Top 100 Products of 2010

Every year, Apple's smartphone entry makes the list. Despite a slight fiasco over the much reported death grip that kills your cellular signal, the iPhone 4 is undeniably one of the sleekest devices for 2010, and it is definitely generous in the performance aspect with its 1GHz processor and 3.5-inch 640 x 960-pixel resolution 'Retina Display'.

Samsung's flagship LED-backlit TV not only dishes out 3D in Full-HD, it also converts 2D sources to 3D on the fly. On top of that, the 34mm-slim Series 9 is equipped with a formidable arsenal of features, such as Internet@TV and Extended PVR functions. Above all, what's truly striking about this TV is its remote stick. The wand features a 3-inch LCD touchscreen which acts as a mini TV on its own.

Business notebooks got a much needed image makeover with the HP EliteBook 8440p. Instead of your usual drab matt covers, the EliteBook came designed with a classy brushed aluminum finish while still retaining features like a powerful Intel Core i5 / i7 processor options, business class discrete graphics, a matte screen and many other hallmark traits of an excellent notebook workstation.

The S95 is one of those products that does one thing so overwhelmingly well that it overshadows everything else. With its larger-than-usual sensor, the S95 shoots beautiful and detailed photos, with cleaner results than most - or even all - compact cameras of this size. If the one thing you care about more than anything else is image quality, the S95 is a clear choice.

Positioned by Philips as a challenger to Bowers & Wilkins legendary Zeppelin iPod docking system, to say that the Philips Fidelio Primo DS9000 has lofty expectations is not an overstatement. Fortunately, the Philips Fidelio Primo DS9000 delivers for it sounds absolutely wonderful. Crisp, clear, and authoritative, the Fidelio Primo DS9000 is one of the few iPod docking systems capable of going toe-to-toe with the revered Zeppelin, and that alone is high praise enough.

The 16.2-megapixel Sony Alpha A55 (as well as the 14.2-megapixel A33) breaks away from traditional SLR design by adopting a fixed translucent mirror in place of a moving mirror. The gives the A55 advanced features such as 10 fps continuous shooting (something unheard of for DSLRs in this price range), and full-time phase-detection autofocus during movie shooting.

Despite its mini-ITX form factor, the Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 manages to pack the latest features like USB 3.0 support. Even the BIOS is functionally equivalent to Gigabyte's larger boards, with plenty of overclocking options. And it is no slouch compared to its larger competitors when it comes to raw performance.

The Kinect for Xbox 360 proposes the idea that you are the controller. For starters, it uses a camera to build a 3D scene, and a motion sensor to track your entire body for movements. It recognizes gestures, movements, faces, as well as voices. With the Kinect, everybody can be like Tom Cruise in Minority Report.

The AR.Drone is not your typical remote-controlled helicopter. It has four independent rotors, and it receives control signals over WiFi. An iPhone or iPod touch is required to fly the AR.Drone. You can even drag your finger on the screen to control the direction the camera is pointing.

The EPSON EH-R4000 is the company’s flagship 3LCD home cinema projector. It uses a new Reflective LCD system to minimize light leakage, which in turn, results in improved contrast. Dynamic contrast ratio of the EH-R4000 is rated at an impressive 1,000,000:1, while native contrast ratio is at 40,000:1. Other headline features include a HQV Vida processor and a 2.1x zoom.

Should Google's Android OS be the soul, then the Google Nexus One is the vessel that houses this open-source mobile OS. Announced and made available at the beginning of 2010, the Nexus One, preloaded with Android 2.1 and the first to receive the Android 2.2 update, had the right combination of hardware (such as its 1 GHz processor), and an intuitive user interface from the Android OS.

The GeForce GTX 580 not only fulfills the Fermi promise of 512 CUDA cores, it also boasts a number of tweaks and optimizations to make it run not only faster but also more efficiently. Furthermore, this is currently the world’s fastest single GPU, and by a considerable margin to boot. In light of its improved performance and efficiency, what more could a graphics enthusiast ask for?

With its proprietary technologies like MSI's OC Genie propelling it above the competition, MSI's 890FXA-GD70 is a great choice for enthusiasts on the AMD platform, especially with its quad CrossFireX support. The excellent board layout serves to distinguish it further from its competitors while the affordable price tag makes it accessible to most.

The OCZ RevoDrive SSD uses the PCIe interface to deliver up to 540 MB/s (megabytes per second) read speeds, and random 4k writes at up to 75,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second). In layman’s terms, this drive is super fast. Capacity-wise, it is available from 50 to 480GB sizes. MTBF (mean time between failure) is rated at an impressive two million hours. In short, this is one of the kings of storage performance which enthusiasts can lay their hands on without an excessive price tag.

The Gigabit Ethernet-equipped Drobo FS is a data storage array that holds up to five hot-swappable drives. Its BeyondRAID technology serves to bring the benefits of traditional RAID systems, but without their limitations. For example, similar to RAID 6, it supports both single and dual-disk redundancy (switching between the two requires just a click.) But you can insert new drives or replace smaller drives with bigger ones without the need to change RAID levels.

Panasonic's VIERA VT20S is not just a stud in the 2D field. It also rocked our eyeballs with its impressive 3D picture quality and inky black levels. Equipped with a THX-certified display and VIERA Cast infotainment platform, this plasma display should be on your want-list if a solid 3D AV package is what you are after.

Reduced image noise, better grip, the clickable control wheel and dedicated video button makes this a worthy upgrade from the LX3. Coupled with the brilliant intelligent Auto mode, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 is one of the most impressive compact cameras you can find today.

We did not appreciate the first-gen WD TV model too much, but it is good to know Western Digital has made progress since. The latest WD TV Live Hub media player features the Sigma SMP8654 workhorse, and comes with an internal 1 TB hard drive, HDMI 1.4, Media Server, and a Gigabit Ethernet port for blazing fast network transfers. Not to mention of course is its good fie playback compatibility that further makes this media player one of the best in its field.

Taking touch screens to the ultimate conclusion is the Toshiba Libretto W100 with its almost button-less mini notebook. You do need to make some adjustments to get used to the notebook, as there is no physical keyboard - but in itself, the W100 is a strangely compelling look into the future of touch screen computing.

Samsung's attempt at a tablet, the Galaxy Tab has arguably the best implementation of Android on a tablet at this moment. With its more portable form factor and ability to make voice calls, it manages to distinguish itself from the iPad, chalking up an impressive 1 million unit in sales in the last two months of 2010. If it's an iPad alternative you need, look no further than the Galaxy Tab.

Intel's Core i7-980X Extreme Edition fully deserves its name. It is the most powerful desktop processor of 2010, easily eclipsing the competition from AMD. It may carry a hefty price tag to match but its performance more than justifies it for the high-end users that are its target audience.

The Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 computer speakers might be the company’s first ever speaker system designed specifically for computers, but you could never tell when you listen to it. Full bodied and adept at handling music, movies and gaming, the MM-1 is quite easily one of the best desktop speaker system for computers.

There is no reason not to include the Samsung Galaxy S in our Top 100. First and foremost, it is the first Android device that sports Samsung's Super AMOLED display, which helps to create the immensely thin profile and sleek form factor. With a speedy 1 GHz Hummingbird processor and a rich screen clarity to go with it, the Galaxy S is one of the most highly sought after Android devices in 2010, alongside its competitors from the likes of Apple's iPhone 4 and the HTC Desire.

For designers, video producers, photographers, and the like, 2010 also saw the release of Adobe’s Creative Suite 5 (CS5). Especially if you are a photographer, Photoshop CS5’s much-improved HDR imaging, Lens Correction, Refine Edge, and Content-Aware Fill would please you. Flash Catalyst, which makes its debut in CS5, lets you design interactive Flash components without the need to know much about Flash. All CS5 applications are also designed to take advantage of 64-bit-operating systems.

If you are looking for pure speed, look no further than the C300 SSD with its SATA 6Gbps interface. This allows for read speeds of up to 355 MB/s. Simply put, it is one of the fastest SSDs in the market right now. For desktop users, it is the perfect companion for that upcoming Sandy Bridge motherboard that you have been eying as its native SATA 6Gbps controller is far superior than in the market currently. This means the C300 has further performance headroom to be unleashed.

The tablet that launched a thousand copies, Apple's iPad has taken the world by storm since its debut, becoming one of the desirable tech gadgets this year. In the process, it has brought life back to the formerly defunct tablet genre and for most of 2010, it has been the only tablet choice.

If you possess a 3G mobile account and have no wish to splurge on a home broadband connection, then this little thingy should be perfect for you. Fundamentally, Aztech's HW553 is a compact and handy N-router which supports 3G or 3.5G USB modems. It also touts a USB port which is friendly with printers and storage devices. Share the love.

While Toshiba's REGZA XL700 does not feature much in the way of online entertainment, we still think this edge-lit TV deserves a spot in our list. Upsides of the REGZA XL700 include its talent for natural colors, excellent de-interlacing, and pliable display despite a lack of localized dimming. Also expect a USB and SD card slot on this Toshiba offering.

The PIXMA MG6170 showcases Canon's new Intelligent Touch System: touch-sensitive controls which light up when in use, and fade to black beneath the piano black finish of the body when inactive. Adds a dash of class to your home office while still maintaining a class act in the performance and quality department as we've found in our testing.

Proving that size does not matter is the Dell Alienware M11x. Its small frame hides a capable gaming machine that any gamer would be proud to own. Decked out in fancy lights that every Alienware machine comes in, the M11x is one machine that gives as good as it looks in a more manageable form factor.

The first notebook to sport stereoscopic capabilities, the ASUS G51J 3D was a machine that performed well in our benchmarks and a whole slew of other tests. It uses NVIDIA's 3D Vision technology with shutter glasses, and sports a 120Hz screen for all your 3D gaming needs. It was soon updated to the G51Jx model that went a step ahead to integrate the infrared transmitter for the shutter glasses within its chassis.

Proclaimed by Amazon as its bestselling item of all time, the 3rd generation Kindle is more responsive, weighs less and is cheaper than its predecessors. Featuring the same E Ink screen that allows it to be used in bright sunlight, and enables it to last up to a month on a single charge, this is the device for serious readers.

2 terabytes (TB) on a single drive is so yesterday. Why not go all the way for a 3 TB one? Western Digital is the first to ship a 3 TB internal drive under its Caviar Green series, and needless to say, uses the SATA 3Gbps interface. Being ‘green’, it also touts reduced power consumption, noise and heat.

At its price, then 550D is the most compelling entry-level DSLR in Canon's stable today, with a mix of great imaging performance, features like the advanced metering system, and HD video recording. It is a camera that enthusiasts photographers will love, and videographers shooting DSLR video will find affordable.

Here is one display from Philips which left an impression. The LED-backlit Series 6 does not offer any Internet content, but compensates for this and its heavier price tag with a very palatable visual display. Of course, Philips' soothing Ambilights is an added bonus for your eyes. Also, let not your ears forget about its robust audio delivery.

Panasonic released the first Micro Four Thirds camcorder in the AG-AF100, giving videographers everywhere the chance to shoot with interchangeable lenses with the flexibility and cost of a smaller camera. With full 1080 and 720 resolutions, variable frame rates and professional audio abilities, the AG-AF100 broke new ground.

The VPL-VW90ES comes from Sony's latest line of SXRD projectors, and is the company's first projector that does 3D. It sports amazing specs such as 240 Hz refresh rate, brightness of 1,000 ANSI lumens, and dynamic contrast ratio of 150,000:1. Get it, if money is not an issue.

Google's Android OS has seen various incarnations over the last two years, but the one version that put it on the Top 100 list for 2010 is version 2.2, or according to its dessert naming convention, Froyo (frozen yoghurt). Why is Android 2.2 in the list? Simply because of the long awaited internet tethering via Wi-Fi or USB, and more importantly, Adobe Flash 10.1 support.

The Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus is not just another USB 2.0, 2.5-inch external hard drive. It comes with a detachable 4 GB USB key for quick sharing of files. Plug the key back to the dock, and it syncs with the larger drive. The preloaded LifeStudio software automatically pulls your content and arranges them into a 3D interface that is both pretty and easy to use. It is available in both 500 and 300 GB sizes.

The MM550 Travel is the latest active noise-canceling headphones from esteemed headphone-makers Sennheiser. Featuring Noisegard 2.0 active noise-cancellation technology, and a host of other goodies such as Sennheiser’s TalkThrough function, Bluetooth connectivity and SRS WOW HD surround sound, the MM550 Travel packs a lot of features into its compact frame.

Palit’s GeForce GTS 450 Low Profile is one of the most innovative graphics cards we have seen for quite a while. It may not be blazing fast, but Palit has successfully squeezed a GeForce GTS 450 chip into a tiny and compact low profile form factor which makes it ideal for HTPC setups or small form factor casing applications.

The Acer GD235HZ was one of the first full HD 3D display in the market and is aimed at the mainstream crowd. 23-inch large, the GD235HZ features a 120 Hz refresh rate, thus making it an ideal companion for NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D Vision kit.

The latest flagship to Cooler Master’s popular “High Air Flow” line-up, the HAF X is also the best. Ultra spacious, fantastic cooling options, USB 3.0 ready, and interesting features such as a VGA air duct and VGA bracket ensure that this is one of the more outstanding casings we have seen all year.

iTwin is by far the easiest way we have seen to enable remote file access between two computers: just plug one half of the iTwin into the USB port on each computer. It has nothing to do with the 'cloud' as the data still resides on your computer. Heck, it does not even store any data on itself. Just imagine it like a data teleportation device. So cool, it is like magic.

Being the manufacturer of the Google Nexus S, it is not surprising that HTC presented a similar Android device under its own name. This brings us to the HTC Desire, a device that shares similar hardware features to the earlier Nexus One, but enhanced on the software aspect with the updated HTC Sense. HTC also brought forth a tighter integration of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook onto the Android platform, a feature that soon became a norm on future smartphones.

Loaded with an SSD drive, the 11-inch MacBook Air is the newest addition to the Apple family and remains a very thin notebook to lust after. Perhaps it is just the Apple Reality Distortion Field at work, but this is one notebook that you likely cannot help but be drawn to with your wallets out and ready to buy.

For many, the Nikon D7000 is a dream come true. Its strong and weatherproof body lets you take it almost anywhere with peace of mind, its capable resolution and high sensitivity lets you shoot against most situations, and its dual SD slots mean you can double your storage or even create backups right as you are shooting.

How does an average 165.91 MB/sec write speed under RAID 5 configuration and 197.8 MB/sec read speed sound to you? Quite awesome, we would say. This is the performance the Synology DS1511+ offers. Using VMware, Hyper-V or Citrix virtualization technologies? No problem. You would be glad to know that the DS1511+ supports iSCSI too. And with support for Windows ADS and ACL, by now you should know that this network attached storage (NAS) means business.

The ASUS ARES deserves the nod to be on our list not only because it is the fastest single graphics card in the world, but also the biggest and heaviest. The massive triple slot custom cooler makes extensive use of aluminum and copper, and the cards tips the scales at a massive 2.1 kg. In all, the ASUS ARES was designed for graphics connoisseurs who can appreciate the amount of engineering that went into making this card of, literally, epic proportions.

A service that comes free with some of HP's latest home and office printers, ePrint gives each printer an individual email address and lets you print documents simply by emailing it. It is easily one of the most innovative and useful feature to come to printers in years.

The Korean giant first hit jackpot with the Samsung Galaxy S, one of the top-tier Android smartphones with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. Similarly, the slim Samsung Omnia 7 stood out amongst close competitors as the only Windows Phone 7 device thus far with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and boasted longer battery life. Those and a powerful Qualcomm QSD8250 1GHz processor and reasonable 5-megapixel camera makes the smartphone a worthy device for someone new to the OS.

One of the first notebooks to sport the new Intel Core i family of processors, the Acer Timeline X 4820TG keeps the same svelte figure that we loved while still delivering a battery life that lasts much longer than any others from the competition. That is no by no means an easy feat as it uses a high performing Intel Core i7 processor.

Always wanted a mid-range TV with a credible display and an equally desirable price? Sony has the answer in the BRAVIA EX400. Powered by Sony's BRAVIA Engine 3, this humble yet exemplary 1080p TV emerged as the winner in HWM's shootout with thanks to its crisp display and all-round handling. That should be reason enough to buy one, no?

Enough has been said about the Sonos S5, so we will just recap what it is good for. With the S5, streaming music over the network has never been easier, or more aurally pleasurable, credit to its simple setup, iPhone controls and crystal sound architecture which hordes five Class-D digital amplifiers. To enjoy music on this baby, all you need is a router and the right groove.

Aztech's HL280E is the perfect solution when you need to extend your Ethernet coverage or overcome Wi-Fi dead spots at home. Offering blistering speeds of up to 1 Gbps, this HomePlus enables to you to network your gaming consoles, media players, computers and set-top boxes simply by tapping into your power lines.

We are still in 2010, but Microsoft has already released Office for Mac 2011, some 21 months after its predecessor Office for Mac 2008. In Office 2011, Entourage has been replaced by Outlook, and provides full support for Exchange 2007. Office 2008’s Elements Gallery also made its way for the Ribbon interface, so Windows’ Office users should feel quite at home. Office 2011 also supports document collaboration between Mac and Windows users via Microsoft’s SharePoint, SkyDrive, and Office Web Apps.

The HP 2301e is one of our favorite 23-inch full HD LED LCD monitors this year and for good reason. It looks exceptionally good thanks to its slim and sleek profile; and secondly, for a TN panel, it offers brilliant visual quality with exceptional levels of detail, color and text readability. To seal the deal, it also features a good selection of inputs (DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort).

Boasting a 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution, the Dell UltraSharp U2711 exhibits deep blacks, vibrant colors and terrific sharpness. It also features a plethora of connectivity options to satisfy even the most demanding user (VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and even component and composite video). Admittedly, it might be a tad pricey, but the UlraSharp U2711 is easily one of the best IPS panel screens money can buy.

ASUS' top motherboard based on the Intel X58 chipset that's not part of its Republic of Gamers series, the P6X58D Premium comes with all the features you would expect on a board of its class, from 3-way CrossFireX/SLI support to dual Gigabit Ethernet to SATA 6 Gbps and USB 3.0 ports. Throw in a relatively competitive price and an excellent layout, and ASUS has a winner here.

If you want the biggest and fastest external drive, take a look at the 3 TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk. It is also the first 3 TB drive to in the market. You can easily upgrade it from an USB 2.0 interface to an even faster USB 3.0 or FireWire 800. You can also schedule automatic backups, and even encrypt them for peace of mind.

AMD's flagship 6-core processor, the Phenom II X6 1100T provides great value for those who require the most number of processor cores. It is significantly more affordable than Intel's 6-core options, and while its performance per core may not compete with Intel, its Turbo Core technology and unlocked multipliers are sufficient to persuade us.

As the first board to implement Lucid's Hydra controller that allows users to run non-heterogeneous graphics cards from either AMD or NVIDIA, MSI's Big Bang Fuzion may be an extremely niche product. Nevertheless, it has made an impact in the industry, leading to other vendors picking up the technology.

Part of Kingston's 'LoVo' (low voltage) HyperX DDR3 High-Performance memory product line, this 4 GB 1866 MHz kit of two is the fastest 'green' memory pair in the market that runs at a low voltage of 1.35 volts. It is also XMP Profile ready. Energy conscious users who do not wish to sacrifice performance, be sure to check it out.

Barnes & Noble's NOOKcolor ebook reader is one of the few out there that brings color to your books and magazines. Its IPS LCD display makes it eminently suitable for children's books while its Android foundation allows it to wade into tablet territory with limited support for apps.

Stepping things up with a totally different notebook is the ASUS NX90 and its extremely large side speakers and dual trackpads located at the side. It is also a stunning work of art that will not look out of place in a chic living room thanks to polished aluminum chassis.

The 14.2-megapixel NEX-5 brings the excellent image quality of entry-level DSLR cameras (due to a large APS-C sized sensor) into a very small body, sacrificing the dedicated physical buttons that make DSLRs so convenient to photographers, with an interface that favors the beginners. It records video too at 1080i using the AVCHD format.

Netbooks aren't quite dead yet and Toshiba's NB520 wonder will tell you, they are far from being replaced by tablets. For all its thinness and slim form factor, the NB520 still packs harman/kardon speakers that deliver a punch the you won't expect to come form such a small machine.

Adding a yellow sub-pixel on the AQUOS Quattron did not impress us as much as we expected it to. Still, we have to hand it to Sharp for their ingenuity and decent attempt at creating an LCD TV powered by LED backlights. It requires some work to get the tune-ups right, but the LE820M can be quite impressive with the right adjustments. Also notable is its dependable SD performance too.

HP's Envy series may look a little familiar to Apple fans, but the notebook does have its own distinct charm. The Beats edition comes packing with Beats Audio, for a more immersive experience. This is as premium a notebook as you can get without paying through the roof.

Taking a step further with the Desire lineup, HTC introduced the similarly high-powered HTC Desire Z but with some outstanding differences. For one, the Android 2.2 smartphone device comes with a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard. Beyond tangible changes, the HTC Desire Z is also one of the first HTC phones to feature an improved HTC Sense UI as well as a brand new suite of online services known as the HTCSense.com.

Research In Motion is going full speed ahead with its touch screen devices. The proof is in its BlackBerry Torch 9800, which marries the things they do best (physical QWERTY keyboard) with what they have finally gotten right for its touch screen display. While its does not have jaw-dropping specifications, our smooth experience with it goes to show that it is not always about the hardware, but the implementation that makes or breaks a product.

The TS-559 Pro+ takes up to five 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drives, has an Intel Atom 1.8 GHz dual core CPU and 1 GB of memory, support for iSCSI, and is VMware and Citrix certified. If your business consists of users working on different platforms, do not worry. This network accessed storage (NAS) supports Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX. It is a real workhorse.

The Micro Four Thirds-based, 1080i-capable LUMIX GF2 adds a touch-screen LCD for even easier control, even as it loses its physical mode dial to make the camera small, light and a delight to carry. Yet, the nice part of the GF2 is that the manual controls are there if you want them, not too far away.

The U20 shoots great quality video (full HD no less) with clear details and it has the added bonus of having true optical zoom in a very small body. The only deciding factor is the unique curved body, which you would either love or hate.

Most AV connoisseurs know that many HDTVs are fitted with mediocre sound systems. Well, not with the extravagant VideoWave though. Incorporating Bose's Waveguide technology similarly found on their SoundDock 10, the 46-inch VideoWave LCD TV also packs seven mid-range drivers, six woofers and three high-frequency transducers in its bulky bod. It's enough to rock the house down.

This 12.5-inch notebook comes clad in a magnesium alloy chassis, sports a glass trackpad and leather palmrests for plain comfort. There is no doubt this is probably one of the nicest looking notebooks to come out of the Lenovo factory line. It is definitely an ultraportable to lust for.

If the HTC HD7 bears resemblance to its cousin, the HTC Desire HD, you are almost correct. Like the latter, the HTC HD7 comes with a huge 4.3-inch touch screen, the biggest out of the WP7 bandwagon of smartphones. Built for entertainment on-the-fly, the HTC HD7 comes with Dolby Mobile and SRS options and a rear kickstand for better enjoyment.

Dell's business solution looks nothing like a business notebook, though once you get to know the Vostro 3300, you will be equally impressed by its slim form factor, powerful performance and tough build. Add in discrete graphics and this is one business notebook that's a must buy for most.

The Fuji Xerox CP205 is an A4 color S-LED (Self-scanning Light Emitting Diode) printer. It prints at 12 ppm (pages per minute) in color and 15 ppm in monochrome, and has print resolution of up to 1200 x 2400 dpi. Its EA (Emulsion Aggregation)-Eco toner purportedly lets you save up to 20% power consumption and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 35% as compared to conventional Fuji Xerox toners. It's also the first printer in the world to come with a pink design option in a bid to go fashionable.

The 10-megapixel Canon G12 is no looker, but it makes up for it with great handling. The dedicated controls can be small and cumbersome, but they help you switch settings on the fly. Best of all, its image quality is brilliant. 720p movie recording is supported too.

The 14.2-megapixel D3100 increases image performance, while trailing behind its competitors in video. For pure shutterbugs though, that is no big loss, especially considering just how amazing the image quality of the D3100 is. Do not let its small size and low price fool you, the D3100 packs a sure powerhouse of a photographic punch.

The Gigabyte Radeon HD 5870 Super Overclock deserves special mention for being the best Radeon HD 5870 card we have tested all year. Heavily factory overclocked and featuring cherry-picked GPUs, Gigabyte’ Ultra Durable suite of components, and a custom designed Windforce anti-turbulence cooler, the card is a capable all-round performer that continues to stand tall today despite newer, faster models.

Light yet tough is the Panasonic Toughbook CF-S9. A rugged business notebook by nature, the 12.1-inch notebook may look chunky, but it's light, portable and can take plenty of abuse. Battery life is also another plus point, as the unit can go for a long time without a charge.

The HDR-XR550E shoots smooth, clear video and has a large, vibrant and responsive touch-screen to boot. It also features a 10x optical zoom and a new Optical SteadyShot Active Mode image stabilization technology. With a 240 GB internal hard drive, you'll be shooting videos for hours.

In a world flooded with Android devices, it is hard to position your product uniquely or otherwise. Sony Ericsson deserves a mention for its Xperia X10 as it featured the innovative Timescape and Mediascape interface, one that combines both communications and multimedia content into a single timeline.

While its user interface could have used more polish, the HDC-HS700 stands out by shooting sharp, clear video, with quality that solidly places it in one of the top camcorders of the year. It features a 3MOS system and a 35mm wide-angle Leica Dicomar lens.

Packing in a powerful Intel Core i7 processor and discrete graphics is Lenovo's IdeaPad Y560 that is made just for those looking for a multimedia notebook. It also helps that it is priced very competitively compared to other similar notebooks while not skimping on the build quality nor multimedia features like a Blu-ray drive.

With the Vision 3D mini PC, ASRock has crafted a system that would set home theater PC enthusiasts salivating with desire. The Vision 3D is equipped with a mobile Intel Core processor with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 425M that allows it to play 3D Blu-ray movies thanks to its support for HDMI 1.4a. Enthusiasts can even easily upgrade the components themselves to their satisfaction.

The Radeon HD 6870 was the first card to be launched based on AMD’s new Northern Islands architecture, and although it was not a major step forward for AMD, it offered improved performance, especially where tessellation is concerned. It also improved upon the older Radeon HD 5000 series by offering support for 3D Blu-ray, 3D gaming and enhanced EyeFinity capabilities.

One of the first mini-ITX motherboards that garnered quite a significance in the motherboard market, the Zotac H55-ITX WiFi is more than suitable for HTPC enthusiasts, based on Intel's capable H55 chipset that makes for decent integrated graphics that can play HD content without a hitch. It comes with a PCIe slot for those looking to buff up the graphics to create a mid-range gaming system.

The BRAVIA NX810 is Sony's second wave of 3D displays to hit the shelves in 2010, right after the arrival of the flagship LX900. The 3D-ready panel requires an external IR transmitter, but apart from this minor niggle, the NX810 has plenty of treats in store such as a convincing 3D experience, integrated Wi-Fi, BRAVIA Internet Video, plus digital and analog tuners.

We are used to novelty phones, but for 2010, the Samsung Galaxy Beam takes the cake for the being most innovative and practical. Armed with an Android 2.1 OS, an 8-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen, the highlight of the smartphone is its built-in Texas Instruments Pico projector, which allows users to project almost anything from five to 50 inches in screen size.

It was late, but better than never. Logitech's SqueezBox family underwent a sweet makeover with a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen which doubles up as remote as well. Besides the new touch-screen, the new SqueezeBox Touch also allows you to pull music from media servers or Internet radio stations over the network like most SqueezeBoxes do.

ASUS has a knack of earning our vote when we least expect it to. Essentially, the slim and glossy RT-N56U is a true dual band router, packing two internal PCB antennas for the 2.4 GHz spectrum and three for the 5 GHz frequency range. Besides offering top notch throughputs on both bands, the RT-N56U also proffers a wide range of features such as an integrated uPnP server and two USB slots which supports data sharing over the network as well.

Less costly than its larger siblings, the micro-ATX ASUS Rampage III Gene nevertheless manages to retain the important features of the Intel X58 chipset. SATA 6 Gbps and USB 3.0 ports are a given and despite its limited PCB space, the Gene manages to squeeze in a dual CrossFireX/SLI setup.

Lenovo adds a new flavor to its ThinkPad line with the introduction of the Edge series. These red and black notebooks are made for the SMB market in mind, but they are still pretty enough for the regular consumer thanks to its chiclet keyboards and glossy exterior.

Toshiba's Portege R700 is a no brainer to include in our list due to its neat and super-slim 13-inch form factor and its powerful internals. The highest end model sports an Intel Core i7 processor and if you are really going for broke, there is a model with an SSD drive for even more speed.

The MSI N460GTX Hawk wowed us with its excellent performance, efficiency and amazing feature set. Factory overclocked, it is markedly quicker than reference cards and thanks to its custom Twin Frozr II cooler, it also runs more cooly too. It is also very overclockable because of its Triple Over Voltage function, 7+1 phase power design, and Military Class components.

Despite somewhat cumbersome manual controls, the NEX VG-10 packs some powerhouse performance (1080i at 24 Mbps). Like the NEX-5 digital camera, it packs a 14-megapixel APS CMOS sensor. It was also the first consumer-priced HD camcorder with interchangeable lenses to come to market.

Microsoft has left no stone unturned with the new Windows Phone 7 platform. A radical departure from its Windows Mobile 6.5 predecessors, the infant OS showcases a revamped UI built around a Hub concept and a strong emphasis on integrated social feeds. It is always good to have more choices.