Time’s Top 10 Everything of 2009

Like in previous years, Time has released a “Top 10 Everything of 2009”, and it isn’t kidding. It has top lists for the obvious, like medical breakthroughs, TV series, movies, video games, gadgets, but even categories for things like top crime stories, new species, oddball news stories, apologies and so forth – 50 different categories in all. Of course, there’s a few categories I couldn’t help but look at, such as gadgets.

I admit that I expected something from Apple to be in the #1 spot, since it seems to be a given lately, but that wasn’t the case here. Rather, Motorola’s Droid phone is, for the reasons that it has a sharp and vivid touchscreen along with a real keyboard, and also that it’s 3G capable. Despite the fact that it just came out, Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader took the second spot thanks to improvements it has made over the Kindle, like the mini-color screen at the bottom, along with SD, Wi-FI and PDF support.

In number three is Dyson’s “Air Multiplier”, essentially a fan without blades. The iPhone 3GS finds itself in fourth, and in fifth, is the uber-pricey Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. Seeing as this camera is capable of shooting at 102,400 ISO and deliver pictures that might actually be work looking at, I’d have to say that it deserves its spot. Dell’s super-stylish and ultra-thin Adamo XPS came in sixth.

Of course, there’s a lot more than gadgets on Time’s list. The top crime story? The resurfacing of Jaycee Dugard, who was held captive for 18 years by Phillip Garrido. Best viral video? How about the one that showcases one man growing a beard, taking a picture every single day? The best video game might be no surprise, Modern Warfare 2 (which we reviewed). Brad Paisley’s “American Saturday Night” took the top spot for best album, Mad Man for best TV series, The Princess and the Frog for best movie, and Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” for best song.

Everybody likes Android, Google’s open-source smartphone operating system. But a smartphone operating system isn’t all that satisfying without an actual kick-ass smartphone wrapped around it. Now Android has one: The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don’t miss it. The Droid’s touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon’s best-of-breed 3G network. It’s Android’s first credible challenge to the iPhone. Price: $300.