The Best of Everything
We pick today's top products--from desktops and notebooks to digital cameras, DVD burners, and LCD monitors.Rebecca Freed edited "The Best of Everything." Freelance writers Dan Littman, Mick Lockey, and Carla Thornton, and PC World editors Richard Baguley, Laura Blackwell, Eric Butterfield, Tracey Capen, Seán Captain, Kalpana Ettenson, Alexandra Krasne, Melissa J. Perenson, and Alan Stafford contributed to the section. Ulrike Diehlmann, Julio Giannobile, Elliott Kirschling, Jeff Kuta, Tony K. Leung, and Thomas Luong of the PC World Test Center performed testing on the products reviewed, with logistical support provided by Julian Weatherby.
Though personal technology products have become easier to use in recent years, it's harder than ever to decide what to pick--there are so many choices. We're here to help, especially as this is a season when most everyone is thinking of shopping for personal technology, either for others or for themselves. This special buying guide brings together our best recommendations on what to purchase now, whether you want a digital audio player for your workouts, a multifunction printer for your home office, or a notebook to take on business trips.
We provide this kind of buying advice in our Top 100 section month after month, but this time we've looked at the products in a different way. Not only have we included more types of technology, but we've also rearranged the charts to reflect how specialized personal technology has become. To help you zero in on the niche that meets your needs, we've segmented the charts more: For example, you'll find the best entertainment, mainstream, and no-frills PCs, and the best advanced, point-and-shoot, and budget cameras. This section also contains another buying tool: our annual report on reliability and service, which includes peripherals for the first time.