Hottest tech events to get excited about in 2012

6 January 2012 10:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

The 2012 calendar is already starting to look busy and it is still January. So what should you be putting in your diary to look forward to?

Here we highlight some of the biggest, hottest tech events to get excited about in 2012 so you can make sure you don't miss the big news. Don't worry Pocket-lint will be covering each and everyone of them so you know all the latest as it happens.

CES

When: 9 - 13 January

Where: Las Vegas

CES is the world's biggest consumer electronics show and the place were the tech world's good and the bad show off their big wares for 2012.

Expect plenty of announcements, plenty of things to look forward to, and a no doubt a couple of disappointments as well.

We'll be covering the event live from the show floor in Las Vegas all week and you can catch up with all the latest.

Read more at the Pocket-lint CES 2012 homepage

PlayStation Vita launch

When: 22 January

Where: UK, US

Already available in Japan, Feburary will see the launch of Sony's new handheld games console the PlayStation Vita in the UK and the US. If you are a Sony PS3 fan and a gamer this is going to be Christmas come early.

Read more at our PlayStation Vita homepage

London Toy Fair

When: 24 - 26 January

Where: London

Like toys? Good because you'll want to get excited about the London Toy Fair held at the end of January.

Why? Well because it is here, 10 months out, that the big toys for 2012 will be announced meaning you can be ready for when you kids start badgering you.

Toy companies like to set out their stable of what's going to be hot so the industry can make sure Santa knows what to make.

Read more at the Pocket-lint Toy Fair 2012 homepage

Mobile World Congress 2012

When: 27 February - 1 March

Where: Barcelona

Mobile World Congress or MWC for short is set for the very end of February in 2012 in sunny Barcelona. It is the biggest mobile phone trade show going and the place where the likes of Samsung, LG, Nokia, HTC, Sony Ericsson, and others will announce the big phones of the year.

This year we are expecting the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III, and a blitzkrieg of Android 4.0 devices everywhere you turn.

Read more at the Pocket-lint MWC2012 homepage

iPad 3 launch

When: March/April

Where: UK, US

Nothing is confirmed, repeat nothing is confirmed, but we should, if history repeats itself, see the launch of the iPad 3 around March/April in time for Easter.

What shiny new things it will bring is anyone's guess, but the money at the moment is a higher resolution screen and a faster processor. Still, it gives those who bought the first model in 2010, a chance to now justify the upgrade.

London 2012 Olympic games

When: July

Where: London

July in London is going to be manic with the Olympics in full swing and new technologies being pushed to the limit.

If it isn't the first public outing of SuperVision high-def screen televising the games in glorious 4K, it will be you trying to stream the entire games while on the bus via iPlayer.

iPhone 5 launch

When: September

Where: UK, US

Always a big event and fun to watch, regardless of whether you are an Apple iPhone user or not, this year's event should be even more fun as fans are expecting more than just a "s" model.

Expect plenty of leaks, rumours, and then to be no doubt disappointed come launch day. Will it come with a bigger screen, a faster processor, more memory, a different design, or just more of the same?

IFA

When: 31 August - 5 September

Where: Berlin

The European version of CES and the chance for companies to have one final launch before Christmas. IFA might play second fiddle to CES, but it still manages to draw a strong crowd and plenty of excitement when it happens in Berlin at the end of August.

IFA 2011 saw the launch of new TVs, tablets, phones, cameras, and plenty more inbetween.

Catch up on IFA 2011 and read more at the Pocket-lint IFA 2012 homepage

Wii U launch

When: Christmas 2012

Where: Japan, UK, US

Announced at gaming convention E3 in LA in 2011, Nintendo has promised a 2012 launch for its next-generation console that will follow on from the Nintendo Wii.

From what we've seen expect it to be more powerful than the current Wii and introduce a new wacky tablet controller than acts as a second screen. Will it be enough to bring Nintendo back from the dulldrums though?

Read more at our Nintendo Wii U homepage

9th Pocket-lint Awards

When: December

Where: London

A shameless plug, but the only tech awards really worth bothering with surely?

As with previous years, Pocket-lint will be looking at all the products we review over the next year and seeing whether they are good enough to be crowned the best of 2012.

We'll find out what those devices are in December at the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2012.

See who won this year in the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2011 and read more at the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2012 homepage.

What events are you most looking forward to in 2012? Let us know in the comments below.