Just in time for your holiday shopping, here are the 80 top products our analysts picked from hundreds of reviews done this year that rise above the rest.

You're not sure what technology to buy as a gift this year? We're here to help based on months of testing.

For the past year (specifically from the middle of November, 2009 to now), the PCMag Labs have, as usual, been a busy hive of activities as senior and junior analysts put all manner of tech products through their paces. For them, it's a normal work week to run benchmarks, stress tests, perform green tech checks (including a product's energy efficiency, recyclability, and what kind of environmental certifications it has). You name it, they did it. From these tests and with a large dollop of experience, expertise, and common sense, they determine how to rate these products, and in particular, which get picked as an Editors' Choice.

Now, as the holidays quickly approach and your precious shopping time runs short, the time has come to quantify our picks. It all boils down to this: A list of the very best products from 2010. We've narrowed it down to 80 top products—well, 79, because the Visioneer Strobe 500 scanner was a repeater. Inside you'll find the top desktop, laptop, and netbook PCs; and for the first time, truly useful tablets. Of course, there are smartphones, printers galore, software to keep you safe and entertained, networking tools to keep you connected, and more consumer electronics than you can imagine finding under an entire forest of Christmas trees. Everything from digital cameras, to HDTVs, to ebook readers, to media hubs, and more.

If we included your favorite, let us know why you loved it, too. If we left out the product you consider the very best of the year, sound off with all the reasons why. We promise in 2011, we'll do it all over again and find even more of "the Best" for you to consider.





Computing

CATEGORY: DESKTOPS



WINNER



$1,999 list



The Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5) gives you speedy quad-core power, 5GHz 802.11n support, better 3D graphics at a 2,560 by 1,440 resolution, and the same large screen as the previous 27-inch (Core i7) for a couple hundred bucks less.

HONORABLE MENTION



$1,199 direct



The Lenovo ThinkStation E20 comes in at a price point that used to be unheard of for workstation PCs: under $1,200. It has the power to rival systems costing almost twice as much, and it's a good fit for the Digital Content Creation business (it has Nvidia Quadro FX580 graphics card) as well as any other business that needs ISV-certified machines on the cheap.







CATEGORY: LAPTOPS



WINNER



$1,800 direct



With a Core i5 processor, SSDs, and switchable graphics, the 13-inch Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GXS is hands-down the lightest and most powerful ultraportable money can buy. Luxuries such as a backlit keyboard, high resolution screen, weight under three pounds, and support for multiple SSD drives rarely come in packages this small.

HONORABLE MENTION



$867 street



A sleek metallic frame, Nvidia's Optimus switchable graphics, and 14-inch widescreen are just the tip of the iceberg. The Asus U45Jc-A1 is an attractive mainstream laptop that's powerful and has a battery that's efficient enough to work through an entire day (9 hours).







CATEGORY: NETBOOKS



WINNER



$399 list



The Toshiba mini NB305-N410 netbook carries over many of the qualities that made its predecessor, the mini NB205 so lovable—like a full-sized keyboard, a charging USB port, and laptop-like touchpad and buttons—and remains the netbook that gives you the most for the least amount of money. Note: The N410 was recently replaced by the even more souped up N440.

HONORABLE MENTION



$650 direct



The HP Mini 5103 comes fully-loaded with a dual-core Atom processor, Broadcom HD decoder chip, metal chassis, full-sized keyboard, and finger-friendly 10-inch touch screen. That makes it expensive, but worth it if you need power and portability.







CATEGORY: TABLETS



WINNER



$699 direct with 64GB storage



Once it was difficult to pinpoint a target customer for this product, but it turns out the customer is everyone who likes cool technology. iPad sets the bar high for competing Internet tablets with its sleek design, sharp and accurate touch screen, and amazing iPad-specific apps for music, surfing, photos, and video. If it supported Adobe Flash and had a camera built in, it would be just about perfect.

HONORABLE MENTION



$399 with two-year contract (plus $29.99 a month for 2GB of data)



With solid, well-designed hardware, the Samsung Galaxy Tab for Sprint is the first viable Android-based competitor to the Apple iPad. The 7-inch screen comes in a package small and light enough to hold for hours. Sure, it supports Adobe Flash, but so far, it doesn't have apps that will compel you to buy one. That'll change as the market grows.







CATEGORY: STORAGE DEVICES



WINNER



250GB for $113 list, 320GB for $122 list, and 500GB for $153 list



Combining the best parts of hard drive and SSD technology with three kinds of speed-boosting methods—3-Gbps SATA, single-level cell flash memory, and a 32MB cache—the 2.5-inch Momentus XT is an inventive way to speed up your laptop storage without breaking the bank.

HONORABLE MENTION



$149.9 direct



The Eye-Fi Pro X2 boosts write speeds and adds Endless Memory (deleting old images after successful transfers) because, like all Eye-Fi cards, it lets you wirelessly upload photo and video to your PC and as many as 25 photo-sharing sites directly from any digital camera with an SD slot.





Mobile

CATEGORY: SMARTPHONES



WINNER

Samsung Galaxy S Line:



$199.99 with two-year contract





$199.99 with two-year contract





$249.99 with two-year contract





$199.99 with two-year contract



There are many Android phones, but the Galaxy S line is the only one that spans all the major US carriers, something Motorola's Droids, let alone the iPhone, may never claim. Plus, they're sized right and have beautiful Super-AMOLED screens and fast processors.

HONORABLE MENTION



$199.00 direct with two-year contract, 16GB storage



Apple's iPhone 4 adds a gorgeous screen, terrific camera, and faster processor in addition to Apple's already awesome app experience. Voice calling still isn't this phone's priority, but iPhone continues to set the terms of the debate for what smartphones should be able to do.







CATEGORY: FEATURE PHONE



WINNER



$99.99 direct with two-year contract



The Samsung Rugby II is an excellent choice for voice-focused consumers, field workers, and bargain hunters alike, with its excellent call quality and sensible pricing on AT&T. This handset truly embraces what it means to be a voice phone and doesn't try to be a pale imitation of a smartphone.

HONORABLE MENTION



$299



The Samsung Craft, the world's first 4G phone, feels like a good 3G feature phone. That instantly makes it the flashiest phone MetroPCS has, but moreover, this is just a nice handset with a nice high-res screen great for video playback.







CATEGORY: BLUETOOTH HEADSET



WINNER



$99



Aliph does it again with the Jawbone Icon, a svelte, refined Bluetooth headset that sounds great and looks great due to six design options and is uniquely extensible because of what it can do with the unique MyTalk app platform. It even costs less than previous Jawbone headsets.

HONORABLE MENTION



$129.99 direct



BlueAnt Wireless delivers a winner with the Q2, a superb sounding Bluetooth headset with accurate voice control and a comfortable fit. You can even use it to search with Microsoft Bing 411 or listen to text messages converted to voice.





Consumer Electronics

CATEGORY: CAMERAS (POINT AND SHOOT)



WINNER



$349.99 direct



Sony makes up for a relative lack of zoom at this price (it has 10x optical) with a wealth of innovative features and clever in-camera software for creating panoramic photos and reducing image noise in the Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V. It has a large 3-inch LCD screen, integrated compass and GPS for geotagging, and superior video recording at up to 1080i60.

HONORABLE MENTION



$199.95 direct



Kodak's EasyShare M580 delivers solid images and a nice feature set, including an 8x zoom lens, excellent image quality (with good light or a flash), and easy photo sharing, for just $200.







CATEGORY: CAMERAS (INTERCHANGEABLE LENS)



WINNER



$549.99 list (with a 16mm f/2.8 kit lens)



Stellar low-light performance and speed, a killer design that competes with Micro Four Thirds models (and includes a tilting 3-inch LCD), and a price about $300 to $500 less than the competition make the pocket-size, 14.2-megapixel Sony Alpha NEX-3 the compact interchangeable-lens camera to beat.

HONORABLE MENTION



$899.99 list (with 18-55mm IS kit lens)



The Canon EOS Rebel T2i pumps out beautiful 18 megapixel pictures and boasts full-featured 1080p video recording options that were previously only available with D-SLRs at twice the price.







CATEGORY: POCKET CAMCORDER



WINNER



$179.99 for 4GB; $199.99 for 8GB



Sony's first pocket HD camcorder to feature a touch screen comes in silver or black with a 3-inch capacitive touch screen like you find on smartphones, plus an accelerometer for changes of orientation.

HONORABLE MENTION



$149.95 direct



Kodak Playsport Video Camera fits in your pocket, captures 1080p footage and 5-megapixel still image, and you can take it in the pool or to the beach, up to 10 feet underwater, without any extra bulk.







CATEGORY: HDTV



WINNER



$2,099.99 list



So what if it isn't 3D? There's a lot to like about Samsung's 55-inch LN55C650 LCD HDTV, from its outstanding HD and SD picture quality with deep blacks and a high contrast ratio, to its well-stocked catalog of interactive Web apps.

HONORABLE MENTION



$2,199.99 list



Vizio's 55-inch XVT553SV LED HDTV delivers big-screen goodness and a strong feature set (plus Bluetooth remote with QWERTY keyboard for controlling Web apps) at a very reasonable price.







CATEGORY: GPS



WINNER



$449.99 list



The Garmin nüvi 3790T is a solid navigator that raises the bar for the standalone GPS category, with its slim build, ultra-high-resolution screen, flexible routing and traffic, and gorgeous terrain mapping. This is a high-end gadget worth the premium price.

HONORABLE MENTION



$249.99 direct



The Magellan RoadMate 5045-LM offers a pleasing balance between features, display size (a spacious 5-inches), and cost. The lifetime map updates are a huge plus for a standalone GPS, giving it a competitive edge even compared to smartphones.







CATEGORY: EBOOK READER



WINNER



$189 direct



The latest edition's improvements aren't revolutionary, but the Amazon Kindle remains the best ebook reader on the market. (Definitely worth a look: The Amazon Kindle with Wi-Fi only for $139.) You can also buy them at Target, Staples, and Best Buy.

HONORABLE MENTION



$249 direct



More than an ebook reader, less than a full-blown tablet, the Android-based Nook Color's artful compromises make for a compelling, color reading experience that is ideal for both books and magazines even on its 7-inch LCD screen.

HONORABLE MENTION



$199 direct



While all eyes are on the upcoming Nook Color, there's a lot of life left in the touch-screen Nook that exists today. With a mix of Wi-Fi and 3G (or you can get Wi-Fi only for $149), you can connect anywhere to get new books, using the color secondary touch screen for shopping.







CATEGORY: GAMING



WINNER



$149.99 direct



Microsoft's Kinect for Xbox 360 takes motion gaming to the next level by offering a groundbreaking control scheme that lets you use your body as a controller. Not only that, it has excellent voice recognition. It's the future of gaming for non-couch potato types.

HONORABLE MENTION



$49.99 for Move Motion Controller; $99.99 for Move Bundle (camera and controller)



Sony may not be first to the motion-gaming party, but the PlayStation Move technology, consisting of a PlayStation Eye camera for tracking movement plus a wireless wand controller, is a step above the Wii.







CATEGORY: MEDIA HUB



WINNER



$99 direct



A lower price, a more compact design, and the ability to stream content from iOS devices and rent 99-cent TV shows make Apple's latest Apple TV set-top box an excellent option for iTunes and Netflix users.

HONORABLE MENTION



$299.99 direct



Not as seamless as Apple TV, but armed with far more potential, the Logitech Revue with Google TV is a giant, if occasionally shaky, leaps forward in home entertainment that integrates your personal media, DVR recordings, and Web content in one easy-to-search interface on your HDTV screen.







CATEGORY: PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYER



WINNER



$229 direct for 8GB; $299 direct for 32GB; $399 direct for 64GB



The already superb iPod touch gets its most significant update in years, adding photo and video capture via two cameras, along with FaceTime video chat and an ultra-high-res Retina display. It is, quite simply, a joy to behold.

HONORABLE MENTION



$99.99 direct

3.

At $50 less than the iPod nano, the Archos 3cam vision offers the same storage capacity (8GB) and similar features—plus a touch screen. It's a stand-out in a field of subpar sub-$100 MP3 players.







CATEGORY: PC SPEAKERS



WINNER



$149.99 direct



Logitech's THX-certified, 2.1-channel Speaker System Z623 with its thunderous, huge subwoofer pumps out powerful, sweet-sounding PC audio at a nice price.

HONORABLE MENTION



$499.95 list



Hardly an overpriced design piece, the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 is a fantastic pair of high-end PC speakers worth saving up for. If you value high design and your music collection resides primarily on your PC, the MM-1 is a solid investment.







CATEGORY: IPOD SPEAKER DOCK



WINNER



$449.95 list



Beatbox by Dr. Dre is Monster's first foray into the realm of iPod speaker docks, and while there are some glaring omissions for such an expensive dock (specifically the disappointing remote control), the fabulous audio quality makes up for it. It is simply the most powerful iPod dock we've tested.

HONORABLE MENTION



$299 direct



It may be technically portable—it does have a handle—but the oddly named Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro isn't small and neither is its excellent 2.1 channel audio output.







CATEGORY: HEADPHONES



WINNER



$299.95 list



With the expensive P5, Bowers & Wilkins gracefully enters the consumer headphone market with a stunning design worth every penny, offering an audiophile experience and long-lasting comfort.

HONORABLE MENTION



$119.95 list



Sennheiser's gym-friendly CX 680 Sports in-canal earphone pair, made in partnership with Adidas, offers high-quality audio performance and secure fit in a rugged, waterproof design.





Software

CATEGORY: BROWSER



WINNER



Free



With version 3.5 of its browser (currently at version 3.6), Firefox showed its willingness to champion emerging Web standards and continue to improve speed. Add the new private browsing mode, improved tab handling, and incredible customizability, and you have a winning combination.

HONORABLE MENTION



Free



With Chrome 5, Mac and Linux users can enjoy the speed and simplicity of Google's Web browser. Sizzling speed, slightly revamped bookmark manager, more HTML 5 support, and the ability to sync settings and run extensions in private mode make Chrome 5 even more compelling.







CATEGORY: SECURITY



WINNER



Free



This spam filter's collective intelligence is great at telling spam from valid mail. It works with any kind of e-mail account and any e-mail client you have at home. It's easy to install and use, and amazingly, it's free!

HONORABLE MENTION



$69.99 direct (for three licenses)



The 2011 edition of Norton Internet Security fine-tunes its already excellent protection. In addition, a new interactive panel makes the suite a clearinghouse for information from Norton's web-based services. It runs mostly during your idle time and has the top scores in our malware removal tests, making it the protection you need that stays out of your way.







CATEGORY: OFFICE SUITE



WINNER



$499.99 Professional edition; $279.99 Home and Business edition; $149.99 Home and Student



$199 Home and Business version; $119 Home and Student version





It's almost a dead heat so you can't go wrong whatever platform you prefer: Microsoft Office on Windows or Mac OS X is a fast, flexible application suite with high compatibility. The Ribbon interface finally comes to the Mac as well, with changes to reflect that already graphics-oriented OS. The Windows options include new Web Apps and a 64-bit version of all the apps you know.

HONORABLE MENTION



Free



Google Docs is good enough for uncomplicated documents and worksheets, especially when a group of people need to make changes in a document, but not so much for serious work. The cornerstone is access to your files for editing on just about any Internet connected devices, but Google continually adds more features, the latest being drag-and-drop support and cloud storage for just about any file you own.







CATEGORY: PHOTO EDITOR



WINNER



$699 list for Standard; $999 list for Extended



How can you argue with the king? The swath of new features Adobe has implemented in its unparalleled photo editor make what was already the best even better, and more magical. The latest implements features that aid in selection, painting, and high dynamic range (HDR) photography and a capability that's pure digital prestidigitation: A Content-Aware Fill to excise foreground elements while preserving an image's background.

HONORABLE MENTION



$199.99 direct



With face recognition for organizing people pictures, smart geotagging, a rich plug-in ecosystem, and all the adjustment and nondestructive versioning and organizational tools you find in Lightroom, the Mac-only Aperture from Apple is a serious contender for the pro photographer.







CATEGORY: BUSINESS APP



WINNER



$199 on up



Adobe Acrobat is the leading software for creating, reading, and managing PDF documents and is now truly the best due to the latest improvements to speed and the interface, not to mention powerful automation features and the ability to gather data from PDF forms.

HONORABLE MENTION



$399.95 list



QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011 and its more junior versions should be considered first when you're looking at small business accounting software. It offers a superior blend of accounting tools, usability, and integration. The options for payroll alone are numerous, though it could do better on the inventory tools.





CATEGORY: IM CLIENT



WINNER



Free



Digsby's acceptance of every IM protocol under the sun—AIM, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, you name it—and its excellent social network tools earn it our nod as the top instant messaging client.

HONORABLE MENTION



Free



Microsoft's attractive instant messenger adds social network feeds, tabbed windows, and is the only big-name IM service with HD video chatting. It goes way beyond the original mission of instant messaging with all the social feed connections in a main window that takes up a lot of screen real estate.







CATEGORY: UTILITY



WINNER



$49.95 direct



The latest version of Iolo's PC tune-up utility is a must have for well-used computers. It's designed to blow the virtual dust out of worn machines by repairing the registry, defragging the hard drive, and eliminating files that stymie snappy performance. It has a multi-PC license so you can use it on every Windows system in your house.

HONORABLE MENTION



$49.95 direct



Snagit 10 takes an already awesome screen capture tool and makes it even more efficient and useful with new features, like an All-in-One capture profile and the ability to add transparent backgrounds to your screen grabs.





Networking

CATEGORY: ROUTERS



WINNER





Ever wanted a router that's a fast performer, but still easy enough for networking newbies to set up? Meet the Cisco Valet Plus. There's no user configuration; Valet Plus handles all of the under-the-hood tinkering for you, just like a good manservant. It's truly no-brainer router configuration and Valet Plus is no speed slouch, either.

HONORABLE MENTION



$179.99 list



If you're looking for a high-end consumer or small-business router, Cisco's E3000 is a great choice—the throughput performance of this router is amazing. But if you are looking for a top-of-the line NAS, the E3000 is average at best, tacking the feature on via a USB port and UPnP Media Server function. The E3000 tries to be both things, and its NAS abilities drag it down to just shy of greatness.







CATEGORY: NAS



WINNER



$929 without storage; $1,760 with 5TB



The DS1010+ is designed primarily for small and medium-size businesses, but this impressive network attached storage is also well-suited for the ambitious home user not intimidated by its vast feature set. It's a self-contained server that can be used for a variety of services like FTP, e-mail, media streaming, and more.

HONORABLE MENTION



$180 direct



The N1T1 is a multi-faceted NAS with an added bonus: a built-in DVD ReWriter. It can serve as an affordable NAS, multimedia server, FTP, or print server for data-light home networks, or you can put it on the desk as a stand-alone optical drive or hard disk. It only has one disk drive inside, but it's 1TB in size and the price is right considering all the N1T1 can do.







CATEGORY: NETWORKING & COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE



WINNER



Free



Spiceworks, the feature-rich and free network management system for IT Pros, gets a nicely updated interface and several new features, some of which need some tweaking.

HONORABLE MENTION



$14.70 for 10 licenses on up.



UserLock locks down PCs, and does it well. This lightweight utility supplements Windows' Group Policy abilities, and it does so via a familiar interface. Changes happen quickly, and the app also lets you record session histories. It's an impressive product that works on 10 PCs or 1,000 PCs.





Printers/Scanners/Projectors

CATEGORY: PRINTERS (HOME/SOHO COLOR)



WINNER



$199 direct



This glossy black, well-rounded inkjet MFP combines a wide range of features (like wireless printing and printing via HP Web apps without even needing to connect to a computer) and good paper handling with solid text and image quality. As you'd expect, it prints, copies, scans, and faxes, or can be a standalone copier or fax machine.

HONORABLE MENTION



$599 direct



The Epson B-510DN is an inkjet that offers laser-class speed, waterproof output on plain paper, and a level of paper handling that you won't find in many inkjets... plus a lower cost per page (based on claimed yield and ink price: about 0.9 cents per B&W page) than most inkjets or lasers.







CATEGORY: PRINTERS (PHOTOCENTRIC)



WINNER



$799.99 direct



Suitable for both serious amateurs and professional photographers and graphic artists, the Epson Stylus Photo R2880 delivers great-looking output at fast speed. It prints on 13x19-inch paper or larger with a roll. Using the R2880 for anything besides photos is possible, but it's also like buying a hot, 3D-capable gaming system for word processing.

HONORABLE MENTION



$299.99 direct



The Canon Pixma MG8120 Wireless Photo All-In-One Printer is the latest incarnation of what amounts to Canon's top-of-the-line home photo lab. This inkjet MFP can print photos at high enough quality and from so many different sources—from strips of film, to video frames from select cameras—that you can justify buying it for printing photos even if you never connect it to a computer.







CATEGORY: PRINTERS (TABLOID SIZE PRINTER OR MFP)



WINNER



$299 direct



The HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-in-One is a speedy MFP that offers tabloid-size printing (up to 13x19 inches) and a range of MFP functions to micro and home offices. It features HP's ePrint features plus throws in Wi-Fi for fast wireless connections to the network.

HONORABLE MENTION



$399.99 direct



The Canon Pixma iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer is a spot on fit for offices with an occasional need to print at tabloid (11- by 17-inch) size. Connect it to the network via Ethernet and use the duplexer to print on both sides of the page's feed by any of the main 11x17-inch paper trays; also two other lower capacity trays feed in envelopes or up to 13x19-inch photo paper.







CATEGORY: PRINTERS (MONO LASER)



WINNER



$749 direct



The Lexmark E462dtn offers impressive speed and all the paper handling you could want included (another version of the printer makes you pay extra for paper trays). It's perfect for a small to medium-size office or workgroup. It's also only the second printer ever to get the PCMag GreenTech Approved Seal.

HONORABLE MENTION



$349.99 direct



The LED-based OKI B431dn's combination of fast speed, excellent paper handling, and small size (9.6 by 15.2 by 14.3 inches (HWD), and just 26 pounds) make it a highly attractive choice for a small office or workgroup.







CATEGORY: SCANNERS (PORTABLE)



WINNER



$295 direct



Despite the Scan-tini name, this relatively large portable scanner is almost 2.1 pounds, but it more than justifies its size with fast speed of 15 pages per minute for black and white documents, an automatic document feeder, and the ability to scan both sides of a page.

HONORABLE MENTION



$399.99



Lots of laptops are portable and then dock at the desk. The Visioneer Strobe 500 brings that to the scanner world, straddling being a personal desktop or portable document scanner. On the desktop, it gets a 20-page automatic document feeder and output tray, and that's where it works best (making the honorable mention for desktop scanners as well.)







CATEGORY: SCANNERS (DESKTOP)



WINNER



$645 direct



The Canon imageFormula DR-2020U more than makes up for a few shortcomings in setup with an impressive collection of features and performance. That includes a flatbed option and duplex scanning options. If you need a flatbed document scanner for a small office or workgroup, it definitely belongs near the top of your short list.

HONORABLE MENTION



See above under SCANNERS (PORTABLE)







CATEGORY: PROJECTORS (BUSINESS)



WINNER



$2,200 street



The Epson BrightLink 450Wi projects with an ultra-short throw image: a maximum 98-inch-diagonal image at just 13 inches from the screen. It turns any surface it projects onto into an interactive whiteboard.

HONORABLE MENTION



$899.99 direct



The Epson PowerLite Presenter could arguably serve as a model for the ultimate presentation projector, ready to use virtually any image source, including DVDs (the player is integrated) and USB memory keys. Even better, the brightness, image quality, and sound quality (speakers, too!) all but guarantee an impressive visual presentation. It's hard to think of an easy way to improve on the Presenter.







CATEGORY: PROJECTORS (CONSUMER)



WINNER



$800 street



One of the few projectors designed specifically for game playing, the Optoma GT720 is 3D ready and offers a short throw, good brightness, and high-volume, good quality audio. The native WXGA (1,280 by 800) resolution makes it a particularly good choice for use with a PS3 or Xbox (there's another model, the GT360, for the Wii).

HONORABLE MENTION



$400 street



While Optoma PK301 Pico Pocket Projector is a little bigger and heavier than most of its dimmer competitors, it's also the brightest projector today that can fit in a shirt pocket. And it's a study in tradeoffs between brightness and size, weight, and battery life, none of which negate it as a more than good enough to be useful and worth the price.