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Top 100 products of the year

Innovative web applications, powerful processors, spectacular HDTVs, and creative game consoles – we asked you for your favourites and added lots of our own for our annual roundup of the best hardware, software, and services.

By PC World staff / Tuesday, September 25 2007

1 Google Apps Premier Edition (web applications; $60 per user per year) Google is much more than just a search engine, and with its invaluable Google Apps suite, the company is well on its way to challenging Microsoft for productivity-suite supremacy. Google’s Docs & Spreadsheets (soon to be joined by a PowerPoint-esque presentation application) already makes for an interesting alternative to Microsoft Office. Combine it with Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar, and suddenly nearly all of your basic productivity programs and data can be available online.

For small businesses that need more than the free versions offer, Google Apps Premier Edition adds capacity, support services, and tools for integrating existing infrastructure so that all your employees can use Google’s powerful web apps – no matter where they are. Printouts may never die, but if Google has its way, the office-less office may become a reality long before the paperless one does. google.com/a


2 Intel Core 2 Duo (desktop CPU; $160 and up) It’s super-fast, it’s not too expensive, and it uses less energy than its predecessor does. But could Core 2 Duo be too good? Unless AMD can respond to its startling success, the absence of competition could drive up desktop PC prices. That’s how terrific this CPU is. intel.com


3 Nintendo Wii (game console; $499) Readers went gaga for the first game console to get non-gamers hooked on gaming, nominating it more than any other product. With motion-sensitive controls and a slate of fun games for all ages, Nintendo really has something with the Wii. wii.com


4 iTunes Plus (online music service; $2.39 per track) Yes, it’s currently restricted to EMI artists only and the tracks cost more, but the fact that the world’s biggest music download service is offering DRM-free music is a move to be applauded. The quality is twice as good too. apple.com/nz/itunes


5 Nokia N95 (smartphone; $1599) It might not be perfect, but with a 5-megapixel camera, music player, wi-fi, Bluetooth, 3G Broadband and GPS, the N95 is one of the best attempts yet at a convergent device. nokia.co.nz


6 Parallels Desktop (virtualisation software; $100) A Mac OS application in PC World’s Top 10? You bet. With a simple interface and improving 3D acceleration, Parallels offers the slickest way to run Windows (or any other OS) on Apple’s beautifully designed Intel-based hardware. parallels.com


7 Pioneer PDP5000EX (HD plasma display; $19,999) In a crowded field of great-looking plasmas, Pioneer’s true 1920 x1080 high-res PDP5000 stands out with a truly stunning onscreen image. If you have the means, we highly recommend it. pioneernz.co.nz


8 Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ (network-attached storage device; $1900) Great for backups or shared storage, Netgear’s 1TB ReadyNAS performs well and includes helpful features such as uPNP support and a built-in print server. netgear.com/products/storage


9 Apple Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” (operating system; $239) Quick: Name a good Vista feature that goes beyond what’s in Tiger. Yeah, we can’t either. apple.com/nz


10 Adobe Premiere Elements 3 (video-editing software; $170) Like the rest of Adobe’s Elements products, Premiere gives you just the video editing features you need at a reasonable price. adobe.com


11 Apple TV (media-streaming device; $449) Apple’s media streamer focuses on doing a beautiful job at a few key tasks. Now that it’s out in the wild, hackers can focus on making it do a lot more cool things. apple.com/appletv


12 Samsung Syncmaster 244T (wide-screen monitor; $1800) The 24-inch wide-screen LCD has been this year’s hot display format, and Samsung’s model is one of the best, with outstanding image quality and lots of useful features. samsung.co.nz


13 BillP Studios WinPatrol (system utility; free) When programs install themselves, WinPatrol watches your back, ensuring that tray icons, update checkers, and other random junk show up on your PC only if you allow them. winpatrol.com


14 Sony VAIO VGNAR49G (power notebook; $5999) Sony’s top-of-the-line Vaio is an entertainment powerhouse with a 17-inch widescreen, Blu-ray Disc drive, TV tuner and Core 2 Duo performance. sony.co.nz/vaio


15 McAfee SiteAdvisor (security software; free) The free version of SiteAdvisor can warn you away from spyware, adware, or phishing sites before you visit them, giving you some peace of mind during your web surfing. siteadvisor.com


16 Ubuntu 7.04 (operating system; free) Fast and friendly, Ubuntu has solidified itself as the one Linux distribution that Linux geeks love and newbies can comfortably use. Even Dell turned to the 7.04 version of Ubuntu when it announced its intention to preload some systems with Linux. ubuntu.com


17 Pandora.com (digital music site; free) Pandora is a nifty internet radio service that learns your preferences and plays songs you’ve never heard but will probably like. Sadly, the current scrap over internet-radio royalty payments means access for listeners outside of the US has been curtailed for now. Shame. pandora.com


18 Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite (game console; $849) The high-end 360 now ships with 1080p support and a 120GB hard drive, but it’s the Xbox Live service, and the games and downloadable video on it, that make Microsoft’s console really shine. xbox.com/en-nz


19 Paint.net (image editing software; free) This open-source photo editing application packs tonnes of muscle into a measly 1.3MB download that doesn’t cost a dime. Impressive. paint.net


20 Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 (hard drive; $1195) Sure, it’s pricey, but Hitachi’s 1TB monster isn’t just a big hard drive: It aced our performance tests. hitachi.com.au


21 Sightspeed 6 (videoconferencing software; free) The best videoconferencing app we’ve tested improved further in version 6 with a tabbed interface for contacts. Even better: Sightspeed is still free. sightspeed.com


22 Kayak (travel site; free) This travel search engine consistently digs up the best deals on airfare, hotels, and rentals by searching through a vast range of sites and databases. kayak.com


23 Nikon D40X (digital SLR camera; $1499) Nikon’s affordable entry-level digital SLR includes a capable help system so that SLR newbies can get the most out of the camera. nikon.co.nz


24 TrafficWatch (traffic cam viewer; free) Yes, sitting in traffic is like a living death so why not see what’s going on out there before you hit the road? TrafficWatch is a Vista or Yahoo widget that sits on your desktop and connects to your chosen traffic cams. trafficwatch.co.nz


25 Motorola MOTORAZR maxx V6 (3G cellphone; $899) This slim cellphone retains the good looks of the RAZR lineage and adds 3G Broadband (HSDPA) to the mix for super-fast surfing and downloads. mymoto.co.nz


26 Apple 80GB iPod (MP3 player; $549) Apple may not want to proclaim it the true video iPod, but this 80GB model is more than capable of storing a complete MP3 collection along with a few movies and TV shows. apple.com/nz


27 Yahoo Mail Beta (web-based email; free) Its Ajax interface makes it the closest yet to Outlook in your browser – without the security holes. mail.yahoo.com


28 Navman F20 (GPS navigation system; $698) With the latest GPS technology and dedicated petrol and parking locator buttons, the F20 is the slim, compact and reliable GPS unit you’ve been waiting for. navman.com


29 Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP (wide-screen monitor; $1099) Samsung’s wide-screen display may look a bit better, but Dell’s frequent discounts make this 24-inch monitor particularly affordable. dell.co.nz


30 Zoho (office suite; free) Integration gives Google’s online office suite the overall edge, but the polished interface of Zoho’s offering has its fans. Zoho Writer is particularly good. zoho.com


31 Gmail (web-based email service; free) Whether in storage capacity, searchability, or raw speed, Google’s Gmail feels like email without limits. mail.google.com


32 Air New Zealand Grabaseat (really cheap flights; first in, first served) Air New Zealand throws up bargain basement prices on certain routes each day and if you’re quick, you can grab a seat before they all go. A Vista gadget has even been written for it (search gallery.live.com for "grabaseat"). airnewzealand.co.nz


33 Red Octane Guitar Hero 2 (video game; $179) Shredding your way through an array of classic guitar rock anthems has never been so much fun. guitarhero.com/gh2


34 YouTube (video site; free) Is there a better way to waste time on the web? If so, we haven’t found it. We’ll keep looking after we watch just one more video. youtube.com


35 Mozilla Firefox 2 (web browser; free) Sure, Microsoft eventually did some nice things with IE 7, but why even bother with that browser if you don’t have to? Firefox is secure, free, and always improving. mozilla.com


36 Google Picasa (image editor; free) Google’s no-cost app makes organising, renaming, and sharing photos as easy as...well, a Google search. picasa.google.com


37 Nikon D80 (digital SLR camera; $2699) Ultrafast response time, beautiful photo quality, and convenient, useful features such as in-camera photo editing – what more could you want from a high-quality digital SLR model? nikon.co.nz


38 Skype 3 (VoIP software/service; calls to any phone from 1.7c a minute) Though Skype may not replace a landline, the service makes VoIP calling easy – and cheap. skype.nz


39 Aliph Jawbone (headset; $150 online) Now that Aliph’s attractive noise-cancelling headset has gone wireless, the Jawbone is indisputably the coolest way to look like you’re talking to yourself. jawbone.com


40 Blackbox C14 Earphones (noise-cancelling earphones; $179) Active noise rejection technology from New Zealand’s own Phitek Systems banishes intrusive exterior noise so you can listen to your tunes in a pristine audio environment. blackboxonline.com


41 Playtech Aquarius W66 (power desktop; $6,964) A no-holds-barred gaming dream machine, the Aquarius W66 features quad core power, water cooling and twin 8800GTX graphics cards to render an ultra-real gaming environment. playtech.co.nz


42 Asus W5Fe (ultra-portable notebook; $3620) One of the first Windows Vista SideShow notebooks, Asus’s 12.1-inch W5Fe packs enough power for an everyday machine. asus.co.nz


43 AVS Forum (web forum; free) You’ll find the best info on all things home entertainment – from the latest HD sets and players to cable-quality myths – at this revered web forum. avsforum.com


44 Flickr (photo-sharing site; free) Yahoo’s photo-sharing site is fun and fast by itself – but all the little apps that are built around Flickr make it one of the best services available. flickr.com


45 Apple iPod Nano (MP3 player; $228 and up) Now with up to 8GB of capacity, Apple’s flash player can hold more than enough music for casual listeners in a package the size of a few business cards. apple.com/nz


46 Nikon Coolpix S50c (point-and-shoot digital camera; $625) Built-in wi-fi, a 3-inch LCD, and direct uploads to Flickr (see #44) are the highlights of this thin little point-and-shoot. nikon.co.nz


47 Dell Ultrasharp 2007WFP (wide-screen monitor; $759) If you can’t afford to step up to a full 24-inch wide-screen LCD, 20-inchers like this Dell are your next best bet. dell.co.nz


48 OCZ 2GB Secure Digital Dual Memory Card (flash memory; $115) This super-fast (80x and 133x) SD flash card from an enthusiast memory maker comes with its own built-in USB adapter. ocztechnology.com


49 Creative Zen Vision W 60GB (portable media player; $799) With its 4.3-inch widescreen display, built-in FM radio and support for a vast array of video file formats, the Vision W is super-flexible and user-friendly. au.creative.com


50 Lenovo X61 Tablet (ultraportable convertible notebook; from $3149) Well-designed ultra-portables such as the convertible X60 Tablet prove that the venerable ThinkPad line is still in good hands. lenovo.com/nz



51 Canon EOS 30D (digital SLR camera; $1999) The successor to Canon’s popular 20D camera includes well-designed controls and a bump up in its LCD screen size to 2.5 inches. canon.co.nz


52 LaLa.com (music-trading website; $2.25 per CD received) List your CD collection through LaLa’s efficient Ajax interface, and then trade discs you don’t want for ones you do. lala.com


53 Google Maps for Mobile (mapping service; free) Need directions on the go? Try bringing the power of Google Maps to your mobile phone. google.com/gmm


54 Canon Pixma iP4300 (inkjet printer; $229) Sometimes you simply need a solid printer, and Canon’s Pixma iP4300 is just that. Beneath its minimalist design lies a fast inkjet that delivers very good image quality. canon.co.nz


55 Kaspersky Anti-Virus (antivirus software; $65) PC security is as important as ever, and Kaspersky’s fast response to outbreaks makes this a first-rate tool for locking down your PC. kaspersky.co.nz


56 Microsoft Office 2007 (office suite; from $300) Innovation in Microsoft Office? That has to drop the temperature in Hades a few degrees. This year Office got an entirely new interface, built around a toolbar-eliminating “ribbon” that exposes Office’s many options. microsoft.co.nz


57 Asus Crosshair (motherboard; $557) Packed with high-quality integrated sound and nearly every port you could ever want, this board for AMD CPUs is an overclocker’s delight. asus.co.nz


58 Digg.com (community-based news website; free) Whether it’s political debates, hot new software, or other sites such as ICanHasCheezburger, Digg.com keeps you plugged in to whatever’s hot on the web at the moment. digg.com


59 Dell XPS M1210 (ultraportable notebook; $1599 and up) Designing an ultra-portable to be an entertainment machine is a tall order, but the XPS M1210 proves Dell was equal to the task. dell.co.nz


60 Creative Zen V Plus, 8GB (MP3 player; $399) Apple’s iPod Nano may be more popular, but with FM radio, a built-in mic, and a pretty interface, the Zen V Plus is better value. au.creative.com


61 Apple iTunes (digital music software; free) Even without the continually expanding iTunes store, Apple’s music-management application would be one of the best around. apple.com/nz/itunes


62 Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 (motherboard; $399) Our favourite Intel-based motherboard may be a bit expensive, but Gigabyte’s solid construction and reliability make this model a terrific starting point for assembling an Intel-based computer. gigabyte.co.nz


63 Iomega StorCenter Pro 150D NAS 1TB (network-attached storage device; $1600) This Iomega NAS features decent performance, but the true highlight is its support for hot-swappable drives. iomega-asia.com


64 Fujifilm FinePix F40fd (point-and-shoot digital camera; $499) Built-in software detects people’s faces to help automatically focus the camera on the correct spot. fujifilm.co.nz


65 Canon MP600 (inkjet multifunction printer; $399) Great paper handling and fast, high-quality prints make up for this multifunction printer’s lack of fax functionality. canon.co.nz


66 37signals Backpack (project-management/organiser software; free trial, or $6 per month and up) 37signals deserves its rep for building great, tightly focused applications. Backpack helps you manage projects through a simple interface that permits you to grab data from lots of sources. 37signals.com


67 LG Electronics BH100 (high-def video player) Why take sides in a format war when LG’s player can handle both Blu-ray and HD DVD media? An NZ release is rumoured for November. us.lge.com/superblu


68 Trade Me (online auction site; fee per transaction) If you want to buy it or sell it, go directly to Trade Me. Kiwis love a bargain. trademe.co.nz


69 Consumer.org (consumer website; subscription $63 annually) The venerable advocacy organisation is still tirelessly looking out for Fred and Myrtle Consumer. consumer.org


70 Altec Lansing IM500 (portable iPod Nano speakers; $199) As slim as the Nano itself, the inMotion 500 speaker system boasts powerful sound and pounding bass. digitalblue.co.nz


71 NEC MultiSync 90 GX2 (19-inch LCD monitor; $899) As workhorse monitors go, NEC’s glossy-screen MultiSync 90 GX2 is quite the thoroughbred. Hey, we can’t all have gigantic wide-screen LCDs gracing our desks. nec.co.nz


72 Adobe CS3 (graphics software suite; $2339 and up) You’ll pay an arm and a leg for Adobe’s latest Creative Suite, but for creative pros its improved multi-threading support and updates to all of Adobe’s critical apps are worth it. adobe.com/nz


73 Dell Dimension 9200 (power desktop; $1799) In it’s base spec, Dell’s Dimension 9200 isn’t the most powerful high-end desktop you can find, but for the money it’s a lot of computer. dell.co.nz


74 Meebo (instant messaging; free) If you’ve ever travelled without a notebook, you’ll appreciate Meebo. Log in, and you have access to all your IM contacts in a neat little web-based app – no installation required. meebo.com


75 Process Explorer (system utility; free) Like Task Manager on steroids, Process Explorer shows you exactly what’s running on your system in minute detail. microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/ProcessExplorer.mspx


76 Wacom Graphire4 6x8 Bluetooth Tablet (input device; $525) Whether you’re an artist or you simply prefer pen-based interaction with your desktop, Wacom’s Graphire tablets are accurate and affordable. nz.wacom-asia.com


77 VMWare Player (virtualisation software; free) Before you install another application you just aren’t sure about, download the free VMWare Player. Then try that app out in a virtual machine where it can’t mess up your PC. vmware.com


78 Emusic (digital music; starts at $12.50 per month for 30 downloads) The service still sticks to high-profile independent music, but Emusic sold DRM-free tunes long before EMI got on board. emusic.com


79 MySky (digital STB and DVR; $599 installation plus monthly subscription) With MySky you’ll never be a slave to TV schedules again. Record two programmes at once to the built-in hard drive, pause and rewind live TV, and plan all your viewing via the programme guide. skytv.co.nz


80 Netvibes (customisable home page; free) Construct your very own home page with as much or as little of the net as you like. You can even add email and calendar modules. netvibes.com


81 Trip Advisor (travel community site; free) The granddaddy of travel community sites, Trip Advisor is unequalled in the breadth and depth of its hotel reviews and in its forums, where you invariably find users who can answer the most specific destination questions. tripadvisor.com


82 Apple MacBook Pro (power notebook; $3399 and up) The latest iteration of Apple’s beautiful MacBook design has fast Core 2 Duo CPUs and ATI Radeon graphics chips – great for OS X or Boot Camp-ing into Windows for a little gaming. apple.com/nz


83 Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic (antivirus software; free) One of the few good, free antivirus applications left, Avira’s AntiVir is perfect for troubleshooting a dodgy system. avira.com


84 Ning.com (community website; free) Marc Andreesen’s latest venture lets you quickly build MySpace-like community sites focused around whatever interests you have. ning.com


85 Checkpoint ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite (security software; $75) This utility bundles a Kaspersky antivirus engine with the inimitable ZoneAlarm firewall. zonealarm.com


86 Samsung YP-K5 (MP3 player; from $379) There’s always a party on the horizon with the YP-K5 thanks to its slide-out stereo speaker set and digital amplifier. It’s rough and tough as old boots too. samsung.co.nz


87 VirusTotal.com (security website; free) This site is a great resource if you suspect your antivirus software has fallen short. Upload a file, and VirusTotal runs it through 32 antivirus engines. virustotal.com


88 Flurry (mobile email; free) Even people who don’t own a PDA phone sometimes need a quick email fix. Flurry (flurrymail.com) provides it, via an easy-to-set-up Java app that runs on most recent phones and works like a charm. flurry.com


89 Oki Printing Solutions C3400n (colour laser printer; $749) Oki’s compact, entry-level colour laser is a great fit for a small office, with high-quality text output and fast colour prints. oki.co.nz


90 nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX (graphics chip set; $950 and up) This offering is still the fastest in DirectX 10 graphics, apart from nVidia’s crazy $1200 GeForce 8800 Ultra. nvidia.com


91 Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 (digital music software; free) Microsoft added album-art matching, tossed in improved searching capabilities, and introduced a completely redesigned interface to this version of Media Player. The result: a media manager you’ll actually want to use. microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx


92 DVD Unlimited (movie rental service by mail; $17 per month and up) DVD Unlimited is almost identical to its two rivals, Fatso and Movieshack, in terms of its library and how it works but it's just marginally cheaper. dvdunlimited.co.nz


93 Audacity (audio editing; free) Another free-software triumph, Audacity is where it’s at for quick-and-dirty manipulation of audio files. audacity.sourceforge.net


94 Congoo (web news/information service; free) On this specialised news site, you can search and read content that’s normally locked away behind a paid-subscription wall. congoo.com


95 Adblock Plus (browser plug-in; free) Tired of slow page loads and flashing web ads? AdBlock Plus (for Mozilla-based browsers such as Firefox) can speed up and clean up your surfing. adblockplus.org


96 Belkin N1 wireless router (wireless router and modem; $130) This handsome 802.11n router is also an ADSL2+ modem and supports MIMO (multiple input multiple output) technology for more efficient data throughput. belkin.com


97 Panasonic HDC-SD1 (HD camcorder; $2499) This exceptionally light camcorder records HD video to a 4GB SD Card, with impressive quality. panasonic.co.nz


98 Logitech Harmony 1000i Advanced Universal Remote (universal remote control; $799) Logitech’s Harmony remotes bring something new to your home-theatre setup: sanity. The 1000i’s colour touchscreen and interactive help makes setting up and controlling a variety of devices easy. logitech.com


99 MojoPac (mobile desktop; $60) The idea takes some getting used to, but MojoPac can turn any USB thumb drive into a clone of your home desktop, which you can then access via any PC you plug the drive into. mojopac.com


100 Shure E210 (headphones; $299) These entry-level Shure in-ear headphones pump out impressive sound via a single-driver design. shure.com