag races, the Tesla is the champ in opposition to nearly something however that Bugatti. Here is a Plaid beating a track-only dragster:
The Bugatti isn’t that a lot sooner, at the very least to not the quarter mile (prime velocity is a really totally different story, however none of us are driving 250 mph except we wish our $4 million automobile impounded for all times). Long story brief, within the race, the Lucid gaps the Bugatti, which beat the Tesla, gaps it, I imply by a automobile size — despite the fact that the Bugatti has much more energy.
The purpose is that electrics can generate a ton extra traction as a result of traction management works higher with electrical than fuel automobiles — and in case you can’t put the ability down, it doesn’t matter how a lot you will have. Thus, the Lucid Air Sapphire can be my choose for the perfect electrical automobile in 2022. Plus, the considered dusting a Bugatti on the gentle with a household automobile brings an enormous grin to my face.
Processors
The strongest CPU stays the AMD Threadripper, and probably the most highly effective GPU is Nvidia’s 4090 RTX card. Put them each in the identical system and also you’ll doubtless trigger your pals to drool and your energy meter to spin like a prime.
AMD took the lead in top-end workstations because of the Threadripper, and I’ve seen people get pounded by their associates for utilizing Intel processors for the primary time this yr, which is a big win for AMD.
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On graphics, Nvidia’s 4090 RTX is just a beast which type of begs the query: Why doesn’t AMD do a Threadripper-like GPU to match it? Maybe subsequent yr, however whereas Intel nonetheless holds as the usual CPU for enterprise, AMD has handed Intel in efficiency.
I’ll be doing a head-to-head on AMD, Nvidia, and Intel GPUs over the vacations, however in terms of final efficiency, AMD on CPUs and Nvidia on GPUs led the pack in 2022.
Smartphones
So far, nobody has provide you with a cellphone I like higher than the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. I do know I’m an outlier on this, however when my spouse and I’m going out, and we’re each utilizing our telephones (she has a purple iPhone), extra individuals stroll up and ask about my cellphone than hers by an element of round eight to 1.
The factor is, I’m a reader, and I exploit my cellphone to learn books after I’m ready in line, after I’m stopped in site visitors, and after I’m ready at a lightweight (not when the automobile is shifting).
This cellphone has grow to be the one factor I by no means go away behind as a result of I get bored simply. But if I can open a e book, the ready time goes by in a flash, and I do get pleasure from the additional consideration the cellphone brings me.
So, for the way I exploit a cellphone, the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 cellphone ranks the very best. It simply feels and works like a e book higher than all of the others I’ve tried, together with different foldable telephones — and I have to admit that having one thing extra unique than your typical smartphone is vital to me.
The purpose I’m spotlighting BlackBerry the corporate moderately than its particular person merchandise like Cylance and AtHoc is that it was the corporate that stepped in to assist Ukraine battle Russia’s assault by deploying hundreds of specialists, partnering throughout a number of firms to make defending the individuals of Ukraine its key mission.
The result’s that Ukraine is safer but in addition that BlackBerry’s merchandise are the one ones of their class which might be really battle-tested. Battle testing is essential, as Germany lately discovered. Its tanks that have been purported to be close to invincible have been something however — one thing that may have been problematic had they wanted them in a warfare.
BlackBerry Network Operations Center in Waterloo, Canada | Image Credit: BlackBerry
There are many hostile states and highly effective organizations on this planet that need to do us hurt, and it’s my view that solely battle-tested safety instruments will probably be as much as the duty as a result of solely these instruments can have really been examined in opposition to the very best menace ranges.
We all need to really feel protected, however I don’t need a false sense of safety, and I need to know my protections work. By serving to Ukraine, BlackBerry has made certain its safety and security merchandise will work underneath probably the most hostile circumstances. By doing one thing extremely good, BlackBerry has additionally helped itself and its clients by assuring its instruments are as much as the duty.
I’d like different tech firms to be taught from BlackBerry’s efforts as a result of if there was ever a time once we wanted battle-tested capabilities, it’s now. Thus, BlackBerry is my Product/Company of the Year for 2022. Special credit score goes to John Chen, BlackBerry’s CEO, who acknowledged this vital want for battle-tested safety instruments and, together with his crew, stepped as much as present them.
I hope you all keep protected and have a Happy New Year. We’ll be again subsequent week with my predictions for 2023.