2011 saw many interesting developments in the tech world, from innovative, brand new products to major updates of some old favorites. As the year comes to a close, we look back at 2011, and select some of our top picks.

iPad 2
Without a doubt, the iPad has established itself as the leader of the tablet market. This year brought the iPad 2, with a faster processor, better graphics, a slimmer design, and front and rear facing cameras to make video conferencing possible on the device.

Though we still feel the lack of cameras on the original iPad was a glaring, and obvious omission, the iPad 2 made up for anything the first iPad was missing, and then some. The tablet's design also sent many major manufacturers back to the drawing board with the tablets they had planned to release, leaving them no choice but to step up their game, which ended up giving consumers better products to choose from.

ASUS Eee Transformer Prime
The Transformer Prime is a good example of a tablet designed to compete with Apple's iPad 2, and some could argue even surpassing it. Though just about every tablet released in 2011 struggled to step out of the iPad's shadow, the Prime incorporated a laundry list of impressive hardware to separate it from the crowd.

With a quad-core processor, a brilliant display, top-notch graphics, and an optional dock that can turn it into the equivalent of an Android netbook, the Prime isn't lacking in any area, and has proven itself to be one of the best Android tablets out there. If you're in the market for a tablet other than the iPad, the Transformer Prime is hard to beat.

Kindle Fire
Everyone expected a tablet entry from Amazon to come during 2011, and the company delivered with the Kindle Fire. A $199, 7-inch tablet/e-reader, the Fire is more of a competitor with the Barnes & Noble Nook Color and Nook Tablet than it is with the iPad 2 or any other full-featured tablet on the market. That being the case, however, the Fire brings with it enough bang for the buck that many may find it offers everything they need in a tablet device. With full access to the Amazon ecosystem of books, magazines, music, and video, plus a full Web browser, e-mail capability, document creation, and a wide variety of the most popular Android apps, it's easy to see how.

Since its announcement, the Kindle Fire has been extremely successful for Amazon, selling in the millions during the holiday shopping season. The Fire is also making its competitors take notice, offering consumers an affordable, functional tablet that is making many consider the high prices of other tablets currently being sold. Amazon definitely has a winner on its hands with their new tablet device, a device that could quickly prove to be the first serious competitor to the iPad.

iPhone 4S
When Apple announced the iPhone 4S, many who had allowed themselves to get caught up in the rumor mill were disappointed that the company had chosen to stick with the same outward design as the iPhone 4, and not name it the iPhone 5. They failed to look beyond the name and outward appearance of the new phone, and realize that the iPhone 4S is a significant update of the previous model.

Sporting a faster processor, a better camera, better graphics, and more internal storage. The 4S also brought with it what has become perhaps it's most popular feature - Siri. The personal digital assistant present in every iPhone 4S, Siri is quite impressive, letting you speak to it in natural language to have it do things for you such as creating an appointment or reminder, tell you how the weather looks, find a nearby restaurant, or any number of other things. Siri responds to what you ask it, so it will essentially customize itself to meet your needs, making it a very useful tool to many different people in many different ways.

Though Apple has said Siri is still in beta, it is a very impressive beta, and should only improve over time. To be fair to those who were hoping for the release of the iPhone 5, if you are already an iPhone 4 owner, and don't care about the better camera and Siri, then the 4S may not be for you. The iOS 5 software update may hold you over until Apple's next iPhone model is released. For those with the iPhone 3GS, or an earlier model, the iPhone 4S has enough new features under the hood that upgrading to the latest model should be well worth it.

iZON Remote Room Monitor
Stem Innovation's iZON Remote Room Monitor is an easy to use, app-controlled video camera that allows users to securely live stream audio and video to any Apple iOS device. The iZON can alert you when there is motion or noise in the location you wish to monitor, and optionally record to a free, private YouTube channel if you choose. The device can also be placed on any horizontal surface, mounted to the ceiling, and tilts and swivels on a magnetic base for easy positioning of the camera. For quick and easy room monitoring, the iZON is the way to go.

Skin Gun
The Skin Gun, which uses a burn victim's own stem-cells to heal the severe damage caused to the patient's skin, is an experimental medical device that sprays newly created cells directly onto the damaged areas of the skin, allowing healing to occur in as little as a few days. This new breakthrough in medical technology has already healed over a dozen patients. You can find out more about the Skin Gun in the Articles section of In Tech Today.

Watson Supercomputer
Watson, the IBM supercomputer and breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence, gained notoriety earlier this year when it was pitted against Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Watson bested the competition, and went on to win a three-day Jeopardy tournament. Watson, which was designed with the abilty to process unstructured data and interpret natural language, will now see its skills applied to the healthcare, finance, customer service, and research industries.

4G Networks
With the increased popularity of mobile devices and their considerable capabilities, comes the expectation that those devices will be able to be used to their fullest while on the go. 4G networks make the promise of faster data speeds, and the good news is that the major carriers are building their networks quickly to maximize coverage and meet demand. With so many devices ready to incorporate 4G technology into their specs, it shouldn't be long before the added benefist of increased speed among mobile devices becomes the norm.

GoPro HD Hero Cameras
These tiny 1080p capable HD cameras have become extremely popular, finding their way into the lives of outdoor enthusiasts, extreme sports junkies, and even independent filmmakers. Their small size makes it easy to get great footage even in tight spaces, and the ability to mount the cameras to just about anything lets your audience get views of the action like never before.

Lytro Camera
Have a blurry, out of focus shot you wish you could recover? Not a problem for the Lytro. This camera lets you take pictures by capturing all of the light around you, and gives you the ability to fix what normally would have been wasted shots after they have already been taken. By capturing all of the light field data, and having no shutter delay, using a Lytro means you'll get the shots you wanted, with full ability to perfect them later.