From the New York Times:
On New Year’s Eve, don’t be surprised to witness more heartfelt celebrating than usual; 2005 was not a year noted for its tidings of good cheer, and plenty of people will be happy to see it go.
Still, there were inspiring and gratifying success stories if you knew where to look – and the high-tech industry was one of them. Google Earth redefined how we think of our planet, the Razr phone proved that people do care about beauty, and the iPod – well, you know all about the iPod.
But some of the year’s greatest joys weren’t new products, but aspects of new products. Here and there, you could find tiny touches of brilliance: clever steps forward and new spins on old features that somehow made it through committee, past the bean counters and under the radar of marketing departments.
Here they are, the 10 best gadget ideas of 2005: