Gallery: The 20 best of 2010

In April, the smartphone world was buzzing with the debut of the Droid Incredible. Here is Matthew Miller's close up look at the HTC phenom from Verizon.

Matthew also created another very popular gallery of the Droid Incredible in use.

Internet Explorer 9 is the most ambitious browser release Microsoft has ever undertaken, and in August Ed Bott found that despite the beta label it is an impressively polished product. Here's the gallery.

With Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft is trying to make the browser disappear. Ed's been testing IE9 beta and here's his review.

The Apple iPad re-energized the market for tablet computers but it went nearly all of 2010 without a serious challenger. That will soon change. Here are 20 upstarts taking aim at the iPad.

Get the inside track on iPhone apps that can improve your productivity, and a few that can provide a little geek fun. Here's a July, 2010  list of the top 25 iPhone apps from TechRepublic Editor in Chief Jason Hiner. Also look for follow up lists from Jason on the top Android apps, Android widgets, and iPad apps.

E-book readers exploded in popularity on the show floor at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, in an array of colors, shapes, sizes and capabilities. Here are the top 10 e-readers that Andrew Nusca at this January show.

Ever since the dawn of the Windows operating system, Microsoft has used Splash Screens as a means of distracting us while the operating system is loading. In addition to their entertainment value, the Windows splash screens typically provide us with some sort of feedback on the progress of the sometimes lengthy startup process.

In this gallery, you’ll be able to browse through all the splash screens from Windows 1.01 to Windows 7.

Here are 20 of the top apps that make the iPad the success it is. And they're free.

Windows Phone 7 has a rather unique user interface and is designed to help you work better without focusing on the individual application approach seen on the iPhone. Check out Matthew Miller's 8 page article and 6 videos that go with this image gallery, Definitive Guide to the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview.

Look familiar? It should. It's a replica of the best-selling PC of all-time - the Commodore 64. Commodore USA says it has resolved its licensing issues with Commodore Licensing BV and will begin selling the new PC64 under the shell of the classic Commodore 64. Its specifications include a dual-core Intel Atom 525 CPU with Nvidia Ion2 graphics, 4GB DDR3 memory, 1TB hard drive and a CD/DVD drive. A Blu-ray drive is available as an optional extra. For more on the new PC64, read the article by ZDNet UK's Ben Woods.

Do you think your server room is a mess? Check out these pictures and see if you still think so.

TechRepublic editors get lots of email--questions, compliments, criticism, and plenty of spam. They do our best to respond.

But sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just can't decipher what the sender is asking for. And other times, what they're asking for is illegal, impractical, or just bizarre. Here's a look at some of the more interesting ones. 

More people are looking to take advantage of e-readers, both for book reading and for long business documents. Here are the 10 best e-readers, along with comparison photos and a look at one of the popular new covers that can give an e-reader the feel of a traditional book.

You can also read this list in text format in the companion blog post.

Smartphones are hot right now and no matter what carrier you are with there are excellent choices available. Check out these press photos of the top 10 available or announced and stay tuned for even more great phones coming soon. Make sure to read the full ZDNet article on these top 10 smartphones.

At last, HP finally unveiled it's 8.9-inch Slate 500 Tablet PC for Windows 7. The big surprise is that it is being marketed for business use.

A plane developed by Solar Impulse landed after a 26-hour flight in July that was entirely powered by solar energy. Pilot André Borschberg, CEO and co-founder of the Solar Impulse project said, “I have just flown more than 26 hours without using a drop of fuel and without causing any pollution!.”

Originally named Deep Impact, NASA's Epoxi spacecraft made a close encounter with comet Hartley 2 - but this time it didn't send a bomb to explode on its surface. The spacecraft made its closest approach to the comet, about 435 miles, today after having traveled 23 million miles to find it.

Android now has over 70,000 apps to choose from. TechRepublic's Jason Hiner shows you the best of the best.

See all 25 apps in a single list in the companion blog post.

On the biggest day of his professional career, August 24, 1995, Bill Gates takes center stage to introduce the world to Windows 95. Remember, this launch was so big it helped make Gates the richest man in the world. Here's a look back at some of the features and headaches that made this product so memorable. Mary Jo Foley blogs her thoughts on Win 95's 15th anniversary and more Windows to come.

When we showed screenshots of Windows 95 on the 15th anniversary of its launch, and the most noticed omission by readers was the Blue Screen of Death (added later). So we thought we'd make up for it with a gallery of some of the highlights of the BSoD throughout the years.