When we talk about cool gadgets, we don’t mean cool James Bond gadgets. The term “cool gadgets” refers to a specific set of electronic devices that stand out from the rest of the crowd in their special use or rarity. Usually the reason could be anything. While a calculator can’t be put down as a cool gadget, some cool electronic binoculars with night vision and focus adjusters would count as one. The obvious question would be what are the factors that distinguish great devices from not-so-great ones. While listing all the factors could take forever, you will find some of them here.

* New technology: When Bluetooth was introduced, only a couple of manufacturers understood its importance and incorporated the technology into their cell phones. Those cell phones were considered “cool gadgets.” A typical example of a cool gadget now would be one of those smartphones or the iPhone or even the iPad. While Amazon’s Kindle can be considered a cool device, it’s debatable.

* Rarity: If you have it, your friends have it, and everyone you know has it, it’s not a cool device anymore, even if it’s an iPhone. Think about this: when everyone you knew was wandering around with a candy bar cell phone, one of your friends must have had a gem of a cell phone. Now that would have been a cool gadget.

*Cool Brand Name: Well, this is simplicity itself. Some brands are great and some are not. Barbecue Propane Gauge is a boring name, while Xbox sounds great.

These are just a few of the reasons why great devices stand out from the rest. It is never unanimously accepted because there are always complainers. If most geeks accept it as a cool device, then it will go down in the history books as such.

This year has been notable for cool devices because there have been some awesome devices on the market. With the size of the computer gradually decreasing and its features increasing exponentially, vacuum tube computers evolved into desktop and laptop computers and eventually tablets. You can describe them in one word: Awesome! Windows Phone is critically acclaimed, but it hasn’t gotten much attention from people, perhaps because they think it will be riddled with bugs, too. On the other hand, the Android phone was well received by the masses. Now you can change the way you watch TV with the latest 3D TVs. If Nintendo’s Wii can appeal to people, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Kinect can redefine gaming. These are just a few of the really cool gadgets from the past year, but 2010 has been lucky in the endless list of innovative new products that have appeared.

Vacuum tubes are a long way off and you’re well past the desktop era and hopefully own a decent laptop. In this chain of electronics, the next in line is a tablet; It comes without a keyboard and without a mouse. You’d better get used to touch screens if you want to buy a tablet. If you cross a laptop and a PDA, what you get is a tablet, which combines the functions of both devices. Now you know why this can be classified as a cool gadget. Remember the days when you used to use a black board and a piece of chalk; well, this is the electronic version of it. You can use the virtual keyboard to write things, or you can write on the screen with the stylus, depending on how you like it. The amazing thing about the tablet is that it does everything a normal computer can do and more. It can be attached for use with a keyboard and mouse and even a larger monitor. When we talk about a convertible tablet, it just means that it has a small detachable keyboard while the slate tablet comes with just the screen. Its size and portability make it an amazing device for travelers and people who need to be on the go most of the time. Tablets can usually be as expensive as you want. Although you often hear rumors about $100 tablets, it would be better to buy the cheapest tablet at $300 knowing that it will work for sure. The most expensive tablets can be priced at a thousand dollars or more. Since compactness, innovation and technology define tablets, they are best for teenagers, travelers, businessmen and regular internet users.

Microsoft has succeeded with the Windows 7 operating system and has decided to incorporate its advanced Windows Mobile operating system in some cell phones. Surprisingly, the phone has no bugs or at least ones that can be easily found like with the desktop version of the operating system. The term “Windows phone” refers to the class of phones that come with the Windows operating system. Sending emails and text messages, browsing the Internet using mobile Internet Explorer, calendaring, gaming and office applications are some of the things that can be done with a Windows phone. Everyone uses Windows, of course, with the exception of a few Linux geeks. It bodes well for the regular user to get a Windows Phone because you can easily interface with your computer. Multitasking is better with a Windows phone; It also comes with millions of third-party apps like Android Phone. Windows phone 7 costs between $500 and $800. Anyone who thinks that Windows XP is the best operating system out there can definitely go for a Windows phone for the same user experience.

The 3DTV is another cool gadget. Simply put, you can bring home the cinema effect on your home screen with this electronic device. While some models may come with the glasses, others may not. Technically expressed, it allows you to watch TV in all three dimensions with features like stereoscopic capture and multi-view capture. The difference between 3DTV and normal television is the fact that the former projects all the entities on the screen in a three-dimensional field that represents the visual appeal. Depending on the technology, the price of a 3DTV starts from $1,000 at Samsung for a 50″ LED screen and goes up to $2,499 for a Sony Bravia model. A normal couch potato would have a whole new experience watching TV; movie lovers and techies would find this cool device irresistible.

Google strikes again with the Android operating system on phones. It makes it impossible for us to put it aside as just another operating system due to the huge cult following it has managed to build. Generally, any phone running the Android operating system can be called an Android phone. Like any other smartphone, the Android phone satisfies the full range of messaging, email, notes, Internet and third-party applications. The key difference between any operating system and Android is the simplicity of use. You can choose to create buttons for anything and everything. The cheapest model may be priced at $250 for a no-contract deal, while the price of the most expensive phone isn’t limited by anything. People who want smartphones and the best operating system online can go for an Android phone.

Motion control joysticks have become the new mode of gaming with the advent of the Nintendo Wii, Sony Move, and Microsoft Kinect. With Kinect, you get a full-body motion gaming experience. If you can get off the couch, you’re well on your way to playing Kinect. Usually, everything you do in real life, your character does on screen. The whole body movement concept is new and has been achieved only with Kinect, which sets it apart from the rest of the products. If you have a console and just want to get the Kinect controller, you’ll have to shell out $150. Any gamer would love to buy one of these babies.

Android and Windows phones definitely have cheaper alternatives, but the other great devices don’t have any known Chinese products in their bag. But if you can wait a while for these products to be absorbed by the market, it will give the Chinese time to think of surprising alternatives.