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Gadget of the Decade

What a decade! With 2010 fast approaching we thought we'd celebrate the greatest gadgetry to adorn our shelves over the last ten years. We're talking the best portable music players, the greatest entertainment devices, innovative image-grabbers and whatever else has caught our eye. Here we've brought together 50 of the top tech treats for you to choose from.

Voting on Gadget of the Decade has now closed. To find out which gadgets came out on top, check out The Gadget Show on Monday 14th December on Five. We'll also have all the results right here on FiveFWD straight after the big TV reveal.

  • Asus Eee PC

    Asus Eee PC

    The original Asus Eee PC was unveiled in 2007 and we can honestly say we'd never seen a laptop so small. The original netbook, it's spawned a wave of pretenders. As with all groundbreaking gadgets, the Eee PC has moved on, but we'll never forget the original...

  • Facebook

    Facebook

    What can we say about the epic online community that is Facebook. It's revolutionised the way we keep in touch with our friends. The hugely popular social networking website was launched in 2004 and now has over 250 million users. A true online phenomenon if ever there was one.

  • Wikipedia

    Wikipedia

    Wikipedia is a free, web-based and collaborative multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Launched in 2001 it has over 13 million articles and 250 active editions, contributed and edited by pretty much anyone.

  • Google Earth

    Google Earth

    Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographic information program. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It was released to the public in 2005 and is even available for iPhone!

  • You Tube

    You Tube

    Imagine one place where you could get all manner of your bizarre videos in one swoop. From weird fat kids pretending to be in Star Wars, to women with wardrobes falling on them. Introducing YouTube, a video-sharing website that's been going since 2005. Awesome!

  • MacBook

    MacBook

    The Macbook first surfaced in May 2006 as a replacement for the iBook. The original had a 13.3" inch screen, and you could say it was the grandaddy of today's netbooks. It was also one of Apple's first lappies to adopt the MagSafe connector. As always, it was as stylish as it was useful.

  • Skype

    Skype

    Skype is a great way of making calls for free. It's a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the internet. Skype, which has been around since 2003, allows calls to other users of the service for free. Now anything that doesn't cost is alright in our book!

  • Windows XP

    Windows XP

    Windows XP is a line of operating systems produced by none other than Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, and media centers. Short for eXPerience, XP has been gracing our PCs since 2001. A powerful computer OS indeed...

  • Vodafone 3G data card

    Vodafone 3G data card

    This was the first mobile broadband speed connection for your laptop, allowing laptop users to access the internet without cables or standard Wi-Fi. Just plug the card into your laptop and you'll get broadband access whenever you're in range of Vodafone's 3G network. Easy.

  • USB Flash Drive

    USB Flash Drive

    Okay we know there's no specific make here, but the humble USB Flash drive has changed the way we transport our data around with us. These pocket storage devices can range from 64MB to 256GB! And to think, we remember when our PC only had 1GB of storage. Amazing!

  • Playstation 2

    Playstation 2

    The follow-up to the successful PlayStation, the PlayStation 2 is the best-selling console ever, having sold over 138 million units! It's also said to have over 1,900 games available, with developers still creating games for it today. Now that's entertainment!

  • Nintendo Wii

    Nintendo Wii

    A more interactive console you will not find! The Nintendo Wii wowed onlookers and participants with its motion-sensitive controls and wacky games when it was first launched in 2006. And since then it's consistently been the most in-demand Christmas console.

  • Sony OLED TV

    Sony OLED TV

    The Sony XEL-1 was the first OLED television ever. Yes it was only 11-inches, but that didn't detract from the astonishing waist - a mere 3mm thick! Another amazing fact was that it had a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1! We just won't mention the jaw-dropping price tag.

  • Sky+

    Sky+

    If ever there was a gadget to revolutionise the way we watched television this was it. The Sky+ box gives us humble TV viewers the power to pause and rewind live television, record programmes to its capacious hard drive, and plan the week's viewing via the extremely easy-to-use user interface.

  • World Of Warcraft

    World Of Warcraft

    Released in 2004, World of Warcraft has been a phenomenal gaming success. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (or MMORPG for short) it also spawned one of the greatest South Park episodes ever. How many games can say that?

  • Blu-ray

    Blu-ray

    You have to give Blu-ray credit. It was battered black and Blu by HD-DVD, until its rival format collapsed. Having survived the format war of the decade, Blu-ray is going from strength to strength with more manufacturers designing the disc-spinners. The picture quality's stunning too.

  • Grand Theft Auto III

    Grand Theft Auto III

    Released in 2001 for PS2, Grand Theft Auto III was the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. Set in Liberty City, the game follows a criminal who is required to work his way up the crime ladder. It sowed the seeds for the phenomenally successful GTA IV.

  • Microsoft Xbox 360

    Microsoft Xbox 360

    The best console of its generation? Arguably yes. The Xbox 360 was the first next-gen console to arrive in 2005, so by the time the PS3 and Nintendo Wii hit the scene, it was already established. Xbox Live, home to its online community, adds an extra dimension for 360 owners.

  • Singstar

    Singstar

    Some people say that musicians sing so you don't have to. We say that only people who can't sing say that. SingStar brought karaoke home. The series has been going since 2004, first on the PS2, and now on the PlayStation 3. Because bad singing is entertaining!

  • Nintendo DS Lite

    Nintendo DS Lite

    Released in 2006 the Nintendo DS Lite enabled dual-screen gaming on the move. The combination of quirky games and interactivity (the touchscreen) helped to give the DS Lite universal appeal, and an undeniably Nintendo feel. The best handheld console around? You decide.

  • Gorillapod

    Gorillapod

    The Gorillapod is a tripod with state-of-the-art legs that can support all manner of cameras. It's been designed to provide stability in situations where flat surfaces just don't exist, making the Gorillapod an essential accessory for any budding photographer. Great name too...

  • Flip Ultra

    Flip Ultra

    When the Flip first came out it was dubbed the iPod of camcorders. One look at it explains why: it's small, sexy and unbelievably easy to use. Tiny enough to fit in your pocket or manbag the flip-out USB appendage makes uploading vids to YouTube a breeze.

  • Fuji F31fd

    Fuji F31fd

    The Fujifilm F31fd may have looked like an ordinary compact digital camera, but back in the day its 6 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen, and an unbelievable ISO speed of 3200 at full resolution, left us feeling more David Bailey than David Blaine.

  • Sony HVR-Z1e

    Sony HVR-Z1e

    When we first got to grips with the Sony HVR-Z1e it made us feel like Tarantino. It combines the professional styling with the ease-of-use we expect for creating Hi-Def home movies. It was also the world's first HDV handheld camcorder with an interchangeable lens system!

  • Photoshop Elements

    Photoshop Elements

    Let's face it Photoshop has always been a great bit of software for altering your images, but it's mighty expensive. Its little brother Elements, however, provided a lot of the fun (think superimposing your mate's head onto Gordon Brown's body with magnetic lasso) for a fraction of the price.

  • Flickr

    Flickr

    Flickr has been going since 2004 and its makers suggest it's almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Well, we'll let you be the judge of that. If you think that Flickr deserves the imaging prize of the last decade, click here...

  • Picassa

    Picassa

    Picasa is probably Flickr's main rival in the world of online photo management. It's been owned by Google since 2004 and has such methods of identifying photos as geo-tagging and face-recognition. But is it the best bit of photo-management software of the last ten years?

  • Nikon D70

    Nikon D70

    Making its bow back in 2004, the Nikon D70 was Nikon's first affordable consumer DSLR. Spec-wise it had a 6.1-megapixel sensor, which may not sound all that by today's standards, but back then this was a whopper, and ISO levels of 200-1600. An awesome proposition.

  • Sony HC-1

    Sony HC-1

    The HC1 surprised a lot of people when it was released back in 2005: it was only the second video camera at the time to use a CMOS chip. It was also the first really affordable HD camcorder to hit the market. And for that reason alone it should be applauded...

  • Windows Movie Maker

    Windows Movie Maker

    Windows Movie Maker is a basic video creating/editing software included in Microsoft Windows. Want to add effects such as titles, credits, audio tracks and timeline narration to your movies? This is one of the easiest ways to turn home movies into big screen masterpieces.

  • 1st Gen iPod

    1st Gen iPod

    Steve Jobs described the original iPod as a device that could put 1,000 songs in your pocket. With its innovative design and easy user interface this was the music player to take down all players. It set the standard by which all other MP3 players live by. But does it get your vote?

  • Griffin iTrip

    Griffin iTrip

    The iTrip was an FM-transmitter made by Griffin Technology as a third party accessory for the iPod. Pretty much anyone who had an iPod had an iTrip - and that was pretty much everyone. It was the easiest way to get your tunes from your iPod to your stereo. Awesome.

  • Tenori-On

    Tenori-On

    You've never seen a musical instrument like this. The Tenori-On uses 256 LEDs inset into a screen, any of which can be activated to create an awesome tune. It's a perfect example of technology and music living in perfect harmony.

  • Spotify

    Spotify

    This genius piece of software is a peer-to-peer music streaming service that brings instant listening to specific tracks or albums with almost no buffering delay. And if you can put up with a few adverts every now and again, it's absolutely free! Like we said... genius!

  • Shazam

    Shazam

    Shazam is an awesome application for your mobile phone that uses your handset's built-in mic to recognise a track. After a clever bit of wizardry and warlockery it then sends a text back to the user with the name of the track. Ideal for pub quizzes and the like!

  • Bose Quiet Comfort 1

    Bose Quiet Comfort 1

    The Bose Quiet Comfort 1 headphones use clever Bose technology that's normally only used for fighter pilots and the like, to eliminate external noises so you can enjoy your tunes. Just flick a switch and it's no more nagging wife. As the name suggests they're pretty comfortable too!

  • MySpace Music

    MySpace Music

    MySpace Music is the ideal platform for unsigned artists to upload their tracks and showcase their music to the masses. The likes of Lily Allen have proved this route to be a success. It's also a place where you can get access to free music and videos. Bonza!

  • Pure Evoke-1 DAB Radio

    Pure Evoke-1 DAB Radio

    The best DAB radio ever? Quite possibly. Coming from those purveyors of fine radios Pure, the Evoke-1 brought that iconic design to the masses, as well as more stations than you could want in crystal clear sound quality. A DAB hand you might say. Ha ha. Sorry.

  • Creative Jukebox Zen

    Creative Jukebox Zen

    From 2004 to 2006 the Creative Zen won the Best of CES award. With awesome sound quality this probably should have been the MP3 player to capture the imagination of the masses, and not one iPod. So will it get your vote this time? Or will it be pipped again? Pipped! Get it?

  • iPod Nano

    iPod Nano

    The iPod Nano made its debut in 2005. A cheap alternative to the iPod Classic, it was smaller in terms of dimensions and storage. It's lithe measurements meant it could slide in the most slender of trouser pockets and not create a bulge. An very nifty device.

  • Nokia N95

    Nokia N95

    The Nokia N95 was probably the first truly smart phone. Unveiled in 2006 and unleashed on the public in 2007 it didn't have a touchscreen but it did come with 8GB of storage space for tunes and built-in GPS for turning it into an awesome satnav... or chatnav as we liked to call it.

  • iPhone

    iPhone

    Shortly after the N95 was released Apple unleashed a bomb on the mobile phone market that was set to change the way we looked at smartphones forever - the touchscreen-toting multimedia device known as the iPhone was born. And everyone applauded simultaneously.

  • Motorola V3 RAZR

    Motorola V3 RAZR

    The Motorola RAZR V3 was a style guru amongst handsets. Pull this flip phone out on the train and everyone would look. That was back in 2005, before absolutely everyone and their mum had one. The menu interface was a bit fiddly, but don't get us wrong... this was all about style!

  • Jabra BT250 Bluetooth Earpiece

    Jabra BT250 Bluetooth Earpiece

    Abra-ca-Jabra! It's the Jabra BT250. With its award-winning design the BT250 changed the way we held our mobiles forever. Pinging up the sounds to your ears via Bluetooth you could squeeze eight hours of talk time out of it. Best mobile accessory ever?

  • Nokia 3310

    Nokia 3310

    We remember a time when everyone had a Nokia. And more to the point, they had a Nokia 3310. Why? Well you couldn't argue with its simple design. It was sturdy, and although it weighed a small ton, did what you wanted it to do, and even had Snake the game on it.

  • BlackBerry Curve

    BlackBerry Curve

    The first BlackBerry Curve was introduced in 2007, bringing along the trackball from the BlackBerry Pearl for the ride. It combined everything that we loved about BlackBerrys and put it into a sleek handset. That meant awesome messaging and email skills. The business!

  • B&O Beocom 2

    B&O Beocom 2

    This cordless telephone took home phones into the 21st Century with its unique curved aluminium body and built-in phone book. It also doubles as a remote volume controller for Bang & Olufsen stereo and television equipment. Not bad for a phone!

  • Sony Ericsson k800i

    Sony Ericsson k800i

    The first Sony Ericsson phone to be tagged with the Cyber-Shot branding back in 2006, the K800i was one of the first truly awesome cameraphones hit the scene. With a 3.2-megapixel sensor, a Xenon flash and features such as Best Pic, it put some larger cameras to shame.

  • NEC E606

    NEC E606

    Launched back in 2003 the NEC E606 was the first mobile phone to arrive in the 3G range. A lot of people won't even touch a handset nowadays if it doesn't have 3G, so it was a pioneer of sorts. A Christopher Columbus of handsets. Even if it was heavy and had poor battery life.

  • Nokia 5140

    Nokia 5140

    The Nokia 5140 was part of Nokia's active series and was launched in 2004. Inspired by sports, it says a lot about the handset's durability and longevity that you can still buy a variant of it today with digital compass, fitness coach and camera built-in.