Opinion

The first May bank holiday is so close we can practically smell the beer garden, and it looks like the weather is going to behave itself this time.

Technology has become an intrinsic part of all of our lives, whether it’s using computers at work, using smartphones on the way home from work, or watching a Smart TV after work.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my smartphone. It’s never more than a couple of feet away from me. The number of times I interact with it each day is well into double figures. And of course I’m not alone.

With Christmas Day now virtually on top of us, if you haven’t started your Christmas shopping it’s time to get a little panicky.

We may not always like to admit it, and are often very good at hiding it, but at heart we are all just big kids in grown-up bodies.

From tablets to smartphones, consoles to ultrabooks, we’ve been spoilt rotten with excellent technology this year. As the eyes of the technology world turn to the year ahead, we thought we’d take a look back at the gadgets and gizmos that made 2012 such a stellar year.

Betwixt Christmas and New Year falls a slightly odd period, the likes of which is not seen at any other point in the year

Gamers have been really spoilt for choice this year. We’ve had a new handheld console in the form of the PS Vita, and in the Nintendo Wii U we’ve had the first new home console in years.

Technology can be very confusing at times, and so choosing the perfect smartphone can often be a bit of a chore.