The Best Products of 2012
These are the 99 products and services that we deemed the best of the best this year. Before you start your holiday shopping, consult this list.
We take the word "best" very seriously at PCMag. Over the course of a year, we review and rate over 2,000 products in PC Labs. We look at countless systems, peripherals, cameras, phones, mobile devices, gadgets, websites, software titles, games, mobile apps, networking products, and more. A lot of them don't score that well, but many do. And, of course, we share all of that information with you.
Typically, you'll find the techie wheat among the digital chaff by looking for our Editors' Choice award, given only to what we consider the best-in-class products. Even that seal of approval can't tell the entire tale, though. Because, really, there can be only one product (maybe two) that is truly best in its category. So, at this time every year, our editors and analysts lock themselves away in a conference room to discuss (and sometimes bicker about) those thousands of products. The goal is to determine which, among quite a few worthy candidates, are actually best in every category. And there are a lot of categories.
The results of that cage match are below. We chose 99 products and services. Eighty seven of them earned our Editors' Choice Award. Four of the products in this list (LastPass 2.0, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 high-end CILC camera, Adobe Photoshop CS6, and the Synology DiskStation DS1812+ NAS device) earned five stars. That's a perfect score, a rare accomplishment. This rating is not given lightly: It means our analysts deem the product bulletproof. A large number (48) of the rest earned a highly-respectable rating of 4.5 stars.
To be eligible for consideration in this story, a product had to be reviewed by the analysts in PC Labs between November 1, 2011 and October 26, 2012. Our experts use industry-standard benchmarks and several in-home tests to get quantifiable, reliable, and reproducible results. The only way for a product to make it into The Best Products of 2012 was to have been put through its paces and chosen as the best of the best.
With the holidays just around the corner, it's safe to say that any of the products included here would make an excellent gift. So, make sure you have this at hand as you begin your holiday preparations.
And now, we present PCMag's Best Products of 2012...
| DESKTOPS |
MAINSTREAM CONSUMER DESKTOP
$599.99
Based on AMD's A8 Llano technology with on-chip Radeon graphics, the Acer AM3470-UC30P mainstream desktop is a great deal for users looking for a complete desktop system with everything you need to get running out of the box. It comes with a nice 23-inch monitor, forward-thinking USB 3.0 ports, built in WiFi, and a sizable hard drive—Laarni Almendrala Ragaza
ALL-IN-ONE DESKTOP
$1,999
The Dell XPS One 27 high-end all-in-one PC manages to put almost every technology and feature we're looking for in a compact and stylish chassis. And it has excellent performance, thanks to its third-generation Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce (Kepler) graphics. Media enthusiasts, this is the all-in-one desktop you want.—LAR
GAMING DESKTOP
$5,289
Maingear can never be accused of going halfway when it comes to gaming desktops, especially with the Maingear Shift Super Stock (Core i7-3930K). It's a dazzling desktop loaded with an overclocked Intel Extreme CPU and three AMD Radeon HD 7970 video cards in a CrossFireX configuration, which helps it deliver the kind of legendary frame rates gamers crave.—LAR
COMPACT/SLIM DESKTOP
$899
Big things come in little packages. Case in point: the Polywell Poly i1000A-3770T small-form-factor desktop. There's plenty of muscle inside its super-compact chassis, particularly its mighty quad-core Intel Core i7-3770T processor. The system also packs in scads of ports—including USB 3.0 and HDMI—as well as a 500GB hard drive and 128GB solid-state drive. Its strong performance challenges the notion that small-form-factor systems must compromise performance.—LAR
BUSINESS/WORKSTATION
$1,997
The HP Z220 CMT Workstation packs some serious processing punch. With a 3.5GHz Intel Xeon E-1270v2 CPU and Nvidia Quadro 2000, it's an impressive workstation that should help you power through your daily tasks with strength and speed, all at a reasonable price for its class.—LAR
| LAPTOPS |
BUDGET LAPTOP
$349
If you thought you could only afford a netbook, the rock-bottom-priced Acer Aspire 5349-2635 is the ultra-budget laptop that will change your mind. The Aspire 5349-2635 is a mainstream laptop with a 15.6-inch screen and a full 4GB of memory, as well as an Intel Celeron processor and 320GB hard drive. It's no barn-burner, but the Aspire's bang-for-the-buck is impressive.—Brian Westover
BUSINESS LAPTOP
$1,164
The Lenovo ThinkPad X230 boasts an ultraportable design, a third-generation Intel processor, and all-day battery life. The ThinkPad X230 is an excellent performer, with the best productive capabilities we've seen in a business ultraportable.—BW
DESKTOP REPLACEMENT LAPTOP
$1,099
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y580 almost completely eliminates the need for a desktop PC, sporting a huge screen with 1080p resolution, built-in Blu-ray drive, and a full-sized keyboard. Throw in exemplary multimedia and gaming capabilities and the IdeaPad Y580 is the best desktop replacement we saw all year.—BW
GAMING LAPTOP
$5,297
This monstrous 17-inch Eurocom Scorpius gaming laptop is the fastest portable gaming system to hit PC Labs, boasting the latest Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processor, dual high-end Nvidia GeForce graphics controllers, and dual high-capacity solid-state drives (SSDs). Its feature set is as good as it gets. Two things to keep in mind, however: You'll have to shell out over $5K for this kind of performance and it weights a hefty 12.9 pounds.—BW
ULTRABOOKS
$863
The Toshiba Portege Z935-P300 is an ultrabook that makes very few concessions in the name of light weight and thin construction. With an almost eight-hour battery life, ultimate portability, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, and solid construction, the Portege Z935-P300 is our top pick for mainstream ultrabooks.—BW
ULTRAPORTABLE LAPTOP
$1,999
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Retina Display) gives the insanely picky visual artist a new, more portable sidekick. It's pricey, but it is the most portable machine for those with projects that need all those pixels on the screen and the powerful components to back them up. If you need a display with greater-than-HD resolution and you'll be taking that show on the road, you want this ultraportable laptop.—Laarni Almendrala Ragaza
| TABLETS & EBOOK READERS |
LARGE-SCREEN TABLET
$499 and up
The new iPad displays a spectacular selection of apps on the best screen in the business. Once you've seen text on this 2,048-by-1,536-pixel screen, it'll be hard to go back to anything jaggier. More importantly, Apple's array of apps designed for tablets, especially great games, dwarfs what's available on other tablet platforms.—Sascha Segan
SMALL-SCREEN TABLET
$199 and up
Google's 7-inch tablet is an amazing value at $199, with a slim, elegant design, a fast processor, the latest Android OS, and a wider variety of available apps than competing 7-inch tablets. It's more powerful, more flexible, and more affordable than any other tablet in its class.—SS
IPAD ACCESSORY
$99.99
The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is among the best-looking iPad accessories—in fact, it looks like it could have been designed by Apple. It doesn't provide great protection for your tablet, but it adds a comfortable physical keyboard and does so in style.—Eugene Kim
EBOOK READER
$119
Amazon really nailed it with the Kindle Paperwhite, the company's first ebook reader with a built-in light for reading in the dark. The new screen is brighter, has more contrast, is more responsive to the touch, and faster to refresh than Barnes & Noble's GlowLight-equipped Nook. Amazon also finally revamped the home screen, making it much more inviting, and Amazon's Kindle ebook ecosystem remains second to none.—Jamie Lendino
| MOBILE DEVICES |
NETWORK
Verizon Wireless 4G LTE
LTE is a huge leap forward for mobile Internet ... if you can get it. Verizon triumphed this year in bringing LTE to 400 U.S. cities, far more than competitors AT&T and Sprint. That makes Verizon's network the fastest mobile network nationwide.—Sascha Segan
BEST PHONE (TIE)
$199 and up
$199 and up
Apple's new phone ties with Samsung's flagship as the best smartphones in America. Apple wins on body design and app selection, while Samsung's phone has better GPS performance, better voice quality, and more user-configurable options.—SS
IPHONE ACCESSORY
$79.95
With more than ten hours of added battery life, a sleek and attractive design, and a competitive price, the PhoneSuit Elite is one of the best options for bringing all-day endurance to your iPhone 4 or 4S. It's also less expensive than competing models, offering great bang for your buck. The company promises an iPhone 5 version soon.—Eugene Kim
BLUETOOTH HEADSET
$99.99
It's a little big, but don't let that get you down. The Plantronics Voyager Legend is one of the best headsets we've ever tested, with crystal clear audio in the earpiece and transmissions through the microphone. For the latter, credit Plantronics' extensive experience in Bluetooth headset design, as well as the long boom, which reaches closer to your mouth and has room for an oversized, better-sounding mic. The Voyager Legend also has the best hardware controls on the market, and it's comfortable enough to wear all day.—Jamie Lendino
CELLULAR MODEM
$99.99 and up
Sprint's in a tough bind, with two incompatible networks in WiMAX and LTE. Sierra pulled off a unique trick in bringing both of them together in a single hotspot, adding a practically immortal battery to make sure that you can connect to any Sprint network at any time.—SS
GPS NAVIGATION
$399.99
Don't call the standalone GPS device category dead yet—especially with overachieving models like the Garmin nüvi 3590LMT. You get a sharp, bright 5-inch capacitive touch screen that displays smooth map animations and even graded terrain data. Garmin's routing and point-of-interest (POI) search algorithms continue to top the industry. And the new split-screen lane assistance views make it easier than ever to follow complex highway interchanges.—JL
| PC PERIPHERALS & COMPONENTS |
MOUSE
$69.99
The Logitech M600 Touch Mouse gives you the freedom to use its entire surface to scroll up and down and to swipe horizontally. With its refined, Zen-like design, adjustable weight, and receiver that works with multiple Logitech devices, it's easily the best touch mouse we've seen.—Ahmer Kazi
KEYBOARD
$99.99
"Cool" typically isn't a word used to describe keyboards, but the Logitech Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 is just that. It sports a unique space-saving design along with innovative "hand proximity detection" technology that, as a whole, make it the Cadillac of keyboards.—AK
MONITOR
$299.99
The NEC MultiSync EA232WMi delivers on every front, featuring a 23-inch IPS panel with very good color and grayscale performance, a built-in four-port USB hub, and a wide viewing range. Its sub-$300 sticker price is just as easy on your wallet as the screen is on your eyes.—AK
PC CASE
$189.99
If you want to put together an expansive (and expandable) gaming system easily, Thermaltake's Armor Revo Snow Edition makes the process easy. A heaping dollop of style from its cool color scheme and its other exterior features only add value to an already capable case.—Matthew Murray
PROCESSOR
$555
For all but the most rabid enthusiasts, the Intel Core i7-3930K processor represents an unparalleled combination of price and performance for use on the X79 Express platform. As our testing bears out, the i7 3930K's significantly lower price more than makes up for the slight difference in performance between it and the line's flagship model. —MM
VIDEO CARD
$499
Nvidia's new Kepler graphics architecture upended the video card competition this year, and none was more of a trailblazer than the first model out of the gate: the GTX 680. Boasting outstanding speed and record-low energy usage, it really was the best of all worlds—for no more than you'd pay for any other top-tier single-GPU card.—MM
| STORAGE |
INTERNAL HARD DRIVE
$300
What's so special about an internal, spinning hard disk drive these days? Western Digital's VelociRaptor line is back to show you: great speed (okay, not as great as a solid-state drive, but still pretty great) and an excellent price. A terabyte of storage translates to only 30 cents per gigabyte with this drive.—Eric Griffith
SOLID-STATE DRIVE
$229.99
The 830 series truly puts Samsung's SSDs in a new class, offering some of the fastest speeds on the market. It uses an SATA III interface to deliver data, a big step up from their older SATA II interfaces with half the speed. You pay dearly for the speed, but enthusiasts will not be disappointed.—EG
PORTABLE HARD DRIVE
$139.99 direct
Not all successors are successes, but the Seagate Backup Plus is a worthy heir to its venerable GoFlex forebears, offering a killer combination of brisk performance, a versatile Universal Storage Module adapter, and a smart user interface that uniquely incorporates social networking.—Ahmer Kazi
USB FLASH DRIVE
$139.99
The SanDisk Extreme 3.0 (64GB) is everything you'll ever want in a flash drive—it's faster (using USB 3.0), has more capacity, and is cheaper than the rest—and does it all with a wicked, stiletto design.—AK
| AUDIO |
MP3 PLAYER
$299 and up
The iPod touch gives you all of the advantages of a high-end smartphone, without the pesky phone contract. The new body design is stunningly slim and colorful, it runs hundreds of thousands of apps, and—oh yeah—it plays music and video, too. Compared to this design, competitors look like amateur hour.—Sascha Segan
BUDGET MP3 PLAYER
$149.99
Apple has redeemed itself with the new iPod nano. The previous model was one of Apple's few recent missteps; thankfully, the new one returns the proper vertical form factor while adding an oversize 2.5-inch color touch screen. The iPod nano is amazingly thin and light—just 1.1 ounce—yet packs in 16GB of storage, stereo Bluetooth support, an FM radio, a pedometer, and over 33 hours of continuous musicening on a single charge.—Jamie Lendino
HEADPHONES
$249.95
Move over, Bose—AKG has figured out how to best the industry leader in noise-cancelling headphones with better sound quality and a lower price. Long a top name in studio headphones, AKG has designed its latest consumer model with effective active noise cancellation, a comfortable design, USB recharging, stellar audio performance, and—in a nod to the company's mixing-room pedigree—zero distortion even at high volumes.—JL
EARPHONES
$89.99
Sony's always had good-sounding earphones, but the new XBA-S65 is our current favorite. Its balanced armature drivers sound clear and punchy. The sweat-proof, water-resistant design is perfect for gym rats, and you can even wash them if necessary. Adjustable rubber loops make it easy to find just the right fit. And the price, while high compared to the $20 replacement earbuds on the front rack at Best Buy, is a bargain given the level of sound quality.—JL
PC SPEAKERS
$399
These powered speakers offer audiophile-quality sound in a two-monitor set that costs less than many single high-end bookshelf speakers. They're larger, heavier, and more expensive than your average desktop speaker, but their flexibility, power, and excellent flat response justify the investment.—Will Greenwald
WIRELESS SPEAKER
$99.99
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox combines a surprisingly loud speaker and a relatively clear speakerphone into a single, long-lasting portable Bluetooth device. Its audio quality isn't quite as clear as Bluetooth speakers that cost twice as much, but between its $99 price tag and very good all-around performance it's the portable speaker to get.—WG
| CAMERAS & CAMCORDERS |
POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA
$649.99
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 wowed us with its relatively huge one-inch image sensor and fast lens. It can produce images that are on par with those from an SLR, but is small enough to slide into your pocket or purse. It's expensive, but if you're in the market for a serious compact, it's worth the money.—Jim Fisher
BUDGET POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA
$159.99
There are times when you can afford to drop a few hundred dollars on a camera, and times when your budget is limited. The Canon PowerShot A2400 IS is available at an attractive price and, as long as you keep its ISO setting at 400 or below, you have a budget shooter that is capable of capturing very sharp photos.—JF
HIGH-END COMPACT INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA
$1,299.99
It's probably not possible to create the perfect camera, but Olympus came pretty close with its OM-D E-M5. It's the best Micro Four Thirds camera that we've tested, outshining bodies with larger APS-C sensors in terms of image quality and performance. Throw in an excellent EVF, fast autofocus, in-body image stabilization, and weather sealing and you have a camera that won't disappoint.—JF
COMPACT INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA
$599.99
Sony's entry-level mirrorless camera packs an SLR-sized APS-C image sensor into a camera that is decidedly small. The LCD swings forward for self-portraits, there's a built-in pop-up flash, and the F3 can support Sony's OLED electronic viewfinder accessory (available separately). It's not a huge upgrade over its predecessor, the NEX-C3, but seeing as that camera won this award last year, it's not a surprise to see the F3 sliding into its place.—JF
SUPERZOOM CAMERA
$599.99
The FZ200 looks like a scaled down D-SLR, but it does something that no large-sensor camera is physically capable of—it squeezes a 25-600mm f/2.8 lens into a body that weighs less than a pound and a half. Its 24x zoom lens is sharp, and there's an excellent EVF for eye-level shooting—which makes it easier to hold the camera steady when zoomed all the way in.—JF
COMPACT SUPERZOOM CAMERA
$419.99
If you want a camera with a long lens, but can slide into your pocket, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V is the way to go. Its 20x zoom lens isn't as ambitious as the Nikon P510's 42x optic lens, but it makes for a much smaller camera. Images are sharp, the HX30V performs well at high ISOs, and it packs Wi-Fi and GPS as well. A $420 asking price when reviewed was a little disappointing, but it's now selling for less.—JF
FULL-FRAME D-SLR CAMERA
$5,999.95
Nikon's top-end camera may only pack 16 megapixels or resolution, but it is built like a tank, shoots at 10 frames per second, and produces excellent images at staggeringly-high ISOs. Its video capabilities are also impressive—it can output uncompressed 1080p video over HDMI, and supports a crop mode that extends the reach of your lenses by 2.7x without sacrificing video quality.—JF
D-SLR CAMERA
$1,999.99
Sony's choice to abandon optical viewfinders in its SLR cameras is off-putting to traditional photographers, but you can't argue with the results—the Alpha 77's full-time phase-detect autofocus system means that the camera focuses with the same speed during video and still capture, and the fixed mirror facilitates shooting at better than 10fps. The OLED EVF is nothing short of excellent—almost good enough to make you forget about optical viewfinders.—JF
RUGGED POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA
$399.99
Rugged cameras have a reputation of lagging behind less durable point-and-shoots in terms of image quality. The Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS bucks that trend, arriving with a fast f/2 lens, a sensor that does well at higher ISOs, and a built-in GPS. Images still aren't as sharp as better point-and-shoots, but you can't drop or submerge them in 40 feet of water without worry.—JF
LENS
$199.99
Canon's first foray into the pancake lens market is darned impressive, especially when you consider its low price. The compact lens is extremely sharp and can be used with full-frame and APS-C cameras. Its STM motor delivers smooth, quiet autofocus when recording video with the EOS Rebel T4i. It isn't the fastest prime lens, but don't let that stop you from adding it to your kit, especially for $200.—JF
CAMCORDER
$599.95
The Panasonic HC-V700M is one of the few consumer camcorders that can record full 1080p60 video, and it adds solid image stabilization and a versatile 21x optical zoom. It lacks Wi-Fi and some of the other the bells and whistles found in competing models, but it delivers excellent video quality even in low light.—Eugene Kim
BUDGET CAMCORDER
$349.99
The Canon Vixia HF R300 strikes a great balance between performance, features, and price. It's a no frills camcorder that will produce sharp and clear video in a variety of settings, and its long 32x zoom with solid image stabilization only sweetens the deal.—EK
WEBCAM
$99.99
The Logitech c920 delivers full 1080p high-definition video and stereo audio recording, making it a surprisingly powerful webcam that easily exceeds the capabilities of anything you'll find in a laptop. It works with Skype HD as well as a variety of other video chat services. Logitech's effective audio and video processing algorithms minimize noise and balance lighting changes on the fly.—Jamie Lendino
| HDTVS & HOME THEATER |
BUDGET HDTV
$1,429.99
Vizio's M3D550KD offers a great picture, a broad selection of online services, and very good 3D images at a low price. Since it's passive 3D and comes with four pairs of glasses you don't need to spend more than the price tag on the HDTV to watch 3D movies.—Will Greenwald
HIGH-END HDTV
$5,999.99
The Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD might seem extremely pricey, but the excellent picture quality on this 60-inch backlit LED screen makes its $6,000 price tag seem reasonable to cinephiles who want the darkest blacks and brightest, most accurate colors.—WG
BLU-RAY PLAYER
$149.99
For $150, the LG BP620 offers every feature you could want in a Blu-ray player. It supports 3D, has built-in Wi-Fi, and its selection of online services and apps is expensive. If that's not enough, it loads Blu-ray discs extremely fast and handled all our image processing tests.—WG
MEDIA HUB
$99
While iOS device owners will get the most out of the Apple TV, the now-1080p Apple media hub is a great choice for any TV or movie watcher. It has a handful of great online services and offers access to iTunes' extensive library of movies and music. It also supports AirPlay, so you can stream your favorite content from your iPad or iPhone to your HDTV with ease.—WG
| MOBILE APPS |
OPERATING SYSTEM
Free
Apple's beautiful mobile OS does it again—although it was really close. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is more customizable and just as responsive; its Google Now feature is more capable than Siri; and Google Maps Navigation blows away Apple Maps. But it's almost impossible to get Jelly Bean. If you argue that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (a far more popular OS at retail) represents Android instead, iOS 6 has a much smoother UI and Siri. And regardless of the Android version, Apple's SDK and App Store let developers write, distribute, and profit from apps much more easily—hence the higher-quality wares you'll find available for iOS.—Jamie Lendino
IPHONE APP
Free
StumbleUpon, the site that encourages you to explore your interests widely across the Web, brings its love of discovery to the Apple's smartphone market with a StumbleUpon iPhone app. Updated in 2012 with more emphasis on color and clean design, the little app reaches its full potential as a beautiful, compelling, and cerebral plaything. It's a remarkably designed app that all mobile app developers should study.—Jill Duffy
IPAD APP
Free
Flipboard, one of our 100 Best iPad Apps, is an excellent app for tablet readers. It leverages the iPad's Web-connectivity and large 9.7-inch display to cull blog posts, social networking feeds, images, video, and articles into a slick, print-like layout that closely replicates the traditional reading experience.—Jeffrey L. Wilson
ANDROID APP
Free to download; 99 cents per year after first year
Are you still paying to send and receive text messages? Hang onto your wallet! WhatsApp is the solution everyone is using, and you should, too. It's a cross-platform instant messaging app that lets you send unlimited text-like messages to contacts all over the world. The app itself is free to download, and use is free for the first year, with a tiny fee of 99 cents per year thereafter.—JD
| SECURITY |
PASSWORDS
Free
Passwords security is critical, and LastPass is the best tool. It can manage all your passwords, identify weak passwords, and auto-generate strong passwords for you: It even captures Wi-Fi passwords. The premium version ($12 per year) can also manage passwords for apps, and there's also an option to pair your account with a YubiKey USB device, for two-factor authentication with one-use passwords.—Neil J. Rubenking
SECURITY SUITE
$79.99 for three-PC license
Some suites excel in just one area. Norton Internet Security provides solid protection in all areas, though its firewall in particular aced our tests, getting a rare 5 out of 5 score. Worried about Norton performance impact? Norton once had a reputation for slowing machines, but our testing shows it slows your machine less than most other security suites.—NJR
STANDALONE ANTIVIRUS
$39.99
Webroot's Antivirus is ridiculously small package, at under a megabyte. But size isn't everything, as the app aced PCMag's malware blocking and removal tests. It is also superfast to install and scan, and it doesn't bother you with unnecessary details either (although there are plenty of advanced users controls under the hood).—NJR
PARENTAL CONTROL
Free for users of AVG Family Safety for desktop, or $19.99/year
AVG Family Safety is an Editors' Choice for parental control on the PC, so it's no surprise that AVG's iPhone app also impresses. The mobile version blocks an impressive amount of inappropriate content and malware, and lets you monitor your child's mobile browsing behavior. It's a very good deal for the price.—Sara Yin
MOBILE SECURITY
$2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year
In addition to achieving impressive test results from independent labs and from PCMag's own tests, Lookout continues to trail blaze the mobile security space with a new Signal Flare feature that captures your device's location right before it runs out of battery. PCMag's Editors' Choice for Android security continues to balance the most thoughtful set of features with the least user interference.—SY
| SOFTWARE & INTERNET |
DATABASE
$299
FileMaker Pro 12 brings Apple's refined sense of aesthetics to creating databases. Added new features and capabilities such as the ability to embed multimedia files and with over 40 new database themes, FileMaker Pro 12 is a tool for creating visually stunning and interactive databases.—Samara Lynn
EDUCATION
Free
Khan Academy is a site that everyone who is interested in elearning should visit at least once. In terms of its importance in the digital world, it shows potential to match Wikipedia. As a place where you can learn, or simply refresh your learning, in dozens of subjects, from algebra to economics to art history, Khan Academy is easily one of the most useful, educational, and eye-opening places online to learn.—Jill Duffy
LANGUAGE LEARNING
Free
The free website Duolingo provides a fascinating new way to learn Spanish, German, or French (for English speakers), or English for speakers of Spanish and Portuguese. Duolingo first teaches words and phrases through basic language-learning exercises, and then lets you try translating real Web pages, based on your skill level. Other users vote on the quality of the translations, and the results are used as part of a crowd-sourced project to make Web content publicly available in more languages.—JD
PHOTOGRAPHY/DESIGN
$699
Just when we thought that the standard-bearer among image-editing apps couldn't get any better, Photoshop CS6 comes along with a better interface, more powerful tools, and faster performance. The professional media-editing giant has done anything but sit on its laurels. Content-aware move and patch, an updated Camera Raw utility, powerful and flexible text and design tools, and a new layer search capability will have longtime users craving the update. Photographers get plenty of new goodies, too, with perfected tonal adjustments, lens-profile-based distortion corrections, better auto-correct, an improved crop tool, and perspective correction. On top of the still image advances, full video editing and adjustment is now included.—Michael Muchmore
OPERATING SYSTEM
$19.99
Apple's latest desktop OS may not look any different from its king of the felines predecessor, but digging in reveals over 200 improvements that enhance sharing, messaging, cloud-based synchronization, security, Web browsing, instant notifications, and accessibility. Much of what's new was taken from the best of iOS—a notification sidebar, Messages that interact with iPhones and iPads, voice input, and iCloud syncing. You can use it with Apple TV for the biggest possible desktop screen, and a new Safari syncs with the browser on your other iDevices, for a completely integrated Apple ecosystem.—MM
UTILITY
Free
SlimCleaner's slick interface, excellent browser-tweaking features, detailed file explanations, and informative, community-based monitoring quickly make it a tune-up utility that you will return to regularly for swift PC clean up.—Jeffrey L. Wilson
VIDEO
$299.99 direct
Final Cut Pro X is a drastic change from its predecessors, and the abrupt break upset the pro video community. But the new nonlinear video editing system signaled a new, far more intuitive paradigm, along with far better (background-rendered) performance. New yet sensible concepts like a Magnetic Timeline, Auditions, Compound Clips and Media Stems catapult the application beyond all the completion, while its price undercuts the rest.—MM
WEB BROWSER
Free
The newcomer among Web browsers holds onto its lead this year, with the most in HTML5 support and speed. Chrome's Instant features mean that sites can load before you even finish typing their addresses, and built-in Adobe Flash and PDF support mean you don't need to look around for plugins to make the Web work. A tight security strategy with sandboxing protects your computer, though some will have second thoughts on its privacy implications, with no built-in Do Not Track feature to date.—MM
WEB APP
Free
Outlook.com is the best thing to happen to email in years. Its new-look interface is clear, fast, sparse, and clean. It integrates with SkyDrive online storage and Office Web apps for working with files—attachments up to 300MB are allowed, compared with 25MB for the next highest competitor. Its unmatched sweep inbox-tidying tool, with time-based rules, and its Quick views let you preview images, video, and you can view only emails with photos, documents, or even shipping numbers. Built-in chat lets you converse with Facebook friends, and there's no ads based on scanning your email.—MM
| NETWORKING |
ROUTER
$179.99
Western Digital's dual-band 802.11n MyNet N900 wireless router is a delightful surprise from a vendor not known for making wireless routers. It sports a nice, simple, easy-to-remember product name along with excellent performance in the 2.4GHz band, and very good throughput in 5GHz, and best of all, seven Gigabit Ethernet ports and a couple of USB 2.0 ports for network peripherals.—Samara Lynn
NAS
$1,000
With support for up to 32TB of storage (and beyond with an expansion unit), great performance, a winning UI, and excellent data protection the Synology DiskStation DS1812+ is a near-perfect NAS, though it may be pricey for some.—SL
NETWORK UTILITIES
$999.99
For Windows network administrators who may not want to undertake the steep learning curve associated with Wireshark, Capsa is a great, albeit pricey, alternative. Capsa works a lot like Wireshark. It's a network analyzer and packet sniffer that provides excellent visualization of network traffic.—SL
NETWORK APPLIANCES
$79.99
The Cisco RV110W Wireless-N VPN Firewall is a step in the right direction for businesses that need more than just a wireless router but don't need overly complex all-in-ones. Administrators get the business features—router, firewall, VPN server, and a wireless access point—in a compact box along with a management interface that's as easy as the more consumer-oriented offerings.—Fahmida Y. Rashid
NETWORK MANAGEMENT TOOLS
$1,595
No network is immune to mistakes and problems, so administrators need to stay on top of their growing to-dos to keep the environment humming and secure. WhatsUp Gold gives network admins practically everything they need to know about the network delivers in a tightly integrated suite. Well-designed built-in help is useful in discovering advanced features and learning how to use it.—FYR
| PRINTERS |
SMALL-OFFICE INKJET PRINTER
$149.99
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8100 is faster than many inexpensive color lasers, and offers better paper handling, at a lower cost per page. This combination makes it one of the few inkjets that can go head to head with a color laser and wind up as the better choice for a micro or small office, or a busy home office.—Tony Hoffman
SMALL OFFICE COLOR LASER PRINTER
$300
The Samsung CLP-415NW provides good paper handling for a micro or small office, with a 250-sheet paper tray with a single-sheet feeder built into it. It offers Wi-Fi Direct for easy connection to smartphones and other mobile devices. Its key strength, however, is its combination of fast speed and high-quality output.—TH
SMALL OFFICE MONO LASER PRINTER
$300
The Brother HL-6180DW provides a winning combination of solid speed and output quality, copious standard and optional paper capacity, a low cost per page, and both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity. This monochrome laser printer is a good fit for heavy-duty printing in a micro or small office or workgroup.—TH
SMALL OFFICE MONO LASER MFP
$600
The Brother MFC-8950DW provides excellent paper handling and can serve as a heavy-duty mono laser MFP in a micro or small office. The touch-screen controls are convenient, especially if you expect to use the standalone copier and fax features often. This machine supports Gigabit Ethernet, which could make a difference in the print speeds across a network.—TH
HOME AND SOHO INKJET PRINTER
$99.99
The HP Officejet 6100 is fast for both business applications and photos, it delivers reasonably good quality across the board, and it offers a higher paper capacity than most printers at this price. It also can be shared over a network, prints from iOS devices with AirPrint, and prints from any device that can send documents as email attachments.—TH
HOME AND SOHO MFP
$99.99
Aimed primarily at home use, the Kodak ESP 3.2 can also serve light-duty use in a home office, or in the dual role of home and home-office printer. It offers better than par print speed and output quality for photos, reasonable speed and quality for text, and a lower running cost than most printers in its price range.—TH
| PROJECTORS |
INTERACTIVE DATA PROJECTOR
$2,200
The Epson BrightLink 485Wi is a compelling pick as an interactive projector if you don't require 3D capability. It offers a bright, high-quality image plus innovative features, including automatic calibration and the extension of interactivity to any image source. It's more expensive than the competition, but the price includes two pens and a mount.—Tony Hoffman
MOBILE PROJECTOR
$599
The 3M Mobile Projector MP410 offers a more than attractive balance of brightness, size, and features, including the ability to read files from various memory sources. It earns a lot of points for having less of a rainbow effect than most of its 300- and 500-lumen competition, and it offers somewhat better data image quality, with more readable text.—TH
HOME ENTERTAINMENT PROJECTOR
$649
If you can make do with 720p resolution in a family-room projector, the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 710HD provides a winning combination of low price, high brightness, solid image quality, connectivity choices, and built-in sound system. Its 2,800 lumens will let you project a large image in a fairly bright room, and its image quality is better than many HDTVs can manage.—TH
HOME THEATER PROJECTOR WITH 3D
$3,000
The Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 5010e is an impressive projector for its price, with a bright, high-quality image; an absence of rainbow artifacts; and a variety of useful features, from zoom and lens shift for easy setup, to auto-iris, frame interpretation, and 2D to 3D conversion. The balance of features, and particularly the high level of both 2D and 3D image quality, made it an easy pick as Editors' Choice.—TH
| SCANNERS |
PERSONAL DOCUMENT SCANNER
$495
The Canon imageFormula DR-C125's combination of speed, OCR accuracy, and business card handling is impressive for its price. Even more impressive is its ability to recognize text and save to searchable PDF format without slowing down. This makes it potentially a better choice than faster, more expensive scanners that slow down when recognizing text.—Tony Hoffman
PORTABLE SCANNER
$325
The Canon imageFormula P-215 Scan-tini is impressive either as a portable scanner or for personal desktop use. It's fast, particularly for scanning to searchable PDF format, offers a 20-sheet ADF and duplexing, and its text recognition is unusually accurate. It can scan hard plastic cards such as embossed ID cards and driver licenses, though it's not the best scanner for use with ordinary business cards.—TH
WAND SCANNER
$130
The VuPoint Solutions PDSWF-ST44-VP wand scanner is best appreciated as a highly portable document scanner. Not only is it far better at OCR and document management than most of its ilk, its Wi-Fi support lets you find out if you have a poor-quality scan while you are still able to do something about it.—TH
| GAMING |
GAMING DEVICE
$249 (Wi-Fi), $299 (3G/Wi-Fi)
While it still doesn't have many retail games (though it has tons of downloadable games available over PSN), the Sony PlayStation Vita stands as the strongest new gaming device on the market. In terms of hardware, the Sony PlayStation Vita has no equal in the handheld space. Its 5-inch OLED screen is beautiful, its design is functional, and it has the power behind it to offer a home console-level gaming experience. The PlayStation Vita's library doesn't have many AAA titles, but its future is bright.—Will Greenwald & Jeffrey L. Wilson
XBOX 360 GAME
$59.99
Simply put, NBA 2K13 is the best pro hoops game ever made. It features a startling amount of moves, excellent graphics, and a Jay-Z-curated soundtrack that fits the title's mood. Some will naturally decry it as nothing more than promotion for Jay-Z, the Brooklyn Nets, and Barclays Center, but if you can overlook that you'll find an excellent basketball game.—JW
PC GAME
$24.99
Telltale Games' five-part take on Robert Kirkman's classic zombie apocalypse comic series is light on gunplay, but thrills with excellent pacing, dialog, and a flexible story that changes based on the decisions that you make.—JW
PLAYSTATION 3 GAME
$59.99
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a beast of a fighting game crafted with hardcore gamers in mind—there's no watered down control scheme to appease more casual players like you'll find in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Gorgeous graphics, excellent mechanics, and environmental effects round out this fantastic package.—JW
3DS/VITA GAME
$39.99
Mortal Kombat represents one of the most stacked PS Vita games to date—you can even save directly to the cart itself, so a memory card isn't required. Mortal Kombat's special brand of fighting may not rope in the Street Fighter IV crowd, but if you're fond of the sci-fi/supernatural/ultra-violent spin on brawling, this is a can't-miss title.—JW
IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH GAME
$0.99
Final Freeway 2R is a blatant Outrun clone, but it duplicates that addictive, arcade racing style so well, that you can't help but to wonder why SEGA hasn't produced an iPad Outrun. Final Freeway 2R is one of the best games on the platform, and a must-have for those looking for a fun, quick racing romp. (Note: This is a universal app that is designed to run on all iOS devices.)—JW
IPAD GAME
$2.99
Sunside, Inc.'s shadowy, mysterious action-adventure title impresses with not only dark visuals and haunting soundtrack, but also an eerie story that changes over the course of the game based on your decisions. Crow's later levels become quite difficult, but don't let that deter you from sampling the game.—JW
ANDROID GAME
$4.99
If anyone tells you a phone can't play console-quality games, show 'em Asphalt 7: Heat. The stellar visuals deliver a real sense of speed. Between the races, time-trials, and position elimination modes, there's enough variety to keep you engaged for hours, with 60 cars, 15 tracks, and 150 events in all. Even the sound design is unusually well done, with car-appropriate motor sounds and metal-crunching collision effects.—Jamie Lendino