As 2011 draws to a close we thought it might be a good time to look back and see what products we really enjoyed using in 2011. Some of our choices might be controversial, but hey, horses for courses. Let us know what you think in the comments?

Best Phone: Samsung Galaxy S2

Even the most ardent fans of iPhone have to agree – the Galaxy S2 is a truly great phone. It is very fast, is built well (despite being made of plastic), the screen is beautiful, the camera is excellent – the list goes on. Pricing is also pretty good, and the phone is still great several months later, which you cannot typically say of the Android phone marketplace. You cannot go wrong. Not even Samsung’s bigger and faster Galaxy Note could change our name. Now we just have to get our hands on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Close second: Apple iPhone 4S. Expect our review in the new year.

Best Tablet: Apple iPad 2

The iPad was the first successful touch-centric tablet on the market, and after some growing pains from the phone-only iOS to the larger screened iPad based iOS, Apple merged the two with the launch of the iPad 2. No other tablet comes close when it comes to the interface, app selection and overall build quality. Even more than year after the original iPad has been launched, no other tablet has come close. And the best part – it is priced very well. Close second: The Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet is a might impressive enterprise focussed device.

Best Computer: Apple Macbook Air 13

The Macbook Air is nothing new, but the latest Core i-carrying Macbook Air is truly great computer. Extremely thin, great battery life and surprisingly good performance has many users wondering why they might need a different (or higher end) laptop. The price is still a little high, but it is still great value for money. Sure, gamers will stick to their Alienware class machines, but the Macbook Pro is looking less and less relevant. And before the Apple haters start – we are referring to the hardware and overall performance. The OS is your own choice. Close second: The Lenovo X220 is a great laptop if you are not interested in the whole Apple thing. It can take a few knocks, and it is very fast.

Best Camera: Olympus E-PL3

Here at BandwidthBlog we love our SLRs, but carrying around big ol’ cameras with long lenses quickly get tiring. The Olympus PEN series is still a great range of cameras for people who want SLR-class image quality in a nice compact camera shape. Sure, it is not cheap, but nothing comes close for sheer portability and image quality. The new flexible screen is also great to use for difficult shots. Close second: The Nikon V1 follows a similar principle – but we have not tried it yet.

Best Broadband Product: 8ta 10GB deal

South Africa still has some pretty expensive broadband, and Telkom is primarily to blame for that. That is why we really appreciate it that cellular operators have stepped up to make ADSL look less and less relevant. Last year Cell C did it with their 5GB deal, and this year Telkom’s cellular arm 8ta did it as well. Yes the irony is not lost on us – 8ta offers 10GB of data for R199 per month. Yes, it is a 24 month contract, and you have to be in 8ta’s own coverage map. But if you are, it is really a great deal. 10Gb of data for less than the cost of a Telkom line and the ADSL “line”? Great. Close second: Nothing really.

Best Gaming Device: Xbox 360 Kinect

The XBox 360 has been around for a while now, but Microsoft has to commended for bringing out the Kinect. The Kinect is a truly great add on, and it really breathed some new life into the console market. The Kinect effectively took away the market from the Nintendo Wii, with better graphics and better control schemes. Good thing is that the Kinect is still very new, and there is still some great features that will arrive in future. The Kinect SDK for Windows means you will also see some pretty great things on Windows soon as well. Close second: The Microsoft Speed Wheel is a lot better than we expected – expect a review in the new year. It is a great steering wheel for guys who do not want their lounges to look like a bachelors flat. Use it, put it away.

Best Cheap and Cheerful Product: BlackBerry Curve 8520

The Blackberry 8520 is now officially quite an old phone – in fact many people are on their second 8520 because their contracts could have been upgraded already. Even though BlackBerry had a tough 2011, the 8520 continues to sell like hotcakes. It is a seriously good deal – it costs around R1700 cash, and it is bundled with many of the cheapest contracts by the operators. Combine that with BIS “all you can eat” web browsing at R60 a month, and you have a winner on your hands. Now we just hope that BlackBerry replaces the 8520 with their newer Curve models at the same price point. But 2011 was the year RIM focussed on higher end handsets like the brilliant Bold 9900, but maybe 2012 sees some of that designs trickling down to the Curve. Close second: The iPhone 3GS. Yes, not close to as cheap as the 8520, but still a mighty good phone at the price.

SA Tech Innovator of the Year: FNB

Yes – a BANK. But FNB did a bang up job in 2011. They announced brilliant deals for clients who needed devices like iPads, but most importantly they rolled out mobile apps to the major smartphone platforms. We still find it strange that only FNB has decent smartphone apps - In essence the app provides a more convenient and elegant version of all the commonly used functionality provided by the online banking system. Kudos to FNB for bringing some much needed innovation to the SA banking sector.