Top 100 Products of 2009

Dell's Alienware series finally made its way down to the region, and boy did it pack a punch while doing so. The Alienware m17x boast impressive specs of up to an Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad Q9300, SLI graphics, a solid hefty build and a bling-ish design that immediately causes gamer aggro whenever this monster is brought out for serious gaming downtime.

There are lots of reasons to love the versatile 7D; its newly-developed 18MP CMOS sensor, the 8 frames per second continuous shooting speed for up to a maximum burst of 126 shots (shooting JPEGs), and full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second.

If a respectable showpiece is what you crave, then you might want to consider LG's SL90 for your living space. Slim and pretty, the Korean's LED-backlit screen features an "edge-to-edge" design, thanks to a layer of glass over its panel. With a DVB-T tuner, Bluetooth connectivity, local dimming and all the visual goodness of a Full-HD screen, it really doesn't get any better than this.

In need of a stylish touch screen compact? Sony T90 might be your answer, and more - the glossy beauty boasts of a slim 13.9mm build, 12.1MP sensor, Super SteadyShot optical image stabilisation, face and smile detection technology, ISO up to 3200, 1280x720 pixel resolution 720p HD movie recording capabilities, intelligent scene recognition and a large 3.0-inch touch-sensitive screen.

Glass. The final frontier for optical and laser mice. Many have tried, but none have succeeded. That is until Logitech came along with the Performance M950 Mouse. Featuring a revolutionary tracking system called Darkfield (using dual lasers), the Logitech Performance M950 mouse is the first laser mice in the world to be able to track on glass.

With a huge library of e-books to choose from, it's no wonder why the Kindle series is our favourite e-book reader yet. The Kindle 2 may not have expandable memory as its predecessor but we are bowled over by its slimmer and sleeker look and better design all around.

Motorola might have started off slow in 2009, but it ended it with a big bang via the Motorola Droid, equipped with Android 2.0. Not only does it have free turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps Navigation, the Droid goes all out and gives Motorola a new lease of life in a competitive mobile industry.

Quad-core processors get into budget territory with AMD's Athlon II X4 630. This processor's modest price belies its competitiveness with more expensive quad-core equivalents from Intel. Coupled with the affordability of the AMD platform, it's a great choice for those starting to dabble in multi-threaded applications like content creation.

With Apple rebranding its entire aluminum unibody notebook line into the MacBook Pro range, the 'new' 13-inch MacBook Pro replaces the base model with plenty of new features found on the Pro range including a backlit keyboard, built-in 7 hour battery and packing a price point that doesn't blow your wallet to smithereens.

Windows 7 is what Windows Vista should have been - an elegant version of Windows, with an improved interface that doesn't just look good but helps you work better. 7 isn't only a refined edition of Vista though; it adds new functionality like gestural shortcuts, HomeGroup for easy file sharing, and virtual folders which help you manage your files.

The Sony VAIO X is probably worth its premium fee, if gorgeous looks is worth its weight in gold. This 11.1-inch business model isn't the most powerful machine given its use of a single-core Atom Z540 processor, though it has an extensive battery life to shout about. That aside, you can be assured the VAIO X was crafted to make a grand impression with its devilishly slim profile and featherlike weight of 780 grams.

Creative, look out: Singapore-based XM-I has managed to contain both size and audio into a tiny and cute device. The X-mini II Capsule speaker is not only highly portable, but also capable of great sound quality. If you need big "boomz", but like your tech accessories small, the X-mini II does a decent job: it has an extendable resonator that creates a vacuum (which acts like a loudspeaker) and can be daisy-chained with other X-Minis for further audio amplification.

Not content with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 295, ASUS went ahead and pieced two GeForce GTX 285 units together, forming the awesome ASUS MARS. Reportedly, it is a whopping 23% faster than a standard GeForce GTX 295. Only 1000 units were ever made, so you had to be extremely lucky to have one.

Among the famous trio of phones that were released by Sony Ericsson at the end of 2009, the Aino caught our eye as its Remote Play applications allows you to connect to your PS3 from anywhere to access all your media files as long as you have an active Wi-Fi connection.

Intel's updated X25-M SSD makes our top 100 list for a few reasons - it is the first SSD unit using 34nm process technology flash memory chips for cost savings. Couple that with better latency, improved throughput, compatibility with Microsoft's Windows 7 and its TRIM function to keep the drive well-optimized around-the-clock, the second generation X25-M is a very competitive unit in the market.

With a name like "FTW", this EVGA board better have the goods to show too. Fortunately, it comes with sufficient high-end features to please the enthusiast crowd. This meant having up to three separate BIOS, dedicated voltage read points and a 12-phase power design rated to provide up to 600W of power to the processor.

HP strikes back on the netbook side of things with an NVIDIA ION based machine which packs in your usual Intel Atom N280 processor found on most netbooks but using NVIDIA's ION platform for its chipset and graphics. The result? A netbook that's capable of HD video playback and some light gaming while still retaining the portability and form factor of your normal netbooks.

The Nikon D5000 packs the same sensor as the next step-up model, the D90, while retaining the small size and competitive price of an entry-level DSLR. Although it's missing some manual buttons and the LCD screen is grainier than the D90, it gives you the same high-quality images with superb ISO performance, making it a choice entry-level DSLR.

D-Link's flagship gizmo doesn't come cheap and there's good reason for it. The DIR-685 is riddled with loads of features you might ever want in a router. Besides its 802.11n capabilities, the DIR-685 is also part NAS and part photo frame. It holds a 2.5-inch HDD bay and flaunts a color LCD screen across its stylized face. Oh, it comes with a USB sharing feature too. Who says routers have to be boring?

While the previous Microsoft Sidewinder iterations have proven to be far too big and bulky, the X8 surprised us with a better ergonomic shape and a whole slew of interesting features. Strictly for hardcore gamers who prefer to further customize their gaming experience, the wireless X8 boasts of sensitivity settings, interchangeable feet, BlueTrack Technology and seven programmable buttons.

The Lian Li Armorsuit PC-P50R stands out amongst many other casings released this year thanks to its clever tool-less design, making it quite possibly the easiest casing we've ever used. It's quite the looker too, thanks to its stylish two-tone color scheme and attention-seeking dragon motif on the side.

The Nokia E series has recently been Nokia's saving grace in terms of its mobile offerings and the E52 does not disappoint, thankfully. With its up to 8 hours of talk time, superb keypad and slim factor, it's one phone that looks good and goes the distance.

The Samsung Omnia HD - it's not just a phone. It's a mobile device running the all new Symbian S60 V5.0 touch OS, and the first of its kind to support 720p video recording on its 8-megapixel sensor. Oh, and did we mention how awesome its 3.7-inch, AMOLED capacitive touch screen is?

The main achievement of the MSI P55-GD80 is its inclusion of a one-button auto-clocking tool (OC Genie) that actually works, making the process painless and convenient for beginners. Throw in other highlights like thicker heat pipes, an excellent layout and some enthusiast friendly touches and you'll find one of the better P55 motherboards this year.

If you're in the market for a modern Windows-based AIO desktop system, the new HP TouchSmart 600 is your best bet, bar none. Improved TouchSmart Suite software brings out touchscreen functionality like no other AIO, while a Blu-ray drive, better connectivity options and other smaller frills round up the niceties of this cool multimedia machine.

The Panasonic Lumix FX65 marries compact and convenience in one of the most compelling cameras of 2009. With smart features like face recognition and tracking, quick auto-focus, improved image stabilization and good image quality, there's really nothing to taking a good photograph but switching it on and snapping away.

With a sexy girth of 23.2mm and generous keyboard space, most road-warriors like us would want a notebook like the elegant Samsung X420 to tote around with. To give you more up-time on the road, this black beauty also features an enduring 6-cell battery with a rated battery life of nine hours. The 14-inch X420 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor and comes endowed with a HDMI port.

The Iomega StorCenter ix4-200d is a choice selection if you are looking for a serious home or small office storage drive/media server. This series comes with a simple and easy to use UI, preconfigured out-of-the-box for 2TB, 4TB and 8TB sizes, and best of all offers decent performance at an excellent price point. You'll certainly have a device that makes data sharing, online or otherwise, a relatively fuss-free and inexpensive task.

What else can be said about ATI's Radeon HD 5870 that hasn't already been said? The first DirectX 11 compatible card to hit the market, the Radeon HD 5870 is also the world's fastest single GPU graphics card by a mile. In fact, only NVIDIA's dual-GPU GeForce GTX 295 can hope to do battle with it.

Like its dark horse predecessor, the Nokia E72 took its rightful place as the Nokia device of the year. Succeeding the Nokia E71 with new upgrades such as a 5-megapixel camera and faster HSDPA speeds (10.2Mbps), the E72 retains the great QWERTY keyboard experience and a new 3.5mm audio port that's well-loved by many, including us.

One of the earliest motherboards with the new SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 functionality, this ASUS P55 board got full marks for using a dedicated PCIe bridge to enable this without affecting SLI or CrossFireX support like some of its competitors. Other proprietary, exclusive features make it worthy of its premium billing too.

Ask around for a wireless gaming mouse and one device comes to mind: the Razer Mamba. With cutting edge laser tracking of 5600 dpi, and superb performance whether wired or wireless, the Mamba is the gaming mice to behold for 2009. Coupled with with its comprehensive tweaking function, it's one of the best mice we've seen in a long while.

Generally, larger sensors give you better image quality, but the larger the sensor the larger the camera. With the S90, Canon took their G-series' large sensor and made it work inside a compact camera body. Not only that, they included full manual controls, and an innovative manual control ring to change manual settings easily, making the S90 of the most ground-breaking cameras we've seen.

It's true that plasma TVs do not command the same buzz as the LED backlit LCD TV alternatives these days, yet, we did not forget about the VIERA V-series for our Top 100 list. Panasonic's premium P50V11S PDP didn't wow us so much with perks like the VIERA Image Viewer or DVB-T digital tuner. Instead, it was its Neo-PDP's panel exceptional handling of HD and SD sources which makes it a deserving display.

The QNAP TS-439 Pro Turbo offers superior performance: featuring advanced RAID data protection, built-in iSCSI target service, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption and powered by Intel 1.6 GHz CPU, 1GB DDRII memory. It is perfect for data sharing in workgroups, homes and businesses.

Easily one of the gems of the year, we received the SonicGear Xanadu X2 not expecting much, but the moment we turned it on, it blew us away. Be it soulful jazz tunes, thumping dance tracks or cinematic explosions, the Xanadu X2 handled all with aplomb. Easily the best bang for buck audio system we've heard all year.

Microsoft's answer to the iPod touch has a special ace up its sleeve and that would be its ability to play 720p video on your HD TV with an optional AV dock. Besides that, the Zune HD is also super slick in looks and its user interface. The only problem is that it's only sold in the United States for the time being.

The successor to the multimedia powerhouse HTC Touch HD goes into overdrive mode, with a larger 4.3-inch screen, now capable of multi-touch with its capacitive touch screen. More importantly, the HD2 is the first Windows Mobile device armed with the high speed Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, and comes with the new HTC Sense UI that makes it all that much easier to use a Windows phone.

Dell takes the lessons learnt from the costly Adamo and repackages it into a form factor we can live with and actually afford. The Vostro V13, an Intel CULV based notebook packs much of the Adamo form factor and looks while only retailing at a very low price of US$649 for the highest end model. Weighing in at 1.59kg, the Vostro V13 is one sweet machine with plenty of drool factor.

If we had to pinpoint a TV that sparked off the crazy hype over LED-backlit HDTVs, it has got to be Samsung's Series 7. Dressed in Samsung's tasteful Crystal Design, the B7000 comes racked with other sweet treats, including a YouTube widget, DVB-T tuner and DLNA support. Top that off with a sweet and punchy 1080p panel powered by EDGE LEDs, and you might understand why we like this model so.

Touted to produce "the kind of audio quality used by 75 per cent of the world's touring professional artists", the Logitech UE - aptly called Ultimate Ears - ultilizes a custom-tuned dual-armature microdesign that features two high-fidelity channels for great sound reproduction while providing absolute noise isolation. And good news is: each earpiece is no bigger than a US dime.

Factory overclocked and sporting what could be only described as an over-sized triple-fan custom cooler from Arctic Cooling, the Galaxy GTX 285 OC with AC Edition offers the unbeatable combination of features, performance and price, and is hands down, the best GeForce GTX 285 card on the market.

Thanks to LG's watch phone, you can now relive your wildest Dick Tracy fantasies back from the 1980s. At best, it's a gimmicky watch but given a wider screen and better battery life, perhaps it would be something to consider wearing over the weekend but nevertheless, it's a good effort from LG.

A new year, and a new Omnia. The Samsung Omnia II, powered by Samsung's own 800MHz processor and an update to its TouchWiz interface, was one of the rare few Windows Mobile devices that managed to do what smartphones were designed for - powerful communication features with no compromise to its speed.

One of the best AMD 785G chipset motherboard we have tested, the ASUS M4A785TD-EVO impressed us with its benchmark performance and relatively low operating temperatures. Together with its microATX form factor and competitive power consumption, this is a fine motherboard choice for those looking for a small, quiet desktop PC or media center.

Sure, Sony's X4500 may not be as terribly sexy as its ZX1 sibling. Still, the X4500 has impressed us with its visual prowess and competent video processing. Armed with RGB Dynamic LEDs which offers local dimming, mind you, the X4500 managed to deliver razor sharp images with stunning blacks in its Full-HD capacity. That's more than enough for the Sony X4500 to earn a page in our annals.

If you are looking to impress your visitors, perhaps it would be wise to invest in the Panasonic SC-HC4. With the unique usage of bamboo in its twin 6.5cm come speakers, and equipped with six equalizer presets (flat, vocals, heavy, rock, clear and soft), a double-bass boost function, and a surround sound option, the impossibly stylish SC-HC4 will definitely pander to audiophiles.

For many a HTPC builder, the Zotac DIY Ion Kit remains to be the weapon of choice. Solid performance aside, most of all, we liked that Zotac provided the motherboard kit with its own external power adapter, which makes sourcing parts for a system much less of a hassle.

No one does audio like Sony Ericsson does. And with its 30 years of Walkman legacy supporting it, the Sony Ericsson Walkman W995 gave our ears an aural experience we'll never forget. As both a mobile phone and a portable audio player, the W995 is the perfect audio companion with its crystal clear audio reproduction, fitted into a compact and eye-pleasing form factor.

To accommodate this new X58 based motherboard that now has SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 features, Gigabyte had to increment its series naming convention to UD7. It's appropriate since this is arguably Gigabyte's highest end motherboard, with all the bells and whistle you'll expect from the vendor. What's best, you'll get 3-way SLI or CrossFireX with no compromise.

This massive 18.4-inch notebook easily fulfills your entertainment needs with its Blu-ray drive, decent graphics unit, quad-core processor and a design that is considerably more elegant than previous iterations. Luckily it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket either, thanks to Acer's pricing strategies, the Aspire 8935 remains relatively affordable compared to other notebooks of equal size and specs.

Winning many awards, the Pre cannot be overlooked. If only it had come to Asia, we feel it would have given the iPhone some serious competition for its multi-tasking capabilities and physical keyboard. But our fingers are crossed that the next Pre model will be unveiled at CES and in a store near us!

Kingston's SSDNow V+ made the list for the fact that it has the best performance-price ratio amongst the SSD drives out there.

The updated AM3 version of the AMD 790GX chipset features support for DDR3 and AMD's Phenom II processor. These features are all found on the MSI 790GX-G65 along with an excellent layout and a great blend of performance and value. Even though we didn't fancy its drab colors, it's still our favorite 790GX motherboard this year.

Apple's All-in-One iMac may have its roots in as a pretty looking CRT machine, but you wouldn't know it from this Intel Core i7 aluminum based 27-inch iMac. Packed with juicy hardware and the ever gorgeous Apple looks, this AIO is one to behold despite its hefty price tag.

The 5D Mark II is Canon's update to its 'compact' full-frame series; a full-frame sensor inside a DSLR body without a vertical grip to compound its size. Featuring a 21MP CMOS sensor, it was the first Canon DSLR that could record video, and the first DSLR in the world to record full HD 1080p video.

More of a straight shooter, Sony's affordable black deck has won our approval with its exemplary performance when tackling BD titles as well as DVD sources. Its upscaling prowess is unrivalled for a player marked at this price. If you prefer a "lossless" audio experience, the BDP-S360 is also equipped to decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio CODECs.

Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra MX6021 is a powerful three-piece computer speaker system that threatens to throw you off your feet with its magnificent sound quality and chic design. It showcases a sleek industrial design with the satellite drivers encased in a translucent, sturdy plastic bezel while the subwoofer showcases a distinctive trapezoidal design. Specs-wise, it has 5 digital amplifiers that power five separate drivers, a 6.5-inch subwoofer and 200 continuous watts (RMS).

If a HTPC is what you seek, and you don't want to get your hands dirty, you cannot go wrong with ASRock's Nettop Ion-330 BD. Powered by a dual-core Atom 330 processor and NVIDIA's GeForce m9400 mGPU chipset, the Nettop Ion-330 BD is also one of the few nettop devices to come with a Blu-ray drive. Home entertainment out of the box doesn't get any better than this.

Yes, the iPhone has once again earned its place in our Top 20. Let us explain why, though it isn't really necessary - iPhone OS 3.0 with new features such as Voice Control and Spotlight Search, an upgraded 3-megapixel camera and video recording, faster download speeds, and as usual, a multitude of apps on the Apps Store.

Lenovo's ThinkPads have always been noted for their reliability and build, and the ThinkPad T400s is no different. Winner of our Editor's Choice award for 2009, this notebook packs both power and portability into its slim frame and owners can be assured of envious looks being cast their way by knowledgeable folks.

The Brother Quattro Innov-is 6000D sewing machine converges technology like we'd never expected. But happen it did, and the result is a sewing machine with a 7 x 4.5-inch touch-screen LCD. If touch technology isn't for you, you can also attach a mouse via its two USB ports. A third USB port, similar to a printer port, connects the Quattro to your computer, where you can download new designs in addition to the ones that come with the Quattro.

The Bose SoundDock 10, at 17 inches across, is one of the larger iPod speaker systems for a good cause: riding on Bose's famous Waveguide technology and featuring twin mid and high-range outward facing Twiddler transducers, the SoundDock 10 is a choice solution for iPhone and iPod users who are looking for a premium auditory experience.

Before ATI's Evergreen cards came on the scene, the MSI Lightning GTX 275 was the world record holder for highest 3DMarks achieved on 3DMark Vantage. Armed to the teeth with a Twin-Frozr II cooler, military grade components and a custom overclocking software, the MSI Lightning GTX 275 is one of the most extreme graphics card ever to be released.

Last year, the BlackBerry Bold was an instant hit with us when it reached our labs. Its successor goes one step further, compacting all the goodness into a more manageable size and weight. With an updated BlackBerry OS 5.0, a better camera and the same keyboard experience, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 has succeeded its predecessor well.

One of the best DDR3-1600 triple-channel memory kits this year, Patriot's Extreme Performance Viper series lives up to its enthusiast roots by excelling in our overclocking and temperature tests.

As the first Intel Consumer Ultra Light Voltage (CULV) processor based notebook in the market, Acer's Aspire Timeline 4810t was a machine that set the standard to come with its sleek form factor, chiclet keyboard, outstanding battery life and unbeatable price tag.

A successor to the Quietcomfort2, the Bose QC15 is one of the best noise cancelling headphones out in the market. It is power packed with internal and external sensing microphones that help detect and reduce environmental noise, and lightweight ear cushions that provide a comfortable fit and help further reduce noise.

Targeted at gamers and DIY enthusiasts, the Cooler Master Storm Sniper is easy to setup and packs a host of useful features. As an added plus, it is also fairly affordable, so gamers can spend their hard-earned monies on better gaming gear. For those wanting more, there's the Storm Sniper Black Edition which sports gigantic 200mm fans!

Camera phones won't be replacing actual cameras anytime soon, but we do have to commend Samsung for its efforts spent on the Samsung Pixon 12. Equipped with the latest 12.1-megapixel sensor, the Pixon 12 is just as apt in getting the colors and details rightly done on its images.

Not only has Intel brought its Nehalem architecture to the masses with the mainstream Lynnfield family of processors (marketed as Core i5 and i7), it has enhanced these processors with Turbo Boost technology, which dynamically increases the core clock speeds when fewer cores are used, giving consumers more bang for buck.

There are plenty of NVIDIA ION based nettops around, but Lenovo's IdeaCenter Q110 goes for the no-frills small form factor. Sure it doesn't come with a mouse or a keyboard, but the bundled Lenovo Wireless Mini Keyboard N5901 easily solves this issue. Lastly we can't fault its performance any, for all its small and compact size, the Q110 certainly puts out the performance when it comes to HD video.

An upgrade to the two-year old Nikon D300, the D300S offers new 720p video shooting capabilities, an additional memory slot for SD cards, rapid 8 frames per second continuous shooting, with the same intuitive handling that Nikon users know and love.

Sony's PS3 Slim isn't just relying on its compact looks to sell itself. It comes with a HDMI output which goes up to 1080p, and best of all, it also doubles up as a Blu-ray player should you need one for your High Definition fix. The PS3 Slim's DLNA support and ability to bitstream DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD over HDMI shouldn't hurt its cause too, especially with the slimmed down pricing.

The Sennheiser CX550 Style II is perfect for those who do not mind paying a little higher for premium audio quality. It features dynamic speaker systems with Neodymium magnets packed in a sleek metallic brushed body.

Packing over 4 billion transistors, 3200 transistors into a whopping 13.5-inches long form factor, the dual-GPU Radeon 5970 is here to snatch back the title of world's fastest single graphics card from NVIDIA. For sheer graphics crunching prowess, nothing in the market even comes close.

Designed in collaboration with BMW DesignWorks, the Thermaltake Level 10 is a casing the likes of which has never been seen. Featuring individual housing units for each component, the casing truly boggles the mind, and demands a place on our list for its sheer audacity and unrivaled presence.

The Radeon HD 5870 is the world's fastest single chip graphics card and if you want the best of the best, look to the Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X. Mildly overclocked to squeeze out extra frames per second, it also features a vapor chamber technology cooler to help keep it cool.

Nokia's second wind is coming in the form of its Nokia N900. A faster and more intuitive interface with the Maemo platform is giving the Finnish company a fresh perspective of its N-series device. All eyes are on this Maemo device, and the potential it holds when Nokia's Ovi services extend towards the N900 and future Maemo-based Nokia devices.

One of the most innovative imaging devices came from Samsung's ST550 and its dual LCD display concept. Think of all the fun you'll get taking self-portraits, without all the hassle of wondering if you're spot on with your framing. Practical and fun would be the apt words to describe this 12.1-megapixel camera for all your imaging needs.

SATA 6Gbit/s becomes reality with the Seagate Barracuda XT, the first consumer hard drive to support the new, faster interface. Throw in 2TB of storage and this is one hard drive that promises to last you for a while.

Due credit must be given to HTC for its immense investment in the fast rising Google Android OS. And in typical HTC fashion, the HTC Hero is beautiful, fast, and most importantly, shows innovation with its customized HTC Sense UI. And that makes it the real Hero for both HTC and Google.

SSDs are fast becoming a mainstay, and the Patroit Torqx SSD is chosen for its overall best performance in read and write speeds. Through our rigorous performance tests , this is one SSD that manages to exhibit some semblance of an enterprise class drive where performance is critical for the users. As such, the Torqx ranks as one of the top performing consumer SSD drives for 2009.

USB 3.0 may not have gotten mainstream in 2009 but not for lack of trying from Buffalo, which introduced the DriveStation HD-HXU3 boasting support for the new interface. With speeds that can reach up to 10x that of the older USB 2.0, this is one external storage solution for the early adopters or those that do huge file transfers regularly.