November 19, 2010, 12:00 PM — Our choices of Evernote, Google Voice, and Prezi push this category to do business, but it still has fun with Facebook, the MOG music service, and the shopping site TheFind.com, among others.
Netflix
Streaming video service and video-by-mail plan; starts at $9, Watch Instantly free with monthly plan A dominant and growing provider of streaming-video movies and TV shows, Netflix came on strong this year with its Watch Instantly service. Aside from the popularity of the service on desktop PCs, the Netflix Watch Instantly app has made a splashy debut during the past year on other devices, including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. (#4 in the PCWorld 100)
Blizzard Entertainment StarCraft II
Game; $60 Twelve years in the making, the highly anticipated sequel to the 1998 real-time strategy gaming classic does not disappoint. (#17)
Blizzard Entertainment StarCraft II coverage | blizzard.com
Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Game; $40 The third expansion--and dramatic overhaul--of this megapopular massively multiplayer online game demonstrates why World of Warcraft is still the one to beat. We've played the beta version enough to feel confident that it will absolutely be among the year's best titles. (#24)
Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft: Cataclysm coverage | worldofwarcraft.com
Google Voice
Phone service; free Want a Manhattan area code, but you live in Kansas? This service lets you fake it with a single number to reach multiple phones and text inboxes, with free SMS texting and call conferencing. Mobile apps are available, too. Voice transcriptions need work, however. (#34)
