The 100 Best Products of 2006

By Alan Stafford

PCWorld |

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Page 6 of 14

Best Products: 41-50

41. Alienware Aurora 7500
Power Desktop Computer ($1799 and up) You can configure this flashy PC with the best of everything, including AMD Athlon 64 X2, nVidia SLI graphics, and the Ageia PhysX processor. You'll pay dearly for it, all right, but this gaming rig is tops if you want to play. Review | Web Site

42. NEC MultiSync LCD 2180WG-LED
Flat-Panel Monitor ($6900) The NEC MultiSync LCD 2180WG-LED's backlighting via LED (a first among desktop PC monitors) gives it crisp contrast and detail. The leaky fluorescent backlights that most LCDs use add a faint glow, turning inky black to graphite gray. But on this 21.3-inch beauty, a black zipper pull stood out sharply against a black jacket pocket and nuanced whites and grays of a snowy mountain loomed in the background. The LED technology is sure to catch on. Review | Latest Prices

43. Apple iTunes
Digital Audio Software (free) Not just a conduit for files between Apple's Music Store and an iPod, iTunes is great even if just for your desktop. It's compatible with both Macs and Windows PCs. Web Site

44. Olympus Evolt E-330
Digital SLR Camera ($1100) The E-330 shows you a live preview on its LCD--a first for a digital SLR--and it has a useful dust-removal feature (addressing a common bugaboo that afflicts such cameras). Review | Latest Prices

45. Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro
Earphones ($250) Comparable in sound quality to Shure's high-end E5C earphones, this set costs far less. And it does a nice job of sound isolation. Review | Latest Prices

46. Creative Zen Vision:M
Digital Audio/Video Player ($300) Exceptional screen quality, a responsive interface, and great battery life make this portable player a worthy alternative to an iPod, if you like to run wide of the herd. Review | Latest Prices

47. Google Desktop
Desktop Search (free) Where did you put that file? To find it you could spend 10 minutes using Windows' search utility--or 10 seconds using Google Desktop. News Report

48. Opera 9 (Beta)
Browser (free) Opera deserves more exposure than it usually gets. Opera 9 is loaded with polished out-of-the-box features, such as useful ad and graphics blocking. Review

49. Mitsubishi XD460U
Projector ($2100) The XD460U ranked high for overall image quality in our tests, making it a great choice as a crossover projector for both conference-room and living-room use. It relies on a five-segment color wheel to achieve better imaging. Review | Latest Prices

50. Vonage
VoIP Service ($15 and up) Its Internet phone packages aren't the cheapest, but Vonage has useful features such as call-forwarding during an outage and quality controls. Review | Web Site

At a Glance

Generic Company Place Holder Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR Camera
Uses the same CMOS sensor as the 20D, but has a larger LCD and a spot meter. Controls are intuitive and easy to use.
Pros
- High quality RAW conversion
- Excellent interface
Cons
- Software's RAW conversion is slow
- Auto-bracketing limited to three stops
Citrix GoToMyPC 5
Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8.0 Preferred
Best Software Simply Accounting 2005
Corel Painter IX
Pros
- Interface improvements
- Excellent Snap-to-Path feature
- Sophisticated new oil brushes
- Dramatically better performance than that of previous versions
Cons
- Weak history feature
- Steep upgrade price
- No 16-bit-color support
Vonage VoIP
Adobe Photoshop CS2 (Full Product, PC)
Intuit Quicken Premier 2006
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4
Alienware Aurora 7500

Read PCWorld's review
Very fast, expensive PC with two graphics cards will appeal to hard-core gamers and graphics pros with deep pockets.
Pros
- Fast PC
- Easy to upgrade
Cons
- Open PCI Express X1 slots are blocked
Nero 7 Ultra Edition
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 Win32 USB Port English NA Hardware CD
LaCie d2 External 400GB SATA Hard Drive (Serial ATA, 7200 RPM, 8MB)
Fast and cleanly designed SATA drive comes with a PCI controller that provides external SATA connections.
Pros
- Fast, cleanly designed drive
Cons
- Relatively expensive
Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 (PC)
Palm GPS Navigator (3207NA)
Qnext

Read PCWorld's review
Pros
- Works with AIM, ICQ, IRC, MSN, Yahoo
- Terrific photo- and file-sharing features
Cons
- Icons make services appear too similar
Canon Pixma iP6600D

Read PCWorld's review
A big color LCD and two-sided printing make the well-designed iP6600D attractive. It prints high-quality photos quickly.
Pros
- Big color LCD display
- Very high quality photo prints
Cons
- Lacks PictBridge support
Serious Magic Ovation
Generic Company Place Holder Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Bridge Camera
Delivers top-notch image quality, but the autofocus behaved unpredictably, the zoom range is limited, and the price is high.
Pros
- Top-notch image quality
Cons
- Autofocus is unpredictable
- Zoom range is limited
Apple iPod nano 4GB MP3 Player - Black
This elegant model has high audio quality and native photo support. But it's pricey and limits you to the iTunes Music Store.
Pros
- Elegant design
- High audio quality
Cons
- Limits you to iTunes Music Store
Canon PIXMA MP950 All-In-One Photo Inkjet Printer (29 PPm, 9600x2400 DPI, Color, PC/Mac)

Read PCWorld's review
The MP950 has a nice 3.6-inch LCD and great paper handling, and delivers quality text and photos. Scan results were mixed.
Pros
- Stunning 3.6-inch color LCD screen
- Supports film scanning
Cons
- Lacks faxing and an ADF
- Scan quality could be more consistent
Microsoft Xbox 360 System
NEC 21.3" MultiSync LCD2180WG-LED-BK-SV Black LCD Monitor (21.3", 1600x1200, 25ms, DVI, PC/Mac)
Yamaha RX-V4600 Receiver (7.1 Channels, 130 W/Channel, 0.04% THD, Supports 10 Devices)
Apple IPod Video 5th Generation 60GB MP3 Player - Black (60GB Internal Hard Drive)
BitDefender Standard 9

Read PCWorld's review
Pros
- Excellent malware detection
Cons
- Slow scan speed
HP MD5880n 58" DLP Projection TV (16:9, HDTV)
DLP set aced our image-quality tests handily, and has unique, easily accessible front-mounted ports.
Pros
- Excellent image quality
- Front-mounted ports
Mitsubishi XD460U DLP Projector
Bright high-quality images and enhanced color capabilities justify this projector's premium price.
Pros
- Supports multiple PCs inputs
- Great image quality
Cons
- High price makes it less competitive
ATI Radeon X1900 XTX Video Card (512MB, PCI Express x16, Dual DVI)
Powerful card competes well against rival GeForce 7-series top dogs, but it'll cost you.
Pros
- Top-notch performance
Cons
- Top-shelf pricing
Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.5
Generic Company Place Holder Fujifilm FinePix E900 Compact Camera
Delivers high image quality and many controls. However, the price is high and image editing software is limited.
Pros
- Quick access to commonly used controls
- Many manual controls
Cons
- Need two hands to operate menus
- Pop-up flash feels a little flimsy
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard (Athlon X2/ Athlon FX/ Athlon 64/ Sempron, nForce4 SLI X16, Socket 939, ATX, 4GB DDR, 1000MHz Bus)
Pros
- Innovative heat pipe cooling system
- Has eSATA port for external SATA drives
Cons
- Expensive
- Some larger heat sinks may not fit
Generic Company Place Holder UltraSharp 3007WFP Black 30-HC

Read PCWorld's review
This big display showed extremely sharp text and bright graphics, and it has plenty of media card slots and USB ports.
Pros
- Offers excellent image quality
- Includes media card slots
Cons
- Does not have any OSD controls
Creative ZEN Vision:M 30GB Media Player - Black (2.5
The VisionM has a touchpad and delivers great-looking video. However, it needs a dongle to sync files.
Pros
- High audio quality High audio quality
- Great screen for photos and video
Cons
- Audio codec support somewhat limited
- Requires dongle to charge and sync files
In2M Mvelopes Personal
Simple and useful Web-based budgeting software
Pros
- No cumbersome installation of software
- Offers mobile access to your info
Cons
- Performance can be sluggish
- No investment tools
T-Mobile SDA

Read PCWorld's review
This bulky handset offers built-in Wi-Fi, so you can browse the Web and send e-mail and instant messages quickly and easily.
Pros
- Bulit-in Wi-Fi for easy Web access
- Impressive battery life
Cons
- Some keys are small and cramped
Generic Company Place Holder LN-S3251D 32" LCD TV (16:9, 1366x768, 4000:1, HDTV)
Bright, high-quality screen and sleek, piano-black cabinet make this TV a proud living-room centerpiece.
Pros
- Attractive model with swiveling base
- Graphic equalizer, useful menu tooltips
Cons
- Switching between HDMI inputs isn't easy
Generic Company Place Holder Lenovo ThinkPad X60s Notebook

Read PCWorld's review
Strong performance, battery life, and keyboard make this expensive business notebook a winner.
Pros
- Very fast
- Well designed
Cons
- Very expensive
- No touchpad
Generic Company Place Holder Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600 Notebook

Read PCWorld's review
The hefty G35-AV600 has one-touch TV, a nice display, and terrific sound and battery life; gaming performance was dissapointi
Pros
- One-touch TV; nice display
Cons
- Disappointing gaming performance
Generic Company Place Holder Olympus EVOLT E-330 Digital SLR Camera
Standout LCD plus good optic and image quality, but there's no LCD status display and lens options are limited.
Pros
- LCD screen can be used as a viewfinder
- Unlimited continuous shooting
Cons
- Rear-mounted LCD can be distracting
- Limited lens selection
Epson Perfection V700 Photo
Pros
- Dual lens system allows for transparency scans of up to 6,400 dpi
- Speedy
Cons
- Colors in images skew toward red
Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro
Dantz EMC Retrospect for Windows Professional Edition (Full Product)

Read PCWorld's review
Intel Core Duo Processor (2.16GHz, 2MB, 667GHz FSB, Socket 478)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core Processor (2.4GHz, 2MB, 2GHz Bus, Socket 939)
Seagate Portable ST9160821U2-RK External 160GB Hard Drive
Toshiba HDA1 HD-DVD Player
eVGA GeForce 7600 GT Video Card (256MB, PCI Express x16, Dual DVI)
Sonos ZonePlayer 80
Amp-less, lower-cost ZonePlayer for Sonos' complete home music system.
Pros
- Provides nearly all the features and benefits of the ZonePlayer 100 to an existing stereo system for a lower price and in a much smaller package
Cons
- Digital Music System requires at least one ZonePlayer be connected to your computer, router, or wireless bridge
- Digital Music System still has a few minor limitations noted in
- No headphone jack
RedOctane Guitar Hero Bundle (PS2)
Pioneer Blu-Ray Disc Writer (2x/2x/2x BD, 8x/4x/8x DVD+RW, 8x/4x/8x DVD-RW, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 2x DVD-R DL)
Mionet
TiVo ? Series2? 80-Hour Digital Video Recorder (80 GB)
Apple Mac mini/1.66GHz
Unlike the single-core 1.5GHz Intel-based Mac mini, this model is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo chip. It also features more storage capacity and an 8X dual-layer SuperDrive. Other features -- an integrated graphics processor that shares memory with the system RAM, built-in wireless networking capabilities, and the Front Row multimedia management program -- are the same as what you get with the 1.5GHz Mac mini.
Pros
- Two processing cores
- Analog- and digital-audio input and output
- Four USB 2.0 ports
- Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
- Front Row software with Apple Remote
- Improved performance in many native applications
- Built-in SuperDrive
- Gigabit Ethernet
Cons
- RAM is difficult to upgrade
- Integrated graphics reduces available RAM
Western Digital Raptor X 150GB Hard Drive (Serial ATA-150, 10,000 RPM, 16MB)
EIZO Nanao FlexScan S2410W 24.1" LCD Monitor (24.1" 1920x1200, 16ms, DVI, PC/Mac)
SmartHome SYLVANIA Z-WAVE DELUXE STARTER KIT BY UNICAL ENTERPRISES
Salling Software Salling Clicker 3
Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 with Media - 1-User License
iRiver Clix
BFG Technologies GeForce 7900 GTX OC Video Card (512MB, PCI Express x16, Dual DVI)
Channel Sources Dist. ThinkFree Office (Full Product)
NewsGator FeedDemon 2

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Page 6 Next

Page 6 of 14

Best Products: 41-50

Generic Company Place Holder Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR Camera

Pros

Cons

Citrix GoToMyPC 5

Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8.0 Preferred

Best Software Simply Accounting 2005

Corel Painter IX

Pros

Cons

Vonage VoIP

Adobe Photoshop CS2 (Full Product, PC)

Intuit Quicken Premier 2006

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4

Pros

Cons

Nero 7 Ultra Edition

LaCie d2 External 400GB SATA Hard Drive (Serial ATA, 7200 RPM, 8MB)

Pros

Cons

Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 (PC)

Palm GPS Navigator (3207NA)

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Serious Magic Ovation

Generic Company Place Holder Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Bridge Camera

Pros

Cons

Apple iPod nano 4GB MP3 Player - Black

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Microsoft Xbox 360 System

NEC 21.3" MultiSync LCD2180WG-LED-BK-SV Black LCD Monitor (21.3", 1600x1200, 25ms, DVI, PC/Mac)

Yamaha RX-V4600 Receiver (7.1 Channels, 130 W/Channel, 0.04% THD, Supports 10 Devices)

Apple IPod Video 5th Generation 60GB MP3 Player - Black (60GB Internal Hard Drive)

Pros

Cons

HP MD5880n 58" DLP Projection TV (16:9, HDTV)

Pros

Mitsubishi XD460U DLP Projector

Pros

Cons

ATI Radeon X1900 XTX Video Card (512MB, PCI Express x16, Dual DVI)

Pros

Cons

Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.5

Generic Company Place Holder Fujifilm FinePix E900 Compact Camera

Pros

Cons

Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard (Athlon X2/ Athlon FX/ Athlon 64/ Sempron, nForce4 SLI X16, Socket 939, ATX, 4GB DDR, 1000MHz Bus)

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Creative ZEN Vision:M 30GB Media Player - Black (2.5

Pros

Cons

In2M Mvelopes Personal

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Generic Company Place Holder LN-S3251D 32" LCD TV (16:9, 1366x768, 4000:1, HDTV)

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Generic Company Place Holder Olympus EVOLT E-330 Digital SLR Camera

Pros

Cons

Epson Perfection V700 Photo

Pros

Cons