The PC World 100: Best Products of 2009

Description

PC World looked at many outstanding hardware, software, sites, and services this year, evaluating each one on its design, functionality, performance, and impact. Here is the cream of the crop, the 100 best of 2009. (Note that we chose not to rate products specifically on their price or value, focusing instead on their overall quality.)

Please let us know if you agree or disagree with our choices or have an unmentioned favorite by commenting at the bottom of this story or on the PC World Facebook Fans page (we'd love to have you join us there).

We've also assembled slideshows for convenient comparison-viewing of our top picks in four categories: cameras/camcorders , laptops , smartphones , and storage devices . Check 'em out!

1. The App Store ( iPhone apps, prices vary ) What can you say about a store--any store--that moves 2 billion products in just 16 months? We stand in awe of Apple's trailblazing App Store, which this year put the word app on the map, as customers flocked to download iPhone applications by the shopping basketful.

The iPhone is far from the first smartphone that could run third-party software. But one reason for the success of iPhone apps is that there's a store for them. By creating one easy-to-use marketplace for 85,000 free or (in most cases) inexpensive programs, Apple sparked unprecedented interest in phone software from both iPhone owners and developers.

It may seem as though an inordinately large proportion of the items available for downloading are dedeicated to creating fart noises, but if you cut through the cheesy games and novelties, you'll find thousands of innovative, ...

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