It’s been an exciting year filled with a cornucopia of gadgets having passed through the CrunchGear offices. Most I’ve loathed and a few I’ve adored, but only a handful of things end up finding their way into my gear bag. Here’s my brief list in no particular order.

I’ve had the pleasure of groping every single mobile phone (smart phones in particular) to come out this year and the only one that I can’t put down is the BlackBerry Bold. Sure, I’ve had the G1 and the iPhone 3G, which are great devices but the Bold is the one that always makes its way into my pants. It’s the fastest and sexiest device to come from up North in quite some time. (What they were thinking with the Storm, I’ll never know.)

Next year will be interesting, to say the least, with Android shifting into high gear and Apple doing whatever it is they do to give us wet dreams. I hope RIM steps it up because it’s a whole new ballgame now.

Having a good friend who happens to be a sound engineer does one of two things: gets you into sold out concerts for free and turns you into an audiophile. The latter is more applicable here and that’s why I have to dip my hat to Ultimate Ears.

Ultimate Ears never ceases to amaze me with their line of in-ear monitors. I have nothing but praise for every single pair I’ve tried. Even their more affordable sets are better than most. You won’t find me jamming my eardrums with anything other than the Triple.fi 10s (review coming soon) for the near future. Unless, of course, UE pushes out their 11s into a non-custom model.

THX and Razer’s collaboration on the Mako 2.1 speaker set continues to blow me away.

I’m obsessed with photographing everything around me, so these days I carry around a one-two combo from Pentax. They may not have all the bells and whistles like Nikon and Canon, but I’ve always rooted for the underdog and Pentax feels homier compared to the others. No need to go into minute details over pixels and other hardcore photog details because I’m not a pro and don’t aspire to be.

I just need my camera to be simple to use and the K200D does everything I need it to do. With a little more time my needs and wants will expand and I hope Pentax can fill that upcoming void. For now, the K200D is my workhorse and the 50mm f/1.4 and 28mm manual focus lenses are sufficient enough.

I can’t always travel with my full rig and most point and shoots confuse me with all the crap they come with, but the W60 is fairly easy to use and delivers adequate images in most settings. It’s waterproof, so that’s the biggest draw for me and does well at ISO 800. I relied on the W60 for both videos and images during my trip to El Salvador.

The K2000 is a great starter SLR for those looking to step up from your standard p&s. I just love that little “Help” button.

I’m also going to throw down on Lexar’s Shoot-N-Sync Eye-Fi-enabled Wi-Fi SD card as well. It’s limited for what we need to use it for (live blogging), but it’s a neat gadget that dramatically cuts down the time it takes for me to upload images.

When I do manhandle my iPhone 3G it dies by midday and that makes me cry. A lot. There are a lot of iPhone/iPhone 3G backup battery solutions at the moment, but I’ve used the Mophie Juice Pack the most and the addition of a USB port rather than Apple’s proprietary port makes it more useful and easier to replenish.

What else…

Having recently resurrected my Nintendo DS from the depths of my desk drawer, I’ve been enamored with two titles: Cake Mania 2 and Pipe Mania (for the PSP too). Yes, CM2. It’s good and I’m not afraid to admit it!

I will finally concede and pick the PlayStation 3 for its ability to support all Blu-ray standards (current and upcoming) and play some kickass games like Little Big Planet. It’s a heck of a lot more fun than I imagined.

While we’re on the subject of A/V, let’s toss in the Western Digital WD TV HD media player. It rocks, hands down.

What? I carry a lot of stuff with me.

And I throw it all into my LowePro Fastpack 250 backpack, which has more than enough room for all the aforementioned doodads and then some. Dakine’s EQ Bag also accompanies my LowePro bag while traveling.

Almost finished, I promise.

I love G-Shock watches! All of them. Quiksilver’s Harvard tide watch is a great piece too. Just a huge chunk of glass to show me everything I need to know about my local spot or places I’ll be traveling to.

Oh, and Aircell’s in-flight Wi-Fi service Gogo has made traveling across the country a thousand times better. Wi-Fi on a plane? Need I say more? Of course! Virgin America tops my list of favorite airlines and the addition of Gogo makes it the best airline in all the land.

Well, I think that’s about it.

It’s still in its infancy, but I see a very bright future in Android and I wanted to be a part of that. I regret not having Fieldrunners and the like, but I believe that in a year the Android platform will have matured greatly. The G1 itself is, as pretty much everyone agrees, far from a perfect piece of hardware, but it’s the real thing and I love it. Of course, if this G2 thing is real, I may get angry.

>Samsung Trace

While I’m thinking of it, I just want to eulogize my excellent Samsung Trace. It served me well for a long time, and got compliments up until the day I replaced it with the G1. Thin as hell, sounded great, battery lasted forever. Fantastic phone.

>Canon XSi

My Canon XT had been around the world with me twice by the time I felt it needed replacement, and even as I type this it is still fully functional and taking fantastic pictures in Mexico — even though I thought it was only going down the street, Leah. But the XSi has better image quality, several more megapixels, and an enormous LCD screen among other improvements. The other DSLRs on the market are great as well, but this one gets my personal recommendation to everyone who asks (and some that don’t).

>Razer Deathadder and Lycosa

Razer is taking up my desktop right now. I’m typing on the Lycosa keyboard and mousing with the Death Adder, both of which are absolutely top-notch devices. They replaced a logitech setup I had, although I do covet John’s MX Revolution. Both companies will have something to show at CES, though, so the contest for my affections begins once again!

>Zune

I had an iPod Classic for a while, but for a pure music player, the Zune is simply a better device. It also helps that I can’t stand iTunes. I don’t care much for the Zune media player either but it doesn’t bug me quite as much, and the hardware is what counts. The FM tuner is handy, the screen is great, and the interface is excellent. I think it unmixed good news that Zune UI people are going over to WinMo. That’s a mini Zune in the picture, I liked that shot better. I use the big ‘un, actually.

>Utilikey

Here’s one thing that’s literally always with me. I keep this little guy on my keychain and it comes in handy about every other day. The knife is sharp, the screwdrivers work decently, and the whole thing is smaller than some of my actual keys. At less than 10 bucks it’s a steal for yourself or a great stocking stuffer. I got mine at Eddie Bauer, I think.

>Ultrasone HFI-580 headphones

I’ve been reviewing these for probably a little too long; John sort of meta-reviewed their more expensive cousins (I say meta because he reviewed himself as much as the product), but these are the ones you or I would pick up if we were in the market. They sound fantastic, they isolate great, and if it weren’t for the lack of a microphone I’d use them all the time. They also fold up nice.

>Manhattan Portage Westside laptop bag

Of course, with all this junk, I need a pretty serious bag to carry it around in. I’ve settled on Manhattan Portage’s Westside laptop bag &mash; it’s got a huge amount of space for books, a camera and extra lens, power adapter, laptop, and even a change of clothes for overnight trips (yes, sometimes I leave my apartment). Plus it’s super durable and has padding in the right places. Definitely spring for the shoulder pad attachment if you get one of these.

Boom!
There you have it: my list of must-have stuff which may or may not look the same once CES rolls around. Have a great weekend, guys, and don’t take no wooden nickels you hear?

Welcome to CrunchGear’s Gala Best of 2008 Awards featuring the Best Gear, Gadgets, and Software of 2008. Best of all, we tallied your responses and collated them in the People’s Choice awards. Now that I’m wearing my tux, let’s get right to the awards.

Best Browser
Google Chrome
People’s Choice
Firefox
While we agree that Firefox is probably the best browser out there, we’re talking about the best browser of 2008. Chrome is what a browser should be – speedy, elegant, and easy-to-use. Sadly, it’s not cross-platform so only those running XP or Vista and join in the fun. As web professionals, browsers are important and Chrome gets our vote this year.

Best Console Experience
New XBox Experience
People’s Choice
New XBox Experience

Oh, man, awarding the Best Console Experience to the New Xbox Experience got a whole lot easier after we saw Sony roll out PlayStation Home, which, nearest we can tell, is a boredom simulator. The NXE didn’t change too radically what already made using the Xbox 360 so enjoyable; a spit shine, if you will. We think the avatars are 100 percent lame, but they don’t get in the way of Xbox Live or anything.

Best Game, Cross Platform
Left 4 Dead
People’s Choice
Grand Theft Auto IV

Really, does Valve do anything wrong? You and three friends running for your lives against a horde of debt collectors zombies while The Director toys with your pointless existence. Multi-player gaming at its best.
As for the People’s Choice, y’all sure do like beating up hookers and driving into helpless pedestrians, don’t you? We wouldn’t call the game perfect—really, no analog control of Niko? Mario had that in 1996!—but it’s certainly a fun, mindless romp, at least for a little while.

Best Game, Nintendo Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
People’s Choice
Mario Kart
We award this to Brawl—an actual video game and not some weird Wii Taxes concept—in lieu of any truly big Wii game, like Twilight Princess or Metroid. It’s fun, sure, and now has Snake and Sonic, which is a plus. As a rule of thumb, though, you’re more likely to find us on XBL than playing Wii Fit, if you can even call that a game.
But, hey, Mario Kart is fun, too, especially now with that plastic wheel controller. Online multiplayer helps extend the sell by date.

Best Game, Xbox 360
>Gears of War 2
People’s Choice
Gears of War 2

Some of us may hate the game for no specific reason—Nicholas, mostly—but it’s hard to find a better Xbox 360-exclsuive game than this. (It’s hard to find an Xbox 360-exclusive game, period, but that’s another story.) As sequels go, it paints by numbers with the best of ‘em: running, gunning, ducking, etc. One thing: fix the bugs, Epic.
It seems you guys thought the same thing, too. If nothing else this helps show that, outside of Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo-funded endeavors, on their respective platforms, system exclusivity is dying.

Best Game, PS3
LittleBigPlanet
People’s Choice
Metal Gear Solid IV

Make no mistake about it, this is the reason to own a PS3 right now (outside of its Blu-ray capabilities, should that matter to you). Go ahead, create your own level, or play your neighbor’s. Go ahead, imagine that you’re a sackboy activating levers and going in and out of three planes of existence. Go ahead, actually have fun while playing a game and not worrying about if you have enough ammo or if some 12-year-old kid instantly kills you.
As for MGS IV, we would have picked this, too, if it weren’t for the game’s insufferably long cut scenes and poetical waxing about The Meaning of War & Life. The best entry in the series? We’re prepared to argue that MGS1 was better, but it’s pretty damn close.

Best HDTV Line
Mitsubishi LaserVue
People’s Choice
Sony XBR

HDTVs improve dramatically every year and this year’s batch certainly brings the goods. Our readers overwhelming picked the Sony XBR line and for good reason. They are solid HDTVs that are readily available for purchase. The latest ones feature industry leading 240Hz technology, too. XBRs are great sets; that is until you see in person the Mitsubishi LaserVue. This high-def set, powered by lasers, is astounding and pics cannot do it justice. You might not be able to hang it on the wall but it’s still thin at 10-inches at a 60-inch screen size. The Sony XBR is a great set and might be the best picture most will ever see, but the Mitsubishi LaserVue is our pick for the HDTV of the year.

Best Portable A/V Devices
iPod Touch 2G
People’s Choice
iPod Touch 2G

Apple knows how to make a killer mobile platform and the latest incarnation of the iPod Touch proves it. This little touchscreen device pretty much ensures that owners will never be bored again. There are even reports that state the GPU performance is great than that of the iPhone. It plays music, games, and movies. What more can you want? Larger storage option? Yeah, besides that.

A/V Devices
TiVo HD XL
People’s Choice
TiVo HD XL

TiVo had a killer year and released the monstrous TiVo HD XL equipped with a 1TB hard drive. Sure, the UI is a little dated, but it’s still easily the most complete DVR solution outside of custom built media centers. The large hard drive is great, but the HD and HD XL can also stream high-def movies from Netflix, they allow full access to YouTube, and even play back almost every video file format available (including MKVs). TiVo was the de facto standard for years but feel off the map once cable providers started offering DVRs. The HD XL proves TiVo is in it for the long haul and has a robust platform that’s not afraid of change.

Best Camera
Canon Rebel XSi
People’s Choice
Nikon D90

While you, the readers, loved the Nikon D90 we editors chose the Rebel XSi simply because it’s the best entry level DSLR on the market. Why? Because it’s inexpensive, it’s compatible with a constellation of great lenses, and the automatic setting is as good as any of the manual settings for beginners. But the D90 is pretty damn nice as well.

Best Camcorder
Kodak Zi6
People’s Choice
Canon hf100

As Nicholas said, the Zi6 is the video camera for the proletariat. It’s not as fully featured as the People’s Choice Canon hf100 but it gets the job done, it’s cheap, and it’s fun.

Best Netbook
MSI Wind
People’s Choice
ASUS Eee PC 1000

After spending a good amount of time with both, we’re going to have to disagree here, lovely readers. While the EEE series is arguably the match that set the netbook world ablaze, the MSI Wind has swooped in and shown them how its done. You get just as much bang for your buck, plus a VGA webcam. As a little bonus, the Wind is the most hackintosh-friendly netbook around.

Best Notebook
MacBook Pro
People’s Choice
MacBook Pro

Go to any tradeshow or convention, and sneak into the press room. Look for your favorite gadget blogger. More often than not, they’ll be rocking a MacBook Pro. That says something – and no, I don’t mean that it proves we’re all tools.

Make jokes about the “Apple tax” all you want – for the durability, for the genius bar, and for the ability to boot into OS X or Windows without having to hack a thing, the MacBook Pro takes the title.

Best Phone
T-Mobile G1
People’s Choice
iPhone 3G

We get it, you love the iPhone. So do we. But in the grand scheme of things, the G1 is the start of something great.

Naysayers might scream, but Android (and competing, open source platforms) is the future of mobile. The G1 proved that Android works, and for that, it overcomes the iPhone and Apple’s walled garden. 2009 will be Android’s year, and the G1 paved the way.

Worst Device of 2008
Blackberry Storm
People’s Choice
Blackberry Storm

We wanted it to be great. We were really excited. We love Blackberry. But we don’t love the Blackberry Storm. This device, designed by committee and released too soon, is the antithesis of the iPhone. The UI is wonky, the touch screen is horrible, and all of the features that make RIM products great are notably absent in this device. What could have been an iPhone killer will end up being a blight on RIM’s record for years to come.

Best Device of 2008
iPod Touch 2G
People’s Choice
iPhone 3G

Yes, we know. Apple this and Apple that. But you guys chose the 3G and we chose the Touch 2G. Why? Because these two devices get things right. The UI is responsive, the feature set is nicely refined, and the App Store turns both devices into what we can only call Apple’s real netbook. Best of all, the game Fieldrunners exists on both platforms breathing life into the atrophied casual gaming world.

T-Mobile G1

As an iPod Touch owner, I’ve been tempted more than a few times to purchase an iPhone. Her siren’s song is mesmerizing – beautiful and bountiful, multi-touching its way up my shirt, burrowing a hole in my heart, and laying eggs. As far as mobile phones go, I felt like I’d been out to sea for a long time. I almost couldn’t resist.

But when the T-Mobile G1 was announced, I knew it’d be a better fit for me, as 1) I don’t use a Mac — not like that’s a deal-breaker — and 2) I use a fair amount of Google products and services and figured the first-hand integration would benefit me more.

I’d been historically using Windows Mobile devices, intermingled amongst brief flirtations with BlackBerry products, but the first time I fired up the G1 and found all my G-Mail messages looking back at me labeled, synchronized, and familiarly navigated, it became clear that Android had burrowed a separate (but equally important) hole in my heart, laid its own eggs, and those eggs hatched and ate the iPhone’s offspring.

Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock

There are a LOT of streaming audio devices out there, and I’ve found the Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock to be a great choice thanks to its compact size, easy-to-use interface, great audio quality, and USB thumb drive option. The radio sits atop the refrigerator in our house and I use it just about every day. I’ll pull up the morning show I used to listen to when I lived in Minnesota or one of the stations I used listen to when I lived out in Seattle while I’m eating breakfast and then I’ll use the USB port to listen to podcasts and other stuff I’ve recently downloaded.

Since it’s an alarm clock, too, I’ve set it up to automatically start playing stuff every morning, so there’s always something on. I’d love to see it come down in price, as I still think $160 is too expensive. Once it hits $99 or so, it’ll be a no-brainer.

Samsung SC-MX20 Camcorder

Best… camcorder… ever… (for my needs, of course). The Samsung SC-MX20 has a 34x optical zoom, flip-out viewfinder with 2.7-inch screen, and it uses SD cards to record 720×480 H.264 video that easily works with my video editing software (Sony Vegas).

It can be found for about $200, which is a steal if you ask me, since cheaper flash-memory camcorders with no optical zoom and fussy file formats can cost just as much or marginally cheaper. Battery life is great, too, at well over two hours, and the Schneider lens picks up more-than-decent images for such an inexpensive camera.

RichardSolo Backup Battery for iPhone/iPod

The 1200mAh lithium ion Richard Solo Backup Battery for iPhone/iPod has served me well as a very-pocketable extended battery solution for my iPod Touch. One of the best features is that the battery and the iPod can charge at the same time.

I only need to find one outlet or USB port and any standard mini-USB cable works – I don’t have to root around for my iPod cable. At $50, too, there’s not a whole lot to think about, especially if you find yourself constantly needing to recharge.

Photoland TR+ Camera Bag with Padded Laptop Compartment

In my search for the perfect bag — one that can hold both my laptop AND an SLR camera without being too bulky or expensive – I finally, finally found something in the Photoland TR+ while I was in Japan.

It cost about $60, fits my 13.3-inch Sony laptop and Canon DSLR, and features both a shoulder strap AND backpack straps that fold into their own pocket.

It’s got a removable six-way camera accessory divider inside that I can take out if I’m going somewhere without my camera. To slim the bag down, there are four side-cinch straps that flatten the entire thing to little more than a standard-size messenger bag.

Plantronics .Audio 650 USB Headset

If you’ve ever been listening to our podcast and thought, “Wow, Doug sure does sound great this week – and every week, for that matter,” it’s all because of this headset.

The Plantronics .Audio 650 has blocked out a clanging, off-balance washing machine, numerous phone calls and doorbell ringings, and one memorable conversation one room away between my wife and sister-in-law that was well above “indoor voices.”

By day, the headset doubles as a great pair of headphones for music, too.

Acer Aspire One Netbook

Any netbook would do, really, but it just so happens that I have the Acer. The thing’s been great for couch-side surfing and quick coffee shop write-ups, as well as the occasional SimCity 3000 fix. I’ve taken it away on long weekends and haven’t yet felt the urge to lug my full size notebook with me.

The Aspire One worked well out of the box, but it really started to hum once I added an extra gig of RAM and loaded up Windows XP. As the resident cheapskate at CrunchGear, I’ve always been a fan of Acer’s aggressive pricing when it comes to this machine, too.

That’s It

Happy Holidays to everyone. I’ve been here a year and a half now and all of you have made this the greatest job a kid like me could have ever asked for — thanks a million for reading!

It’s easy to forget that we at CrunchGear are taking part in a mild, nebbish, and highly organized form of hedonism. We become inured to the lures of technology, and like rheumy-eyed Caligulas we survey the mass of writhing, oiled bodies and yearn for something new, something to break the hard bolus of cynicism and distrust we have growing inside us like a dark, terrible pearl.

To offset this, I’ve picked a few great pieces of kit that I’ve enjoyed this year including one pink and cuddly one that has essentially taken over my life.

Robot Dreams – This book by Sara Varon has become a favorite around the house, so much so that I’ve read it about twenty times in the past few weeks. There are no words, just pictures, so it’s easy for younger kids to build a story around the poignant tale of a dog who builds a robot and then loses him on the beach. It’s a commentary on friendship, technology, and crazy raccoons that is sure to become a bedtime favorite.

SodaStream – If you really want to feel like you’re living through a depression why not make your own seltzer? SodaStream, which Doug reviewed here is a handy little system that includes a CO2 cartridge and some bottles. You fill the bottles with water, press a button, and viola! Seltzer! We’ve completely stopped buying store-bought seltzer and we are all the better for it.

JVC Everio GZ-HD40U - I love the JVC Everio line and this camera has been my tried and true friend for the past few months. She may be a bit bulky, but she’s got 120GB of storage space and takes great video.

Haan Floor Steamer – I don’t know how these Haan floor steamers work but the one we have seems to make it easy to clean hardwood floor and tile. I’m usually the floor cleaning guy – I love the smell of Murphy’s Oil Soap – so I was used to crawling around cleaning all of the rooms and halls in our house. With the Haan I can just bathe the floors in 212 degree heat. You still need to sweep first because dust bunnies become a nasty paste when the steam hits them but the results are pretty nice. You also don’t need any more oil soap because the cleaner uses only water. That kind of makes me sad.

Milla Sadie Biggs – She’s a sweetie.

Canon Rebel XSi – I just upgraded my Rebel XT and I’m glad to say that the XSi is more of the same and then some. It’s not a major upgrade, to be sure, but the extra megapixels, focus systems, and bigger screen make for a nice improvement over the runty XT.

Logitech MX Revolution – When I die, you can bury me with this mouse. After years of using a dirty, old Microsoft mouse I upgraded last week and will never look back. The laser works on glass, the buttons are responsive, and the scroll wheel has an unlocking system that turns pornography browsing into a walk on the beach.

Samsung Innov8 – This is an odd one to add because I haven’t been able to find it in the States but this is a Series 60 world phone with 8-megapixel camera and it’s not made by Nokia. The Samsung Innov8 is a good, solid cellphone that rivals the N95 in features and quality.

Good PR People – There has been a lot of sass coming from the TC sites lately and I wanted to make it clear that I don’t think all PR people are overpaid lobbyists but only the ones who still cling to the outdated notions of exclusivity and dirty dealings. Everything except the book in this list was pitched to me by a PR person so gentle and loving that the relationship seemed consensual. Like the Ommatokoita elongata to the Greenland shark, PR people are the symbiotic parasites that cling to our eyes and eat our corneas while leading us dull-witted reporters to more prey. Thanks!

And with that I wish you all a happy holiday and hope you share plenty of hugs, not drugs, this year.