TrustedReviews Awards 2007 Review

It's a tad predictable that an award for design would involve an Apple product; it is what the company is best known for after all. What makes the iPhone a strong candidate is not just its drool worthy external aesthetics, but also the various interface enhancements such as multi-touch and the superb Mobile Safari, which make it more than an over-hyped fashion item. A superb screen also helps, though the recessed headphone port still annoys even now. Perfect it isn't, but an example of great design in what was becoming a rather stagnant and over populated market, it is.

Just like buses these Apple products are. Though not as noteworthy by virtue of the iMac already being a stunning product, it's still hard to deny the great design that's gone into the latest variant. Economy is the buzz word here, with the latest iMac proving to be even svelter than what came before. We loved the change to an all aluminium finish, while touches such as the glossy black frame around the screen seem perfectly in keeping. Throw in a new and beautifully slim keyboard and it's a winning combination, though some more screen adjustment would have been welcome.

What more can one say about the Sony TZ? Having already walked away with the Best Notebook Award, it shouldn't come as too great a surprise to see Sony's TZ in the design category. Just making a notebook this small is worthy of note, but the panache in which it has been done is simply stunning. Be it the slimness of the lid, the quality of the keyboard and the fact that Sony has managed to squeeze an optical drive into such a small chassis, there are so many small touches that combine to make this a design that stands out from the crowd.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you; those words do read PlayStation 3. The much maligned "next generation" console has its fair share of doubters, many of whom frequent our office. Two of those sceptics even own PS3s, which probably says a lot about the console's current problems. However, as a design there's a lot to praise. Aesthetically it's an acquired taste but unlike the utilitarian Xbox 360 or toy-like Wii, it looks like a proper consumer electronics product. More impressive, though, is the thermal performance of the console. Despite being a very powerful piece of kit that's packed full of advanced features like its Blu-ray drive, it runs incredibly quietly. So, delayed, no games and horrendously expensive it may be, but it isn't all bad news for Sony.