TUAW Best of 2011 wrap-up and editor picks

Features Editor

Updated Fri, Jan 6, 2012, 8:00 PM·3 min read

It's January 6th, 2012, and today marks the end of the TUAW Best of 2011 awards. This was a massive undertaking, with 25 separate categories all requiring their own nominations and voting from our readers. We've learned some lessons for next year's event -- start earlier, watch for astroturfing in the nominations, drop some unpopular categories -- and the Best of 2012 will be even better.

The editorial staff here at TUAW agreed with many of the reader picks, but we had our own opinions on some others. We want to thank all of the thousands of TUAW readers who took time to consider their favorite accessories and apps, nominate them for an award, and then vote in the competition.

Without further ado, here's the full list of winners as well as our picks for the TUAW Best of 2011:

Mac Categories in the TUAW Best of 2011

Best Mac Hardware from Apple: 13" MacBook Air
Editor picks: 13" and 11" MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro

Best Mac Peripheral or Accessory: OWC Data Doubler and OWC Mercury 6G SSD
Editor picks: Magic Trackpad, OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD

Best Mac Utility App: Alfred
Editor picks: Growl, 1Password, Grand Perspective

Best Mac Productivity App: Evernote
Editor picks: OmniFocus, Scrivener, Evernote

Best Mac Game App: Machinarium
Editor picks: Civilization V, Full Deck Solitaire

Best Mac Music App: Reaper
Editor picks: Simplify, Rdio, djay, Capo, GarageBand, iTunes

Best Mac Photo App: Flare
Editor picks: Pixelmator, Aperture, Adobe PhotoShop, FotoMagico

Best Mac Video App: Final Cut Pro X
Editor picks: Wirecast, Video Monkey

iPhone Categories in the TUAW Best of 2011

Best iPhone Accessory: Apple TV (2nd Generation)

Editor picks: Mophie Juice Pack Air, Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation, iChair

Best iPhone Game App: Jetpack Joyride
Editor picks: iMAME, Infinity Blade 2, Mage Gauntlet, Dungeon Raid, Jetpack Joyride

Best iPhone Photo App: 360 Panorama
Editor picks: Camera+, Instagram

Best iPhone Video App: iMovie
Editor picks: FiLMiC Pro, Reeli

Best iPhone Social Networking App: Tweetbot
Editor picks: Tweetbot, Instagram, Twitter

Best iPhone Productivity App: Dropbox
Editor picks: Siri, CardMunch, CalenGoo, OmniFocus, Mint, 2Do, Reminders

Best iPhone Utility App: 1Password Pro
Editor picks: LastPass, Groceries, Grocery IQ, Find My Friends, 1Password Pro, TripIt

Best iPhone Navigation App: Navigon
Editor picks: Navigon, Waze, MotionX GPS Drive

Best iPhone Music App: Spotify
Editor picks: Guitar Toolkit, Radio Paradise, Pandora, Shoutcast, Rdio

iPad Categories in the TUAW Best of 2011

Best iPad Case: DODOcase
Editor picks: Apple Smart Cover, AViiQ Smart Case,Twelve South BookBook, ModulR System, OtterBox Defender

Best iPad Accessory: BubCap
Editor picks: Apple TV, iCade, Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation

Best iPad Game App: Osmos for iPad
Editor picks: Battleship, Anomaly Warzone Earth HD, Jetpack Joyride, Sword & Sworcery, Scribblenauts Redux

Best iPad Photography App: flickr hd
Editor picks: iStopMotion for iPad, Photogene, PhotoSync, Snapseed, iMovie

Best iPad Social Networking App: Skype for iPad
Editor picks: Twitter, FaceTime, Skype, Zite

Best iPad Productivity App: OmniFocus for iPad
Editor picks: OmniFocus for iPad, 2Do, Pages, Pocket Informant HD, Evernote

Best iPad Utility App: 1Password Pro
Editor picks: AirPort Utility, Skitch, Air Display, Codea

Best iPad Music App: GarageBand
Editor picks: Planetary, 5-0 Radio HD

Engadget
Jack Dorsey says (on X) that he’s not on the Bluesky board anymore
In response to a user on X who asked 'are you still on the bsky board,' this weekend, Jack Dorsey said only, 'no.' The company has yet to confirm his departure, and Dorsey hasn't publicly provided any further information.
Engadget
Threads now lets you control who can quote your posts
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced the update this weekend, saying he hopes it will “help keep Threads a more positive place.” Users can choose to turn off quotes entirely or limit them only to people they follow.
Engadget
Parrots in captivity seem to enjoy video-chatting with their friends on Messenger
A small study led by researchers at the University of Glasgow and Northeastern University compared parrots’ responses when given the option to video chat with other birds via Messenger versus watching pre-recorded videos.
Engadget
Google prohibits ads promoting websites and apps that generate deepfake porn
Google has updated its Inappropriate Content Policy to include language that expressly prohibits advertisers from promoting websites and services that generate deepfake pornography.
Engadget
X is using Grok to publish AI-generated news summaries
X is using Grok to publish AI-generated summaries of news and other topics that trend on the platform.
Engadget
Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns
Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.”
Engadget
Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they're not being chill about it
Helldivers 2 players have become frustrated after Sony suddenly required linking to a PSN account to play the game on PC. This was not necessary when the title launched in February.
Engadget
Redfall’s two DLC heroes are still MIA a year later
Microsoft may want to be more careful about leaving a trail of broken promises when games don’t go as planned. A year after Redfall landed with a thud, players are still waiting for the advertised post-launch DLC they already paid for.
Engadget
Instagram's 'Add Yours' sticker now lets you share songs
Instagram has released some new interactive stickers for use in Stories. One of these is a “Reveal” sticker that blurs content, so people have to DM the creator to get it unlocked.
Engadget
Apex Legends is getting a solo mode for the first time in five years
Apex Legends will have a solo mode for the first time in five years when the new season starts on May 7. Respawn said as recently as January it had no plans to bring back the single-player option.
Engadget
A four-pack of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 trackers is back on sale for $70
A bundle of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 Bluetooth trackers is back on sale for $70, matching the lowest price we've tracked.
Engadget
Research indicates that carbon dioxide removal plans will not be enough to meet Paris treaty goals
New research indicates a large “emissions gap” between what actions nations have committed to help remove carbon from the atmosphere and what’s required to meet Paris treaty goals.
Engadget
Rabbit R1 review: A $199 AI toy that fails at almost everything
The Rabbit R1 is a cute AI gadget, but at launch it’s riddled with issues and terrible battery life. When phones can handle similar AI tasks, the R1 doesn’t do enough to justify its existence.
Engadget
The Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals
This week, we found deals on gear from Samsung, Apple, Bose, Anker and more.
Engadget
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week
Boeing's Starliner crew capsule is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-41 in Florida on Monday, May 6. The launch window opens at 10:34PM ET. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on board.
Engadget
Google says Epic’s Play Store demands are too much and too self-serving
Google has filed an injunction telling the court that it will not give Epic what it wants without a fight, because the company's asks "stray far beyond the trial record."
Engadget
The best gifts to upgrade your grad’s tech setup
College grads are probably using the same tech they started out with four years ago. Here are the best gadgets you can get them to upgrade their kit, including laptops, headphones, monitors and more.
Engadget
Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet has been authorized to break the speed of sound
Boom's supersonic XB-1 test jet has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to fly past Mach 1.
Engadget
The Morning After: Peloton's grim post-pandemic reality
The biggest news stories this morning: Huawei has been secretly funding research in America after being blacklisted, The best noise-canceling earbuds, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and other Universal artists return to TikTok.
Engadget
Engadget Podcast: Kill the Rabbit (R1)
The Rabbit R1 is finally here, and it's yet another useless AI gadget.

TUAW Best of 2011 wrap-up and editor picks

Mac Categories in the TUAW Best of 2011

iPhone Categories in the TUAW Best of 2011

iPad Categories in the TUAW Best of 2011

Latest Stories

Jack Dorsey says (on X) that he’s not on the Bluesky board anymore

Threads now lets you control who can quote your posts

Parrots in captivity seem to enjoy video-chatting with their friends on Messenger

Google prohibits ads promoting websites and apps that generate deepfake porn

X is using Grok to publish AI-generated news summaries

Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns

Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they're not being chill about it

Redfall’s two DLC heroes are still MIA a year later

Instagram's 'Add Yours' sticker now lets you share songs

Apex Legends is getting a solo mode for the first time in five years

A four-pack of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 trackers is back on sale for $70

Research indicates that carbon dioxide removal plans will not be enough to meet Paris treaty goals

Rabbit R1 review: A $199 AI toy that fails at almost everything

The Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week

Google says Epic’s Play Store demands are too much and too self-serving

The best gifts to upgrade your grad’s tech setup

Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet has been authorized to break the speed of sound

The Morning After: Peloton's grim post-pandemic reality

Engadget Podcast: Kill the Rabbit (R1)

About

Sections

Contribute

Buying Guides