The 100 Best Products of the Year

Photograph by Marc Simon

You know how many new-product pitches we get every year? Thousands, each declaring that the item is the best in its category. Though many of the companies making these claims are clearly delusional, some creations do stand as superbly designed top performers in their field–and you’ll find all of them right here in our roster of the 100 best products of the year. 

We rated each candidate on its design, performance, and specifications. We generally did not consider price in our evaluations; instead, we looked for products that represent the cream of the crop. But in compiling our list, some products were such great bargains that we couldn’t ignore them. Of course, ranking laptops and Linux distributions in one place is tricky, but we used the same scoring system for each candidate and assessed them as consistently as we could. This year we have also assigned each candidate an “impact” score, to recognize significant products that changed the technology landscape. And last, we ranked every World Class award winner by its final score, creating our list of the year’s top 100 products. 

We’ve also identified a few of the year’s most noteworthy companies, including our pick for the loser of the year. And we’ve named the 25 worst tech products of all time. For more information see our list of World Class products.

The Top 10

Photograph by Marc Simon

1. Intel Core DuoNotebook/Desktop CPU ($450 and up) Intel’s Core Duo provides multitasking power never before possible on a portable PC, and yet it supports astounding battery life for mobile devices. The Core Duo processor is so good that it’s the CPU of choice not only for Windows laptops but also for Apple’s Windows-capable laptop and for desktop Macs. 

In today’s mobile world, Core Duo gives Intel a leg up. AMD’s Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core (#2) is astoundingly good, but AMD hasn’t yet captured that power in a mobile version; and its notebook processors aren’t nearly as potent or as battery-efficient as Intel’s. Review | Latest Prices 

2. AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-CoreDesktop CPU ($300 and up) The most powerful desktop CPU ever made had a dual-core design first. If you need full power for increasingly demanding applications and you’re tied to a desk, X2 is for you. Review | Latest Prices 

3. Craigslist.orgWeb Classifieds (mostly free) Now established in over 200 cities around the globe, this community classified-ad service puts the hurt on newspapers’ overpriced classifieds. Sell a used piano or find a soul mate–gratis. Review 

4. Apple iPod NanoDigital Audio Player ($149 to $249) You get up to 4GB of capacity in a tiny device that nevertheless has room for a crisp color display. It’s scratch-prone, but it’s still cool. Review | Latest Prices 

5. Seagate 160GB Portable Hard DrivePortable Hard Drive ($380) This hard drive was one of the first to use perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology to pack more data into the same space. Another PMR-based Seagate hard drive, the Barracuda 7200.10, is the first desktop model to reach 750GB. Review | Latest Prices 

Google Earth lets you use satellite imagery to zoom in on landscape details and find local businesses.
 

6. Google EarthSatellite Imagery (free) News channels use Google Earth to zoom in on Iraq; you can use it to focus on neighboring houses, or to explore the rest of the world from your desktop. Review 

Adobe Premiere Elements 2 has tons of tools for video editors.
 

7. Adobe Premiere Elements 2Video Editor ($100) This strong, stable video editing application costs about one-eighth as much as Premiere Pro, Adobe’s professional video editor. And it’s so good you may not notice the difference. Review | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Marc Simon

8. Canon EOS 30DDigital SLR Camera ($1499) An 8.2-megapixel shooter, the EOS 30D makes many of the pro-level features from Canon’s EOS 5D available at a friendlier price. It also earned extremely high marks in our image-quality tests. Review | Latest Prices 

9. YouTube.comVideo-Sharing Site (free) Enjoy watching videos of every kind at this massive community of amateur videographers, and upload your own productions–at no cost. Review 

10. Apple Boot CampMac Dual-Booter (free) Astonishingly, Apple has finally given its blessing to running Windows on a Mac, with this utility. Next up: running the Mac OS on a Windows box–or pigs flying through the sky. Review

Best Products: 11-20

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 lets you create slide shows of your images.
 

11. Adobe Photoshop Elements 4Image Editor ($100) The latest version of Elements is the most elegant and powerful image-editing and-organizing application available for under $600 (the price of Adobe’s pro-level Photoshop CS2). Review | Latest Prices 

Mozilla Firefox comes with an integrated search engine toolbar.
 

12. Mozilla Firefox 1.5Web Browser (free) The 2005 product of the year continues to improve, with a better set of features and stronger security than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer offers. News Report 

13. Engadget.comGadget Blog (free) Even if Engadget decided to devote itself to game shows and golf, we’d probably still read it, just because the blog’s writing is so snarky and entertaining. Web Site 

Photograph by Marc Simon

14. Toshiba HD-A1HD DVD Player ($500) The first high-definition optical disc player on the market, the HD-A1 will probably be the least expensive one for some time, too. Say good-bye to your $40 DVD player and say hello to gorgeous high-definition movies on disc. Review | Latest Prices 

15. Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600Power Notebook Computer ($2548) The jazzy Qosmio notebook line got even better this year. In fact, the G35-AV600 is the best Media Center desktop replacement we’ve ever seen. Toshiba recently released a version that comes with an HD DVD-ROM drive. Review | Latest Prices 

16. nVidia GeForce 7600 GTGraphics Card Chip Set ($200) Our list doesn’t focus on outstanding values, but how could we overlook this powerful chip set? At $200, it’s a steal. Test Report | Latest Prices 

17. GoogleSearch Engine (free) Google’s clean, fast-loading interface helps it remain the most-used and best-loved search engine on the Internet. Have you googled anything today? Web Site 

Photograph by Marc Simon

18. Sonos ZonePlayer 80Digital Audio Streamer ($349) The ZonePlayer offers the most elegant way to play digital audio throughout your home; this version omits its predecessor’s amplifier, thereby reducing the price significantly. Review | Latest Prices 

19. RedOctane’s Guitar HeroVideo Game ($70) RedOctane’s Guitar Hero lets you indulge in your long-standing air-guitar fantasies. This Sony PlayStation 2 game is completely addictive, and has remarkably wide appeal across age and gender lines. Everybody wants to go all Clapton with the included guitar once they see it in action. Well, okay, a few arhythmic types don’t care, but they probably weren’t air-guitaring “Infected” in the dorm back in the day, either. Review | Latest Prices 

20. Yamaha RX-V4600Home-Theater Receiver ($1200) The RX-V4600 is the first receiver to deliver high-definition radio, which sounds better and comes in more clearly than regular old AM and FM signals. Too costly? Consider Boston Acoustics’ tabletop Receptor Radio HD, which lists at just $299. Review | Latest Prices

Best Products: 21-30

Photograph by Chris Manners

21. Pioneer BDR-101ABlu-ray Drive ($1000) The first Blu-ray drive comes not as a set-top player for high-definition movies, but as an internal PC drive for backing up massive amounts of data. Review | Latest Prices 

22. Adobe Photoshop CS2Image Editor ($600) Anything that you want to do with a digital image, you can do with Photoshop CS2. Not a pro? Avoid CS2’s expense by opting for Adobe’s Photoshop Elements (#11). Review | Latest Prices 

23. Citrix GoToMyPC 5Remote Access ($20 per month) Turn any Web-connected computer into a clone of your distant desktop, so you can gain access to programs, files, and networks. GoToMyPC is a bit pricey, but its speedy, secure, hassle-free approach is unbeatable. Review | Web Site 

24. Dealnews.comOnline Bargain Tracker (free) Many sites keep track of bargains for you, but Dealnews does more than just provide you with a link. It’ll even let you know whether today’s deal is better than last week’s. Review 

Palm’s GPS Navigator package includes equipment for mounting it in your car.
 

25. Palm GPS NavigatorGPS ($250) A clear interface and reliable directions make this device a great add-on to your Palm PDA. Don’t leave home without it; don’t get lost with it. Review | Latest Prices 

26. MioNetRemote Access ($7 per month) Two-way remote access permits you to tunnel into your work computer from home and vice versa–or to securely share resources with others–without having to spend time worrying about firewalls. Review | Web Site 

27. UbuntuLinux Distribution (free) The Breezy Badger release of Ubuntu has a desktop interface that Windows users may find reassuringly familiar. The new Dapper Drake version should be out as you read this. Review 

28. Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5E-Mail Application (free) Excellent junk-mail filtering and efficient address gathering make Thunderbird the best e-mail application for your electronic correspondence, regardless of price. Look for a beta of version 2 this summer. News Report 

Photograph by Marc Simon

29. Canon Pixma MP950Multifunction Printer ($400) The MP950’s magnificent 3.6-inch color LCD screen and whoa-Nelly resolution of 3200 by 6400 dots per inch are among the most impressive photo MFP specs available. Review | Latest Prices 

30. Yahoo Mail (Beta)Web-Based E-Mail (free) This limited beta offering rates as the best Web mail client we’ve seen. Its Ajax-based interface convincingly imitates Outlook Express, without carrying over that program’s clutter. Review

Best Products: 31-40

31. TiVoDigital Video Recorder ($17 per month service and hardware) The company recently added neat new services such as weather and traffic updates, and podcasts. But we’re still waiting for more capacity, faster networking, and widespread support for high definition. TiVo Links | Latest Prices 

32. AvvenuRemote File Access (free) Use this utility to set up your desktop PC as a simple file server that friends and family can access securely over the Internet. Avvenu is great for sharing digital photographs without going to the trouble of e-mailing them. Review 

Blogger gives you a simple interface for entering text, and you can adjust the HTML code if you want.
 

33. BloggerBlogging Service (free) It’s not the most sophisticated blogging tool around, but it is free and easy to use. It works with Google’s Hello to support no-cost photo hosting and posting, and you can upload pictures from your camera phone to your Blogger blog. Review 

Photograph by Marc Simon

34. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1Advanced Digital Camera ($900) This 10.3-megapixel camera is hardly a digital single-lens reflex model, but for many users it’s as close to one as they’ll ever need. And unlike most digital SLRs, the DSC-R1 has an LCD monitor that provides a live preview of your subject. Review | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Marc Simon

35. Apple Mac MiniValue Desktop Computer ($599 to $799) Talk about dual personalities: This tiny, inexpensive, dual-core Apple box has the heart of an Intel machine and the soul of a Mac. It runs the Mac OS natively, and with Boot Camp it can run Windows XP, too. Review | Latest Prices 

36. Apple iPodDigital Audio/Video Player ($299 to $399) The video-enabled iPod is the only device equipped with a 2.5-inch screen that we would consider watching Desperate Housewives episodes on. Not that we would actually watch Desperate Housewives, of course. Review | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Chris Manners

37. Lenovo ThinkPad X60sUltralight Notebook ($1299 and up) Though this rock-solid 3-pound laptop doesn’t carry a built-in optical drive, it has the best keyboard you’ll find on an ultralight; and with the latest in Core Duo processors, it’s a great performer, too. Review | Latest Prices 

38. SideStep.comTravel Site (free) Shopping for bargain flights can be a hassle. But SideStep.com collects air fares from multiple sources; you simply check off boxes to sift the results. It works for rental cars and hotel rooms, too. Review 

39. Windows Live LocalOnline Mapping (free) Offering attractive maps, with bird’s-eye views of some locations, Microsoft’s service comes across as almost a hybrid of Google Earth and Yahoo Maps (that’s a good thing). Review 

40. Creative Sound Blaster X-FiSound Card ($129 to $400) Creative deserves credit for introducing high-end audio–including multichannel DVD-Audio playback–to desktop PCs. The X-Fi has 7.1-channel output and dedicated RAM for storing sound samples, thus boosting game performance when heavy sound processing is needed. Review | Latest Prices

Best Products: 41-50

41. Alienware Aurora 7500Power Desktop Computer ($1799 and up) You can configure this flashy PC with the best of everything, including AMD Athlon 64 X2, nVidia SLI graphics, and the Ageia PhysX processor. You’ll pay dearly for it, all right, but this gaming rig is tops if you want to play. Review | Web Site 

Photograph by Marc Simon

42. NEC MultiSync LCD 2180WG-LEDFlat-Panel Monitor ($6900) The NEC MultiSync LCD 2180WG-LED’s backlighting via LED (a first among desktop PC monitors) gives it crisp contrast and detail. The leaky fluorescent backlights that most LCDs use add a faint glow, turning inky black to graphite gray. But on this 21.3-inch beauty, a black zipper pull stood out sharply against a black jacket pocket and nuanced whites and grays of a snowy mountain loomed in the background. The LED technology is sure to catch on. Review | Latest Prices 

43. Apple iTunesDigital Audio Software (free) Not just a conduit for files between Apple’s Music Store and an iPod, iTunes is great even if just for your desktop. It’s compatible with both Macs and Windows PCs. Web Site 

Photograph by Marc Simon

44. Olympus Evolt E-330Digital SLR Camera ($1100) The E-330 shows you a live preview on its LCD–a first for a digital SLR–and it has a useful dust-removal feature (addressing a common bugaboo that afflicts such cameras). Review | Latest Prices 

45. Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 ProEarphones ($250) Comparable in sound quality to Shure’s high-end E5C earphones, this set costs far less. And it does a nice job of sound isolation. Review | Latest Prices 

46. Creative Zen Vision:MDigital Audio/Video Player ($300) Exceptional screen quality, a responsive interface, and great battery life make this portable player a worthy alternative to an iPod, if you like to run wide of the herd. Review | Latest Prices 

47. Google DesktopDesktop Search (free) Where did you put that file? To find it you could spend 10 minutes using Windows’ search utility–or 10 seconds using Google Desktop. News Report 

48. Opera 9 (Beta)Browser (free) Opera deserves more exposure than it usually gets. Opera 9 is loaded with polished out-of-the-box features, such as useful ad and graphics blocking. Review 

Photograph by Rick Rizner, Chris Manners

49. Mitsubishi XD460UProjector ($2100) The XD460U ranked high for overall image quality in our tests, making it a great choice as a crossover projector for both conference-room and living-room use. It relies on a five-segment color wheel to achieve better imaging. Review | Latest Prices 

50. VonageVoIP Service ($15 and up) Its Internet phone packages aren’t the cheapest, but Vonage has useful features such as call-forwarding during an outage and quality controls. Review | Web Site

Best Products: 51-60

51. StumbleUponBrowser Add-On (free) When you click a toolbar button in Firefox, it will transport you to a random site that fits your preferences. Web Site 

52. NoScript 1.1.4Browser Add-On (free) Block hazardous JavaScripts site-by-site in Firefox (the browser itself blocks either all JavaScripts or none). Review 

53. Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.5Antispyware ($30) Spy Sweeper catches more stuff than its competitors do, and it provides sound advice on which adware and spyware pieces to remove. Review | Latest Prices 

The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 has a gentle upward curve in the middle.
 

54. Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000Keyboard ($60) An ergonomically optimized keyboard, the Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 swells upward in the middle so you can position your hands and wrists naturally. Review | Latest Prices 

55. Western Digital Raptor XHard Drive ($400) Though the Raptor X has just 150GB of storage space, it’s the fastest hard drive we’ve tested. Its see-through window lets you watch it work (if your PC’s case has a window, too). Review | Latest Prices 

56. Yahoo Maps (Beta)Online Mapping (free) Yahoo Maps–the version still in beta–provides great directions, and allows you to determine the route you want to use by setting waypoints. Review 

57. Intuit Quicken Premier 2006Personal Finance ($80) Quicken has its annoyances–particularly its shameless marketing pitches–but the latest version lets you attach electronic images of canceled checks or statements. Review | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Marc Simon

58. ATI Radeon X1900 XTXGraphics Board ($600) Cards based on ATI’s X1900 XTX chip and on nVidia’s GeForce 7900 GTX chip (#92) compete for the fastest gaming performance. We think the ATI board delivers slightly better image quality, hence its higher ranking. Review | Latest Prices 

Javacool’s EULAlyzer reads end-user license agreements and flags suspect language.
 

59. Javacool EULAlyzer Personal 1.1License Analyzer (free) We’re always urging you to read the end-user license agreements that pop up when you install software–but who has the time or the legal background to read and understand end-user license agreements? Just copy and paste EULAs into EULAlyzer, and it will tell you whether you’re getting into something dubious. Review 

60. Eizo FlexScan S2410W24-Inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor ($1700) This is the first 24-inch display to take color as seriously as a graphics professional does. Its flat, touch-sensitive electrostatic switches are much more comfortable to use than buttons. Review | Latest Prices

Best Products: 61-70

61. Kosmix.comSearch Engine (free) Kosmix categorizes search results into major content areas of health, travel, and politics–a valuable feature, though you’ll obtain fewer results from Kosmix than you would from Google or Yahoo. Review 

62. T-Mobile SDACellular Phone ($300) This Windows Mobile-based handset supports cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth wireless technologies (but you can’t use it as a phone over Wi-Fi). Thanks to its impressive battery life, you can browse the Web with it all day long. Review | Latest Prices 

63. Asus A8N32-SLI DeluxeMotherboard ($200) This motherboard packs every feature you could want, including nVidia SLI graphics support, RAID support, six SATA ports, and plenty of options for overclocking. Test Report | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Marc Simon

64. Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP30-Inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor ($2200) Seeing this humongous, high-resolution LCD after spending hours in front of a 17- or 19-inch model is a bit like turning a corner and walking into a billboard. Review | Latest Prices 

65. Meebo (alpha)Instant Messaging (free) When you’re away from your own PC, you can still connect. Use this utility (still in alpha) in an Internet caf\0xE9 to access AIM, GTalk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, or Yahoo buddies by browser. Review 

66. Corel Painter IX.5Graphics Software ($375) Corel’s painting program does a fine job of mimicking real paint and canvas, watercolor and paper, and charcoal and paper. Paint runs and bleeds just like the real stuff does. A recent upgrade introduces a rubber stamp and new photo painting capabilities. Web Site | Latest Prices 

67. Samsung LN-S3251DLCD TV ($1799) Among 32-inch television sets that we tested recently, the LN-S3251D won by a significant margin. It’s very bright, so colors really pop from the screen, and it has a well-designed stand that swivels fluidly. It’s one of the best televisions we’ve seen, regardless of type. Review | Latest Prices 

68. Cerulean Studios Trillian 3.1Instant Messaging Client (free) Using Trillian 3.1 means not having to decide which IM client to adopt, since Trillian works with nearly all of them. Its interface is beautiful, especially compared with AIM–hoo boy, that thing is ugly. You can set Trillian up to log your conversations so that when you forget something you said, you can look it up easily. You can also set up alerts for when people are online, and you can issue a command from your laptop that shuts down the program on your desktop. A new version, called Astra, should be released later this year. Review 

You can now access Real’s Rhapsody music service without desktop software, if you want.
 

69. RhapsodyOnline Music (free to $10 per month) After experiencing a rocky relaunch, the new Rhapsody service looks good. Now you can access it without desktop software (though you may want to use the client, since it works as your streaming service and plays songs from your MP3 library). Web Site 

70. In2M Mvelopes Personal 3Online Budgeting ($8 per month with two-year plan) When you put Mvelopes on the case, you may be surprised to learn how much you spend on Diet Coke and Doritos (you aren’t under any obligation to change your habits, of course, but it’s still nice to know). Recent updates make Mvelopes easier to use than ever. Review | Web Site

Best Products: 71-80

Photograph by Rick Rizner, Chris Manners

71. Canon Pixma IP6600DPhoto Printer ($180) Who needs a photo mart when you can get prints this good at home? For best results you have to use Canon’s special (and expensive) paper. Review | Latest Prices 

72. EMC Retrospect Professional 7.5Backup Software ($100) This watch-your-back application carries two unique client apps so you can back up as many as three PCs; competing programs make you buy extra licenses. Review | Latest Prices 

73. Yahoo Music Engine 1.1Digital Audio Site/Software (free to $10 per month) Subscribe to Yahoo Music Engine and you can listen to anything in the service’s library. We like how it integrates with Yahoo Messenger so that you and your friends can share playlists; you can share music over a local network, too. Review 

74. Network MagicHome Networking ($4 per month) Even when every element of your home network seems to have been set up correctly, there’s invariably a baffling snag. Network Magic helps you configure your network with minimal hassle. Review 

75. Z-WaveHome Automation ($130 for starter kit) Of the leading home-automation technologies, Z-Wave combines performance, reliability%2C and product selection most effectively. Review | Latest Prices 

Artwork by Rick Rizner, Chris Manners

76. BitDefender 9 StandardAntivirus ($30) The Best Buy winner from our most recent roundup of antivirus software, BitDefender 9 provides top-of-the-line protection against a rogues’ gallery of electronic miscreants. Review | Web Site 

77. Sage Software Simply Accounting Basic 13Small-Business Finance ($50) If you’re still trying to manage your business finances in Excel or Quicken, you owe it to yourself to invest $50 in this entry-level small-business accounting package instead. Review | Latest Prices 

78. FlickrPhoto-Sharing Site (free to $25 per year) Yet another Yahoo property, Flickr wins out as the best community-based photo-sharing site. Neatest feature: You can tag photos–yours or others’–with keywords and then browse pictures based on those keywords. Review 

Nero 7 Ultra Edition gives you access to its many functions in an attractive startup window.
 

79. Nero 7 Ultra EditionCD/DVD Burning ($100) Nero 7 Ultra Edition lets you copy data, edit high-def video, encode 7.1-channel audio, play with a dance-music synthesizer, and lots more. Review | Latest Prices 

80. Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8Voice Recognition ($175) The latest Dragon is probably the best voice-recognition software ever, though it won’t make keyboards obsolete. It works best for dictating text (especially if you haven’t completed your Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing lessons). Web Site | Latest Prices

Best Products: 81-90

81. Kodak EasyShare GalleryPhoto Printing Service ($0.15 for each 4-by-6 print) Though its prices are among the highest of the online printers, Kodak made the best prints in our tests. Review 

82. EvDOWireless Broadband ($45 to $80 per month) What’s better than Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi speed without the need to be near an access point. Evolution-Data Optimized service, from Verizon Wireless or Sprint, still has some performance issues, but it’s a sign of things to come. Review 

83. LaCie d2 Hard Drive Serial ATAExternal Hard Drive ($400) In our tests, this 400GB drive with an External SATA-150 interface and a 7200-rpm mechanism outperformed every USB 2.0 or FireWire 400 drive we evaluated. Review | Latest Prices 

84. HP Md5880nDLP TV ($4000) A 58-inch Digital Light Projection set, the well-designed Md5880n was the highest-scoring television in our tests. Review | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Marc Simon

85. Qnext 2P-to-P Communications (free) Not just for instant messaging, this Java-based suite supports IM, videoconferencing, VoIP, file sharing, music and photo sharing, and remote PC access (it won’t wash your car or make you dinner, though). Review 

86. Salling Clicker 3Presentation Remote ($24) Use this inexpensive utility to turn a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone into a remote control for changing presentation slides or switching songs on a media player. Web Site 

87. Epson Perfection V700Photo Scanner ($550) The flatbed V700 has a maximum optical resolution of 6400 dpi, a significant advance over the 4800-dpi competition. Review | Latest Prices 

88. Mindjet MindManager Pro 6Data-Organizing Software ($349) For people who swear by “mind mapping”–using software to organize and manage information through flow charting–this app is the best we’ve seen. Web Site | Latest Prices 

89. Microsoft Xbox 360Game Console ($400 and up) With a pair of 3.2-GHz CPUs, half a gig of RAM, and built-in wireless, the Xbox 360 can run games in high def. Review | Latest Prices 

Photograph by Marc Simon

90. iRiver ClixDigital Audio/Video Player ($199) The iRiver Clix, a 2GB successor to the 1GB U10, is smaller and cuter than the video-enabled iPod despite packing a similar-size (2.2-inch, 320-by-240-pixel) display. You can transcode files from the television shows you’ve recorded, for free. The Clix has FM radio and Flash games, and it holds about 28 hours of audio files or 4.5 hours of video files. Review | Web Site

Best Products: 91-100

91. Fujifilm FinePix E900Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera ($410) Fujifilm’s 9-megapixel point-and-shoot captured very sharp images with low distortion, earning top scores in our tests. Review | Latest Prices 

92. nVidia GeForce 7900 GTXGPU ($549) Graphics cards that use this power-hungry processor are so expensive that you’ll need to sign on for a second paper route to pay for it. But the payoff is excellent gaming performance. Test Report | Latest Prices 

93. Del.icio.usSocial Networking (free) Both an excellent way to store and categorize bookmarks and an impressive social experiment, Del.icio.us invites you to share your favorite links with friends and larger communities. Review 

94. Serious Magic OvationPowerPoint Add-On ($100) Import PowerPoint slides into this tool and add fancy video effects to make your otherwise boring sales presentations the talk of the office. Review | Latest Prices 

95. WordPressBlogging Tool (free) Two practical controls make this product stand out: Photos and art are resizable on the fly inside the editing space, and dividing a blog entry into two parts is simple. Review 

96 Amazon A9 ToolbarSearch Toolbar (free) Share bookmarks among multiple computers, and store notes about sites (if you have opened an Amazon.com account). Take that, Google. Review 

ThinkFree includes an online word processor that creates Microsoft Word-compatible documents.
 

97. ThinkFree Office OnlineOnline Office Suite (free) ThinkFree gives you Office-compatible word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications in a browser window. Review 

98. GreasemonkeyFirefox Extension (free) Now here’s a mechanic you can trust. Greasemonkey allows you to add community-built scripts to the Firefox browser. Hundreds of useful scripts are downloadable for free. Review 

99. NewsGator FeedDemon 2RSS Reader ($30) With FeedDemon’s options, you’re just a step shy of having news injected intravenously. Download | Latest Prices 

100. Sysinternals Rootkit Revealer 1.7Antispyware (free) This free tool can’t fix your rootkit-infested Sony CDs, but it can determine whether your PC has been compromised by them. Review

Companies of the Year

Web Company of the Year

Yahoo has progressed far beyond being a mere search engine; it has emerged as the number-one online developer, on the strength of great revamps of Yahoo Mail (#30) and Yahoo Maps (#56), smart acquisitions of Web stars such as Del.icio.us (#93) and Flickr (#78), and development of the Yahoo 360 personalized Web spaces and of the Yahoo Music Engine (#73). Google may get a lot more attention, but Yahoo has been getting more things accomplished. 

Hardware Company of the Year

With a huge RD budget and a single-minded despot running the show, Apple once again introduced products that made everyone else look bad. iPods (#36) that play video have created a new market for reruns, Core Duo-based Macs (#35) have expanded the market for Intel chips, and Boot Camp software (#10) has opened the door to running Windows on the Mac hardware. We continue to hope that some of the Cupertino crowd’s design ideas will trickle down to the rest of the tech industry. 

Software Company of the Year

In the 1990s, Adobe was known for its professional software; its dumbed-down consumer products didn’t fare so well. Now, however, the company makes stellar $100 apps that regular folks can use–for example, Premiere Elements 2 (#7) and Photoshop Elements 4 (#11)–while continuing to improve its pro applications. How can Adobe afford to sell an app with 90 percent of Photoshop’s power for only 10 percent of its price? Volume, volume, volume. 

Worst Company of the Year

We get the feeling that Sony doesn’t trust people. Many of its ills over the past year involve copy protection: First was the fiasco with its music CDs, which installed rootkits on PCs to hide digital rights management spyware, thereby exposing the computers to viruses. Then came delays in the delivery of Blu-ray drives due to difficulties implementing a second copy protection scheme. And as a result of the Blu-ray problems, Sony had to push back its PlayStation 3 console to November. All this from the company that virtually pioneered copying with the Betamax.

Top 100 listed numerically

Top 100 listed alphabetically

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