X

CNET 100: The winners

These are the hands-down most important tech products of the year in each major gadget category. They will change the industry and your life--if they haven't already.

Lindsey Turrentine
Lindsey Turrentine is executive vice president for content and audience. She has helped shape digital media since digital media was born.
Lindsey Turrentine
iphone_4s.jpg
1 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

iPhone 4S

The WinnersCNET 100: The winners
We chose the most important tech products of the year in each major gadget category. These winners are the true game-changers of 2011.

The iPhone 4S is the ultimate comeback kid. Despite showing up four months later than expected and in the wake of endless iPhone 5 rumors, the iPhone 4S continues to outsell any other phone in the United States. We love this phone--especially its blazing A5 processor and point-and-shoot-killing camera--and the iPhone 4S' voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, is a breakout cultural phenomenon.

Read our iPhone 4S review | Get the iPhone 4S | Return to CNET 100
35033947_PAlM.png
2 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Motorola Droid Razr

The WinnersRemember the original Motorola Razr? If you were born before the turn of the millennium, there's no way you could forget it. In a feat of marketing brilliance, Motorola revived the Razr this year in a completely new--but equally satisfying--design. The Motorola Droid Razr combines the winning Google Android operating system with a broad-screened, razor-thin (yes, we said it) design that has us over the moon. Plus, the back of the phone is make of Kevlar. Kevlar!

Read Motorola Droid Razr review | Get the Motorola Droid Razr | Return to the CNET 100
ICS_homescreen_faceunlock_recents.png
3 of 10 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Android Ice Cream Sandwich

The Winners Until Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich arrived on the scene, Google's ubiquitous smartphone interface suffered from a fractured, scatterbrained implementation across many devices from many manufacturers. With ICS, Google wants to unify the smartphone and tablet form factors, so that Android looks like Android on any screen size. ICS has yet to appear on many devices, but when it does, we'll be thrilled. For now, know that ICS includes such novelties as the capability to unlock by looking at your face. (Get a full Ice Cream Sandwich walkthrough in this slideshow.)

Read our Android 4.0 review | Return to the CNET 100
ipad2.jpg
4 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

iPad 2

The WinnersYou could argue that the iPad 2 is little more than an original iPad updated to fix glaring omissions. But no one can deny that this version--thinner, faster, and with two cameras--rules the tablet kingdom. With 80 percent market share at last count, the iPad 2 managed to ward off every major tablet competitor in 2011, and sets the gold standard for the entire tablet category. With rumors of an imminent iPad 3 and the Kindle Fire nipping at its heels, though, this tablet is likely enjoying the last months of its tenure on top.

Read our iPad 2 review | Get the iPad 2 | Return to the CNET 100
KindleFireGaming.jpg
5 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Kindle Fire

The Winners"Underdog" doesn't typically describe Amazon products. But the well-reviewed Kindle Fire isn't a typical device. This Android-based tablet enters a market dominated by the iPad 2, but comes from behind with a not-so-secret weapon: an astoundingly low $199 price point. Possibly losing money on each tablet, Amazon is banking on its ecosystem of music and media to squeeze profits out of the lightweight tablet. We think the strategy just might work.

Read our Kindle Fire review | Get the Kindle Fire | Return to the CNET 100
KindleWithBooksv3.jpg
6 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Kindle

The WinnersWe debated whether to include yet another Kindle in this coveted list of winners. But here's the thing about the ad-supported $79 Kindle: black-and-white though this entry-level e-reader may be, the Kindle wins by dint of its rock-bottom price and the fact that its subtle ads--mostly in the form of Amazon deals--are so targeted they're actually useful in and of themselves. Yep. There, we said it: we actually like these ads.

Read our Kindle review | Get the ad-supported Kindle | Return to the CNET 100
Apple_MacBook_Air_2.jpg
7 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

MacBook Air

The Winners The second generation of Apple's MacBook Air fixes many of our gripes about the ambitious original MacBook Air, adding more USB ports, an SD card slot, and a more powerful processor. Now, the Air stands to define an entire generation of so-called ultrabooks. These superthin laptops have no hard drive, start up instantly, and--short of a touch screen--do much of what a tablet can't thanks to their built-in keyboard. It turns out, the world still needs keyboards.

Read our MacBook Air review | Get the MacBook Air | Return to the CNET 100
Roku_LT.jpg
8 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Roku LT

The WinnersUnless you live on Mars, you've seen ads for the little, purple Roku LT box this holiday season. From looking at the Roku, you'd never guess this tiny device--not much bigger than two iPhones stacked together--is one of CNET's very favorite things. It costs a mere $49 and will change the way you watch TV (unless you're one of the few who already own a streaming television). The Roku LT (and its more expensive brethren) streams Netflix, Hulu, and many other channels of Internet video through a blindingly simple interface.

Read our Roku LT review | Get the Roku LT | Return to the CNET 100
Nestthermostat.JPG
9 of 10 Nest

Nest Learning Thermostat

The WinnersYep. That's right. It's a thermostat. But if there's ever going to be a thermostat for the ages, the Nest Learning Thermostat--just released this fall and already selling out--will be it. This connected hockey puck of a thermostat looks beautiful and lets you program by simply turning the body of the device, or by operating it from your smartphone. A motion sensor lets the thermostat "see" when people are usually in a room, and its artificial intelligence improves home efficiency automatically. Wow.

Return to the CNET 100
iphone_4s_Siri.jpg
10 of 10 Apple

Voice Control: Siri and Kinect

The WinnersCall 2011 the year when voice recognition and control went mainstream. Siri, the iPhone 4S' voice-controlled digital assistant, has gotten the most attention, but Microsoft made its own play with the voice-controlled Xbox 360 Kinect gaming system. (Kinect technically debuted late in 2010, but we'll let it slide, since a lot of the Kinect voice control fun came from hackers doing their work in 2011.)

Siri delights many, frustrates some, and has had her share of public relations crises. Still, these popular voice-controlled interfaces put speech technology in the forefront and set the tone for years of voice innovation.

Return to the CNET 100

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos