ZDNet's The Toybox: Top 15 posts of 2009

It's been a heck of a year on The Toybox, ZDNet's go-to blog for all things gadget.

In fact, we've added it up, and we've posted more than 1,000 posts about gadgets in 2009. (See what you're missing? Subscribe to our e-mail alerts or RSS feed!)

In an attempt to understand what truly resonated with ZDNet readers this year, here's a list of The Toybox's Top 15 posts of 2009, in reverse order:

15. Rumored HTC 'Dragon' Google phone to spar with iPhone, Droid

Nov. 18, 2009: "It was just a month ago that Motorola’s Droid emerged as the best-equipped competitor to Apple’s popular iPhone, but another HTC phone is reportedly waiting in the wings to best them both."

Read the rest here.

14. Culture of cheap: How discount computers cost the consumer

August 12, 2009: "The American obsession with low-priced products — especially electronics — is actually bad for the individual consumer. According to one expert, the race to the bottom cramps innovation, speeds the decline of successful industries and alters our expectations of product quality.

Are thinning margins and the economics of cheap ruining our attitudes?"

Read the rest here.

13. Amazon Kindle DX: The solution to a problem that doesn't exist

May 6, 2009: "From the first moment I picked up Amazon’s new large-format e-reader, the Kindle DX, I liked it. The plastic was smooth to the touch, the flat e-ink screen was easy on the eyes, and the large 9.7-in. screen only magnified just how thin the device really is.

Oh, and less page-turning, naturally."

Read the rest here.

12. Five reasons Google Android smartphones will beat iPhone, BlackBerry, WinMo

Octover 6, 2009: "The Google Android mobile operating system currently runs on less than 2 percent of the world’s smartphones, but research firm Gartner predicts the platform will grow to 14 percent of the global smartphone market in 2012 — beating Apple’s iPhone, Windows Mobile and RIM’s BlackBerry platforms."

Read the rest here.

11. Should Microsoft give Windows 7 away for free?

January 29, 2009: "Everyone has recognized that Windows 7 is “Vista done right.” So should Microsoft just give the OS away for free?"

Read the rest here.

10. Apple ad swings at Windows 7: 'Trust me, this time it's going to be different'

October 22, 2009: "Just in time for today’s Windows 7 launch comes a new Apple “Get a Mac” ad called “Broken Promises” swinging at the new operating system.

'Windows 7 is out, and it’s not going to have any of the problems my last operating system had. Trust me!' "

Read the rest here.

9. Google Chrome OS has arrived as free VMWare download

November 20, 2009: "Just awhile ago, news reports were popping up with sneak peak videos and details about the much-awaited, upcoming Google Chrome OS release. But as of a few hours ago, it looks like we can sample it for ourselves."

Read the rest here.

8. With Motorola Droid, Verizon puts doubts about Google Android platform to rest

October 28, 2009: "Motorola's Droid made a big splash two weeks ago when it debuted in a Verizon teaser ad during prime-time across the country and slammed America’s favorite smartphone, the Apple iPhone. Now that it’s finally been fully revealed, it’s clear that the Droid has become the yardstick by which all Android smartphones are to be measured."

Read the rest here.

7. Dads & Grads: Top 10 laptops for college students, class of '09

May 1, 2009: "Got a kid who is about to graduate high school and pestering you for a laptop to accompany him or her on the great adventure that is higher education? Here’s a list of machines that can get the homework done and allow for a little play, too."

Read the rest here.

6. Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard: Benchmark performance showdown

October 16, 2009: "CNET’s Dong Ngo decided he wanted to pit Windows 7 and Snow Leopard against each other to see which operating system has more oomph. The results may surprise you."

Read the rest here.

5. Dell Adamo vs. Voodoo Envy 133 vs. Apple Macbook Air vs. Sony Vaio Z

March 25, 2009: "The announcement of the Dell Adamo luxury thin-and-light laptop (above) reminded consumers that yes, there exists a market in between the white-hot Netbook segment and the ever-larger desktop replacement segment. Indeed, fully-featured thin-and-light laptops are still here for those of us who need portability and horsepower under the hood (and hey, a little style, too).

But where’s the value proposition? Just how much Adamo can you get versus Air, or Envy, or Vaio Z?

Here’s a statistical head-to-head comparison to figure that out."

Read the rest here.

4. Blackberry Storm, 'Application Center' info leaked

October 6, 2008: "The user’s guide to the highly-anticipated Blackberry Storm was leaked by the ever-intrepid BoyGeniusReport, who posted exclusive images on their website.  Second, and more importantly, news of the Blackberry Application Center has emerged."

Read the rest here.

3. Best Buy adds $197 HP laptop to Black Friday lineup

November 24, 2009: "Best Buy on Tuesday announced that it will bolster its Black Friday deals with a $197 HP laptop.  Available in-store beginning Friday, Nov. 27, the HP laptop features an Intel Celeron 900 processor, 2GB memory and a 160GB hard drive."

Read the rest here.

2. ZDNet's Ultimate Black Friday 2009: Deals, steals & specials guide

November 11, 2009: "Yes, it’s that time of the year again — the time when retailers across the U.S. mark down products to bargain levels to kick off the holiday shopping season, move goods off the shelves and move the year’s profit needle from red to black.

But fear not. ZDNet’s Ultimate Black Friday guide for 2009 will digest all those rumored sales specials for you by gadget category — so you can find the electronics and gadgets you’re looking for in one spot."

Read the rest here.

1. ZDNet Readers' Choice: Top 25 free, lightweight apps

June 25, 2009: "In February, I asked ZDNet readers for the free, lightweight applications they simply can’t live without. After tallying the suggestions in the comments and via e-mail — and there were an awful lot of good suggestions, believe me — here are the 25 most popular."

(Want to read the list without click through all the pages? Download it in one file here.)

Read the rest here.

And that's it! Keep reading for 1,000 more posts in 2010!