HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2011 Editor's Choice - Part 1

Tech Awards 2011 - 69 Awards Given!

To recap, this year's HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards was held on 23rd February, and it served to honor the best in tech products and services that were introduced between December 2009 and November 2010. This time round, we paid tribute to 39 companies across 69 categories. A grand total of 32 Editor’s Choice and 37 Reader’s Choice awards were handed out in categories ranging from computers, consumer electronics, communications and digital entertainment.

Last week, we posted the results of the Reader's Choice polls. Do check them out if you've not already done so, and see if any of your favorite brands won.

For Editor's Choice awards, we hauled in 170 products covering 75 brands, and put them through a series of stringent benchmarking tests in the HardwareZone labs, where we evaluated the results through a specific criteria consisting of performance, consumer benefits, value and technology advancements, before finally deciding on the 32 winners.

Needless to say, it took us much time and energy to evaluate so many products. For years, readers have been requesting us to share a bit more on what exactly goes on behind the closed doors of our labs. So taking this opportunity, we've decided to prepare the following video to detail some of the grueling tests we put the products through leading up to Tech Awards 2011. Well, sort of:-

Play

Enlightening, yes? Now, back to the Editor's Choice awards, due to the number of categories, we've split this article into two parts - consumer electronics and computing. Today, we'll be looking at the best in consumers electronics. So go ahead and click the Next button.

*Note: Prices and ratings listed in this article are accurate at the time of individual product evaluation.

Best Semi-Pro DSLR Camera

Semi-pro: What does that term really mean? In the DSLR camera world, we could define it as the advanced models just sitting before the full-frame professional series, packing an APS-C sensor which is the same size (but not the same performance) as the ones in entry-level cameras and featuring more dedicated physical controls for essential settings. Oh, and don't forget the price, size and weight; more than an entry-level's, less than a full-frame's.

Nominees:

• Canon EOS 60D
• Nikon D7000
• Olympus E-5

And the Winner Is...

The Nikon D7000 is a high performance camera, with easy access to manual controls – more 'professional' handling than either the Canon 60D or the Olympus E-5. These two winning points gives it the award. The Olympus E-5 had average performance for a camera of this class, most probably due to the smaller Four Thirds sensor. The Canon 60D produces beautiful images, but it's let down by the removal of a control joystick (which was present on the 50D), making this camera more suitable for the advanced consumer than the semi-pro.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Entry-Level DSLR Camera

Users are pretty much spoilt for choice today with the entry-level DSLR cameras available; which deliver stunning image quality at an affordable price and small body. It's hard to pick a winner from the impressive candidates we had, but pick we did. And here are the results.

Nominees:

• Canon EOS 550D
• Nikon D3100
• Sony Alpha SLT-A55

And the Winner Is...

While we deem the Nikon D3100 as the cheapest and easiest camera to use among the three candidates, for this category, we also place emphasis on overall features and performance. Both the Canon EOS 550D and Nikon D3100 give great imaging performance, but the Canon EOS 550D has better HD video recording capabilities, an incredible LCD display and a one stop higher ISO setting. It's a little more expensive, but it's a camera which both still and video enthusiasts can love.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera

Mirror-less interchangeable lens camera - try saying that three times fast! Other names have been suggested for this young, two-year old category of cameras which do away with the traditional mirror system in DSLR cameras, thus 'mirror-less' (and smaller camera bodies too). Panasonic likes to call theirs 'system cameras' and others use the term EVIL cameras for Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens.

Unfortunately though, until a name sticks, we'll just use the standard definition for now. 2010 was the year the mirror-less camera scene exploded, with Samsung and Sony joining the party Olympus and Panasonic started. For this award, we focus on entry-level models priced around the S$1000 price range.

Nominees:

• Olympus E-PL1
• Panasonic G10
• Samsung NX100
• Sony Alpha NEX-3

And the Winner Is...

The Sony Alpha NEX-3 shoots amazingly clear and detailed photos, thanks to its APS-sized, 14.2-megapixel CMOS sensor. Initially, many people lamented about its user interface: most picture adjustments involve digging into the menu. But a subsequent firmware update brought about a tweaked UI that reduced this hassle. As a pick-up-and-shoot camera, the NEX-3 delivers unbeatable performance. And it comes at a very sweet price too.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Point & Shoot Camera

With so many different models and specifications for point & shoot digital cameras, we narrowed it down to similar-sized simple, everyday PnS compacts with a price tag of about S$500 that can shoot at around 10 - 14MP resolutions and had a maximum of 7x optical zoom.

Nominees:

• Canon IXUS 300 HS
• Casio Exilim EX-Z2000
• Fujifilm FinePix Z800EXR
• Nikon Coolpix S80
• Olympus µ 7040
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX75
• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T99

And the Winner Is...

The Panasonic DMC-FX75 might not be as attractive as the Canon IXUS 300 HS, but its high convenience of use more than makes up for that. Firstly, the camera is outfitted with a good mixture of touch and physical controls which makes shooting a breeze. Secondly, the DMC-FX75 comes with an iA mode that keeps hassles to a bare minimum. And when it comes to performance, its quick shutter/AF speeds, accurate AF, impressive clarity and average noise levels put it slightly ahead of the IXUS 300 HS.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best HD Digital Video Camcorder

Photos are great, but there's nothing like moving video and sound to bring you back to those precious memories. We tested six of the best in 2010, and here's our verdict as to which stood out.

Nominees:

• Canon Legria HF S21
• JVC Everio GZ-HM1
• Panasonic HDC-HS700
• Samsung HMX-M20
• Sanyo Xacti VPC-GH1
• Sony Handycam HDR-XR550E

And the Winner Is...

The Panasonic HS700 edges out due to more consistent video smoothness and a slightly sharper image, offering the best image quality. The Sony XR550E's video quality runs very close, it has a larger screen and more user-friendly interface. The HF S21 is an impressive camera, with good video performance, amongst the top three performers in this set, and a solid purchase of a HD camcorder.The JVC GZ-HM1 offers good value for money, with its sharp, high resolution and incredibly long-lasting battery life. But the limited manual settings plus the frustrating laser strip handling point it mainly towards the automatic point-and-shoot crowd.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Portable Business Projector

This year, we looked at business-oriented, multimedia projectors that are priced around S$2,000. They can be based on either LCD or DLP technology, but they must all have a native resolution and brightness of at least 1024 x 768 (XGA), and 3000 ANSI lumens respectively. A 3.5 kg weight cap was also enforced to ensure they remain reasonably portable.

Nominees:

• Canon LV-7380
• Epson EB-825H
• InFocus IN2114
• NEC M350X
• Panasonic PT-LB78VEA
• Sony VPL-EX145
• ViewSonic PJD6251

And the Winner Is...

The 3LCD-based NEC M350X is one of two projectors (the other being the ViewSonic PJD6251) in this group to sport a HDMI (version 1.3 no less) input. Its 1.7x optical zoom lens also tops the list. Text sharpness was good across different types and sizes, and video playback displayed good contrast and details. The M350X has three USB ports, in case you wish to plug the optional WLAN adapter, a computer, and a USB flash drive to it all at the same time.

NEC also introduces an Auto Eco mode: simply put, it automatically adjusts lamp luminance according to the content being fed. Very good brightness performance, thoughtful designs (the front ventilation is another), a bevy of color management settings, and an excellent array of inputs/outputs nudge the M350X across the winning line.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Value LCD TV

With a multitude of budget HDTVs introduced into the consumer market in 2010, we've managed to narrow that scope down to four models which offers the best bang for buck. In a nutshell, our Tech Awards' criteria requires the tellies to be Full-HD LCD models powered by CCFL backlights, and priced not more than S$1,500. Effective screen size has to fall between the 40 and 42 inch range. 

Nominees:

• LG 42LD460
• Panasonic VIERA TH-L42U20s
• Samsung Series 5 LA40C550
• Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX400

And the Winner Is...

Sony's BRAVIA EX400 performed with gusto and was the most competent all-rounder in many aspects. Looks wise, it might not be as swanky as Samsung's Series 5 contender, but the EX400's elegant form factor is still relevant with most modern décor. In addition, the USB port is able to decode basic video formats such as MPEG and DivX, while its crisp and agile picture quality also spoke of decent depths and black levels for an LCD model packing CCFL backlights. It's a steal, considering the EX400 boasts of a DVB-T tuner too. 

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best LED-Backlit LCD TV

Apart from the 3D mayhem, LED-backlit HDTVs were the next best consumer offering to occupy the AV center stage in 2010. Compared to their CCFL siblings, LED-backlit tellies are more sought after for their power efficiency, deeper contrasts and slimmer profiles. We've rounded up seven models in all, each with its own unique LED backlighting technology to shout about. For this category, we ensured TV contenders were no larger than 50 inches and had no 3D display support.

Nominees:

• LG INFINIA LE7500
• Panasonic VIERA TH-L42D25S
• Philips PFL6605D
• Samsung Series 6 UA46C6200UM
• Sharp AQUOS Quattron LC-46LE820M
• Sony BRAVIA KDL-46EX710
• Toshiba REGZA 47XL700

And the Winner Is...

You might have to fork out a higher premium for the 46-inch Series 6, but this HDTV is well worth your greens. Samsung has two variants under the Series 6 namesake; the C6900 which features Samsung's Internet@TV platform and "precision" local dimming, while the C6200 comes without. What truly impressed us, however, weren't its polished good looks or multimedia features like AllShare (DLNA) or ConnectShare (USB media playback) alone. Instead, we were blown away by how effortlessly this edge-lit display tackled our static display and video playaback tests. We'll give it top grades for clarity and compelling contrasts. Still, it isn't perfect since it can be susceptible to backlight "blooms", but it is nonetheless a very credible display when handling SD and HD materials. The C6200 is also armed with both digital and analog tuners.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best 3D TV

There are clearly two factions when it comes to 3D TVs - naysayers and true believers. Some say 3D TVs are bona-fide catalysts for headaches, whilst others claim they are the best thing to happen to TV. Like it or not, stereoscopic screens have made an impact in the HDTV market for the past year, although its overall uptake have been hampered by a lack of content and steep prices. Only the big players are involved in the production of 3D HDTVs at the moment, and here's our assessment on how they fared. Since various TV sizes are available, we chose to evaluate only those within the 50 to 55-inch sizes which are sufficiently large enough to replicate a cinematic experience.

Nominees:

• LG INFINIA 55-inch LX9500
• Panasonic VIERA TH-P50VT20s
• Samsung Series 8 UA55C8000
• Sony BRAVIA KDL-55NX810

And the Winner Is...

Panasonic's design might not look as impressive as its rivals, but its visual superiority does speak for itself, credit to the NeoPDP's fast response time and even uniformity. It also appeals to the enthusiast with its ISFccc calibration tools. Like the INFINIA, the VIERA VT20S faltered with noise reduction and 24p processing, but it was a class act in delivering fine details, natural colors, and punchy blacks. Most of all, it managed to reproduce 3D images with minimal crosstalk. Panasonic has also stepped up on their multimedia provisions. Their SD/USB combo combined with VIERA Cast - Panasonic's online applications and widgets - are the ultimate icing on the 3D cake.

 

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Soundbar System

Soundbars have steadily increased in popularity because of their all-round capabilities and attractive form factor. Designed to complement today’s widescreen TVs, they are a simple and fuss-free in getting cinema-sized sound without sacrificing on space. Hence, we trawled through the biggest names in consumer electronics to suss out the best entry-level sound bar that was released in the past year.

Nominees:

• LG HLX55W
• Philips HTS9104
• Samsung HT-BD2000
• Sony HT-CT350
• Yamaha YHT-S400

And the Winner Is...

The Yamaha YHT-S400 punches well above its weight with its authoritative and solid sound. It’s not perfect though, as dialog was a tad soft, but thankfully that can be easily rectified by increasing the center channel volume level. More importantly, it impressed us by convincingly replicating the experience of a multi-speaker setup. Listened with your eyes close, you wouldn't think the sound was coming from a single speaker, and a very slim one at that. Simply put, Yamaha YHT-S400 provided the best cinematic experience in this category.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Speaker Docking System

There’s just no stopping the giant that is Apple. With close to 300 million iPods, iPod Touches and iPhones sold, it’s no wonder that just about every major player in the consumer electronics market is coming up with their own iPod docking system. Although a vast majority of such docking systems are gimmicky more than anything else, a handful, however, have distinguished themselves as true-blue audiophile-grade equipment. Hence, we set out to find which is the best iPod docking system of 2010 by pitting the best of best from the biggest names in consumer electronics.

Nominees:

• Bose SoundDock 10
• Philips Fidelio Primo DS9000
• Pioneer XW-NAS5
• Revo Ikon
• Sony RDP-XF100iP
• Yamaha TSX-130

And the Winner Is...

In a nutshell, the Philips Fidelio Primo DS9000 is best sounding docks we have heard all year. It falls a bit short of the high standards set by the B&W Zeppelin, but considering the B&W Zeppelin is widely regarded as the best sounding docking system around, to say that the Philips comes very close to matching it is high praise enough. But more importantly, the Philips astounded us with how it excelled at handling different genres of music with its startling clarity, generous and precise bass, and super spacious soundstage.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Active Noise-Canceling Headphones

For frequent fliers, active noise-canceling headphones are godsend because they are very effective at canceling out the annoying low frequency droning made by the airplane’s engines. They do this by using tiny microphones to pick up the droning noises and then using complex algorithms to playback an inverted phase of the droning noise, which cancels out the original noise. This not only allows the wearer to enjoy their music without any distractions, but if they turn the music off, the headphones can also help the wearer sleep better on their flights too.

To round off the year, we take at a look at two of the best noise-canceling headphones released this year to find out which is best.

Nominees:

• Bose QuietComfort 15
• Sennheiser PXC 360 BT

And the Winner Is:

The Bose QuietComfort 15 possesses what we like to call the signature “Bose sound”. It sounds impressive, authoritative, bright, clear and has great bass response. It’s certainly difficult to fault in terms of sonic abilities, but if anything, it also sounds a tad artificial and over processed.

However, the Bose takes the cake when it comes to design. Not only does it look more classy, it also fits better and is markedly more comfortable as we could wear it for hours without feeling fatigued. Furthermore, in our simulated test of an airplane cabin environment, the Bose QuietComfort 15 was able to block to more of the droning noise.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best HD Media Center

HD media players and hubs remain very much a part of our homes in 2010, with new incremental features added to models from popular brands like ASUS, Seagate and WD. Some of the more interesting ones come with Gigabit Ethernet for even smoother transfer speeds, while others touted the user friendliness of their interface and the ability to access online services like Facebook and Pandora.

Nominees:

• AC Ryan PlayOn! DVR
• ASUS O!Play HD2
• AVerLife ExtremeVision
• eGear MiVeo Pro MP-701
• Patriot Box Office
• Seagate FreeAgent Go Flex TV
• WD TV Live Hub

And the Winner Is...

There were many worthy candidates, with WD's Live TV Hub and ASUS O!Play HD2 giving us a headache with very competitive features and performance. WD's attractive new Mochi user interface was a big draw factor but ultimately, we went with the versatility and better value proposition of the ASUS.

ASUS' O!Play has one of the stronger feature set here, including a card reader and a BT client. It can act as a NAS and supports Samba. There are also many widgets/services like Internet Radio with many presets and photo-sharing links like Picasa and Flickr. The interface is decent and easy for users to get the hang of. It may not be as flashy as the WD's interface but it's still good enough.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end. 

Best Multimedia Notebook

Notebook have become very viable alternatives to desktops, and the 15.6-inch form factor seems just the right size. Not too big that it takes up too much space, not too small that you have to squint at the screen either. For this category of Best Multimedia Notebook, we looked out for notebooks of this form factor and cost less than S$2,500.

Nominees:

• Acer Aspire Timeline X 5820T
• Dell XPS 15
• Lenovo IdeaPad Y560
• LG R590
• MSI FX600
• Samsung RF-510
• Toshiba QOSMIO F60

And the Winner Is...

Given the capabilities and features of the notebooks in our lineup, it’s a touch choice to just pick one winner. Someone has to win it though, and Lenovo’s machine takes the cake for its solid performance, low price point and non-tacky design. The battery life is not as good compared to the Acer or Dell notebooks, but their configurations aren't as powerful as the Lenovo machine. Besides, it's more than sufficient to get you to the next power outlet.

 

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Value Business Notebook

A business has to maximize their IT investments by getting capable notebooks without worrying they would be prone to hardware failures or unable to handle the demanding rigors of a mobile workforce. We take a look at various 14-inch business-centric models under $1,500 to see which notebook can deliver the performance needed and yet maintain their value proposition to businesses.

Nominees:

• Aspire TravelMate 4740
• Lenovo Edge 14
• Samsung R440e
• Toshiba Tecra M11

And the Winner Is...

Lenovo wins again with their ThinkPad Edge 14 by virtue of sheer cool design, excellent keyboard and decent mobility. While its performance was average and the price of the notebook was the most expensive of the notebooks in the list, it's easily offset by its other commendable mentioned attributes. You can't go wrong relying on this notebook, that's for sure.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Value Smartphone

Making smartphones affordable has been one of the common goals amongst manufacturers in the last few years. Budget smartphones are all about the price to performance ratio. Even at a low retail price, there is a need to balance it out with decent hardware and software loaded within. In a bid to bring such feature-packed devices to the masses, we've seen a slew of smartphones that are capable, as well as affordable. Our consideration for the Best Value Smartphone award falls upon one very important criteria - the best price-to-performance ratio.

Nominees:

• HTC Wildfire
• LG Optimus One
• Motorola Quench XT3
• RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini

And the Winner Is...

With this mindset, the LG Optimus One is awarded the Best Value Smartphone for a few reasons - a decent build with Android 2.2, responsive buttons and smooth performance with just a 600MHz processor.

 

*Note: Prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of product evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Business Smartphone

Lately, the line that separates business-centric smartphones from its fully featured cousins has become very muddled. But when it comes to the crunch, the one thing you can depend on, is its capability to churn out that document or email at record speeds. Hence, we place a strong emphasis on well-powered smartphones with the right form factor, i.e. an ergonomic physical QWERTY keyboard, to work with ease.

Nominees:

• HTC Desire Z
• Motorola Milestone
• RIM BlackBerry Torch 9800

And the Winner Is...

A fruitful year it has been for Motorola, when they got back into the game with the aid of Google Android. In fact, that's one of the reasons for including the Motorola Milestone into Tech Awards 2011. Its fluid performance, reworked user interface and additional tweaks to the Android platform, working in tandem with a sleek profile that also houses a highly usable keyboard, gave us ample reason to bestow the title of the Best Business Smartphone to the Milestone.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Camera Smartphone

Snapshots on-the-go have never been as important as it is today. Beyond the quality imaging you get from the smartphone's lens, it's also about the speed, processing, and most importantly, its overall ecosystem that allows you to share your moments with the world. In short, the Best Camera Smartphone has to consider its imaging performance and the approach it takes to process the images.

Nominees:

• Apple iPhone 4
• Motorola Milestone XT
• Nokia N8
• Sony Ericsson Vivaz

And the Winner Is...

It's not surprising to see Apple's iPhone 4 making the cut into our nomination list. What's really interesting is how the Apple product managed to improve its autofocus speeds, includes a 720p video recording function and later on, high dynamic range functionality that further enhances its imaging quality. In short, it's not about the megapixel count, but finding the right balance between the hardware (5-megapixel sensor) and software that gave the iPhone 4 the boasting rights as the Best Camera Smartphone.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

Best Smartphone

Here we go - the one category that really matters. What are the ingredients to making the definitive smartphone for the year? It's a combination of aesthetics, usability, performance and value. On top of that, one has to look deeper into its software, and what it can offer through its app ecosystem. With these factors under consideration, choosing the Best Smartphone for Tech Awards 2011 is one not to be taken lightly.

Nominees:

• Apple iPhone 4
• HTC Desire
• LG Optimus 7
• Motorola Milestone
• RIM BlackBerry Torch 9800
• Samsung Galaxy S
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

And the Winner Is...

Two years in the making with the Google Android OS, and a strong partnership with HTC led to the birth of the HTC Desire, and also our Best Smartphone for Tech Awards 2011. Hardware-wise, the Desire loads itself with a swift Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor and a generous and comfortably-sized 3.7-inch OLED screen (which was later switched to S-LCD due to a supply shortage). More importantly, it's the updated HTC Sense UI, and the intuitive out-of-the-box experience, that fulfills what we think a Best Smartphone should be – a high-powered, feature-loaded device that lets you start your smartphone journey in just a few seconds.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

References

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