Top 100 2012 Outstanding hardware,software and cloud [Part 4]

60 SCRIVENER FOR WINDOWS Few writers can brain-dump an entire novel or research proposal straight into a word processor. Scrivener for Windows, a PC version of the popular Mac program, helps you organize your ideas and notes. You can switch between corkboard, outline, and continuous-flow “scrivening” views to see how your opus is shaping up. 61 ADT PLUSE PREMIER This home security and automation system is almost as good as Vivint’s;in addition, ADT will install inwall lighthing controls if you prefer. The company added electronic door locks, a new touch-screen control panel, and more-advanced cameras, too. ADT’s up-front costs are higher, but its contracts are shoter. 64 LYTRO LIGHT-FIELD CAMERA Despite a few usability hiccups in its first iteration, Lytro’'s core technology is groundbreaking. This tube-like camera lets you shoot photos quickly and decide where to focus (and refocus) later. A manual shuter control, added via free firmware update, delivers more fun trick. 65 MICROSOFT TYPE COVER If you decide to take the plunge into Microsoft’s Surface (pun intended), spend an extra ten bucks to add the Type Cover keyboard. It’s a tad thicker than the less-expensive Touch Cover, but it has authentic keys that deliver genuine tactile feedback. 66 WESTERN DIGITAL MY PASSPORT 2TB Sometimes you can’t access the cloud. When you need to take a lot of data with you, the biggest of Western Digital’s My Passport drives packs two terabytes into a 2.5-inch chassis, drawing its power cover a USB connection.

62 INTUIT QUICK-BOOKS PRO Woe to the small-business owner who doesn’t balance the ledger. QuickBooks isn’t the most powerful software for performing that task, but it’s easy for novices to set up and use. If it doesn’t handle a function you need, a third-party add-on probably does. 63 EPSON WORKFORCE WP-4540 This fast, capable, business-minded inkjet multifunction printer is a leader among the new generation of no-regrets inkjets for the office. The best-balanced choice among many strong contenders, it offers swift contenders, it offers swift performance, spiffy output quality, and a whopping 580 sheets of standard input. Ink is cheap, too. Low-end color lasers should be worried.

67 PINTEREST The term Pinning entered the lexicon in 2012 as Pinterest users built online pinboards to collect, organize, and Share everything interesting they found on the Web. The versatility of this service – you can also use it for event planning and building shopping lists – made Pinterest the fastest growing website to date. 68 MAINGEAR SHIFT SUPER STOCK Maingear pulled out all the stops to built this super-powerful PC, which tore through our tests en route to a WorldBench 7 score of 205 – more than twice as fast as our baseline. The top-shelf components in this rig should keep any gamer satisfied for at least a couple of year.

69 PANASONIC HC-V700M Here’s an easy-to-use compact camcorder that shoots great video. The built-in light and flash work exceptionally well, capturing clean, crisp video and still shots from as far away as 10 feet. Colors look realistic with little or no over-saturation, and with hardly any blurring during fast pans.