The Best Inventions Of The Year

From the phone that has changed phones forever, to futuristic cars, to a building made of water, to a remote-controlled dragonfly—a dazzling display of ingenuity

—By Maryanne Murray Buechner, Kristina Dell, Andrea Dorfman, Lev Grossman, Anita Hamilton, Rebecca Winters Keegan, Jeffrey Kluger, Michael D. Lemonick, Coco Masters, Lisa McLaughlin, Alice Park, Julie Rawe and Deirdre van Dyk

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Three of a Kind: Notebook Computers

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Fancy
Dell XPS M1330
This dream machine has all the power you need for both work and play. A handy set of multimedia touch controls sits above the beautifully designed keyboard. Opt for the superslim, power-saving led screen (a $300 add-on) for more vivid color and longer battery life.
$1,800 and up; dell.com

Cheap
HP Pavilion dv2660se Verve
You can get a full-featured notebook for as little as $800, but it wouldn't be much to look at. HP's Verve has a slick bronze design printed on its glossy case, a 14.1-in. (35.8 cm) HD widescreen display for watching DVDs and the 2 GB of RAM you'll want to run Windows Vista.
$950; bestbuy.com

Something Different
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet
Spin the screen 180°, shut the case and voilá—you've got a digital notepad that translates handwriting (even less-than-perfect script) into typed text. The 12.1-in. (30.7 cm) screen is visible in direct sunlight, and the DVD burner is in a separate dock, so you're carrying less than 4 lbs. (1.8 kg).
$1,600; shop.lenovo.com

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