ViewSonic tablet tops iPad 2, Nintendo's 3DS popular and Google users looking ahead to prom - top product trends

(ViewSonic)

This week under the category "Products," more Google users were searching for the ViewSonic tablet than they were the iPad 2 which previously dominated search terms. Other popular products included Nintendo's gaming device the 3DS and prom dresses.

The 6.8 X 10.5 inch ViewSonic G Tablet runs on the Android operating system is emerging as a competitor to other Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the ever popular iPad2, due in part to its relatively low retail price.

Unlike the iPad 2 which retails for around $499 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab which costs around $549 the ViewSonic G Tablet costs a little over $300, making it one of the more competitively priced tablet devices on the market.

Nintendo's gaming device the 3DS appeared twice in this week's top product searches under the terms "nintendo 3ds" and "3ds." The handheld 3D gaming device, launched in Europe on March 25 and North America on March 27, has already broken one-day sales records for the company and will be released in Australia on March 31.

The handheld device features two screens and users do not require any special eyewear in order to experience the 3D effect. The device costs around $249 (€176) and is currently available to order in the USA and Europe.

The American tradition of prom, which has now been adopted across the world, had users searching Google for "prom dress 2011," the term "little black dress" is perhaps also related to this event.

Prom, also known as a 'Leavers' Ball' in the UK or 'Formal' in Australia, is generally held at the end of the school year and is a celebration marking the completion of high school for those about to graduate. Formal dress is considered an integral part of prom, and the prom dress is seen as especially important.

Other popular search terms this week included the German phrase "espressomaschine" - espresso machine in English, old games console model "PlayStation 2" and the recently released game " Crysis 2."

This week's most popular search term, "Harry Houdini," is an anomaly caused by a Google doodle celebrating what would have been the escapologist's 137th birthday on March 24.

The search terms with the most significant growth worldwide, in the last seven days, in the category Products as measured by Google Insights, recorded on March 30 at 9:30 AM GMT, are:

1. harry houdini (breakout*)
2. viewsonic g tablet (+500%)
3. nintendo 3ds (+140%)
4. crysis 2 (+120%°)
5. 3ds (+100%)
6. espressomaschine (+80%)
7. ipad2 (+70%)
8. prom dress 2011 (+70%)
9. little black dress (+60%)
10. playstation 2

*Breakout defines a search term that has experienced a change in growth greater than 5000 percent.