Here are a few of the top apps and gadgets of 2016.
According to CNET, despite a record-smashing debut by Pokemon Go, social media apps remained in the top spot for smartphone apps this year.
In Nielsen’ s ranking of the top smartphone apps, Facebook and Facebook messenger ranked in the top two most popular apps of 2016, with about 146 million and 130 million monthly users, respectively.
The following apps rounded out Nielsen’s ranking:
YouTube, 113.7 million monthly users
Google Maps, 105.7 million monthly users
Google Search, 104 million monthly users
Google Play, 99.7 million monthly users
Gmail, 88 million monthly users
Instagram, 74.6 million monthly users
Apple Music, 68.3 million monthly users
Amazon App, 65.5 million monthly users
In October, CNET also ranked the best technology of 2016 and some of the nifty gadgets that made the list include Snapchat Spectacles, which allow wearers to video their experiences for Snapchat hands free.
In the video game arena, PlayStation VR came out on top and according to CNET’s review, it represents the most accessible path to virtual reality because about 45 million PlayStation 4 owners have half the required software and because it is the only “full” VR system – one with spatial and motion tracking.
Several PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones, were also on CNET’s list, including the Microsoft Surface Studio, a 28-inch all-in-one Windows PC, with a touchscreen that folds all the way down to a 20-degree angle and 4,500 X 3,000-pixel resolution. CNET also reviewed Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Yoga, iPhone 7 and Google Pixel, among others.
Also included in CNET’s 2016 in review were cameras, smartwatches, TVs, robotic vacuums, home security systems and high-tech appliances
Wired’s best gear and gadget list of 2016 included a table that is more of an illusion than a piece of furniture, an hourglass with bubbles instead of sand and a sleeker bicycle bell than the clunky ones from childhood past.
