Fans and cooling → Desktop cooling →
I'm half surprised that the PC liquid cooling trend never died. In fact it seems to have expanded beyond its initial momentum in the early part of the decade. Today's liquid cooling technology is much better engineered than before, and requires substantially less work to assemble and implement. One thing liquid cooling has never been -- and may never properly be -- is safe under all circumstances. I really like the Thermaltake BigWater 760i liquid cooling system, and I took every precaution in assembling and testing it. Still, more than a month after it was installed, the unit leaked, destroying my motherboard and power supply, and damaging the internal finish of my chassis.
Laptops → Laptop computers →
The tradition of excellence in notebook computer manufacturing that Lenovo inherited from IBM continues with the excellently designed, Linux-compatible ThinkPad T61. This time the big difference between the latest T series iteration and its predecessor is not performance, but price. All T series ThinkPads now start under U.S. $1000 -- in some cases, as low as $700, which is a markdown of more than 300% under the previous T60 models. I'm not sure where that cost savings was, because as far as I can tell, this is still a top-quality, top-performing laptop computer.
Workstations & servers → Workstations →
I've seen a lot of mid-range workstations in my careers as a technician and a hardware reviewer; so far, the Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e is the most innovative. It uses little electricity, offers great performance, supports all of the necessary devices and peripherals, and it's solidly built. The only weakness I discovered in the A61e is its operating system -- the sticker on the machine says it's designed for Windows Vista Basic, but it ships with Windows Vista Business, which makes a dog out of this top performer.
Input devices → Mousepads →
I've used a wide range of mousepads made out of a number of interesting materials, but they've all fallen short of my expectations. Some of the plastic gaming mousepads were great at first, but wore smooth after a few weeks of normal use. Cloth mousepads put too much strain on my wrist, and tend to track rather poorly with laser mice. On my test computers I don't use a mousepad at all -- I just let my mice roam free on the Formica countertop, and to be honest, it's not such a bad surface. I'm glad to report that I've found the perfect mousepad, though -- one that can withstand the rigors of heavy use in gaming and desktop publishing. Yes, the Icemat Second Edition is that good a mousepad.
Desktop computers → Mini-PCs →
Mini-PCs have evolved in incredible ways since the early days of hand-assembled Shuttle FlexATX formfactor systems and various VIA-based Mini-ITX systems. What started out as a limited but tiny computer that relied mostly on standard desktop hardware with a specialized motherboard, power supply, and chassis has become a niche market for devices that are increasingly proprietary in design while keeping the cost low and using astonishingly little electricity. The Zonbu Desktop computer is the pinnacle of mini-PC design, but the hardware is only part of the device's overall innovation.
Input devices → Laptop mice →
This is a fairly standard mobile mouse, made in the same style as many previous Microsoft notebook mice. The only significant differences between the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 and many of its predecessors and competitors are its wireless connectivity and laser tracking technologies.
Input devices → Laptop mice →
If you do a lot of business travelling, or if you work primarily from a laptop system with external peripherals, a good mouse may make you more comfortable and productive. Portable (laptop) mice have changed much in the few years that they've been widely manufactured and marketed, but their usefulness has remained more or less the same. Microsoft made a notable effort to include as many interesting features in the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 as possible, resulting in a mouse that can much more easily convince you to abandon your trackbutton or touchpad for extended laptop computing sessions.
Cases/chassis → Tower cases →
The first chassis I've tested from newcomer computer hardware manufacturer Tagan is a functional work of art. Usually new players in the chassis and power supply industry start out with conservative designs and try to undercut established competitors by appealing to small-time custom computer builders and budget DIY home users. Not Tagan, though -- the CS Black Pearl is as revolutionary and innovative as possible with current technology.
Storage and memory → Hard drive enclosures →
The introduction of the Serial ATA hard drive interface brought SCSI-like hot swappability to consumer-grade hard drives. Beyond the simplified data and power cable connectors though, the SATA standard does little to make it easy to change out a hard disk without turning off your computer. Tagan's Icy Box is an excellent hardware solution for hot-swapping SATA type I and II hard drives, and with its little built in 30mm fan, it also serves as a low-end cooling solution.
Cases/chassis → Tower cases →
Just when I thought the age of electrically extravagant desktop machines was over (or at least coming to an end) with the advent of lower-power, higher-performance CPUs and components, Antec comes out with a computer chassis that defies the trend and caters specifically to high-wattage system builders. That doesn't mean it's at all wasteful or inefficient, though -- indeed, we might someday look back on the Antec P190 as the pinnacle of innovation in an era of noisy, expensive, hot-running, power-hungry computers.
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