Vote for the 2008 Engadget Awards!
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Mar 16th 2009 12:15PM
posted Mar 16th 2009 12:15PM
The nominations are in, the picks have been sorted, and now it's time for you, the reader, to help us judge the best in tech from 2008! We've put together a long, long list of the top selections below -- all we ask is that you cast your vote for the gadgets nearest and dearest to your hearts.
Votes will be tallied until Wednesday, March 25th, 11:59PM EDT. You can vote in this post, or you can head over to our convenient and attractive landing page and vote there. After we've checked for abuse (just say no!) we'll publish the results alongside our own Editors' Choice picks the following week. May the best gadgets win!
Votes will be tallied until Wednesday, March 25th, 11:59PM EDT. You can vote in this post, or you can head over to our convenient and attractive landing page and vote there. After we've checked for abuse (just say no!) we'll publish the results alongside our own Editors' Choice picks the following week. May the best gadgets win!
Why BlackBerry Storm was in both Worst Gadget of the Year and Smarthphone Gadget of the Year?
Why was iPhone 3G in just about every smartphone related category?
The voting is not done yet
Zune 3.0 worst gadget?
Subscriptions, Channels, MixView, 10 Free DRM and free Games. It was software also.
The stench of preening iBoi's spawning here is overwhelming.
@Neha
After I saw "Zune 3.0" in worst gadgets of the year, I really refused to vote. I thought Engadget was more-or-less clear of iDiots who bash competitor's gadgets without ever trying them.
What type gadget is Zune 3.0? I know Zune 30, Zune 80 and Zune 120. All of them are excellent devices (some can argue about Zune 30, but still).
Zune 3.0 is not a device at all. It's a firmware that brings wireless store browsing and unlimited streaming to the device, keeping 10 songs for free from Zune pass every month, etc. How come it is worst and even "gadget"? I guess jealous iDiots nominated it worst because iPods don't have this capability.
So this voting is a tribute to iFanboys, really. Sad.
The problem with polls like this is that 99.9% of people aren't in a position to make an informed choice. For example, in the Home Entertainment category, how many people have used even half of the devices listed? How many people who voted Apple TV have tried the Popcorn Hour A-110? Very few, I'd imagine.
People end up voting for the most well-known gadget rather than the best. That's why Apple we will the majority of categories.
Because it had a huge hype machine behind it and a lot of people were very let down by it and a lot of people loved it.
i swear there are so many people who automatically vote for the apple items. best handheld is the ipod touch? what the hell? and time capsule?
Anyone know any other good gadget site? They put Zune 3 in that category so that MBA wouldn't get worst gadget. At least now they wave their iFanboy flags with pride.
@Saad
"I went back to the nomination page of the worst gadget, and the most nominated one was the iPhone 3G!! Why isn't it in this list, for fucks sake???"
Agreed. I own the damn thing, but this is totally fixed. For shame Engadget. Loss of respect happening right here, right now.
Ha, they deleted Saad's post, I guess because of "f..." word... or because Saad was right?
This poll is a joke, and absolute injustice for Zune 3.0. I am removing Engadget from my RSS feed now, have your clicks from iDiots.
I'm reposting my comment again without the F words:
Since the Storm was in two opposite categories, why isn't the iPhone 3G in the "worst gadget of the year" category?
I went back to the nomination page of the worst gadget, and the most nominated one was the iPhone 3G!! Why isn't it in this list, for gods sake???
What kind of money or drugs is Apple giving you, Engadget?
And if you want to talk sense, how the hick is the Zune 3.0 on the worst gadget list???????
What kind of stupidity is this?
This is really crappy. I really liked engadget, but you've moved to my "wag of the finger" list. Used to tip my hat, but I guess it's time to give Gizmondo a try unlike the voters here did with *any* of this hardware evidently. Time Capsule? Really? Not a new Intel SSD? This is absurd. I might be an apple dis-fanboy (i.e. I hate apple), but this would be an outrage for anyone who knows anything at all about gadgets. Even as an apple hater, I've probably tried more of their products than most of you voters.
Absurd.
I know it's not a gadget, but Windows Media Center should be listed under the Home Entertainment Device of the year.
Considering Zune 3.0 (the software, right?) is considered for the worst gadget, why not add WMC to the polls? It's heck of a lot better than AppleTV.
THEN DONT READ IT, OR DON'T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY.
I work at a major electronics store, and I get strange looks if I don't say the iPod is the best thing ever.
They are not the most popular Display, or Notebook, and the Apple TV collects dust. We sell way more slingbox stuff. And seriously... Time Capsule??? WTF
I don't take the voters portion seriously... NOW THE EDITORS SIDE...
I would be surprised if everyone who works at Engadget is happy with these nominations - I don't own a Zune, but I thought they looked pretty cool and have generally positive reviews, surely not everyone can think that it is one of the worst gadgets of 2008?
I'd never stop reading something I enjoy because of one crappy poll, but some people might!
Sorry Engadget, but this year you went overboard. You are not seeing me around anymore. So long
*wipes tears and remembers good times when "best" actually meant something here*
I voted and I am so happy I got to do it this year.
Oh by the way.
FIRST!!!!!!!
Your vote does not count and neither do you.
fail
more like second, jerkoff.
Third?
Yay, I'm Ender!
Engadget Awards: Worst Post of all times
"First!" 100%
@Tony
Pwned
shut up or stop writing, which ever. BTW, voted for what? iWorld.
@Jinto
Hi
- Jane.
What exactly do you mean by Zune 3.0? The software? The 120 GB version? Even searching on your site for Zune 3.0 doesn't seem to lead to any concrete 'gadget'.
I believe they mean the software given that the current zune firmware is 3.1 I also like how the zune has racked up plenty of votes for 'worst gadget of the year' when it's a damn solid device and has been since firware version 2. Will the baseless hate ever end?
I'm assuming it refers to the kick-ass firmware update that is in absolutely no way in the running for worst anything of the year. It has a bunch of votes from apple fans who feel obligated to hate on the Zune even though they've never used one. I wonder what percentage of the people who voted for it even understand what the new features are .
Personally, I think streaming full albums from the Zune Marketplace over WiFi directly on the device is about the coolest feature an MP3 player could have, and even iPod Touch can't offer it.
Ok, that's what I thought, but I was confused considering how awesome the 3.0 firmware is, and how awesome it was that I could put it on the original Zune I bought the first day they were available.
Of course it wouldn't be an Engadget poll without them taking a dump on Microsoft somehow.
Didn't a ton of Zune's just freeze up an just stop working for a day or two?
If we'll all Apple fanatics, wouldn't the Zune be an epic fail? Zune doesn't work with OS X, does it?
I don't know really anything about the Zune. I only know one person with one and he dislikes it. It gives him a lot of problems. I didn't vote yet.
Some first gen Zunes did freeze up due to some 3rd party supplied driver I believe.
So, because you can't use the device due to your choice of operating system, the latest firmware for the device is the 'worst gadget of the year'?
My first gen Zune is still going strong with the new firmware, and my 2nd gen is too. The Zune software on my PC is great as well.
Why isn't the latest firmware for the iPhone 3G on that worst list? iTunes on Windows is a bloated piece of shit that I won't let anywhere near any of my computers, so I can't use any Apple device that requires it. I'd like to vote for those as the worst gadgets of the year, please.
Actually, you know what? Please, I urge everyone to vote for Zune 3.0 as the "Worst Gadget of the Year". That way when Engadget spouts off all of the 'winners', with Zune 3.0 as the 'worst', anyone with any sense will see what an absolute joke this blog has become.
@Forrest
"Actually, you know what? Please, I urge everyone to vote for Zune 3.0 as the "Worst Gadget of the Year". That way when Engadget spouts off all of the 'winners', with Zune 3.0 as the 'worst', anyone with any sense will see what an absolute joke this blog has become."
It seems to be getting worse every year. The whole thing is fixed. iPhone 3g was most nominated for WORST gadget of the year. It didnt even make the list :)
I beleave the apple fanboys will be overwellmingly bias on products they havnt even used to compair with. If it says apple. There voting for it. So tell people to only vote for products that they like over the other products, because theyve atleast tried something elce besides apples?
I disagree.
I genuinely feel that the iPhone 3G trumps any other phones in the same category both from an aesthetics and functionality point of view. The G1 is a fairly close second and I have given weeks, if not months, of thought between the two before siding with Apple.
As for the other devices such as laptops, I could not vote as I really didn't feel the Macbooks or Macbook Pros were grounding breaking. The unibody concept is impressive, however, from a manufacturing point of view.
The iTouch also didn't make my favorite list.
We are presenting you
a "GOLDEN APPLE AWARDS" !!!
I voted for the Unibody Macbook Pro for best laptop, though I don't have one and haven't used one. But I do use a Macbook, and know that were I to buy any of those laptops, that would be the one. To me, that is reason enough to place my vote.
Fanboy proliferation isn't nearly as bad as you all make it out to be.
Wow, Apple fanboys abound in the voting...
definitely a bunch of apple fan boys...
The ipod 3g may deserve a lot of the votes it's getting, but come on, the iMac for best desktop, the appletv for best video device and the timecapsule for best backup device? That's definitely all because of the apple fanboys. Oh, and zune 3.0 for worst gadget is also the doing of them, there is absolutely no reason that the zune 3.0 should even be on that list, and totally show's engadgets preference for apple products.
Yeah, it's pretty bad. I'm surprised they didn't write in "iMac Webcam" for best camera of the year.
Just look at the 2007 results to see how this will result. Apple fanbois just love to Apple-bomb polls to make it look like people are actually using their products, other than the iPhone.
Apple Fan boys field day...
No Apple fanboys abound in:
1.Vote
2.Delete Cookies
3.Go back to 1
@terence
"As for the other devices such as laptops, I could not vote as I really didn't feel the Macbooks or Macbook Pros were grounding breaking."
So if Apple is not the best product in that catagory, you don't vote or is it because you do not have knowledge of the other products?
If it is not the latter you r a iFanboy.
The iPhone is a smartphone? A dozen fart applications say otherwise.
Fun list of gadgets this year!!
Home Entertainment Device of the Year is the Vudu BX100. It's so far ahead of everything else on that list it's not even funny...
First off, voting! yay!
2008 Engadget Awards - Gadget of the Year - NC10
2008 Engadget Awards - Worst Gadget of the Year - slotMusic Player
2008 Engadget Awards - Most Anticipated Gadget of 2009 - Palm Pre
2008 Engadget Awards - Cellphone of the Year - Samsung Instinct
2008 Engadget Awards - Smartphone of the Year - HTC Touch Pro
2008 Engadget Awards - Desktop of the Year - HP TouchSmart 2
2008 Engadget Awards - Laptop of the Year -- Lenovo Thinkpad X300
2008 Engadget Awards - Laptop of the Year
2008 Engadget Awards - Netbook of the Year - Samsung NC10
2008 Engadget Awards - Digital Camera of the Year - Casio Exilim EX-FH20
2008 Engadget Awards - Display of the Year - Dell M109S pocket projector
2008 Engadget Awards - Game Console of the Year - Nintendo DS
2008 Engadget Awards - Game Accessory of the Year - Rock Band 2 kit
2008 Engadget Awards - GPS Device of the Year - Garmin nuvi 255w
2008 Engadget Awards - Handheld of the Year - Nokia N810 WiMAX
2008 Engadget Awards - HDTV of the Year - Sony Bravia MotionFlow
2008 Engadget Awards - Home Entertainment Device of the Year - Didn't vote
2008 Engadget Awards - Peripheral of the Year - Sony BWU-300S 8x Blu-ray Burner
2008 Engadget Awards - Portable Media Device of the Year - Cowon S9
2008 Engadget Awards - Robot of the Year - Mr. Asahi robot bartender!
2008 Engadget Awards - Storage Device or Technology of the Year - Self-assembling nanoscale storage
2008 Engadget Awards - Tablet PC of the Year - ThinkPad X200t
2008 Engadget Awards - Wearable Device of the Year - didnt vote
2008 Engadget Awards - Wireless Device or Technology of the Year - WiMAX
Please don't just vote for all the Apple stuff just because it's Apple. Look at the technologies themselves. I voted for Intel Atom over the iPhone 3G.
as did i. and then was like iphone 3g? was that this past year? seems so blah now.
I have an iPhone 3G and I still didn't vote for it. I don't think Apple has done anything worth noting in 2008. All they did was update and refresh stuff they already sale.
But as usual, engadget.com will seem like they are licking Steve Job's balls because Apple fanboys show up for vote day. I think Apple sends out e-mails letting them know when votes like this happen on websites, I swear.
Well said, main reason a couple of them are in the lead at this point... Best storage device?!?!? Please.
Agreed. If you notice, basically anything with the apple name is in the lead. If apple isn't listed, then Sony is right there behind it. Apple and Sony make a wide range of products, but certainly not the best in any specific category. That's why there are companies who focus mainly on one type of product, so they can do it right.
I wish people would open their eyes a little more sometimes and realize that the world doesn't revolve around Apple or Sony.
I went Intel atom too. Come on its a chip that power almost every netbook(sod of Psion) n Nettop out there and helped open up a brand new industry(ish)
iPhone 3G is well the same as the original iPhone with 3G.
Oh n why is NXE down for "gadget of the year"? it's a firmware update, I'm sorry but En'gadget's definition of gadget is pretty flexible.
atom was so much bigger than the iphone 3G. it spawned, or at least made usable and popular, an entirely new class of notebooks. iphone got upgraded with GPS and... not much more.
Why on earth is the Zune 3.0 in the worst gadget category?!
Nominated by iPod fans who have no idea what it is, I assume.
Or maybe just frustration that there was no new hardware to go along with the new features other than some different color schemes and increased capacities.
Either way, Zune 3.0 update rocked hard and it really doesn't deserve to be up there.
Why on earth is the iPhone 3G in the smartphone catagory? Besides the touch interface what does the iPhone do that my 4 year old dumbphone can't?
Allow you to download apps and games from a centralized marketplace that only the manufacturer and the network allow: Check and check.
Lack of multitasking: Check and check
Allow you to browse the web: Check and check.
Allow you to listen to music: Check and check.
Allow you to have your email pushed directly to you when it get's sent to you: Check and check.
Seriously what qualifies the iPhone as smart phone?
"Presented by Sprint, and the Palm Pre"
Most anticipated gadget:
"Palm Pre"
heh Sprint picked a good place to advertise.
What a joke. Apple fanboys skew all the results. Why the hell is time capsule first in storage, WHY?
Why not?
I mean, wireless backup for multiple computers? Sounds pretty cool to me.
All the Apple products are at the top. Engadget has always been biased toward Apple it's not going to change for voting.
oh wait they are just in alphabetical order. Either way they are biased.
I agree but I have to admit the time capsule is pretty cool
I can do the same thing with my standard external drive... and I do. In any case, the speed records that Intel is making with its SSDs far outstrip any small innovation Apple has introduced with the time capsule.
All of the Apple fanboys just need to choose one gadget, where as the rest of the Engadget population actually makes educated decisions which one deserves to be the winner among the other solid choices. They all vote for Apple, and as soon as they see something with Microsoft, such as the Zune, they vote that down.
@coldside
If its such an 'educated choice' for the non 'Apple fanboys' then every category should have the apple product as chosen by the apple fanboys and one other product chosen by the 'educated consumer' Unfortunately for you since people are picking more than 1 non Apple device that shows either there are a bunch of non educated Apple haters or its not a matter of a educated choice at all but a matter of personal preference.
If you want to say that its a matter of personal taste and different people pick what they want based on what they want/need then your fanboy argument loses all value since that would explain why Apple is dominating most of the categories its in.
Because it is easy - blind dumb easy. Set it up. It runs. You have peace of mind. It's been sold as such and it runs as such. Probably no better than any other backup out there - but they understood the worries and concerns of average users and designed the thing and its marketing to speak to those needs and salve those worries.
Good to see the Voodoo Envy 133 got on that list.
Looks like Apple gonna clean up...arg
of course, when the categories are so rigged.
Is there any category where an Apple product isn't in the lead?
lol.... talk about fanbois!
Apple tv beating popcorn hour is a travesty
Totally agreed. I had a really hard time picking between the Roku Netflix box and the Popcorn Hour. Definitely not the Apple TV though, how many of those have they sold, 14?
Too biased, look like apple fan boy vote anything that has apple on it.
While I agree that it's annoying, and I don't believe that I own or want any Apple products myself, I have to concede that Apple has rightfully earned their many ridiculous undeserved victories here.
Yes, the products in question are being voted for by blind drones who just want to see Apple win everything no matter what it is, but any company that is capable of rallying that kind of support from the mob must be doing something right. Maybe they make innovative products, maybe they've hit the golden note on marketing, either way they've managed to create a situation where armies of fans will rig Gadget of the Year awards in their favor, and that alone is an extremely impressive feat.
Many of the posts are easily predictable, even though I had to go against the trend. (iPhone 3G should not be Gadget of the Year, should be something revolutionary like the Canon 5D Mark II)
At least this helps determine how many engadget readers are diehard iMac fanboys. It looks to be about 45% right now.
iMac only has 25.5%
For better or worse, this looks like the 2008 Apple Awards.
No kidding. Apple TV was a huge flop as was the so-called take two. Also, people have this tendency to hate MS products, namely the Zune. I own the original Zune, an Xbox 360, and a Vista ultimate machine and by jove I love every one individually and all of them more when together. The latest Zune software/firmware tandem absolutely trounces iTunes, and this is coming from someone who had become accustomed to iTunes.
i've had my zune 30 for years, i love it, but the new software sucks for what i personally want to do with it--stick in all my pirated music and remove album info, and keep it all organized the way i like it. i edit the tags through WMP, i only sync through the zune software. :/
Some of the Apple products I voted for ... think they're the best of breed in terms of engineering or capbility ... laughed at some of the other Apple skewed results. Don't worry ... people truly vote with their pocketbooks. Obviously, the majority of people aren't going to go out and buy last-generation technology iMacs ... to get cutting edge. They're too scared of "bags of hurt" and upgradeable, best of class graphics cards. So there's room for everyone in this mad, crazy world.
I think we all know this is biased when the iPhone isn't in the worst gadget category. Did you guys see all the nominations it got?
Way to go from one extreme to the other. Apple bias or not, there is no reason for iPhone to be in worst gadget. Then again there is no reason for zune 3.0 to be in there either as far as i know.
Apple cinema Display 24" ... but why ... this poll is a waste! It should be split in two, for real people (without apple products) and for Apple fans (the same but with apple products, that get 100% score by default). It's such a shame that mactards don't want to rise above their "..tards" condition.
No kidding, the thing is $900 and doesn't even have HDMI. I bought a 24" BenQ with HDMI and 1920x1200 res for $290. Split the polls so that one does not include Apple products, I'd be interested in meaningful results.
This is a good idea. Please keep it in mind, Engadget. For the sake of not being a slave to Apple fanboys everywhere. I'd like to see actual, legitimate, GEEKY gadgets come out of the polls, not a slew of Apple bullshit.
I like the fact that the raw number of votes, at least at this point, is about 300% higher for any category that includes an Apple device.
Fanboy voter fraud.
Engadget: How you can possibly have the Storm in the same category as the slotplayer is beyond me. Disappointing? Yes. "Worst." Not in that crowd -- by a longshot. You are intentionally just baiting the iPhone fanboys to hit that "contempt for competition" button.
Copy/paste, MMS messaging, and push e-mail FTW. Laggy accelerometer? Who gives a shit?
iPod shuffle is already the winner for worst gadget of 2009
O rly? I bet it will only appear on the best MP3 player nominations.
The problem with integrating all Apple product's into the regular line is the cult status that Mac has. Most of us do not identify with our Sony products, Samsung, et al, the way Apple fanatics do. To them, Apple products aren't the best products, they're the only products.
I have issues with two of the nominations.
1. The IPhone is not a Smart Phone. It wont be a smartphone any time soon. It is a very amazing dumbphone, but the ability to surf the net and send emails does not give a phone a smart phone status. When the Iphone gets COPY/PASTE, the ability to send SMS, and open industry standard documents (even OPEN OFICE FOR GODS SAKE) then I'll vote the IPhone in as the best smartphone.
2. The Zune should not be in the Worst Gadget Category. Period. I know there are a army of Zune users out there, but this is supposed to be about the tech, which is great for the Zune, not the popularity. I wish Apple fans would stay on their side of the fence.
Interior scene - Engadget writers walks into AA (Applics Anonyms)
ENGADGET: Hi, we represent Engadget and we have a confession, were addicted to Apple, to the point where it affects our work place, everywhere people comment on our addiction but we are blind to the comments and opinions. We feel the need to put down others for no reason including Microsoft’s Zune 3.0 SOFTWARE as a GADGET. Oh please AA help me...
You should probably learn to spell.
Anybody noticed apple fanboys are going back and voting more than once on the same products. Makes this pointless now.
pretty sure you can only vote once, unless my computer is broken....then again it probably is....its not an APPLE, gosh im a looser.......
OR
Apple people are only voting in categories that have Apple products.
Crazy notion I know but if you feel better believing there is mass voting fraud going on, go right ahead.
Er... Yeah, if you got into your browser setting and delete all your cookies, you can vote as many times as you like, provided you keep deleting the Engadget cookies.
haha its funny how stupid this voting is. Some of the nominations just don't make sense and just because people nominate a certain gadget doesn't mean that it should end up on the final list. I would think that the engadget bunch is a smart nerdy group but it turns out that the total opposite is in effect.
YAY for idiocracy !!!
Please put up a poll of Apple vs. Ron Paul and let the fanboys converge on it, then stealth in the real Engadget awards for those of us who make legitimate votes.