The 100 Best Products of 2005

Web

A9.com
SEARCH ENGINE (Free) Amazon's clever A9 search engine and toolbar starts with Google results. But it does Google one better with features like auto-syncing bookmarks, a search history, and amazing photo-based Yellow Pages. Download

Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router and Notebook Network Card
WIRELESS NETWORKING (Router $160, network card $110) They offer dramatically faster speeds and better range than their 802.11g predecessors. Review

Cerulean Studios Trillian 3.1
INSTANT MESSENGER (Free) A universal client, Trillian works with AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and other IM networks. Version 3 adds audio and video chat, plus links to the Wikipedia online encyclopedia. Review | Download

Flickr.com
PHOTOGRAPHY SITE (Free) Post snapshots or rummage through other people's collections. Review

Google
SEARCH ENGINE (Free) The king of search continues to introduce important innovations--such as Google Maps, Google Answers, and Google Scholar--while maintaining a clean interface. Review

Google Gmail
WEB MAIL (Free) Fast, simple, and with 2GB of storage, it has the elements of a paid service, delivering messages sans pesky graphical ads. Review

Internet Archive (Archive.org)
WEB SITE (Free) Who says you can't fit the entire Web under one domain? Well, maybe not the whole Web, but enough of it to keep any browser busy for a couple of lifetimes. Review

Mozilla Thunderbird
E-MAIL PROGRAM (Free) This client gives you useful features such as fast search capability and an RSS reader. It's great at blocking spam, too. Review | Download

Mysoft Technology Maxthon
BROWSER PLUG-IN (Free) Add oomph to Internet Explorer: Jump between pages in a tabbed interface, block ads, and pick from 300 skins. Review | Download

Netgear 54 Mbps Cable/DSL Wireless Travel Router Model WGR101
TRAVEL ROUTER ($80) Give yourself the freedom to wander about 30 feet from an ethernet jack and to create your own secure Wi-Fi network. Review | Latest Prices

The New York Times on the Web
WEB SITE (Free) NYTimes.com serves up great content, a clear layout, and interactive features. Company Web Site

OnlyMyEmail Pro
SPAM FILTER ($3 a month) Service filters spam from up to three e-mail accounts. In our tests it caught more than 99 percent of unsolicited mail. Review

Opera 8
WEB BROWSER (Free) Find Firefox too austere? Opera is an attractive, feature-rich alternative. Review

Qnext
INSTANT MESSENGER (Free) Not only does Qnext bring all your IM services together, it puts file sharing, photo sharing, music streaming, and games into the same interface. Review | Download

SightSpeed
VIDEO INSTANT MESSENGER ($5 a month, $50 a year) Its lip sync is unbeatable on one-to-one calls, and it's above average on multiparty calls. Review | Download

Six Apart TypePad
BLOGGING TOOL ($5 a month, $50 a year) Though tools such as Blogger are free, bountiful features (including options for making blogs public or private), slick templates, and customization options make TypePad a smart investment. Company Web Site

Skype
VOIP SERVICE (Free) PC-to-PC phone calls have never sounded so good--plus, it's easy to set up. Review

Vonage
VOIP SERVICE (Starts at $15 per month) Vonage stands out for its dependable service and first-rate call quality. Plus, the company has plans to roll out enhanced 911 (E-911) soon. Review

Wikipedia
ONLINE RESOURCE (Free) Constantly updated and self-policed, this collaborative online encyclopedia offers insight into almost everything. Review

The Best Products of 2005
	Product of the Year
	PCs and Peripherals			Monitors and TVs
	Office Software			Digital Photography
	Security			Printing and Publishing
	Storage and Backup			Mobile Tools
	Web			Consumer Electronics
	1-100 The ranked list of all 100 products