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2011 was a pretty damned good year for personal technology, if you ask me. But what did people actually buy and use? I pored over an obscene amount of data from last year and to put together a list of the top products based on what gdgt users added to their lists. Check out the gdgt Zeitgeist before you wish 2011 farewell for good — and don’t forget to review your holiday haul if you haven’t already!

Top 10 products of 2011 / products launched in 2011

1. Apple iPad 2
2. Apple iPhone 4S
3. Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch
4. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch
5. HP TouchPad
6. Nintendo 3DS
7. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
8. Samsung Galaxy S II
9. Samsung Galaxy Nexus
10. Amazon Kindle Fire

Who’d have thought the humble tablet — which for over a decade left a trail of bodies of electronic companies who just couldn’t crack it — would one day rise to the top? Yes, the year’s top-Top 10 list is obviously dominated by Apple products, but I’ve also got to hand it to Samsung, whose Galaxy Nexus made an impressive end-run in the fourth quarter, even despite the large number of (Android) devices the company makes. Read the rest of this entry »

Incipio gave us a bunch of their new Feather cases for the Galaxy Nexus to give away. Want one? All you have to do is write a review of your new Galaxy Nexus. Once you’ve done that just fill out the form below and I will personally mail you one of these cases. We only have a couple dozen, and we’ll update this post when we’ve run out.

A few other things:

• Already wrote a Galaxy Nexus review on gdgt? No problem, just fill out the form and you’re all set.
• Your address won’t be shared with anyone or used for anything other than sending you the case.
• Offer valid for US residents only.
• Also, give me a few days to mail these things out, I don’t want to make any more trips to the post office than I have to.

UPDATE: We ran out overnight, first two dozen who posted will get a case. I’ll see what I can do about getting some more for everyone else.

Want to win an awesome new 4G phone? Motorola has given us three DROID RAZRs equipped with Smart Actions to give away to some lucky gdgt users just in time for the holidays.

Smart Actions is Motorola’s cool app that makes your life a little easier by giving you control over your phones settings. Smart Actions can help you maximize battery life, turn on your music app when you plug in your headphones and even make changes to your settings based on the time of day and where you are.

We’re pretty sure you’ll want to keep this sweet 4G LTE smartphone for yourself, but feel free to give it as a gift if you want. All you need to do to enter is:

1. Add the DROID RAZR to your Want List.
2. Retweet any of the Smart Actions tweets from @gdgt on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of this week (12/21 – 12/23) in their entirety. The Smart Actions tweets will have the hashtag #WinSmartActions.

That’s it! Just be sure to do it by 11:59pm ET on Friday, December 23rd and you’re automatically entered to win.We’ll pick a winner at random from all qualified entries. This contest is only open to US residents. Good luck!

We had our final event of the year, gdgt live in San Francisco, this past Thursday night and it was a ton of fun! Over 1100 geeks and press came out to the Metreon to do some holiday research, play with some of the hottest gadgets around, and give their feedback to folks from the companies that make them. Huge thanks to everyone who came out and helped make it an awesome event! Also, a big shout out to our terrific sponsors. These are the companies that understand how important it is to talk to consumers in person.

Look out for tweets letting you know when we’ve posted the photos and videos on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. If you entered the giveaway, we’ll be picking winners soon. If you won, we’ll contact you via email later this week.

Stay tuned. We’ll be announcing the entire schedule for 2012 very soon!

What did you and your fellow gdgt users consider the most wanted gadgets for the month of November? Check out the following list! Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus reigns supreme.

1. Samsung Galaxy Nexus
2. Nokia Lumia 800
3. Apple iPhone 4S
4. Amazon Kindle Fire
5. ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime
6. Lytro camera
7. Apple iPad 2
8. Aliph Jawbone Up
9. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (mid 2011)
10. Amazon Kindle Touch

Does anything surprise you? Anything you think is missing? Discuss this on gdgt!

Are you going to gdgt live in San Francisco on Thursday night? A ton of great consumer electronics companies will be there, showing off some of the latest gadgets for this holiday season. There’s still time to RSVP!

Make sure you show up early for a chance to get a sweet gdgt t-shirt or smartphone case. Doors open to the public at 7:00PM. There will also be chances to win some amazing gear like a new HTC Titan, an E-PM1 from Olympus, Acer Iconia Tab A500, and many more!

What else is happening at gdgt live in San Francisco? Find out below.

Read the rest of this entry »

To help us celebrate the Windows Phone Inner Circle Series Tour, our friends at Windows Phone have given us three Samsung Focus S phones and three HTC Titan phones to give away.

Want a chance to win? All you need to do is the following:

1. Add Samsung Focus S and/or HTC Titan to your Want List
2. Hit the tweet button on the product page to share that you added it to your Want list on gdgt.

That’s it. Just be sure to do it by 11:59pm ET on Wednesday, November 23rd and you’re automatically entered to win. (If you’ve already done both, don’t worry, you’re already set!) We’ll pick a winner at random from all qualified entries. This contest is only open to US residents. Good luck!

Don’t forget to check the upcoming schedule of Windows Phone Events and RSVP for one near you.

The Windows Phone Inner Circle Series Tour continues on, leaving a wake of folks who have won new phones in its path. Tomorrow night and Saturday night the tour hits Chicago.

Unlike some of the events in other cities, the Chicago events will have a bit more going on, including live music from some of the top indie bands around. Windows Phone calls these events “Night Out” events and in Chicago The Drums will be playing.

Interested in going? You must RSVP for the Chicago event (and other upcoming Night Out events) through Facebook.

After Chicago, the Windows Phone Inner Circle tour heads to Boston, Atlanta, and Houston on November 14th. You can RSVP for those events here.

We’ll post an updated schedule in the next couple days that will include info on which events are regular Inner Circle events and which ones are Night Out events.

Get ready, San Francisco. We’re back! Come out to the Metreon on Thursday, December 1st. You’ll be able to play with some of the latest gadgets around. Like most of our events, it’s free, all-ages, and open to the public — so invite your friends!

We’ll have free gdgt t-shirts and cellphone cases for the first few hundred people who show up, plus a bunch of cool giveaways (and, of course, a ton of hot new gadgets to play with).

When: Thursday, December 1st from 7 – 10pm
Where: The Metreon City View (top floor), 101 Fourth Street, San Francisco
Who: Some of the hottest brands in consumer electronics! See who will be there!
How: It’s all-ages and open to the public so invite your friends! RSVP below!

Bring your old mobile phones for AT&T’s Revolve Project

Have you heard about AT&T’s Revolve Project? They’re creating a video that shows the evolution of mobile technology, so bring in those old devices we know you have tucked away in the back of the closet and be a part of it! Here’s a sneak peek.

If you bring in phones that you no longer want taking up drawer space, they’ll recycle them through Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that turns recycled phones into phone cards for the military. Don’t worry though, if you’d like to keep your hall-of-fame-worthy phones, you are welcome to bring them home too.

RSVP for gdgt live in San Francisco!

Media should email barry at gdgt for further details about our press preview.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Windows Phone Inner Circle Series Tour events have been awesome so far. Things really heat up in a big way this week with the following events:

If you live anywhere near one of these cities, don’t miss out on a chance to check out all the new Windows Phone hardware, chat with folks from Windows Phone and maybe even win a new phone!

Food and drinks are on the house, but you must RSVP to attend!

If you don’t see your city on this list, there are still nine events left after this week. Check out our original post for a full list and RSVP for one near you today!