Our 7 Favorite Tech Products of 2011 (Hardware)

Written by Alan Sunday, 1 January 2012 07:00

2011 has come to an end, but it was a great year in the tech world. It will probably be remembered as the year of the tablet, with iPad sales going crazy, Android tablets beginning to make a dent in Apple’s sales, and Windows 8, with it’s tablet interface, being unveiled.  It’s tough to look back and pick just a few items to put in a post like this, but after thinking it over, and narrowing down the choices, we arrived at 7 great pieces of hardware.  Some we own, and some were just here for review.

The list below contains links to either the product’s website, or to a place it can be purchased.  We’ve also included links to our reviews of the items, if there was one written.  A lot of hardware comes through here in a year, and a whole lot more hits the tech market, so articles like this are always subjective, based on personal taste and what you have actually had a chance to try out.  With that said, let’s get started.

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EXOPC Slate

The EXOPC Slate wasn’t the first Windows 7 tablet to hit the market, but so far it has held up as the best one.  This 10 inch tablet has a great screen, solid hardware, and performed flawlessly during my review.  You can read that review here.  Buy

Skytex Skypad Alpha

This may be a Windows-based website, but Android is a killer mobile operating system.  While a Windows tablet is about productivity, Android is about fun.  And yes, I know that Windows 8 aims to change that and that you can be productive on Android, but I am stating just the basics here.  The Skytex Skypad Alpha is a low-priced Android 2.3 7 inch tablet with a growing reputation.  It was so good in fact, that I bought one for each of our kids this Christmas.  Find out more here.

RedEye

RedEye turns your Android device into a universal remote control.  Once you have set it up, it will send out signals to all of your home theater gear.  Think of it as the next generation Harmony.  You can turn on and set multiple devices with one click.  A full review will be coming soon.  Find out more here.

Nikon Coolpix s3100

When it comes to digital cameras there are two names to think about – Canon and Nikon.  When our daughter’s Canon became outdated we replaced it with the Nikon Coolpix s3100.  It’s a super-slim, 14 MP, 5x zoom, 720p shooting, bargain. Buy

Gateway NV55S02u

This is my current laptop of choice.  In fact, I am writing this article on it.  It’s a 15 inch notebook with an AMD Quad-Core processor, 4GB of RAM, a webcam, 500 GB hard drive, and a Radeon HD card.  What more could you need?  You can read the review here. Buy

Epson Deskjet 3050 J610

Once again this is a product that I liked so much that I bought it.  It’s fast and economical, and it delivers great pictures and text.  It has wireless built-in, which makes it perfect for today’s home.  Review. Buy

Netgear WN2000RPT WiFi Extender

Netgear provided a review unit of this wireless extender and I like it so much that I bought one.  The review I wrote was for GNC, and you can read it here.  If you like it, here’s a link to get one. Buy

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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