Top 100 2012 Outstanding hardware,software and cloud [Part 5]

40 ARCAM RPAC This digital-to-analog converter connects to your computer via USB. It sounds spectacular (for the price), is built like a tank, supports high-resfiles, and incorporates a high-quality headphone amplifier to make even power-hungry headphones sing. 41 AMD RADEON HD 7970 GHZ EDITION AMD made a few tweaks to the reference design that it originally released in December 2011. This single-GPU card now overpowers Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 680 in most of our benchmarks. The trade-offs:it’s still too big, and it consumes too much juice. 42 ADOBE LIGHTROOM 4.5 Few developers add new features to a top-shelf product and then slice the product’s price tag in half, but that’s what adobe did with Lightroom. Notable new feature include photo categorization by geolocation, the ability to output photos using self-publishing books, and easier-to-use filters. 47 ASTRO A50 WIRELESS HEADSET This is the best wireless gaming headset we’ve tried this year, thanks to impeccable design and Astor’s decision to use KleerNet wireless technology. The A50 works with PCs and gaming consoles; it sounds great and is comfortable enough to wear during marathon entertainment sessions. 48 APPLE IPAD MINI While it lacks a Retina display, Apple’s smallish tablet is a joy to use, delivering a higher resolution than the first two generations of iPads. It would rank much higher on the list if its price were closer to that of the Nexus 7	43 ASUS RT-N66U if you need a new router but want to stick with the tried-and-true 802.11n specification, there’s no better model than the dual-ban Asus RT-N66U. When it comes to performance and feature, nothing else comes close. 45 VIZIO CA27-A1 Vizio entered the desktop PC market with this stylish all-in-one that delivered a WorldBench 7 score of 122, thanks to a Core i5 CPU, a discrete Nvidia GPU, and a 32GB SSD cache. Extras include a multi touch-pad instead of a mouse 44 VELODYNE VPLUSE Loudespeaker aficionados are familiar with Velodyne’s high-end subwoofers – speakers designed solely to reproduce very low frequencies. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the vPluse delivers plenty of low-end oomph. But these earbuds also deliver detailed midrange performance and crisp highs. 46 APPLE IPOD TOUCH (5TH GENERATION) No other digital media player has knocked the iPod off it perch. Now it’s more than a media player : it’s also a digital camera, a camcorder, a handheld games device, and (connected to a Wi-Fi network) a personal digital assistant (Siri)
	49 GOOGLE HANGOUTS Yes, this free video-chat service debuted late last year, but it really took off in 2012. It supports up to 10 callers equipped with browsers, webcams, and Google+ accounts. It’s a fun way to connect with friends, and it’s a fabulous workplace collaboration tool – participants can share a screen and view joint presentations. 50 ALIENWARE M17X-R4 This luggable laptop is just the ticket for LAN parties and dorm rooms. It’s no Ultrabook, tipping the scales at 11-plus pounds, but it packs the fastest mobile GPU available; a gorgeous 17-inch,1080p display;and a great keyboard. It also runs current-generation PC games with nary a hiccup
51 LOGITECH ULTRATHIN KEYBOARD COVER If you have an iPad, you need a cover. And if you intend to do serious work on that iPad, you need a real keyboard. Logitech fills both needs with a slick device adding just 12 ounces to the weight of a bare iPad 52 THE WALKING DEAD This adventure game – set in a zombie apocalypse where players must make tough choices – is easily one of the best games of 2012. Based in Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, the first season of this game consists of five downloadable episodes that you can complete in 2 to 3 hours each 53 VIVINT HOME AUTOMATION The era of the smart home is dawning, and Vivint is one reason why;Sign a $69-per-month contract and you get a sophisticated home security and automation system (alarm, electronic door lock, door/window sensors, lighting controls, and IP camera, and a programmable thermostat) installed for just $199 54 SENSUBLE VISION FAST ACCESS Stop memorizing passwords. Show you mug to your smart-phone,tablet, or PC, instead. The facial-recognition software will then ask you to identify a secret symbol in order to gain access to secure apps and websites. This two-factor authentication will foil efforts to deceive the software with a photograph or video.	55 LIBRATONE ZIPP Boasting an attractive industrial design, a simple setup process, and clever AirPlay and PlayDirect implementations (it can create its own Wi-Fi network), the wireless,battery-powered Libratone Zipp is easy to recommend as a multiroom speaker system. If you want a protable AirPlay speaker, this one is an excellent choice. 56 VIZIO M3D470KD You will be hard-pressed to find a better HDTV of this size for less than $1000. The 47-inch, passive-3D, edge-lit LED television offers very good image quality, a built-in Wi-Fi network adapter, a keyboard-equipped remote, and a comprehensive collection of internet apps and services. Plus, you get for pairs of 3D glasses included. 57 AT&T U-VERSE Major infrastructure improvements typically occur in the denser populations of cities. So we’re tipping our hat to AT&T for deploying fiber-to-the-node in at lease some rural areas to deliver its U-verse broadband Internet service. And though it’s not as fast as cable, U-verse remains almost twice as fast as conventional DSL service. Cheers! 58 TURNTABLE.FM The social music service works perfectly on the go, and it,s fun to DJ while riding the bus. Play On! 59 NETGEAT NEOTV MAX 2012 wasn’t a big year fir new media streamer, but the NeoTV Max is honey. It can stream nearly anything (except DVD and Blu-ray ISO images) over your network;and you can send audio and video to your TV from any laptop outfitted with intel’s WiDi technology.

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