10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009: Techcrunch Crunchpad Tablet

• breakthrough awards
• computers
• tablet computers

Tech blogger Michael Arrington wanted a low-cost tablet computer—something to handle basic Web-oriented tasks from the comfort of his couch. No company offered one, so he designed it himself. The Linux-based PC, which is edging toward release, is promising—but the best part is the proof that today a tech fanboy can take the director’s chair and quickly prototype a smarter product.

Update: On Nov. 30, 2009, CrunchPad’s Michael Arrington announced that the product introduction was being canceled, owing to a business dispute. By giving an award to a prototype, PM took a risk: that a promising product created by a smart group of people might fail to be realized. In this case, it seems, we were a bit too quick to act on our enthusiasm for an innovative idea. While this product is not coming to market, Popular Mechanics anticipates that tablet-style devices for consuming media will represent an important trend in the coming year.

10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009
Honeywell Wind Turbine	Palm Pre	Quikrete Asphalt and Green Concrete	Hustler Zeon Electric Mower	Loggerhead Bionic Hydrant Wrench
Andalay AC Solar PV Panel	Ford Ecoboost V6	Lehr Propane Trimmer	Nikon Coolpix S1000PJ	Techcrunch Crunchpad Tablet

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