Carla Thornton, Danny Allen

Few people doubt that 2010 will go down as the year the tablet computer took off. On April 3, the first day of sales, Apple sold 300,000 iPad tablets to eager buyers. Weeks later, Apple announced that it would delay by one month the international launch of the iPad because it couldn't keep up with domestic de­­mand. Meanwhile, other tech companies are gearing up to ride the wave by prepping their own tablet PCs.

Rivals to the iPad include tablets that carry Google's Android operating system, Flash video, multitouch screens, front-facing cameras, and multitasking support. These models offer alternatives to the iPad, which lacks key features such as Adobe's multimedia Flash technology, a camera, and a built-in USB port.

Though Apple's high-end ($2000+) iMacs are the first all-in-one PCs with Core i5 and Core i7 processor options--not to mention big and beautiful 27-inch displays--the cheapest iMacs now all come with 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo processors. These entry-level $1200 and $1500 iMacs both feature 21.5-inch displays (and replace the 20-inch iMac from early 2009), while the 27-inch 3.06GHz iMac is now the middle ground in price at $1700. Here we look at the $1200 iMac, tested using Boot Camp and 64-bit Windows 7.

Apple's new high-end 27-inch iMacs (late 2009) are the first all-in-one PCs to use Intel's latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors. We can tell you it was worth the wait.

Here we look at the stock Core i5 27-inch iMac, tested using Boot Camp and 64-bit Windows 7. The $2000 system (as of December 8, 2009) ranks as the second-fastest all-in-one PC we've seen, beaten only by the $2200 iMac (27-inch/Core i7).

Apple's new high-end 27-inch iMacs--released late 2009--are the first all-in-one PCs to use Intel's latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors. We can tell you it was worth the wait.

Here we look at the 27-inch iMac with the built-to-order 2.8GHz Core i7 option, tested using Boot Camp and 64-bit Windows 7. Though pricey, this $2200 system (as of December 8, 2009) turned out to be the fastest all-in-one PC we've tested to date.

AT&T used Twitter last Friday evening to announce that a refurbished iPhone 3G -- specifically, the black 8GB model -- can now be picked up for just $49, while supplies last. That's half the price of an unopened 8GB model. A refurbished 16GB iPhone 3G (black or white) costs $99.

This could be a good option if you're after a 3G-capable iPhone, but don't crave the faster specs and improved camera of the new iPhone 3GS. You'll still need to sign up for a two-year contract, though.

Image created by PC World and Brian Christie Design.The pitch: Our ultimate set-top box/high-def DVR is a home theater PC--hey, we're PC World--that's quiet and turns on in seconds. (That's not an impossible dream either: Microsoft has thought about it, and ASrock has motherboards that use an advanced standby state to boot Windows in around 4 seconds). A PC-based DVR lets you hand-pick and upgrade hardware (drives, tuners, CableCards), manage codecs, and use add-ons like DVRMSToolbox, ShowAnalyzer or ComSkip to automatically detect and skip commercials. We'd follow the lead of MythTV and make ad-skipping standard.

Our interface blends the slick look and networking chops of Windows 7 Media Center with TiVo's ease of use; the latter already runs on PCs via Nero's Liquid TV kit.

We'll say it up front: The iMac is no longer the final word in all-in-one PCs. Though Apple's latest aluminum iMacs were the performance champs in our tests, it's the new wave of competing all-in-ones that are changing the game.

All-in-one makers now put greater emphasis on style and design, and touchscreens have practically become the norm. Some models--such as the HP TouchSmart IQ500t and TouchSmart IQ816, and the Dell Studio One 19--even have multitouch displays, which let you use two fingers at a time to pinch, push, rotate, and scroll items on screen. The TouchSmart PCs are also among several stylish big-screen all-in-ones that have built-in Blu-ray drives and double as Media Center HDTVs.

The iMac models released in early 2009 are the third generation of the aluminum iMac, and the all-in-one design hasn't changed much since its introduction in 2007. The grey bezel, the black Apple logos front and back, the aluminum stand, the matte-black plastic rear...it's all there, including the big glossy screen--much to the chagrin of antiglare proponents. And you get no antiglare option, either.

Apple offers four standard configurations of the iMac: three 24-inch models (1920 by 1200 resolution), and a 20-inch iMac (1680 by 1050 resolution). We tested the high-end 24-inch iMac using Boot Camp and Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit. Though pricey, this $2199 system (as of 7/2/09) turned out to be the fastest all-in-one PC we've tested to date.

The iMac models released in early 2009 are the third generation of the aluminum iMac, and the all-in-one design hasn't changed much since its introduction in 2007. The grey bezel, the black Apple logos front and back, the aluminum stand, the matte-black plastic rear...it's all there, including the big glossy screen--much to the chagrin of antiglare proponents. And you get no antiglare option, either.

Apple offers four standard configurations of the iMac: three 24-inch models (1920 by 1200 resolution), and this 20-inch version (1680 by 1050 resolution), which costs $1199 (as of 7/2/09). In our tests using Boot Camp and Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, the 20-inch iMac ranked as the second-fastest all-in-one PC we've seen, beaten only by the high-end 24-inch iMac we also recently tested.