The Best In Tech 2006

BEST MAINSTREAM LCD

Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP

Excellent image quality, a host of features, and an attractive price add up to a winning combination for the Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP. This 20-inch widescreen display (1,680x1,050 native resolution) includes composite-video and S-Video inputs,is compatible with high-definition television (HDTV), and can pivot between portrait and landscape modes. It also provides impressive gray-scale performance, vivid colors, and good screen uniformity.

BEST PERFORMANCE LCD

Samsung SyncMaster 970P

Samsung channeled Apple when it designed the 19-inch SyncMaster 970P—its plastic body, white-and silver color scheme, and rounded edges bring to mind the original iPod. Still, the LCD’s fine image quality and acrobatic adjustability make it worthy of consideration. In our tests, the 970P turned in excellent performance. Text looked sharp, and it produced crisp backgrounds and vibrant colors during gameplay.

BEST SOUND CARD
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro

Thanks to its next-generation Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) audio chip, the 7.1-channel X-Fi Elite Pro delivers better-sounding audio than any other consumer sound card. In addition to the PCI card itself, you get an external I/O box (housing hardware controls and a large assortment of jacks), a remote, and software that lets you choose settings for gaming, entertainment, or audio creation.

BEST COLOR LASER PRINTER
HP Color LaserJet 2840

More than just a printer, the HP Color LaserJet 2840’s exhaustive array of features should satisfy most busy offices.You can use the 2840 to print, copy, and scan documents in gray scale or color. It features memory-card slots, a 50-page document feeder, and a built-in fax machine. The 2840 delivered great-looking text pages at a rate of 12ppm in our tests.

BEST 2.1 SPEAKER SYSTEM
Logitech Z-10

Logitech’s piano-black Z-10 promises to simplify your listening experience without dulling it down. The two-speaker combo features an integrated LCD that displays track and artist info
directly on the right-channel speaker.Touch-sensitive controls let you skip, fast-forward, and pause music.You also get an auxiliary input for hooking up your MP3 player. Both speakers
have a 1-inch domed tweeter and 3-inch woofers for a large range of tonality.

BEST DIGITAL SLR CAMERA
Olympus Evolt E-330

Most dSLRs let you review shots on their LCDs
only after you click the shutter. The E-330 is the
first to allow you to compose shots on its 2.5-inch
display, which tilts to let you shoot from unusual
angles. The 7.5-megapixel model delivers very
sharp, detailed images that can produce excellent
prints as large as 13x19 inches, making this a fine
choice if you’re looking to upgrade from an older
digital camera.

BEST HARD DRIVE MP3 PLAYER
Creative Zen Vision:M

The Creative Zen Vision:M wooed us with its colorful, compact design, along with a bevy of fun features you would never find standard in an iPod, including a built-in voice recorder, an FM tuner/recorder, and the ability to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. Like its white-suited rival, the 30GB Vision:M can display photos and video on its sharp 2.5-inch color screen, and Creative one-ups Apple in battery life—we managed an impressive 4 hours of video playback.