The 100 Best Products of 2006
Powerful computers, handy services, tiny utilities, mammoth HDTVs--our editors' top picks include all these and a whole lot more. Plus: the worst products of all time.
Alan Stafford
Best Products: 71-80
Photo 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 7.5
Backup 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 1.1
Digital 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 Magic
Home 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-Wave
Home Automation ($130 for starter kit) Of the leading home-automation technologies, Z-Wave combines performance, reliability, and product selection most effectively. Review | Latest Prices
Antivirus ($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 | Latest Prices (Note: BitDefender 9 Standard is no longer available; see pricing and other information for BitDefender Antivirus Plus 10.)
77. Sage Software Simply Accounting Basic 13
Small-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. Flickr
Photo-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
CD/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 8
Voice 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
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