Brad Moon

Fans of Microsoft’s Windows Phone mobile platform can be forgiven for feeling left out with the glut of new smartphone releases every fall. New iPhones, BlackBerries and Android phones are commonplace, but Windows? A little tougher to come by. However, Microsoft announced a new “affordable flagship” Lumia smartphone at IFA 2014 in September and the Nokia Lumia 830 is now finding its way into Canada. It sports the familiar colourful polycarbonate shell and a big 5-inch display at an affordable price point.

I’ve had my crack at pointing out what I feel are some of the best tablets released in 2014. Now it’s your turn. The Ratings and Comments left by Best Buy customers are a resource that shouldn’t be overlooked when shopping for any product, and I find the feedback is extremely valuable. People think of things or have experiences that I simply don’t encounter during the course of a 1,000 word review and while my time with many review products is measured in days, feedback and ratings can reflect weeks or months spent with new gear. With that intro, here are five of the best tablets being sold today, as rated by Best Buy customers.  

Looking for a cool, high tech gift idea? One that can help someone live a healthier lifestyle or make them love their smartphone that much more? Look no further than wearable technology, a category of gear that’s taken off this year, finally living up to the promise of wearing a mini computer instead of carrying one.

I’ve spent several weeks now with HTC’s Nexus 9 tablet. That’s a bit longer than a typical reviews, but with all the hype surrounding this device, I wanted to take the time to really run it through its paces. There are also questions surrounding the Nexus 9, primarily whether its unusual size should be considered a plus or a minus. Again, I wanted to spend time with it before coming to any snap decisions. Read my review to get the full scoop but here’s one spoiler: the Nexus 9 did make my best tablets of 2014 list. 

I’ve posted a number of articles about tablets in recent weeks. There’s a reason for that: tablets are one of the most popular and sought-after gifts. I have the opportunity for hands-on time with many of these devices throughout the year and if If I can help someone to make an informed choice between the dozens (of not hundreds) of tablets currently available, I’m happy to do so. I’ve already touched on topics like the best tablet for a specific task or top choices within a price range. This time around, it’s my picks for the best tablets of 2014.

Last year’s Moto X was a surprise hit, winning praise for its attractive design, nearly pure Android UI and excellent value proposition. This year’s follow-up Moto X is much more than a spec-bumped version 2. The new Moto X is significantly bigger, much more powerful and gains new features, while retaining much of the appeal of the original. I just wrapped up a week with the 2014 Moto X and I’ll be sorry to see it go.

Smartwatches and wearables have been a hot category this year. It seems like everyone is making one, but this early in the game it’s tough to get things just right. Motorola’s Moto 360 has been one of the most hotly anticipated devices of the season because it’s one of the first out of the gate to tackle two challenges head on: it’s round like a traditional wristwatch, and with Android Wear it has an operating system built from the ground up for wearables. I’ve been spending some quality time with a Moto 360 and this is what I think about the latest must-have high tech accessory.

Now that the tablet market is maturing, pretty much any of the mainstream devices will offer decent performance. So how do manufacturers distinguish their products from all the rest on the shelves? Going Ultra is one of the best ways to stand out. Ultra thin, ultra fast, ultra big —pushing the boundaries gets attention and these Ultra tablets are worth considering if you’re looking for one that stands out in a crowd.

From the Nexus 9 —the first of a new generation of Android Lollipop tablets— to convertible touchscreens, AiO PCs like the 14.7 million pixel 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina Display and designer laptop bags, these are some of the hottest trends in desktop, laptop and tablet computing.

Eurocom is a well known manufacturer of high performance gaming laptops. I’ve had the opportunity to test several of the company’s models in the past and they always impress. This time, I have a Eurocom Armadillo, something different. It’s a thin ultra-portable with a touchscreen display and long battery life—something different for a gaming laptop. Read on to see what I thought of the Armadillo.