Not every noteworthy product was made by Apple in 2009.
We've been doing a lot of end-of-the year lists here at CNET as our editors round up the most popular and best products in their categories. That's all great, but then someone said, "Hey, why don't we do a list that's a best-of-the-best list of all the lists combined?"
Well, that's what I was tasked with, but instead of calling it the "Best products of 2009" or the "Most popular products of 2009," I've come up with "The most notable products of 2009," which I like to think of as a kind of a hybrid between popular, best, and most hyped.
Once again, I've enlisted the help of my fellow editors, so while my name may appear at the top of this list, it's really a collective effort. That said, you can blame me if you don't like the picks (a few may surprise you).
As always, feel free to suggest your own picks. If you make a good case, we'll update the list and make some changes.
Click on any image to start the slideshow and see the picks (they are listed in alphabetical order).
The Neato Robotics XV-11 vacuum goes on sale in February for $399.
(Credit: Neato Robotics)Roomba has been king of the robotic vacuum market for a while, but Neato Robotics, a start-up out of Menlo Park, California, will be trying to usurp the throne in February with a new automated vacuum that will cost $400.
While the company expects to have multiple robotic housekeeping products in the future, its debut product is called the Neato XV-11. What makes it better than Roomba vacuums? Neato says it's smarter because it features a high-tech laser-powered Room Positioning System (RPS) to map your room and avoid most obstacles. And since it's smarter, it cleans a room in a more efficient manner, allowing it to finish the job more quickly.
We saw the Neato XV-11 in action and were pretty impressed with what it could do. It runs for about an hour on a replaceable, rechargeable battery and automatically returns to its base station for recharging when it's running low on juice. Once it recharges, it ... Read more
Update: After reader feedback, we've added five additional products. Thanks for all the comments.
Here we are just days away from closing out the first decade of the 21st century, which means a lot of publications are in look-back mode, taking stock of all the good--and bad--things that happened over the last 10 years.
The Gizmondo in its heyday.
(Credit: ImageShack)Before we get to the list, let's get the parameters straight. This isn't a list of all the most spectacular tech failures. I chose to exclude dot-coms, corporate debacles (AOL-Time Warner), search engines (i.e., Cuil), and assorted other Web 2.0 flame outs (I'll let Webware handle that). No, this is a roundup of gear, the stuff that turns on and off, the stuff I've been covering for almost 10 years at CNET (yes, I started in 2000).
It's also important to define just what a flop is. In my book it's simply something that was really hyped but didn't live up to its promise ... Read more
(Credit:
Apple)
Recently, with the help of some of the editors here at CNET, I put together list of the biggest tech flops of the decade. Since I'm not a negative guy at heart, it was only a matter of time before I came up with a more positive spin on the whole tech-products-of-the-decade concept that's all the rage as we approach the end of '09.
Once again, I've enlisted the help of my fellow editors, so while my name may appear at the top of this list, it's really a collective effort. That said, you can blame me if you don't like the picks.
As always, feel free to suggest your own picks. If you make a good case, we'll update the list and make some changes. Also, let us know what your top five picks are in order of innovation and influence.
Click on any image to start the slideshow and see the picks (they are listed in alphabetical order).
... Read more
(Credit:
Barnes & Noble)
When Barnes & Noble unveiled the Nook, the first Android-powered e-book reader, a lot of people were excited, because it appeared to offer some key competitive advantages over Amazon's Kindle e-reader.
First and foremost, while the Nook features the same 6-inch E-ink screen (600x800 pixels; 16 shades of gray) as the Kindle, it includes a separate, capacitive, color touch screen (144 x 480 pixels) that allows you to navigate content and use a virtual keyboard for typing searches and annotations. Furthermore, on top of its free AT&T 3G wireless connection, the Nook packs in Wi-Fi connectivity and a memory expansion slot; you get 2GB of internal memory, but can add up to an additional 16GB via the microSD card slot. And finally, Barnes & Noble offers an e-book-lending option (for participating titles) and the capability to browse the full text of e-books on your Nook if you're in a Barnes & Noble brick-and-mortar store (the latter feature is due to launch in early 2010). Unfortunately, both the lending and in-store browsing features ... Read more
The third-generation Vado HD comes in black or white.
(Credit: Creative)With Kodak and Flip Video releasing new pocket camcorders this fall, Creative will launch the next version of its Vado HD in December. Simply dubbed "third-generation" Vado HD, the new model comes in black or white and will retail for $179.99. It has 4GB of built-in memory, captures 720p HD video, and offers several improvements over previous versions.
They include:
- Improved quality of video in low light or brightly lit conditions with manual exposure adjustments
- External stereo microphone support for better audio recording
- Headphone output for private listening
- Motion Detection mode will enable users to program the camera to begin recording as soon as motion is detected
- Out-of-the box Mac and PC compatibility
- Still Photo Capture Mode
- New Vado Central 3.0 software with more instant Web-uploading capabilities (Facebook, YouTube, Kinkast) and integrated editing options
(Credit:
Best Buy)
Every year, the Black Friday online circulars hit the Web, and lots of sites round up every Black Friday tech deal under the sun. If you want to see massively long lists with loads of models names that make no sense to you, go over to our friends at ZDNet or Gizmodo. They've done an excellent job compiling everything.
However, if you're trying to sort the real deals from all the crap that's being advertised to lure you into the stores, I've done my best to surface some of the more attractive options out there. The truth is a lot of the so-called deals are already available online from stores like Amazon and others--but a few items do stand out.
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some deals may appear better to you than us, but here's what we've picked so far. If you feel we missed anything, feel free to point it out in the comments section below, and we'... Read more
Editors' note: Updated on November 23, 2009.
A few years ago, we used to do a feature highlighting some of the top DVDs that made your home theater really look and sound like one. Well, with Blu-ray in full swing, we thought it high time to come up with a similar roundup of our favorite Blu-ray Discs that will help show off your home theater in all its glory.
While my face is at the top of the column, the list was compiled with input from editors John Falcone, Matthew Moskovciak, and David Katzmaier, who look at a lot of content in their day-to-day testing of products. We also keep an eye on AVS Forum's Blu-ray picture- and audio-quality threads and have always appreciated the site's "tier" rating system.
This list is not set in stone, and we'll be adding and removing discs as new ones come out. As always, feel free to make comments and suggest your own personal favorites. They may get added to the list in the future. ... Read more
Vizio's VBR110 goes sub-$100 for Black Friday at Costco.
(Credit: Vizio)We knew it was coming and now it's here: Costco will be serving up Vizio's entry-level VBR110 Blu-ray player for $99.99 on Black Friday. As usual, this comes with the disclaimer: "While supplies last."
In case you're wondering, while the VBR110 is an entry-level player that retails for around $150, it does have an Ethernet port and BD-Live capabilities. And you also get a free HDMI cable.
Here's a complete list of all of Vizio's Black Friday deals:
- Vizio VBR110 Blu-ray player with free HDMI cable: $99.99 at Costco and online at Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($40 savings).
- Vizio VSB210WS sound bar with wireless subwoofer: $199.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
- Vizio VA19LHDTV10T 19-inch HD LCD TV: $178 at Wal-Mart; available now through the end of the year ($30 savings).
- Vizio VA26LHDTV10T 26-inch HD LCD TV: $248 at Wal-Mart from
Chino's AVi has a 7-inch LCD and DTV tuner for $199.99.
(Credit: Chinon)We've reviewed a portable DVD player with a built-in DTV tuner and Sony's LBT-LCD7Di Muteki Shelf System with a built-in DVD player and LCD. But Chinon's $200 AVi iPod dock is the first portable iPod speaker system we've seen that has both an integrated 7-inch LCD for showing iPod videos and a DTV tuner.
Chinon says the AVi is "designed for use at home or on the road" and it also is equipped with an FM radio and alarm clock, though no GSM-shielding for iPhones.
Unfortunately, to really be able to pull in DTV signals, you're going to have to attach the included external TV antenna. It's also worth noting that while the AVi is portable, if you want to cut the AC cord and go totally mobile, you'll need to pick up eight "C" batteries and they only power the unit for about 3 hours, according to Chinon. That's not ... Read more
