Best and Worst Tech Gadgets of 2009

Amazon
$259

When it was released last year, Amazon's Kindle quickly outshone the previously released Sony e-book reader, thanks to the inclusion of free, high-speed wireless access that lets users download books on the go. The retailer's superb follow-up this year offered a much-improved design and wireless connectivity that lets users download books outside the U.S. for a fee. But Amazon (AMZN) will have to keep innovating to stay ahead in a market that's quickly getting crowded with devices from rivals, including Barnes & Noble (BKS).

Lenovo
$599

Many electronics users have had a love-hate relationship with netbooks since their introduction. With their cramped keyboards, low-power processors, and small 7-in. screens, they're highly portable but not good for much more than surfing the Web. Lenovo addresses these shortcomings with the IdeaPad S12. It has a 12.1-in. screen sporting a high-definition 1280-by-800 resolution display. The IdeaPad is one of the first netbooks to sport Nvidia's (NVDA) high-end Ion graphics chip to support HD streaming video without the stuttering playback that's plagued other netbooks. Excellent stereo speakers, a relatively speedy Intel (INTC) Atom processor, and a six-hour battery make the S12 a shoo-in for our favorite netbook of the year.

Samsung
$250

Some products make so much sense they leave you wondering why nobody thought of them before. Samsung's Dual-View TL220 digital camera fits that description. Say you want to snap a picture of yourself and the family but don't have the time to set up a tripod or will to bother a passerby. Simply tap the front of the 12.2-megapixel TL220 to engage a 1.5-inch view screen that lets you frame yourself in the picture quickly and easily. There's even a child mode that displays built-in animations to keep the kid occupied while you line up a shot. With a wide-angle lens and the ability to shoot short HD movies, the Samsung Dual-View sets a new standard for point-and-shoot cameras.

Acer
$390

We loved the idea: a low-priced machine that lets you store up to 500,000 digital photos, 300,000 MP3 files, and 4,285 hours of movies, and then send and share the information with devices in the home and on the road. The Aspire is slick, has a powerful Intel Atom processor, and is relatively easy to set up and install. The desktop software is the deal breaker; it includes McAfee (MFE) antivirus software that can't be removed and at times significantly slows your PC's operations. Also, if you lose the installation disc, there's no way to download it from Acer's Web site.

Polaroid
$180

We liked the idea of a digital camera that can instantly print out images on the run. But overall, the camera was too heavy to carry around for extended periods of time, its tiny prints yielded washed-out or uneven colors, and the tradeoff between novelty and value was too high at a time when a point-and-shoot digital camera at twice the resolution can be had for $40 to $70 less.