It's been another exciting year of new products and new technologies, and we're looking back at some of this year's best. Come along as we select In Tech Today's Top Picks for 2010!

iPad:
Apple breathed new life into what was thought to be a once dead category of mobile electronics, by introducing their spin on the tablet computer. By basing their tablet on a touch-based operating system, the iOS used in the iPhone and iPod touch, rather than trying to port over a standard PC operating system, as others had tried to do before, Apple created a device that was easy to use, and sent the industry scrambling to catch up as iPad sales soared.

If any device this year deserved to be a Top Pick, it goes without saying that the iPad had to be it. Love it or hate it, one has to admit that the iPad had a huge impact on the industry, and will almost certainly continue to grow as a new and improved model is expected to be announced in early 2011. Like the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad's popularity comes from the fact that it can be many things to many people, allowing a user to customize it to suit them. Want an easy to carry substitute for your business laptop? The iPad can be that. Want a portable gaming platform with numerous, affordable, quality games? The iPad can do it. Maybe a portable all-around entertainment machine for watching video, listening to music, or viewing photos? The iPad can do that as well. Depending solely on your needs, you can find thousands of different apps in the App Store, and make the iPad into anything you want it be. As the competition from other manufacturers grows, it will be interesting to see how Apple keeps ahead of the game, and how tablets in general will play a part in our everyday lives as the technology continues to develop.

Samsung Galaxy Tab:
While the iPad might be the Apple of everyone's eye, Samsung has quietly snuck in and delivered what has so far been the best alternative to the iPad to be released this year. The Samsung Galaxy Tab earns a Top Pick this year for being one of the first Android-based tablet computers to show true potential, and give anyone looking for an Apple alternative a solid choice they can be happy to own.

Though smaller than the iPad, many users consider that a plus, preferring the size of the Galaxy Tab over the iPad, as it is easier to hold in one hand. They also find the keyboard is also easier to type on, by holding the device in both hands and using their thumbs. The large screen is great for playing videos, and the Galaxy Tab has been released to a number of different carriers, allowing users to sign up with their favorite for the data plan that fits their needs best.

While the iOS of the iPad, and its many available apps, still feel a bit smoother on a tablet device than the Android operating system and many of its apps do, that is expected to improve over time, as Google works on its tablet optimized OS and developers create new apps designed spefically for the tablet platform. With Microsoft also ready to announce their latest tablet offerings in the year to come, it should be interesting to see how the Galaxy holds up and improves itself. In the meantime, though, if Apple devices just aren't your thing, and you're looking for a tablet to carry with you while on the go, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is your best choice.

Set-Top Boxes:
With streaming video becoming more commonplace, and quality content from a number of online outlets also available, set-top box sales increased in 2010, with selections from Roku and the newly revamped Apple TV leading the charge.

Our Top Picks go to Roku and the Apple TV for set-top boxes, for their ease of use and low prices, offering users a reliable way to get the content they want to their TV screens without a lot of hassle. Starting at $59, Roku offers three models of its player, upgraded this year, featuring Netflix, Amazon On Demand, Hulu Plus, and a number of other channels, all in a small box that is easy to set up, and provides a good viewing experience for the user. The Roku is the best choice for those looking for a wide variety of choices when it comes to renting movies, catching up on TV shows, or seeing what kind of content can be found on the Internet to enjoy. For the best viewing experience with a Roku box, we recommend the XD or XDS models, hooked to your HD television with an HDMI cable, and a wired or wireless high-speed Internet connection.

If you have developed a large collection of iTunes video over the years, and/or own one or more iOS devices such as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and simply want an easy way to rent movies and TV shows and stream Netflix content to your TV, then the Apple TV is for you. At $99, the newly redesigned Apple TV allows you to easily view all of your iTunes videos, listen to Internet radio, view photos on your TV, and rent movies and TV shows with a simple interface that is easy to navigate. iOS devices can also take advantage of Apple's AirPlay feature, allowing users to wirelessly stream content from their iOS device directly to their TV. Though not featuring as many third-party content providers as Roku devices, the Apple TV still provides one of the best Netflix streaming experiences, and allows you to rent movies and TV shows on demand right from the TV screen. Though TV show rentals directly from the Apple TV are currently limited to only select networks, any TV show offered in iTunes can easily be played through the Apple TV using the AirPlay feature.

We're sure to see more features being added to the current crop of set-top boxes in 2011, as more people want streaming content to move away from the computer screen and onto the larger screens in their living rooms. With set-top boxes such as the Roku and Apple TV providing low cost ways to add a new layer of enjoyment to home entertainment setups, we're also sure to see set-top boxes being adopted by more and more consumers this coming year.

Kinect:
The Top Pick for gaming technology goes to the Kinect for the Xbox 360. With the Kinect for the Xbox 360, gamers were offered a different gaming experience than what they were used to, now being able to use their own movements to control the action in a game instead of a standard controller. Kinect has proven to be very popular for Microsoft since its release, and more motion controlled titles, as well as improvements to the movement tracking system, are slated for 2011. Users have also begun experimenting with the technology on their own, using it to create 3D motion controlled environments, PC controls, and even automated flight. Though some of these experimental uses of the Kinect are still in their infancy, the technology being used to develop them will be interesting to watch as the Kinect continues to grow.

Android Phones:
Android phones came into their own during 2010, with increased sales, better performance, and a wide variety of devices that offered users on all of the major carriers quality products that would suit their needs, earning the platform a Top Pick from us for 2010. Though the iPhone gets the most attention, Android phones have many of the same capabilities, with the freedom to choose your favorite carrier as well as the freedom to customize your device in ways the iPhone won't allow its users to do. With the Android Market also picking up steam with its ever growing number of apps, the popularity of the Android platform is showing no signs of tapering off, and promises to remain a solid iPhone alternative for those on carriers other than AT&T.

Microsoft Windows Phone 7:
Microsoft earns a Top Pick this year for the introduction of Windows Phone 7, a completely revamped version of its mobile operating system, which is surprisingly fun and easy to use. The company, knowing it was clearly being beaten by the iPhone, Android phones, and others, decided to toss out the old Windows Mobile OS that had served it so well for so many years, and design something new and unexpected that could compete with the current crop of smartphones on the market. The result is Windows Phone 7, which can be found on new devices from most of the major handset manufacturers as well as in the stores of the major carriers. Sales of Windows Phone 7 devices have been good, according to the company, and more improvements to the Windows Phone 7 OS are expected next year.

3D Televisions:
3D televisions may not have flown off the shelves in the record numbers their manufacturers were hoping for in 2010, but the technology earns a Top Pick this year, by making it easy to recreate the 3D movie theater viewing experience in your home. Though 3D content is hard to come by, and equipment prices are high (all of which contributed to many consumers deciding to hold off on buying 3D televisions), those things are expected to change somewhat in the coming year, making 3D adoption in the home easier for everyone interested in the technology. Manufacturers are sure to have newly improved products to offer in 2011, as 3D technology continues to develop. With new 3D Blu-ray titles now being released alongside their standard counterparts, and televison networks gearing up to offer more 3D viewing experiences to viewers, get ready to see 3D become more commonplace in the home in the coming years.

Chevy Volt:
Already the recipient of numerous awards and rave reviews, GM's Chevrolet Volt, the first electric vehicle with extended-range capability, is our top pick for a vehicle that comes in somewhere between a hybrid and one that runs purely on batteries. The Volt has a total driving range of about 340 miles, according to the company, and is powered by electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the Volt drives emissions-free using electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas powered range-extending engine/generator operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank, ridding drivers of that nagging fear that they may not be able to reach their destination without running out of juice. That being one of the main reasons drivers are hesitant to adopt completely electric vehicles, it is why the Volt stands out from the crowd.

For most drivers, their daily commute will keep them well within the limits of the Volt's battery range, and the car will operate on electricity alone. Drivers that need to travel the extra miles, however, will find that the Volt is an all-purpose vehicle capable of long trips as well, needing only a small amount of fuel to keep the car going. It's a good blend of concept versus real-world, and a good solution to the economic and environmental challenges we face by relying so heavily on fossil fuels. Until battery technology improves enough to allow us to all run solely on electricity no matter what our driving needs, vehicles like the Volt can start moving us in that direction now.

SpaceX:
SpaceX, the private developer of a family of cost reducing launch vehicles and spacecraft, became the first commercial company in history to re-enter a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit in 2010, and we salute them as a Top Pick this year. The feat had only been performed by six nations or government agencies prior to that: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.

After being launched into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, and landed in the Pacific Ocean. The successful flight and recovery of the spacecraft is also the first to be done under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station.

SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA. With plans of one day carrying astronauts on voyages as well, the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft designers are working hard to reach those goals, and showing us the beginnings of where the industries of commercial and private spaceflight will one day take us.

Bloom Energy Server:
Built on solid oxide fuel cell technology, Bloom's Energy Server is a power generator that produces clean, affordable electricity, and one of our Top Picks for 2010. A single Bloom Energy Server can provide 100kW of power around the clock, enough for 100 average homes or a small office building, and is roughly the size of a standard parking space. The system is also very easily scalable, by simply adding more energy servers if more power is needed. With large companies such as Google, Adobe, Walmart, and eBay already using the servers to power their facilities, Bloom Energy could soon find itself a major player in the alternative energy market.