Feature Articles

Top 100 Products of 2011

By Team HardwareZone - 30 Dec 2011

Picks 61-70

 

Nintendo 3DS

Trying to breathe life back into the portable handheld console market segment, Nintendo launched the Nintendo 3DS. Its unique selling point was its glassless 3D screen where the depth of field could be controlled with a slider. Add a 3D camera and augmented reality functions, along with well-loved titles such as Street Fighter and Super Mario, and we have a winner on our hands.

 

Nokia Lumia 800

Announced as the first real Windows Phone by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, the Nokia Lumia 800 is a fine example of great industrial design thanks to its polycarbonate unibody design. As the debutant of Nokia’s future Windows Phone lineup, the Nokia Lumia 800 is perhaps one of the few Windows Phone devices that comes close, though not that near of a match, to the offerings from Apple and Google.

 

OCZ Revodrive X2 PCI-Express SSD

This is an ultra high-performance PCIe SSD for enthusiasts and workstation setups as it uses the motherboard’s spare PCIe 2.0 x4 interface to overcome the limitations of the SATA I/O interface. The OCZ Revodrive X2 uses lots of Multi-Level Cell (MLC) memory modules mounted on its PCB to achieve its massive storage capacity (100GB to 960GB capacity options) that is set for RAID 0 while it sports four SandForce SF-1200 memory controllers! It trumps the already powerful OCZ Revodrive PCI-Express SSD solution with an even more insanely fast implementation to offer speed demons and enthusiasts with big wallets a convenient way to supercharge their PCs with a spare PEG slot for an ultra speedy, ultra expensive, but convenient storage solution.

 

OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid PCIe

For a slightly more economical option, The OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid uses two PCBs with one PCB housing the SSD and its two NAND controllers. The other PCB which is a daughterboard housing a 1TB HDD. A heatsink provides passive cooling for the SSD while there is no active cooling solution for the HDD. This is perhaps the best extreme mix of traditional storage with advantage in cost per gigabyte and SSD technology for speedy access and storage, augmented with intelligent caching software to make the most effective use of both storage technologies.

Olympus Pen E-P3

The Olympus Pen E-P3 is the Japanese company's most refined Micro Four Thirds camera yet. The compact shooter comes with an OLED touchscreen while offering an improved and faster AF system, a new 12-megapixel high-speed Live MOS sensor and dual-core TruePic VI image engine. For those looking for smaller alternatives, the Pen E-P3 was also launched with two other equally functional models - the Pen Lite and Pen Mini.

 

Olympus XZ-1

The Olympus XZ-1 stands apart with a list of impressive credentials. It has a larger than usual image sensor, fully manual controls and a quick f/1.8-2.5 i.Zuiko Digital lens with a 4x optical zoom - making it the fastest glass with the longest zoom available on a digital compact today.

 

Panasonic Lumix GX1

The long-awaited spiritual successor to the two-year old GF1, the GX1 is a fulfilling improvement to everything the GF1 offered. Image performance is dramatically improved and offers the best looking images yet made from a Micro Four Thirds camera. Smooth and easy controls finish off the polish on a great product.

Panasonic HDC-TM900

The HDC-TM900 probably has the best 1080/50p footage we’ve seen in any camcorder this year. While it doesn’t capture 3D natively, an optional conversion lens is available for purchase. This 3MOS-based HD camcorder has an F1.5-2.8 Leica Dicomar lens with 12x optical zoom, 32GB internal memory, an SD card slot, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD. Targeted at enthusiasts, the HDC-TM900 offers plenty of controls. For example, the lens ring controls focus, as well as exposure settings such as shutter speed and aperture.

Panasonic PT-AE7000

The PT-AE7000 is Panasonic’s first 3D home theater projector. It uses a 200W “Red-Rich” lamp capable of a brightness of 2,000 lumens. It also claims a 300,000:1 contrast ratio. The full HD LCD panels are designed for 480Hz processing - this results in a brighter 3D image and reduced crosstalk. It even uses the double refraction property of crystals to arrange pixels to minimize screendoor effect.

 

Panasonic VIERA TH-P50VT30S Plasma 3D TV

Slimmer and meaner than its VT20S predecessor, the VIERA VT30S has earned its stripes for its natural finesse in delivering an impeccable picture quality and producing deep black depths. Armed with a battery of accolades, such as Panasonic's latest Infinite Black Pro 2 panel, the internet-flavored VIERA Connect platform, and THX accreditation, the 3D-capable VT30S is easily one of the finest plasma display panels out in the market with all the right perks.

 

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