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Best Hardware

Hardware Product of the Year, Best Networking Product

Linksys BEFW11S4: Wireless networks came into their own this year, dropping in price and growing more reliable as vendors ironed out Wi-Fi compatibility issues. Meanwhile, more computers and broadband connections reached our homes and home offices, making easy-setup networks more attractive than ever.

Fittingly, our hardware product of the year is our favorite wireless net centerpiece, Linksys's BEFW11S4. Last year, this versatile $180 gateway won our Best Home Networking award (back then it cost $289). But with a Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless access point, a cable/DSL router, and a four-port switch included, this gateway can support a broadband connection for a small-office network. Good printed manuals walk you through the process of setting up the BEFW11S4 and getting all your connected PCs talking.

Wi-Fi's top speed of 11 mbps is enough for sharing a broadband connection and running a small network, though larger companies may want to consider more-expensive Wi-Fi5 (802.11a) networks, which promise 54-mbps speed.

The future's bright for wireless networks in homes and small offices. Non-PC products such as MP3 stereo components connect to networks. At work, products like Linksys's Wireless Presentation Gateway link an array of devices. Later this year, 802.11g networks will unite the speed of Wi-Fi5 with Wi-Fi compatibility; but for now, Wi-Fi networks are a great way to share a home or office broadband connection, and the BEFW11S4 is a good place to start.

Best Recordable-DVD Drive

Pioneer DVR-AO4: Rewritable-DVD drives stand poised to supplant CD-RW models, and they may replace your VCR as well, offering more-durable media and higher-quality video. Pioneer's DVR-A04 DVD-RW/R drive is a prime example: Its media can store up to 4.7GB of data--far more than a standard 650MB CD holds and enough for 2 hours of video. At $499, the drive debuts at about half the initial cost of its well-liked DVR-A03 forerunner, with improved DVD-ROM and CD-ROM read speeds and the same write speeds. Moreover, its write-once DVD-R discs, cheaper than ever at about $2 a pop, have proved highly compatible with legacy DVD-ROM drives and DVD movie players. The only caveat: Rewritable-DVD standards are not firm, and one of the major contenders, the DVD+RW Alliance, has slightly faster drives and its own write-once DVD+R media.

Best Graphics Board

VisionTek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti 4400: A year ago we named Microsoft's DirectX 8 our Most Promising Software Newcomer, but so far we haven't seen much more than promise. That's about to change with the release of stunning new games like Unreal Tournament 2003 that will push graphics cards and gaming rigs to their limits. Our graphics board pick is ready for the challenge, with 128MB of 550-MHz DDR memory and one the fastest graphics chips available, NVidia's GeForce4 Ti 4400. This $265 board has most of the speed of pricier GeForce4 Ti 4600 boards that go for upward of $100 more.

Best Digital Camera--$500 or More

Canon PowerShot G2: Canon's $799 PowerShot G2 packs loads of manual and semiautomatic adjustments and focusing control into a reasonably priced package. This 4-megapixel camera takes superb snapshots with sharp detail and realistic colors. The boxy G2 sports a 3X optical zoom (with a focal range of 35mm to 102mm, in 35mm equivalent) and a swiveling LCD that lets you point the screen up, down, or in the same direction as the lens--handy when you take self-portraits or when you use the included remote control. It offers long battery life, too: On one charge of its lithium ion battery, the G2 took 348 photos.

Best Digital Camera--Under $500

Toshiba PDR-M71: Good battery life, a sub-$400 price, and 3.2 megapixels of resolution make the PDR-M71 an outstanding value.

Best Digital Audio Player

IRiver America SlimX: There are lots of great contenders here, from Apple's IPod to Sonicblue's RioVolt SP250. But while the hard-drive-based IPod is pretty slick, its software support on PCs isn't. CD-based MP3 players like the RioVolt SP250 don't have that problem, but they can get pretty bulky. Enter IRiver's $199 SlimX, which includes a high-quality FM tuner and cuts back on the bulk by moving its four-line LCD screen onto a handy in-line remote. Only slightly wider than a CD and a scant 16.7mm thick, the SlimX leaves you plenty of room to stow extra MP3 CDs.

Best Gadget

Sonicblue ReplayTV 4000: Personal video recorders aren't new, but they're changing the way we watch TV. Sonicblue's ReplayTV 4000 represents a natural evolution of PVR technology to capitalize on broadband connectivity. Available in 40GB, 80GB, 160GB, and 320GB capacities, this networked hard-disk-based recorder uses a broadband ethernet connection to download channel guide information, and to enable users of 4000-series recorders to send shows to one another via the Internet, albeit in a lengthy process. The ReplayTV 4000's main drawback is its price, which starts at a steep $699 for the 40GB model. But unlike with TiVo, its better-known competitor, you don't have to pay additional fees to access the program guide.

Best Wireless Communication Device

Samsung I300: PDA/cell phone combos took steps in the right direction this year, from Handspring's Treo (integrated keyboard) to Kyocera's QCP 6035 Smartphone (sleeker design). For our money, the Palm-based Samsung I300 is the best of the new bunch. This $500 hybrid uses its crisp color screen as a keypad, keeping the unit's size and weight down--the 6-ounce I300 isn't much larger than some Pocket PCs.

Best Input Device

Logitech Cordless Freedom Optical: Total PC control, sans wires, courtesy of this $100 keyboard-and-mouse's many customizable buttons.

Best Hard Drive

Maxtor DiamondMax D540X: Combining good speed and great value, Maxtor's D540X line of drives tops out at a staggering 160GB.

Best CD-RW Drive

Plextor PlexWriter 40/12/40A: New 40X drives let you burn a CD in about 3 minutes. Our pick, from always-reliable Plextor, goes for $189.

Best CRT Monitor

ViewSonic GS790: With a depth of only 16.2 inches and a price of $289, our top selection is short on everything but image quality. This 19-inch CRT is a great choice if you have a reasonable amount of desk space.

Best Flat-Panel Display

ViewSonic VG171: For more-cramped quarters--or just for the elegant look--our LCD monitor winner, the 17-inch VG171 (priced at $769), has outstanding all-around image quality and is only 6.6 inches deep.

Best Scanner

Epson Perfection 1650 Photo: For photo or film scanning, Epson's $249 Perfection 1650 Photo captures beautiful images at resolutions up to 1600 by 3200 dpi and in 48-bit color.

Best Sound Card

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum: Creative Labs ratcheted up PC sound quality with its Audigy line. The included IEEE 1394 port is icing on the cake.

Best PC Speaker System

Logitech Z-560: At $200, the Z-560 system is one of the best values in PC sound. This THX-certified four-speaker setup produces sound that rivals that of systems costing $100 more.

Best Projection System

InFocus LS110: Our best-projector choice will cost you: InFocus's $5000 LS110 uses DLP technology to produce a stunningly crisp and bright image.

Best Monochrome Workgroup Printer

HP LaserJet 4100n: The second-fastest printer we've tested took top honors in print quality--a combination that more than justifies the 4100n's $1550 price tag.

Best Ink Jet Printer

Epson Stylus C80: The $179 Stylus C80 features low ink costs, vivid photo prints, and fast printing speeds (6.9 ppm text and 1.5 ppm graphics).

Best Personal Laser Printer

Brother HL-1440: Its $300 price tag makes the HL-1440 as affordable as some high-quality ink jets--and a great choice for high-quality monochrome text output in your home office.

Best Color Laser Printer

Lexmark C720: Our color laser pick can cover all your workgroup's needs, from beautiful color prints to enough speed to churn out plain text.